Tag Archives: Shangela

On last evening’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, Ru had America on the brain! With Delta Work’s timely departure last week the Heathers were very sad, especially BFF Raja who was really torn over Delta not Working out last Main Stage Challenge in the previous episode. Good riddence. Just saw her at local drag palace Toucan’s and what you see is what you get. Same gold stretch leggings and souvenir bikini t-shirt worn on RDR. Yawn. Sorry, I’m sure she is lovely and all… But she is not America’s Next Top Drag Superstar so move along and leave room for what the show can offer as “The Top Children… in the United States of America.” RuPaul’s words. Not mine.

The Mini Challenge had the girls turning an ordinary bra into “something glamorific” using beads, stones and the like. Some were cute. I liked Carmen’s the best. Some others were not so cute. Shangela. Um, no girl. Didn’t work this time, boo. Raja name-checked Samantha Fox and received an extra point or two from me for that. Manilla Luzon won the challenge and the Dolls were off to work on their Public Service Announcements for our troops fighting for our country. What would have happened if one of the girls had really popped into military registration or on base dressed like that?! I Do Ask that you Don’t Tell Me how it went. Get my point?! Exactly, but whatever…

On the main stage we see each contestant’s PSA and their I HEART AMERICA runway realness. Drag Queen Ice Princess Johnny Weir and model Cheryl Tiegs were added as judges next to Santino Rice in some wicked bicentenial drag and Michelle Visage’s pouring-over ta-tas. They were milkiest. The PSA rundown trickles as follows: Shangela was funny but was clocked for being slightly canned with what she was doing. Carmen was painted, as usual, but acted really crazy stripper in a blue bodysuit who couldn’t find her pole. Yara Sofia did some scattered dialogue that didn’t go far. Manilla did comedy in a fried blonde wig that looked like frayed yellow yarn and ran her mouth about different cultural foods. Raja didn’t do much other than look stunning in her pin-up drag and smile a lot. Alexis had the most heartfelt challenge during it all as she shared her longing love of someone that had to leave to go fight the war. “BAM! BAM! BAM!” she called out in-between a series of posing for your nerves and her wishing that her soldier come home safely and soon.

When it was all said and done, Alexis definitely had won the challenge. Chick can paint a mug. Always in her look. After being clowned on for looking bored (dead-on complacency) Carmen slipped into the bottom two with Yara who looked lovely on the runway but as mentioned before her PSA was a hot mess. The girls lip-synced for their lives and were both safe since America is the land of second chances and opportunities. In this judge’s opinion, Carmen won that challenge pumps down. A Spanish version of “Mickey” was the tune and even though they both turned it out, I believed Yara to be departing. But alas, she was saved.

During Untucked, Alexis clowned on Raja and her “crooked-looking eye” (her dish, not mine) and Shangela clocked Manilla was holding a dog during her PSA talking about Chinese food. “Ho was holding a dog!” she snapped. In the Interior Illusions Lounge it looked like Yara was trying to squeeze into the Heathers’ clique by sharing dish and tea on Shangela. As we see on next week’s preview, it may be that the Heathers’ demise may be sooner than one planned. Ascension within the ranks is abound and we’ll be watching.

This week’s installment of RuPaul’s Drag Race (Start-Your-Engines) kicked off with the opening montage (love that damn star crown) and away the girls drove into their Mini-Challenge. The library was open and reading commenced as the “legendary children” (Ru’s words, not mine) “Threw Shade” – or read (pronounced red) each other for filth. Some did a really good job. I wondered how I would fare with this challenge. I can definitely read but the pressure of immediate snapping, watch out. I assume that whatever is on your mind works. By this time I bet they were very over each other so maybe it was easy. All of those personalities clashing. The Heathers vs. the “Boogers” (The Heathers words, not mine.) Whew. Try keeping up. I am.

Shangela gets the win and also has the advantage of preparing the order of the other girls’ comedic performances for the Main Stage Challenge. Each Doll has to prepare a stand-up routine and I was with Raja when she said it wasn’t something she was looking forward to. I’m very funny (me) but as agreed it’s all about timing and one can fall flat very quickly. Two of the Queens really felt the pressure and found themselves in the bottom two even after coaching from Rita Rudner (looking good) and judgement from Arden Myrin (love that blonde from “Chelsea Lately”) and RuPaul in a piece of lovely hair that looked like it had been flat-ironed straight. Delta Work and Manilla Luzon. Yes, 2 Heathers! Cue gasp.

Of course Shangela played her cards the way a puppeteer would his strings. She smartly stacked the cards in her favor and away from the Heathers. Sorry chicks. All four of you would have done the same thing but would have you been as smart about it?! Doubtful. This moment gives the confident Shangeloo a chance to say “Haleloo!” Rightfully so. The other girls did come at her with knives and the competition is really starting to heat up. Accelerate Dolls or get off the track.

The Main Stage Challenge served nerves under pressure as they each stood before a live audience of fags and fag-hags (no judge, no tea) and performed comedy. Raja was first and did a look from Carrie and was funny. Her mug was beat! She looked really good other than the bloody paint. Carmen wanted to be fat allegedly and won the praise of Rita on loan from Las Vegas. Alexis easily got away with inflatable tits. The crowd obviously would love it, and did. Shangela put herself fourth and came out as a “Post Modern Pimp Ho” (her title) and didn’t want the crowd to “clown her for her cliff-hangers” (again, her brilliant words.) Translation: Please don’t read for her toes that hang off the front of her shoes. Shangela WORKED it! The crowd was eating out of her hands. Luzon faltered in a stunning canary showgirl costume that went well with her dated Sesame Street jokes. Yara came running out fast on her knees and the crowd snapped. She was very funny as a little Latin person. A very nervous Delta really blundered and as we learned during her mini-breakdown (“Pick me, Pick me, Pick me”) backstage during Untucked she was ready to go.

It was her time to go and after a tough lip-sync to save lives, Manilla rightly stayed and the Heathers hovered over a leaving Work. I like Delta as a performer from what I’ve seen on the show. From what she has decided to show us on RDR or what the editors have intended on showing us is up to them and we can only go by what we are shown. There were times she really bothered me with her negativity and bullying. I know drag queens must be tough, but with each other?! Many around these parts know her personally and speak highly of her. I don’t know her at all, here locally. Delta’s closing words were that she was happy to be losing to a Heather rather than a Booger. Again, her words, not mine. If you watched then you can make your own judgement. No tea, Boo. That’s just mine. Happy people are happy.

Catching up on some blogging and can never let another lap of the Logo TV original series RuPaul’s Drag Race go by without some words its way. Let’s get into it… The Mini-Challenge consistsed of the Dolls posing naked with or without a drape of sheer fabric for a profile portrait, finding their light and manuvering that sheet. Some worried it out while others mugged for your nerves and served naked realness. The already-comfortable-with-her-body Carmen Carrera won the challenge with front-runner Raja, a close second, I assume.

The Main Stage Challenge had the “Top Children, of the United States of America” sewing a piece of couture runway realness inspired by a cake that winner Carmen passed around to everyone as another perk of her win. She admittedly took care of her “Heathers” which has become Delta Work, Raja, Carrera and Manilla because as they described they were the pretty ones. I threw up in my mouth when I saw the high-school antics that played out into Untucked afterwards. That’s where the real story is going on. DVR that stuff, honey. Halaloo! Of course that left the others to fend for themselves by helping one another. This ate the Heathers up! How dare someone ask for help and how dare someone help another?! This is a competition, they cried. Shut your face and be concerned about yourself. If they weren’t so worried about the others, they wouldn’t be so worried about the others. (Man, the show editors know what they’re doing. These girls piss me off. Mission accomplished.)

The judges were Eliza Dushku from Bring it On (love her!) and someone who escapes my mind this early in the morning but should come to me soon. Alexis Mateo faltered with her cheesecake inspired quilt skirt and dropped into the bottom two. Cue gasp! Stacy Layne Matthews slid from her reign on top last week to lip-syncing with Mateo for their lives. Unfortunatley, Stacy’s poor choice in red stretch velvet didn’t leave much to the imagination of things to come and she was sent home after the final showdown. Raja won the challenge with her chocolate decadence and I agreed. Yara’s mug was beat and she looked beautiful while Shangela could still use some help with make-up advice.

And while on the subject of Shangela, and I’ll only go into this for a bit before heading into work. Yes, she is young and still needs a lot of experience to gain before really shining as America’s Next Drag Superstar. However… There’s no need to gang up on anyone like they, Raja and Delta Work, did. Period. I was going to say during Untucked but we don’t see everything that happens and editing can only do so much. The producers aren’t putting words into their mouths by computer generation. The budget is going into the prize money not CGI. Sorry, ladies. The cattiness I saw last evening made me slightly sad the “queens” are acting as immature and ridiculous as some have this season. Yes, it “makes for great television.” But it does not make for good stereotypes of drag queens and gays in general.

Shangela held her own as her ”teammates” sat by quietly idle and I give her hugs for that. It seemed that Alexis sat there in shock of possibly going home. It’s hard to make assumptions about how someone is in reality not on reality televsion by what we see. I don’t really know these girls but what I’ve seen from some of them I don’t care much for. Stay strong, Dolls.

Oh, here come the girls with another lap around RuPaul’s Drag Race track. The Mini-Challenge this week consisted of a game show version of something Ru called S__t RuPaul Says where “The Best Children… in America” (or is it country?!) had to answer funny fill-in-the-blanks. After each queen had to “Swish on Down” and compete in teams of three, Delta Work wins and overhears Shangela saying she would love to call home which was the award for winner. Madame Work decided to pay it forward and give her phone call to Shangela making her boo-hoo-the-hoo. She in turn paid it forward to Stacy Layne Matthews who was having difficulty coming up with her Snatch Game celebrity impersonation and needed help. It IS about getting along… isn’t it?!

There’s obvious uneasiness in the workroom from last week’s win where Manila Luzon won with her over-the-top portrayal of an Asian reporter that allegedly offended many who didn’t win the challenge. Hmm. Imagine that. Miss Luzon name checks Margaret Cho as her inspiration and the others aren’t buying it. Tensions continue. Contestants prepare. Absolut sponsors.

Their Main Stage Challenge for the evening consisted of the girls dressing in character realness and giving the missing answers on the ’70s game show Match Game. This, of course, is sprayed with a flamboyant twist calling it Snatch Game, with model Amber Rose (need to do a Google search on her) and actress Aisha Tyler as judges. No one got any answers to match but doubtfully that’s the point since RuPaul said, “Who cares!” as she threw the indexcards when announcing the winner where there was none according to score.

Highlights of Snatch Game: Alexis Mateo’s lesbian-inspired-pregnant Alicia Keys, Manila’s insane Imelda Marcos and growing pile of shoes, and Raja’s crazy-ass Tyra Banks with psycho-eyes (that was not “smizing”) and no foam pads giving any body. Thinking back, I really didn’t think Raja was on her Tyra mannerisms that we see on camera during ANTM but they do know each other well. He did look good though. However, it is Miss Stacy Layne Matthews (you have to say the entire name out) that turned OUT her Monique from Precious! Glad she listened to Shangela and lost the Anna Nicole Smith idea after Ru wasn’t feeling her non-commitment to it. Lowlights of Snatch Game: Everyone else. Oh, but I did appreciate the humor in Carmen’s imitation of J-Lo with her “Handler List” of being approached with a “compliment, compliment, question” before anything.

On the main stage, Alexis dazzled with a lovely beaded piece, Raja felt tribal warrior realness (no body) while deserving winner of the challenge Stacy Layne Matthews rounded out the top three. Bottom two included Delta Work and “not Mildred Fierce” Mariah. Her Joan Crwford was tired. The lip-syncing for lives included Jody Watley’s “Looking for a New Love” and that’s what decided it in the end. Mariah didn’t know the words and Delta did. End of discussion.  Another lap complete. No runway carnage.

Afterwards during Untucked we learn that Carmen can’t keep her stories straight (lies talking out of her ass) about being BFFs with Jennifer Lopez or not, Delta continues to dog Stacy Layne Matthews about being tired and not worthy of competing, and Raja and Shangela have past history that is obviously interfering with them as both friends and competitors. Manila decided to sneak around and eavesdrop on the other girls which naturally caused a big stir among everyone and it got incredibly awkward. Mariah was backed into a corner and bowed out, not so gracefully. The competition is truly heating up!

I let a few weeks and needing-to-go-quicker-than-other contestants depart before starting to blog about RuPaul’s Drag Race, Lap Three… Translation: Season 3. Last evening after the opening montage of Mike Ruiz airbrushed-for-your-nerves imagery of Madame Ru herself, the doors open to the main set and front-runners Alexis Mateo is playfully pushing Shangela through the doors as the others fall in accordingly. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, perhaps. They did win the challenge a few weeks ago when they were twins. Priceless twins with their hair attached at the ends. Hopefully a friendship has been forged, for reals.

After the She Mail arrived via video, RuPaul entered and had the girls create a scandalous moment captured on the red carpet. Larger than life Stacy Layne Matthews and Carmen Carrera won the Mini-Challenge and became team captains in the Main Stage Challenge of delivering the news for QNN, the fictionalized and campy news network. Debbie Mantenopoulos coached the anchor gals and weather chicks with their dialogue and character. Each team filmed the final take to be judged on the main stage. Some soared and others faltered. I believed that it indeed was close but I felt Shangela’s gossip girl realness was ever-so-slightly better than Miss Manila Luzon’s over-the-top portrayal of a crazy Asian reproter interviewing Kristen Cavallari, which was indeed very funny. But Shangela had the campy savoir faire that the character needed. But no go, and she was obviously disappointed after hearing she could go to any station, do her thing and be great. Alexis had immunity and was safe, along with Raja, Delta Work dressed in something horrible and blue, a naked but painted-for-the-gods Carmen, et al.

I thought Stacy looked great on the runway but ended in the bottom two with India Ferrah whose weather girl caused a dark storm of wrong. Luckily there was no lifting other queens above heads and placing them elsewhere like in the prvious week and no fight broke out on stage. Just two professional entertainers “lip-syncing for their lives,” owning the runway… or not. Stacey was clearly the winner with her confidence of standing proud and singing her song. India felt it necessary to become quite mobile in hopes to gain attention from judges Chloe Sivegny and Michelle Visage over Miss Matthews and heard the dreaded “Sashay away.” Stacey was safe for another week and India bowed out gracefully.

The show opens doors many queens would kill for. Even though someone is eliminated and doesn’t win the $75,000, the exposure and publicity is worth so much more. I’m still Team Alexis Mateo in this camp. And you?!