RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap S16E3: “You Would Think It’s Black Friday”

Fresh off Plane Jane’s win last week, the Queens file into the Werkroom so that their seven sisters from the first week can come in to join them. They all rush into one another to see friends from hometowns and to meet the others. If anyone was waiting for Plane to meet Amanda Tori Meating, the time is now. Plane looks at Amanda from the couch opposite her as if she cannot believe Amanda is even there, which might seem a harsh reading until her confessional cuts in to confirm this very fact: “I’m so sorry to the Drag Race audience for having to witness such a goblin.” While it’s fun to watch her be this way now, it will be more fun for someone to confront her later on about this attitude. If Tamisha Iman was here, this would be handled on Tuesday (as long as you have a paid subscription to her channel). After a tense moment between Sapphira Cristal and Plasma about Sapphira’s octave range, the Queens join hands to unite before the real competition begins.

Sapphira and Plane receive their Immunity Potions which look similar to what a Disney queen might drink to take her own life and heal an ailing family member. Ru then announces this week’s challenge, a Mother Ball comprising three categories: Mother Goose, Significant Mother, and Call Me Mother/Father Eleganza. The three are mostly self-explanatory, the first being an outfit relevant to a nursery rhyme, the next a significant woman to the queen, and the last a Mother of the Ball look created from scratch out of menswear. It’s time to find out who can sew! Dawn’s excitement when the challenge was announced is an announcement to everyone that she can, but who else? We find out that most of the queens can this season, a massive improvement on any queen coming into Drag Race this many seasons without having taken a few seasons. While Ru speaks to the Queens, Q brings forth that her grandmother taught her to sew before admitting that their relationship has ended due to homophobia. No matter how many seasons this series has been on, it’s always heartbreaking when any conversation turns into a reminder of this behavior towards LGBTQIA+ folks. Right after this, RuPaul continues the dragging of Amanda Tori Meating by telling her she looks prettier without last week’s makeup. Before leaving the Queens for the day, Ru tells them they will once engage in Rate-a-Queen.

The runway might be important, but it is second to the Queens painting and dragging one another. I don’t think anyone is surprised when Plane Jane goes over to Geneva to annoy her about her outfits, but Geneca doesn’t care at all! Completely unfazed by Plane, Geneva throws the shade back towards her by saying the outfit she’s creating is “a little naked.” I think these ladies might show early on they aren’t going to deal with, or maybe even care about, the games Plane wants to play. Geneva and Morphine send Nymphia back and forth speaking – butchering – small phrases in spanish as the other girls laugh. Nymphia is someone who is clearly ready to play along with anything and I think that makes her an interesting competitor on the show. Anyway, it’s time for the runway to begin, where fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi joins the panel. I think it’s also important to note that Michelle Visage looks incredible every week. 

A rundown of the runway:

• Geneva Karr: none of the looks really bring a wow-factor to the table, with the first Bo Peep look just not working.
• Dawn: all three are fine, the third looks like a forest elf housewife going to the supermarket.
• Hershii: These looks do not work for me.
• Mirage: While all three looks fit her well and look good on her, they don’t necessarily bring anything to the table that elevates her drag above the others.
• Megami: “Deconstructed Bo Peep” sent me into orbit that she actually said it.
• Amanda: The makeup is going to be her challenge for the season but plenty of Ru Girls have proven that criticism can help refine their makeup skills.
• Morphine: The first look has been on my mind all day, the face and body look so good.
• Mhi’ya: She could have done a little bit better in this challenge.
• Q: The third look made me think that Tim Burton would have been very pleased seeing it.
• Nymphia: I really enjoyed her looks, especially the second. All of the looks are fun and showcase her drag perfectly.
• Sapphira: The third look, Roberta the Builder, is probably my favorite look on the runway for this entire challenge. She looks amazing and announces herself as someone to watch.
• Plane Jane: If you’re going to be so bitchy about everything, you’re going to need to be able to back it up with the runways at least.
• Xunami: The Humpty Dumpty reveal was incredible while the next two looks did not bring the same level, but that first one was great so it definitely helps her.
• Plasma: She brings fun looks with a sense of humor, the Anne Boleyn look was top 3 of the night for me.

After the Queens engage in this newfound Rate-a-Queen situation, Nymphia Wind, Q, and Sappira are announced as the top Queens of the week. Geneva, Hershii, and Mhi’ya are decided to be the bottom 3 Queens of the week. Isaac Mizrahi brings a fun energy to the judging panel with an expertise that makes his critiques even more fun to hear. Being honest without being rude is important to help build the girls up (because there are things they need to hear), but Mizrahi makes it a breeze. Nymphia wins the challenge, which shouldn’t be surprising after seeing her looks. Geneva and Hershii are decided to be the bottom 2, putting them in a lip sync against each other to “Maybe You’re the Problem” by Ava Max. Hershii claims in her confessional that she’s going to win, which could happen, but this lip sync doesn’t show off the energy that she’s alluding to, which could be the persona she’s doing during the song. Geneva is a ball of energy from the moment the song begins, so it’s not too surprising that she emerges victorious from this lip sync, sending Hershii LiqCour-Jeté home as the first Queen of season 16 to exit. Finally, the games have really begun.

Photo: MTV