The final five queens give drag makeovers to their family members. Actor June Diane Raphael is a guest judge…
Last week after the queens delivered dramatic monologues and interpretive dances on stage, Lana Ja’Rae was sent packing following her lip sync against Sam Star. Meanwhile, Lexi and Onya proved their pairing was written in the stars when they both took home the top spots for the week. This week, the final five will give drag makeovers to their family members, and one more queen will be eliminated before the final four is revealed. Let’s get into it.
This week’s episode begins in the werk room following Lana’s elimination. Sam is feeling thankful to still have a shot at the crown. The queens all head over to read Lana’s goodbye message on the mirror. Sam gets really emotional about surviving her first lip sync and talks about being terrified in the moment. She also tells the queens she knew they were in the bottom during their performance. Over on the couches the queens congratulate Lexi and Onya on their win. Lexi is in the two wins club and she thanks Onya for letting her ride the escalator to the top. Onya is in the four winners club and is officially leading the competition. Jewels is the only queen left with one win and she feels like she’s being overlooked by the other queens.
It’s a new day in the werk room and the top five queens are feeling ready to take on a new challenge that’ll get them closer to the grand finale. Around the table Sam is still feeling emotional and thrown from her time in the bottom. Will she be able to shake it off for this week’s challenge? Ru enters the room and tells the girls that for today’s mini challenge the queens will be playing a game of “Spill the Tea”. Ru will ask a superlative question and the queen with the most points at the end wins. After a ru-vealing game, the winner of the mini challenge is Onya. Ru then tells the queens that the greatest gift is being a (drag) mother, and welcomes some extra special newbies to the werk room. The newbies are Sam’s mom, Suzie’s mom, Onya’s dad, Jewels’s dad, and Lexi’s mom. Ru thanks them for being there before letting the queens know that for this week’s maxi challenge they;ll have to give their loved ones drag family makeovers.
The queens get right to catching up with their parents while coming up with a plan for their makeover. Sam immediately gets emotional but is quickly on the same page with her mother wanting a Dolly-esque drag look. Suzie says she’s a bit uncomfortable having her mom suddenly be in her world, but she’s going to make the best of it. Suzie’s mom doesn’t have the same desire for the stage as Suzie which she plans to make work while making her mom comfortable. Onya is excited to have her dad here, revealing they’ve only recently reconnected and he’s been wholeheartedly supportive of Onya’s drag career. Jewels feels this is an opportunity to bring her family back together after her brother’s untimely death in 2022. Lexi is floored that her mom turned up to the studio, but is so glad they’ve reconnected to get to this point. Jewels’s dad is feeling the breastplate, which prompts Onya’s dad to try on a pair too.
Suzie’s going with an unconventional duct tape wig on her mom which all of the other queens read her to filth for. While telling her mom about her biggest enemy in the competition, Lexi comes to the realization that the reason Suzie has been getting in her head so much is because Lexi sees Suzie as a version of her if life had dealt its cards a little differently. Ru checks in on the queens and talks to them one on one about their plans for putting their parents in drag. The parents have Ru cracking up, but there are a lot of touching moments, too.
It’s elimination day and the queens plus their parents are ready for battle. Not only do they have to get themselves ready, but they’ll have to get their parents ready too. Onya’s dad is not happy about shaving his beard, but he does it anyway to give Onya the best shot to be in the top four. Sam’s mom likes to present herself more modestly because of how she feels about her body, and Sam has made it her mission to make her mom feel as gorgeous as possible on the main stage. Lexi’s mom is a little nervous about walking the runway, but she sets her up with some face tape and mama is feeling herself in no time. Suzie is grateful for the time spent with her mom and the opportunity to connect in a new way. Jewels knows this is a high stakes challenge and she wants to make sure she makes it to the finale. Sam’s mom and Suzie’s mom have a conversation that feels eerily like a conversation between Suzie and Sam. Suzie is feeling a little sad that she doesn’t have the besties dynamic that a lot of the other queens have with their parents.
Out on the runway Ru introduces this week’s panel of judges Michelle, Law Roach, and this week’s extra special guest judge, actor June Diane Raphael. Category on the runway is “Drag Family Resembence” and the queens strut the runway with their fabulously dragged-up parents.
Critiques start with Lexi and her mom. Law tells them that they look so beautiful and it makes him feel good. Michelle says the resemblance isn’t fully there, but both of them do look beautiful. Lexi gets emotional with her mom using her preferred pronouns and is so thankful and proud of her mom for her support. Next, Michelle tells Sam and Sassy that the family resemblance was fantastic, Law loves their runway looks, and all of the judges could tell they have such a deep connection. Michelle tells Suzie that the drag family resemblance is there and June tells her she cast her in a role perfectly and loved how they incorporated her mom’s energy and comfort level into their presentation. Law tells Suzie she has the most fashion-forward looks of everyone on the stage, which shocks everyone. Jewels and her very enthusiastic dad get top toots from all the judges. Law loved their personalities, Michelle says there’s resemblance, but all of the judges agree their faux fur parkas feel a little lazy. Finally, Onya and her dad had so much fun on the runway, all of the judges could tell they were having a great time. Michelle says the family resemblance wasn’t all there and Law hates the outfits but calls Onya’s daddy “fine” outside of drag.
Following deliberations, Ru announces that the winners of this week’s challenge are Sam and Miss Sassy Star. Suzie and Lexi are both safe and headed to the top four. This means that Onya and Jewels are this week’s bottom two queens. They lip sync for their lives to “1 Thing” by Amerie. Neither of these queens want to go home so close to the finale, there are reveals, splits, and a wig kick. After the lip sync, Ru announces that the love vibrations were too strong tonight, so both queens will stay in the competition.
Next week on RuPaul’s Drag Race: The queens will be auditioning for the live Vegas show, sit down for an interview with Latrice Royale, and “at least” one of them will be heading home by the end of the episode.
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