RPDR S10 - let the games begin!

[tony]

Finale taping spoilers:

Spoiler

Asia vs. Kameron first battle - Asia had some big reveal with butterflies that went wrong so Kameron won and advanced to the final. Asia was devastated and apparently her whole number looks odd since no one knew what was supposed to happen.

Eureka vs. Aquaria - from every report I’ve read, Eureka won this one pretty soundly but Rupaul decided to advance both ladies to the final.

In the final, apparently Aquaria had the biggest gimmick and also taped her winning moment last, so I’m guessing she’s the winner, especially because Rupaul wanted her there in the first place.

 

[Dr.Siouxs]

None of these top 4 seem like a winner to me. Can't they bring back Monique Heart and crown her?

It's probably Aquaria who takes it but what exactly is so groundbreaking about her Parisian fashion approach to drag? She looks great but she could possibly be the least charismatic winner ever..

 

[Willin]

@berthesghost I didn't notice that, but you're totally right. It is deja vu!
I just hope Aquaria doesn't win. There have been queens with much better looks and more personality than her. Then again, Ru seems to like the Aquaria type if Violet is any indication. At least Violet had a distinctive look with her waist...

 

[Diane Mars]

Probably the only one here, but I really like Kameron... And I'm still hoping for her to open up !

 

[Aussie Willy]

I think Violet was one of the more flawless queens with her looks. To me that is why she won. She was a stunner

 

[Aceon6]

I think Violet was one of the more flawless queens with her looks. To me that is why she won. She was a stunner

Violet screamed potential mogul to me... stunning with the intelligence to back it up.

 

[Willin]

Probably the only one here, but I really like Kameron... And I'm still hoping for her to open up !

I really like Kameron too!
I actually think her looks are better than Aquaria's. At least they're more my aesthetic than Aquaria's. Based on some snippets, especially early in the season, I feel like she was opening up or being funny, but it didn't fit the narrative the producers had in mind so they edited her to seem quiet.

 

[jamesy]

I will root for Kameron based on her giving no shits when Lena Dunham showed up backstage.

 

[just tuned in]

I thought the judges' critique -- that her two looks were not different enough -- was bogus because the characters are supposed to be "twins." I thought Kameron nailed that. Also, when she said her face was full of Voluma, I went to google that.

 

[berthesghost]

This entire episode had big problems for me. Evil twins and inner saboteur are not the same thing imo. Looks wise, it was so obvious they were told to bring caveman looks for some challenge or other that got shelved, so at least 3 of the “bad” outfits made no sense at all and then you have raja who’s gotten so bitchy lately he makes Dave Lease seem like Florence Henderson, snear that “evil twin doesn’t mean prehistoric”. Duh. Cracker admitted in the workroom she couldn’t get her outfit to work so just pulled the leftover caveman one out of her bag. Yes, it was ugly compared to Aquaria’s but it didnt make any less sense. Aquaria’s twins weren’t even from the same family and what does exposed bones over ugly animal print have to do with anything.

This episode was a mess from a production viewpoint. And someone needs to tell ms. Charles that she is not dr. Phil and drag queens don’t have to undergo televised therapy in order to be successful entertainers. For a reality show that often dances right up to the line of exploitation and spectacle, this episode crossed that line imo. It’s one thing to admit on tv that your mother abandoned you at a bus stop. It’s another to require such an admission as part of the challenges. It was so “tell me your innermost secrets? No? Sorry my dear you are up for elimination”

 

[just tuned in]

This entire episode had big problems for me. Evil twins and inner saboteur are not the same thing imo. Looks wise, it was so obvious they were told to bring caveman looks for some challenge or other that got shelved, so at least 3 of the “bad” outfits made no sense at all and then you have raja who’s gotten so bitchy lately he makes Dave Lease seem like Florence Henderson, snear that “evil twin doesn’t mean prehistoric”. Duh. Cracker admitted in the workroom she couldn’t get her outfit to work so just pulled the leftover caveman one out of her bag. Yes, it was ugly compared to Aquaria’s but it didnt make any less sense. Aquaria’s twins weren’t even from the same family and what does exposed bones over ugly animal print have to do with anything.

This episode was a mess from a production viewpoint. And someone needs to tell ms. Charles that she is not dr. Phil and drag queens don’t have to undergo televised therapy in order to be successful entertainers. For a reality show that often dances right up to the line of exploitation and spectacle, this episode crossed that line imo. It’s one thing to admit on tv that your mother abandoned you at a bus stop. It’s another to require such an admission as part of the challenges. It was so “tell me your innermost secrets? No? Sorry my dear you are up for elimination”

ITA, entire post. First, regarding the prehistoric lerks -- when Monet departed she modeled for the camera a cute frizzy wig with a bone in it. (I guess the production assistants ask the sashayed contestants if there was any wardrobe they were sad not to have gotten the opportunity to wear). But yes, Monet also had a prehistoric look, so it makes a bit of sense that some of the queens would go to that.
Miz Cracker's bones did not read evil to me. Aquaria's exterior bones were disturbing and hideous and WTF more than evil.

Second, I did not enjoy hearing the queens have to tear themselves down. We hear plenty of that sort of thing in their workroom convos (which no doubt are producer-driven) about their difficulty in coming out as queer, etc. But Mama Ru does seem to see her role as helping the children to "grow."

 

[FiveRinger]

Ok....I'm done. I don't know how Mz Cracker got eliminated....WTF? Not cool. Kameron has lip-synced 3 times and is still around? I complained about it with Vixen and I'm still screaming.....I don't care who wins now, as long it's not Aquaria.

 

[berthesghost]

IDK.. I feel like as soon as Ru started comparing aquaria to raja and violet, she basically put the crown on her right there and then

 

[antmanb]

This entire episode had big problems for me. Evil twins and inner saboteur are not the same thing imo. Looks wise, it was so obvious they were told to bring caveman looks for some challenge or other that got shelved, so at least 3 of the “bad” outfits made no sense at all and then you have raja who’s gotten so bitchy lately he makes Dave Lease seem like Florence Henderson, snear that “evil twin doesn’t mean prehistoric”. Duh. Cracker admitted in the workroom she couldn’t get her outfit to work so just pulled the leftover caveman one out of her bag. Yes, it was ugly compared to Aquaria’s but it didnt make any less sense. Aquaria’s twins weren’t even from the same family and what does exposed bones over ugly animal print have to do with anything.

This episode was a mess from a production viewpoint. And someone needs to tell ms. Charles that she is not dr. Phil and drag queens don’t have to undergo televised therapy in order to be successful entertainers. For a reality show that often dances right up to the line of exploitation and spectacle, this episode crossed that line imo. It’s one thing to admit on tv that your mother abandoned you at a bus stop. It’s another to require such an admission as part of the challenges. It was so “tell me your innermost secrets? No? Sorry my dear you are up for elimination”

I totally agree with this entire post that episode was ridiculous and a little painful to watch. The comments between Rupaul and Michelle drive me insane, it's like they think they're curing fcuking cancer - it's a reality tv show FFS.

Also on the make over episode Rupaul seemed very....medicated...he was talking a million miles an hour, barely letting anyone else speak and frankly spouting crap for the majority of the episode practically crawling around on the ceiling.

This series has been a bit of a let down really.

 

[berthesghost]

So.. I did continue with the season, unlike s7.

This penultimate episode was filler, as they usually are. The final 4 had more to do with them sticking to the show’s format than anything the queens actually did. And this season does seem more obvious than past ones in the entire season being edited to support the eventual outcome. We shall see.

But the feeling that last week’s episode was officially when the show jumped the preverbial shark hasn’t been shaken off. Not only did they cross the line by taking one of the show’s unexpected bonuses and making it a requirement, but what was up with spending an hour forcing vulnerable people toward a dangerous pop-psychology breakthrough if you’re only going to judge the win by the most superficial “I liked her dress” standard?

 

[Dr.Siouxs]

Slightly off topic but has anyone seen Drag Race Thailand? I was floored that it is SUBSTANTIALLY more entertaining than Season 10; the cast is unique, diverse, and incredibly shady! Many unique challenges and the runways are

Videos with subtitles are available on Dailymotion. Seriously though watch it, you won't be disappointed.

 

[berthesghost]

^I haven’t watched an entire episode yet, but watched some highlights a while back. I want to say it was between all stars 3 and s10. Or maybe it was episode1 but I didn’t finish it because I had to go somewhere. Anyways, I enjoyed what little I saw. I should give it another go.

 

[antmanb]

This episode was incredibly filler. I thought Eureka was by far the worst, I can't believe the judges praised her choreography...what choreography? She didn't do what she'd been given in the training, and she didn't match the other dancers either. And I thought when she hurt her knee we got all the tears because she said she was a "dancer"?

I was really impressed with Kameron's choreography.

With the four that are left surely only Aquaria has any kind of chance of winning (and being the Violet of this season)?

 

[berthesghost]

Yeah, maybe part of the finale drinking game should be taking a sip every time someone refers to aquaria as “the future of drag”

 

[antmanb]

Yeah, maybe part of the finale drinking game should be taking a sip every time someone refers to aquaria as “the future of drag”

There isn't enough alcohol in my house and I have lots

 

[berthesghost]

Well that ru-union was.... Interesting

Yeah, after an entire decade it's all getting very lather rinse repeat:
1. Some queen is bothered that others said things about her to the camera they didn't say to her face - Mayhem girl, have you never seen the show you've tried so hard to get on? That's some season 1 bs.
2. A sour queen plays nice for tv and the others are not here for it. Congrats Kameron on being the new Valentina, you finally have a storyline : lol:
3. An angry queen pops off, storms off or pulls a no show because of the shitty way the show played her. Queens like adore and Ben can fake nice their way back into the shows good graces, Ru seems to have a primal, personal dislike for the vixen that ultimately makes her look bad inho.

But the real surprise for me was Asia. Yeah she'll probably come in 3rd or 4th but she proved tonight she really is the next drag superstar. Who else would have the cohones to tell miz Charles to her face that she's full of shit. And not in a bratty barely coherent way ala Tammy Brown, but consistently, elequently and passionately.

 

[Willin]

I just feel like the season started off strong and then wonky editing made the last half awful. In particular I feel like a lot of the reunion was just edits trying to justify or continue the storylines they made with sloppy editing. Of course, because that editing was sloppy, it came out so awkward.
Like, Asia's edit went from pageant nice girl to boring and then for the reunion only motherly? And they tried to give Eureka an edit to make it seem like she had the higher ground over The Vixen for the reunion, when The Vixen was given the higher ground in the actual untucked episode. And then during the season everyone wanted to do Kameron Michaels (especially Eureka) and suddenly in the reunion she's a total rude b****? I just - I can't...

My big takeaways from the finale were:
1. Aquaria has no personality and her looks weren't even the most talked about as far as looks that made the other queens gag. She shouldn't be the winner, but Ru will make her the winner anyways.
2. Eureka is still awful and I still have no idea why the producers are going through the effort of trying to make her look sympathetic - because even with the sympathetic edit she still comes off as a bad person.
3. Kameron is somehow adorable, very manly, and very feminine all at once.
4. Asia is so nice, reasonable, well-spoken, and smart. I don't know if I think she has the charisma or uniqueness to be America's Next Drag Superstar (although she certainly has more charisma than Aquaria), but I do think she's an amazing representative of the drag community. I hope she can serve as an ambassador for the LGBT community, especially in the more conservative state she lives in.

 

[tony]

To be fair, a year has gone by since filming of the regular season and a lot has happened and personalities and egos probably have shifted or come more into the light. They all get to interact in the outside world and do shows together, etc. It sounds like all of the queens agreed that Aquaria has become much nicer/more aware of how to act since filming, and that Kameron maybe has developed a bit of an ego -- which may again just be coming from the fact that he doesn't have a lot to say. The shift in editing makes much more sense than changing the storyline of the queens from week to week like we saw sometimes this year.

I'm sure Eureka could be a lovely lady, but really don't like when someone tries to act all tough or confident and then the minute they can't do something or don't do as well as expected, they have a laundry list of excuses as to why. There was a contestant on Survivor a few seasons ago that everyone really liked, but he was switching between having anxiety attacks one minute and trying to be the baddest bitch the next. Finally, in one episode toward the end, one of the other contestants called him on it in a very nasty way, but I was thinking the exact same thing at that point. Eureka gives me those same vibes and I don't think that personality would be a good representation for the community. They really are trying to shove her in our faces and she's not coming anywhere near likable to me.

I didn't like the Vixen at all during the season, but I actually felt for her during the reunion. Rupaul has this constant need to be the one and only savior of world peace and happiness and is always trying to get deep inside everyones heads to find unnecessary dramatic tales so she can be the one to fix them, but she really did give Vixen no chance. I have the personality that if someone is beating around the bush after talking about someone, I'll call it out. I think Vixen at that moment really was like to Aquaria if she just put all the energy into putting someone else down and then saying it wasn't a big deal. I don't know why Rupaul was suddenly all 'Maybe you shouldn't say anything' when every other time she's living for the drama. Good for Asia for calling it out.

 

[berthesghost]

The lurks:

I def favored one side of the stage over the other as I love a good camp queen look: cracker’s lady Gudiva, monique’s dress, yuhua’s the ring homage and dusty’s B movie horror queen hair, loved it! On the other side, only asia’s show girl outfit seemed stunning.

On a side note: why was Monét, imo one of the season’s breakout stars, shoved in the back with the also rans?
Whatever lurk aquaria was selling, I wasn’t buying. Went right over my head. Kameron and Eureka both seemed like they made the effort, but not my cup of tea. Both suffer from lack of editing skills imho

The season: what made this one different imho is that except for maybe kalorie, everyone seemed really good. Day one it was so exciting to have so many high level queens. But as it gets weeded down it’s automatically disappointing because unlike other seasons (except for maybe 7) the final 4 really are no better than 5-8, who really aren’t much better than 9-12.

Also, let’s be real, all shows start to lose it by s10. In some ways this reunion almost felt like an audition for a new ru Paul leads group therapy show.

 

[Willin]

To be fair, a year has gone by since filming of the regular season and a lot has happened and personalities and egos probably have shifted or come more into the light. They all get to interact in the outside world and do shows together, etc. It sounds like all of the queens agreed that Aquaria has become much nicer/more aware of how to act since filming, and that Kameron maybe has developed a bit of an ego -- which may again just be coming from the fact that he doesn't have a lot to say. The shift in editing makes much more sense than changing the storyline of the queens from week to week like we saw sometimes this year.

I understand this angle of thought, but I also wonder why they edited it the way they did then.

The Kameron stuff came out of nowhere compared to the actual show edit, so maybe they should have at least put something in the reunion like "Since the show filmed you've been really cocky" or "After we filmed the show you started being rude on social media" rather than ignoring all change in time. It just makes it seem so out of nowhere even if you did know this was filmed only two or three weeks ago.
According to the people over at the subreddit, the other Queens might have actually been upset about petty things like not saying "Hi" and/or because she's explicitly stated in a place other contestants can see that she was quiet because she didn't want to have anything she said taken out of context by the producers. Of course that little tidbit wasn't mentioned in the reunion, so who knows if that's the case. I guess they thought she was stuck up or rude for not playing the same game they were playing? TBH I think she was smart for playing the game that way: she can share looks/get attention from followers, but doesn't get the b**** edit. When she was attacked by the other queens, social media was quick to defend her for simply being an introvert, which certainly upped her popularity. Whether she is really an introvert/shy or that was her playing the game, it was a really good thing to happen for her.

Similarly, if Aquaria's been nicer, they should've mentioned it. Even a throwaway line like "she's been helping us come up with looks lately" or "since we filmed the show we've done a lot of gigs together" would've helped. She came off as not doing much at all during this show.

Also, let’s be real, all shows start to lose it by s10. In some ways this reunion almost felt like an audition for a new ru Paul leads group therapy show.

Seriously tho I love some of the stories - the ones where the show helps parents reconnect or accept their gay sons are my favorite - but I don't want that to be 90% of the show. I want the show to be more shady and lipsyncing and innuendos.

I also think RuPaul leading group therapy is so cringe-worthy because RuPaul comes off as so disingenuous in those conversations. At least this time they made an effort to show that RuPaul isn't as nice as she believes herself to be. Past contestants have mentioned she's all in it for the branding and publicity purposes. Frankly, as opposed to a therapy session show (Asia should get that if anyone), I'd love to see a season of RuPaul's Drag Race where as a twist RuPaul acted as a treacherous mentor - that is, RuPaul would give horrible advice or otherwise try to sabotage contestants and only the contestants who were clever enough to figure out what the bad advice was would win.

 

[just tuned in]

I'd love to see a season of RuPaul's Drag Race where as a twist RuPaul acted as a treacherous mentor - that is, RuPaul would give horrible advice or otherwise try to sabotage contestants and only the contestants who were clever enough to figure out what the bad advice was would win.

I sometimes wondered if this was not actually already happening, like when Ru told Asia not to do Whitney Houston in the snatch game.

 

[Aussie Willy]

If the reason you want to throw a Queen under the bus is because they were shy or trying to fit in (not being rude or anything, just not saying much), that says more about you than the Queen you are throwing under the bus.

 

[tony]

I understand this angle of thought, but I also wonder why they edited it the way they did then.

The Kameron stuff came out of nowhere compared to the actual show edit, so maybe they should have at least put something in the reunion like "Since the show filmed you've been really cocky" or "After we filmed the show you started being rude on social media" rather than ignoring all change in time. It just makes it seem so out of nowhere even if you did know this was filmed only two or three weeks ago.
According to the people over at the subreddit, the other Queens might have actually been upset about petty things like not saying "Hi" and/or because she's explicitly stated in a place other contestants can see that she was quiet because she didn't want to have anything she said taken out of context by the producers. Of course that little tidbit wasn't mentioned in the reunion, so who knows if that's the case. I guess they thought she was stuck up or rude for not playing the same game they were playing? TBH I think she was smart for playing the game that way: she can share looks/get attention from followers, but doesn't get the b**** edit. When she was attacked by the other queens, social media was quick to defend her for simply being an introvert, which certainly upped her popularity. Whether she is really an introvert/shy or that was her playing the game, it was a really good thing to happen for her.

Similarly, if Aquaria's been nicer, they should've mentioned it. Even a throwaway line like "she's been helping us come up with looks lately" or "since we filmed the show we've done a lot of gigs together" would've helped. She came off as not doing much at all during this show.

They *did* call out Kameron towards the end when the queens had a chance to read each other. That was shown. I forget who, but someone told the story of how it was impossible to get an acknowledgement from her and I believed someone else also agreed and gave their own story. Maybe it was Monét who brought it up, saying everything Kameron did was extremely calculated. That was shown IMO to explain why, a few minutes later, not one person picked Kameron to be the winner.

Also, it was a throw-away line, but someone did mention how much Aquaria has grown. I believe they talked about how she should get miss congeniality because of it. The segment was probably short after the Vixen blowup to show the contrast in the direction the two went following the show, but I don’t remember exactly.

 

[berthesghost]

If the reason you want to throw a Queen under the bus is because they were shy or trying to fit in (not being rude or anything, just not saying much), that says more about you than the Queen you are throwing under the bus.

Are you talking about Kameron? I feel like every season they “throw under the bus” at least one queen by confronting them as two-faced. Last season it was Valentina. Someone who comes off as nice and friendly in the work room but then is a shady lady on social media. Monique’s rant came right after Mayhem’s lame “you said things about me you never said to my face” accusation, so I really got the impression they were coming after Kameron for being two-faced, not shy. In fact, it’s now been put out there that she’s not shy at all, but just pretending to be shy on tv in order to win a game show.
Who was it that called Alaska a snake?

 

[Aussie Willy]

Are you talking about Kameron? I feel like every season they “throw under the bus” at least one queen by confronting them as two-faced. Last season it was Valentina. Someone who comes off as nice and friendly in the work room but then is a shady lady on social media. Monique’s rant came right after Mayhem’s lame “you said things about me you never said to my face” accusation, so I really got the impression they were coming after Kameron for being two-faced, not shy. In fact, it’s now been put out there that she’s not shy at all, but just pretending to be shy on tv in order to win a game show.
Who was it that called Alaska a snake?

Yes I was talking about Kameron. There is a lot we don't see on the show but I am just going by impressions on the show. But comments about Kameron during the season were very much about how they didn't say much. I think sometimes it is better not to say much rather than talk a lot eg Eureka. If it is calculated that is a strategy. Maybe it has paid off with the audience rather than the other queens.