Here we go, the second half of the cast are ready to join the party! Before I review the episode, I’m going to throw a quick spoiler out there – I thought this episode was substantially better than the first episode. Just saying. The first queens might be ‘that bitch’ but these girls are here to say “You don’t know me”.
So far the season is shaping up to be a fun one but I do have to address the elephant in the room…
The Sherry Pie Drama
You may very well have noticed this little introduction to the episode this week:
While a lot of people are trying to ‘cancel’ Sherry, I will continue to feature in my posts. She’s a contestant and I’m here to review the season – not their personal lives. That being said, expect to see some naff imagery for the Toot’s and Boot’s as other platforms are choosing not to showcase her attire. As a lover of fashion, I will be because I appreciate the artistry that the designers who made her outfits have done and think it’s wrong to not still appreciate their craft.
You can read more of my thoughts on the Sherry Pie drama in my previous article. I’m glad I got that out of the way – let’s head back to the show. I will continue to talk about her talents on the show and the incredible looks that were created for her so keep that in mind. Just because you’re offended, doesn’t mean you’re necessarily correct.
Entrance Looks – Toot or Boot
Let’s see how the queens held up with their looks and general entrance vibes.
Rock M Sakura – Boot
I have to be honest, I really did not like this look. A leotard with a big bow doesn’t win me around as a whole. Just to be clear, I like Rock as a person, but hated this entrance and it was bold to go pink as her makeup is already quite similar to Trixie Mattel – this didn’t make her stand out in my opinion. Also, what are those tiny heels? I suppose she needed them for when she went mental and climbed on tables and whatnot.
Dahlia Sin – Boot
I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t love it. The idea was cool and the matching jacket was nice but I wish the jacket was cropped so we could have seen more dress detail. Equally, it would have been nice if the shoes matched a little more seeing as everything else was a bleached denim moment. The hair was nice but the makeup was a bit beard-visible.
Sherry Pie – Toot
I adore this outfit. It’s fun, it’s campy, it lets you know exactly who she is and the giant rosette lets you know she’s here to slay the competition. This is the sort of fun fashion I want to see from a queen. Bravo to Sherry’s designer because this look is killer.
Jan – Boot
I don’t dislike it, but I don’t love it enough to warrant a toot based on the other queens. The outfit is fun, it looks like something a popstar would wear. Not only that, but I like the fact that the outfit is a nod to Jan’s actual drag name; Jan Sport. Gooooooooooo Jan!
Jaida Essence Hall – Boot
Love the hair and makeup – stunning. The colour of the dress was beaut but it ended at an awkward length on the ankles. I also wish the puff sleeves were even bigger (think of Pepper Labeija).
Aiden Zhane – Toot
I weirdly love this. If Betty Boop became a dominatrix who worked in a nail salon, you’d get Aiden Zhane. The gross ’80s cropped blazer was weirdly beaut, the latex gloves and chest and the little cropped wig was all fun. My only critique would be that I wish she wore boots so we didn’t see her ankles.
The queens were quick to notice that they weren’t the first bunch in the werkroom. With this in mind, it was time for this small second cast to get ready to slay.
We also had the girls meeting Ru for the first time. For some reason, RuPaul decided to walk into the werkroom dressed as Alicia Keys from the ‘Songs in A Minor’ era.
Mini Challenge – Fashion Show… Again
As we saw in the last episode (and Season 6), the queens would be presenting two seasonal looks as part of a runway show for the judges.
Spring / Summer
Rock M. Sakura – Toot
This was rather fun. The wig was cool, the giant kimono was beautiful and the fact she hand-painted it was truly stellar. I wasn’t keen on the baggy pants, square box thing she had on but it can be forgiven in this instance.
Dahlia Sin – Toot
This is fucking stunning! The colour of the dress with the contrast orange wig was perfection. Those lime green feathers are giving me life, the shape is stunning and the wig is lush. This whole look is perfect. I’m glad she didn’t wear a necklace because her neck looks elongated without. My only critique is the shoes, but they don’t offend me, they’re just bland. Still, this look gave me LIFE!
Sherry Pie – Toot
Love this old Hollywood glamour look. The proportions are right, the colour is stunning with the blonde wig and the tassels down one side looks so elegant. Good job Sherry.
Jan – Toot
Living. Jan’s hair and makeup is perfection. You don’t know me, but I’m here for a Marie Anntoinette moment. The sleeves and the curled wig are beaut. The short skirt makes the whole look feel modern and editorial and I think Jan gave us a great look.
Jaida Essence Hall – Boot
There are elements I like from this outfit, but I don’t love it. I think the deconstructed panels were a really fun idea. However, the crotch panel looks so low down so it looks like a baggy nappy (diaper for the American readers). The ankle strap boots did nothing for me either but I liked the concept and print.
Aiden Zhane – Toot
Okay, this is kind of dog shit but I weirdly love it. It’s so simple yet there’s something really fun about it. The yellow is a beautiful shade, the dark blue raindrops and the matching latex gloves were cute. The welly boots were a fun idea and the flower headpiece was so bad it became good.
Fall / Winter
Rock M. Sakura – Boot
This is cute. Nothing groundbreaking but nice. Great colours and the matching koi fish on her eye makeup to match the dress was a really smart idea. Also, who doesn’t love a beret? Sadly, it just didn’t wow me enough or give me a chill.
Dahlia Sin – Toot
Another flawless look. This is so editorial and I’m fully here for it. Big bunches of black fur does things to me and the matching headpiece and spit curls are killer. Good job Dahlia.
Sherry Pie – Toot
If Boy George joined a cult, it would be this. It’s gothic, editorial and still somewhat camp – I’m happy.
Jan – Toot
She’s only gone and smashed it again. This is stunning. That olive-green alligator skin coat with matching dress is to die for. The thigh-high black boots give me a dominatrix feel and the high ponytail screams editorial. Like Dahlia, Jan killed it.
Jaida Essence Hall – Toot
Love. The lilac tones are lush. The pants look well-tailored. Jaida’s fur bolero jacket matches them perfectly and the beret tops it all off.
Aiden Zhane – Boot
Okay, so I loved that rotten old lady pattern, but this outfit was shit. Where’s the bottom half of her outfit? I feel like a basic black pair of pants on show is going to become a regular occurrence. I feel like this wouldn’t be such a big deal if she didn’t walk like a lesbian truck driver, but that draws all the attention to her bottom half. The socks over the boots were kind of fun but they looked a little baggy. Oh and another thing, haven’t we seen this wig a good few times now?
The Maxi Challenge – You Don’t Know Me
Just like the week before, the queens would each write a verse and perform in front of the judges. But this week it wasn’t a rap battle, their performance had to be inspired by Bob Fosse. Already, I’m far preferring the theme.
Sherry and Jan seemed to be the most aware of Fosse’s work so they took leadership in letting the other queens know about the poses, moves and attitude.
However, Jaida didn’t want to do all this ‘Fosse’ stuff and she wanted to be more Beyoncé. 🙄 Thus our 2nd cast’s first argument. Still, it wasn’t too bad. I think Jaida was deflecting because she was out of her comfort zone. Silly bean. But enough about the rehearsals – on to the performance!
You Don’t Know Me – The Performance
I have to be honest, I thought the queens killed it. Naturally, some performers did better than others but it was so much more fun than the I’m That Bitch episode.
How did each queen do? Let me go into some brief details:
Aiden Zhane
I think Aiden did a great job in this challenge. He delivered campness, drama, an interesting verse and a fun performance. Yes, I was pleasantly surprised.
Dahlia Sin
I thought Dahlia’s performance was pretty piss poor. The verse was bland, her performance wasn’t anything to write home about and she didn’t look comfortable on stage throughout the whole song. Not a good start to the competition.
Jaida Essence Hall
For somebody who was so against the challenge and in her head throughout the rehearsals, Jaida did pretty well. Her verse was fun, her performance had character and I think she wasn’t too shabby.
Jan
Jan killed this challenge. This whole bit was camp. Jan had phenomenal vocal talents and she thoroughly understood the challenge. Oh, and that high note! She’s definitely going to be one to watch in my opinion.
Rock M. Sakura
I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. I’ll credit Rock for having a voice and a character in mind when she went into the challenge.
Sherry Pie
Like Jan, Sherry dominated this challenge. Her verse was hilarious, it said a lot about her. The way she moved, her facial expressions – Sherry’s got it all.
Now it’s time for the main stage! The queens would be joined by guest judges, Robyn and Thandi Newton.
Category is: Tulle
Last week the queens wore sparkles, this week the queens would be bringing their best tulle looks to the judges. But how did they hold up?
Aiden Zhane – Toot
This outfit was a great shape and colour. Not only that but what a nice change to see Aiden in a different wig.
Dahlia Sin – Boot
This didn’t excite me enough. I wish the top half of the dress was more fitted and her makeup was quite beard-heavy. I’ve also seen this silhouette numerous times (and in this colour too) so I wasn’t wowed enough.
Jaida Essence Hall – Toot
I feel the same way with this look as I do with Dahlia’s however the colour is lovely and I think she made it look red carpet ready with her hair and jewels.
Jan – Toot
Jan absolutely destroyed it on the runway. I think this was such a smart concept and a great way to wear an outfit different from every other queen. The toolbelt in tulle was a clever twist. The traffic cone earrings, the high-vis vest and the sunglasses turned this whole outfit into a phenomenally editorial outfit.
Rock M. Sakura – Boot
I enjoyed how big Rock got this outfit to be, but it didn’t have much shape. If it was one huge ball I’d have preferred it. But the skirt and plain top with the big piece at the back didn’t do it for me. The hair also faded into the outfit too much. I think I would have preferred it if she wore a really slick high ponytail wig in a contrasting colour to the outfit.
Sherry Pie – Toot
Like Jan, Sherry also came in with a fun concept. Tulle is a fabric used to create huge fluffy outfits and Sherry used that to create a raincloud outfit. It was a fun way to do something different to all the other girls so I appreciated the concept. Also, the length the dress was cut at made her legs look incredibly long so it was also rather flattering.
The Results
As with last week, the judges didn’t have a bottom, they had a top 2. Sherry was picked – of course… and then Jaida which I actually thought was bizarre. Jan served up 4 unique looks this episode, killed it with her vocals and dominated the performance and yet she didn’t make top 2? Jaida was good, sure, but nothing groundbreaking if I’m completely honest.
The Lipsync – Call Your Girlfriend by Robyn
Both queens did good but honestly, I thought Sherry snatched it. As soon as Jaida did the splits, I felt her performance came across as a little too try-hard and desperate. Sherry could just stand there and sell the song. If you watch it back, you’ll know what I mean, maybe you’ll disagree but that’s what I thought.
Sherry looked confident, sold the song and still delivered humour where appropriate. I also noticed that as soon as Sherry shrugged off Jaida’s splits, Jaida started doing the same thing and pointing at Sherry and it didn’t look like she was sure of what to do so semi-mimicked.
In the end, it was Jaida who came out victorious and snatched a $5000 prize. I still think it should have been Sherry.
And that was the end of that. Next episode we get to see both teams join forces where the competition will truly begin!
How has that affected the scores?
Personally, I thought Sherry won the lipsync and I think Jan should have been top 2. But hey, I’m sure they’ll be many more of these moments that I’ll disagree with to come.
Winner: Jaida Essence Hall – 5 Points
Top: Sherry Pie – 3 Points
Safe: Rock M Sakura, Dahlia Sin, Jan, Aiden Zhane – 1 Point
I’ve crawled my way back in points-wise. This week I gained a lovely 10 points bringing my total to 12 points with Tom only getting 2 points this week. That takes Tom’s total to 8 points. Next week when all the queens are together, it could be anyone’s game!
