Well… the first elimination was a bit of a shock wasn’t it? I can’t be the only one who was gutted to see Joe Black leave the competition so soon – not only that but I’m gutted we didn’t get to see them perform in this week’s challenge; Rats The Rusical.
Straight out of the gate we saw A’Whora tell Asttina that she thought her Asos outfit was a big fat pile of wank. Love it when the show gets straight to the drama!
Asttina quickly defended herself saying that her CV speaks volumes so don’t come for her fast-fashion purchase.
But enough about that, it’s time to get this show on the road!
The Votes Are In
For this week’s mini “challenge” the queens had to vote in four categories to determine which queens fit certain roles.
- Secretary of Shade: The shadiest/bitchiest queen in the pack.
- Trade Minister: Who is the snackiest snack of them all out of drag.
- Leader of Lording It Up: The cockiest queen in the group.
- Baroness Basic: Who is the biggest basic bitch of the bunch.
Quelle surprise! A’Whora was voted as the shadiest queen. Let’s be honest, she’s been kicking off since day one. 😄
The hotty of the house went to Tayce – also no surprises. But we did find out the shocking discovery that he shagged A’Whora?! Now that was a surprise! I also just learnt out that they’re housemates – another plot twist. But yeah… bet Tayce was thrilled A’Whora aired that filth.
Next up was Lawrence who was voted as the cockiest… yep. I think that seems legit.
And finally, we had Tia Kofi snatching the basic bitch award. 😬 She didn’t seem too thrilled but she took it well. I mean who wants to be called basic? But unfortunately, those wigs and outfits do not lie!
The Maxi Challenge – Rats the Rusical
This week the queens would be performing in the new (s)hit show, Rats the Rusical! You know, like Cats – get it!
So we have a challenge filled with acting, singing, and dancing(?) for the queens to partake in. So how did that mini-challenge have any relevance? Well… as Tia was voted the most basic, she was in charge of casting the roles for the performance. We love a good twist.
Overall I think she paired people off pretty fairly. I would have mugged every person off and cast them in shit roles just for voting me basic. But hey, maybe I’m just petty. 🤷🏻♂️
Veronica seemed pretty excited for this challenge although she felt she had to keep fighting to prove that this was something she could do.
I felt quite bad for her because all the queens were undermining her. When she said she had 15 years of performing experience the other queens said well that means nothing. Erm, actually it means a hell of a lot in a musical theatre challenge.
Let’s skip the rehearsals because… well who cares about that really – nothing much happened.
Rats the Rusical – Performance
I wasn’t crazy about the performance. It was a bit cringe, wasn’t it? Not that the queens did bad though. As a group, I actually think they all did pretty well. It’s just the songs were a bit ‘meh’. Still, there were some obvious front runners and some queens that didn’t shine as brightly.
Those that shone
There were a few queens that stood out for me this week in the Rats the Rusical challenge. The obvious stand-out queen was Veronica who killed it. She had the sex appeal needed for the role, she looked great (even with the baby mice clinging to her 6 nipples). Veronica proved to the other girls why she’s in the competition and she’s definitely posing a threat to the overly-confident queens who may have thought they were going to slay all the way to the final.
Another queen that I thought did great was Ginny Lemon. Ginny’s characterisation and look was hilarious. She knows how to perform and really shone at being the crusty old rat. Even when she called A’Whora ‘Diptheria’ instead of ‘Dysentry’ it was hilarious and she styled it out nicely. She also made her duet moments with Tia funny without stealing focus.
That, of course, moves me on to Tia Kofi who did great also. She definitely gave herself a stand-out part in the rusical but she definitely did it well.
Also, I need to mention Bimini who did great as a punk-rock rat and I think she actually helped get A’Whora to a great place in the performance too. These two as a pair did great and really played their parts perfectly.
Those that slipped
Then there were the queens that stood out for the wrong reasons. One of the first flumps I noticed in the show was Ellie Diamond missing her cue during the performance. Other than that it wasn’t awful but it wasn’t a great performance.
Tayce’s performance also felt quite tragic. She looked uncomfortable throughout the show which isn’t the one. Don’t get me wrong, the roles her and Ellie got were cringe but neither of them delivered the sass needed for what the part was supposed to be.
Asttina was another queen that didn’t do it for me. She kept saying she was a singer, dancer and actor but I didn’t really get that from any of the performance. There was no real dance moves, the vocals were nothing to write home about and her characterisation was as annoying as Scaredy Kat’s role in the Downtown Draggy episode.
I’m going to lump these two together; Cherry & Lawrence. Both had some weaknesses in the challenge. Cherry looked unsure of herself throughout the performance and looked like she was constantly trying to remember where to stand or what to do next.
Lawrence delivered comedy (thanks to his accent) but looked like a lost child in a school nativity as he stood on stage. Neither were great.
Everyone else that I haven’t mentioned were passable. Oh wait, that just leaves Sister Sister – she was fine. Nothing groundbreaking but not terrible either.
Category Is: Surprise Surprise! – Toot or Boot
This week the judges were joined by star of stage and screen, Sheridan Smith. For the US viewers who may not have heard of her, Sheridan has been in the West End since she was a child and has been a part of lots of great TV shows too.
Her big role was playing the late Cilla Black in the biopic Cilla. Cilla Black was a legend of music and television from the ’60s to the ’00s. One of Cilla’s big TV shows was Surprise Surprise! where deserving guests got reunited with their families and shit like that. Anyway, that’s why the reveal-based runway theme was named that.
A’Whora – Boot
I liked the concept but it wasn’t groundbreaking. The tall wig under the tophat was a fun idea so props for that. Unfortunately, I preferred A’Whora’s before to her after.
her nips were out, the dress looked like a corset with some fabric attached. It was a fun concept but she definitely looked better in the suit.
Lawrence Chaney – Boot
The same with A’Whora, I preferred the before to the after. Fair play because it was a good jumpsuit but her wig was questionable. I found the reveal idea of tricking where it will come from amusing… but the reveal 😬
This is the sort of dress that every high school emo would have worn to prom. No thanks, my dear.
Ginny Lemon – Toot
This ladies and gentlemen is how you do a fucking reveal! Firstly, her outfit is hilarious. She looks like a 1970s tea-lady. The platform crocs are hilarious and the matching crocs earrings is sheer genius. But the gag of them all was her reveal.
Revealing the same dress under the one you whipped off is sheer brilliance. It’s a big fuck you to the show and a hilarious twist. I was surprised thoroughly – that was the point of the challenge. Then when she turned around and had her hairy arse on display I thought it was poetry. Bravo Ginny Lemon – you were my top toot of the week.
Cherry Valentine – Toot
This is becoming a bit of a running theme now. But I massively preferred the first outfit to the reveal. The headpiece was great, the big polka dot dress was cute and the matching bows on the heels were a nice touch.
I thought the idea of a gender ‘reveal’ was quite a funny twist. It wasn’t the most groundbreaking outfit underneath. I wish it didn’t say “gender” on her stomach as we could see that was the theme just from the bump. The balloon popped and confetti came out – not a shock but pleasant. (Also I wasn’t mad keen on the wig). BUT… I did think her before was stronger than some people’s outfits so for that reason she gets a very hesitant toot.
Tia Kofi – Boot
Hilarious… but trash. The outfit was crap and looked like it came from a fancy dress store, however, it did make me laugh. I kind of wish she came out in a leather daddy cap and a handlebar moustache because the wig didn’t go.
In all fairness to Tia, the reveal was a slick one – very well executed. However, the actual garment was vulgar. I couldn’t get behind this corset and skirt moment (although at least it hade more detail than A’Whora’s wedding dress of a similar nature).
Ellie Diamond – Boot
Surprised? I was not. As soon as she came out dressed as a scarecrow with her hair looking like the Cowardly Lion and silver ‘tinman’ shoes I knew what direction this was going to take. It probably also didn’t help that the silver tinman dress was poking through the sleeve as she came onto the runway. Still, the Scarecrow was probably the best outfit.
The Tinman was definitely the worst. It was just a cheap-looking silver fabric with a heart stuck to it. Not a fan.
This wasn’t awful. The colour suited her for sure and I thought the hair chest idea was fun but it was basically 3-for-1 Wizard of Oz fancy dress costume that you’d see straight girls wearing to a gay bar on Halloween and thinking they looked fly as fuck when really they didn’t.
Asttina Mandella – Boot
Speaking of Halloween costumes… this happened. Got the reference, didn’t like. It was cosplay not drag so I was not impressed. The reveal was she took off her cape and had rotten teeth. No ta dallyn.
It was just really underwhelming. The eye makeup was nice but nothing groundbreaking. After the performance and this look, I would have slapped her straight into the lipsync.
Sister Sister – Toot
Ooh she’s a little vintage queen. I actually quite liked this dress, it was simplistic but retro and the pattern was hideously great. But then the reveal happened and BAM I was living.
To go from a vintage demure housewife into a tattoo-drenched dominatrix was a genius twist that I didn’t see coming. Her makeup wasn’t cracking but the outfit and concept was genius. I also have to give her props for removing the wig and revealing the tattooed bald head – a very clever touch. One of my top 3 outfits this week.
Veronica Green – Toot
This would have been a perfect Stepford Wives outfit for me if the wig wasn’t what it was. It wasn’t necessarily missing the mark I just wish she went a bit more retro. With the big floral dress and the cookie-baking cliche, I really wish she had gone for a ’60s behive hairstyle.
But this reveal was great. It wasn’t the most revolutionary outfit in the world but the torso piece was very well done (and it was all made herself so props to her). C3PO has certainly had a drag makeover this week. Veronica was on fire.
Tayce – Boot
Now before I start, yes, Tayce looks great. But the outfit was dull as dishwater. The hair and makeup was stunning and I got her idea but it was just a lot of red on red on red.
Tayce also made the tragic mistake of taking off her best part of the outfit as soon as she got to the runway. It was a red coat, then a smaller red coat and then a red bodysuit that she spat red blood on from her red face onto her red tits. It was a lot of red is what I’m saying.
Bimini Bon-Boulash – Toot
Bimini Bon-Balloon head looked great this week. I actually think her wig and her makeup were stunning. She was corseted and looked like a vintage interpretation of what a space-age stripper would look like.
The balloons were unfortunate. I liked the idea of having them burst with blue and pink paint (to represent the colours of the non-binary flag) but it was just a shame the execution didn’t pay off because she looked gorgeous.
The Results
It was absolutely no surprise that Veronica won this week. The top 3 was bloody questionable though. It should have been Ginny in the top instead of Ellie Diamond and her fancy dress costume(s).
The bottom was also semi-questionable. I thought Tayce did do shit in both the challenge and the runway so that was fair. Cherry, yeah she didn’t do anything groundbreaking but she also wasn’t awful. I can see why she was there but I would honestly probably have put Asttina in the bottom instead of Cherry.
The Lipsync
I think both queens missed a trick this week. Cherry looked like she was trying to give emotion but I would have made it so melodramatic that it would have been humorous. Memory from Cats is such a known ballad that it should really be camped up.
I’ll give some credit to Tayce as she did move around somewhat on stage whereas Cherry stayed bolted to the spot. But Tayce definitely looked more captivating from her big eyes poking through the red makeup and compared to Cherry in a bus driver wig and a pregnancy belly, there was a noticeable difference.
I am very sad to see Cherry leave the competition though. I thought she was a delight to watch and a really nice person. Honestly, when I saw the Meet The Queens video I had both Joe Black and Cherry Valentine in my top 4 of the competition. I don’t dare say who my other 2 are incase I jinx it now.
This competition certainty isn’t playing out the way I thought it would but I’m thoroughly enjoying it all the same.
