RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14: Glamazon Prime
Power Rankings with P
Welcome to Power Rankings with P, a newsletter ranking cast members on the reality shows I subject myself to on a weekly basis. What can I say? I love slop.
Questionable judging is a hallmark of literally every season of Drag Race, and this week, season 14 proved to be no exception. In a tribute to Jeff Bezos, the queens were tasked with another design challenge, this time using unconventional materials "Michelle Visage" "ordered" while "online shopping." Cute gimmick, fun challenge, wonky judging. Let's get into it:
10. Maddy Morphosis (eliminated, last week: 7th)
Pouring out a Coors Light for Maddy Morphosis tonight. The first ever straight cis male queen has been eliminated, and my god was it deserved; Maddy's bottom 2 placement was maybe the only judging decision that made sense this week. A truly tragic runway presentation was quickly followed by an abysmal lip sync performance to match. I just wish she could have learned to walk in heels before she was eliminated, but alas. Going to give her credit for her Untucked performance this week - we need the girls to keep her and Jasmine's energy for the rest of the season!
9. Kerri Colby (last week: 6th)
Mawma. Sorry to say, but Kerri Colby's look this week was gutter. I was shocked when it was revealed she was safe this week, because... how? She should have lip synced for constructing that garment, but her "Play" lip sync a few episodes ago proved she isn’t a lip sync assassin. Leaving her safe makes sense from a storytelling perspective, as she’s dynamite in the confessional chair, and going home now would be just too early for Kerri Colby. But, with fewer and fewer queens remaining in the competition, I don't see her being saved again if she delivers another questionable performance in the main challenges.
8. Jasmine Kennedie (bottom 2, last week: 9th)
Honestly, I think Jasmine Kennedie was only in the bottom to ensure Maddy’s elimination this week. Kerri obviously should have taken her place, but after her JLO lip sync a few episodes ago, I imagine the producers did not feel confident in her ability to finish the job. Enter: Jasmine Kennedie. Her lip sync, while not an all out bloodbath like Jorgeous’s performance last week, was still a viscously brutal murder. Her constructed look did read as very "homemade," so her low placement does track, I'm just not sure it was bottom 2 worthy, especially with Kerri right there.
7. DeJa Skye (last week: 8th)
Yawn. She didn’t necessarily need to be in the bottom, but another low placement makes sense for her overall track record. Again, very little impact made on me. Story-wise, she’s emerging as a villain, but even then, Daya is the more interesting villain in my eyes.
6. Willow Pill (last week: 4th)
The demented childhood toy is a fun idea, if not fully there on the runway. Still, the concept reads as very Willow Pill, which we love, because we love Willow Pill! Perhaps with more time, and outside help due to her medical condition (seriously, why was nobody helping their sister this week?!), her vision could have been fully realized. Willow Pill hasn’t been in the top in a few weeks, but with what looks like a soap opera challenge next week, I imagine she will shoot back up in the rankings.
5. Bosco (last week: 1st)
After winning the main challenge and establishing herself as a frontrunner, Bosco took this week off, delivering a perfectly safe look for this week’s design challenge. Her look was well constructed, had a great color scheme, and felt true to her brand, but was missing that Wow Factor to push her over into the top. Next week we have another comedy/acting based challenge, which she won for last week, so, along with Willow, I expect her to be in the top again.
4. Jorgeous (challenge winner, last week: 10th)
In the werkroom, RuPaul made a point to mention to Jorgeous how much she loved her lip sync last week. RuPaul loved it so much that she might just put her in the bottom again, solely to see her perform on the main stage again. Not wanting to lip sync - but still wanting to give Mama Ru what she wanted, on the runway, Jorgeous gave a little shimmy and a little shake while modeling the fuck out of her third or fourth iteration of her look. This is what ultimately cinched her win, one that I don't agree with. To quote Michelle Visage, "it's a piece of fabric." However, Jorgeous played RuPaul's game to RuPaul's liking, and was rewarded accordingly with a main challenge win for her efforts. From the bottom 2 to challenge winner, we love a fully realized story arc!
3. Daya Betty (last week: 5th)
Bitter Betty is bothered! Obsessed with how terribly Daya Betty is coming across on television and not even realizing it. There's something truly authentic (and entertaining) about her piss-poor behavior this week, an authenticity you just don't really see on reality television anymore. For this, I salute Daya Betty, our Mid-MO queen. Bringing the reality drama I crave aside, I thought she had a great, fully realized look this week! I should also note that I missed her drag relative Crystal Methyd's season, so the comparisons the show is hitting us over the head with are lost on me. While I don't think she deserved the win, I do think she deserved a top placement. Most hilarious of all regarding her snub was that she gave a full-out performance on the runway ...and a "performance on the runway" is what ended up sealing Jorgeous's win this week. Expert level story producing.
2. Lady Camden (last week: 3rd)
Lady Camden is coming for her "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" storyline this season. An argument could easily be made for Lady Camden taking or even sharing a win this week, but it just wasn't her moment unfortunately. She had one of the best constructed looks on the runway, along with my favorite use of unconventional materials, but it still just wasn't enough for the judges panel. Lady Camden always has a sense of the whimsy and the wonderful with her looks, which is why I think I respond so favorably to her. Hoping she isn't this season's Susan Lucci and nabs her win next week!
1. Angeria Paris VanMichaels (last week: 2nd)
Another week, another high placement for Angeria Paris VanMichaels! She simply doesn’t miss. RuPaul didn't award her with a third main challenge win this week, but she's getting it from me. As this was an unconventional materials design challenge, all the looks on the main stage had an element of "homemade" to them. Not Angeria's though; her little black dress look was refined, polished, and very clean. She continues to elevate every challenge, every runway, and the competition as a whole. My only complaint is that her winning this season is a forgone conclusion, and we still have about 10 episodes or so to go. Again, just crown her already!
Surprisingly, I've mostly agreed with the judging this season. I would maybe swap some Angeria and Willow wins around, but otherwise, I haven't noticed anything too egregious up until this episode. Incorrect challenge winner, incorrect safe queens, incorrect bottom 2. Mess! Still, the choices made here were not as truly bizarre as some of the judging over on Drag Race UK vs The World. And bizarre is putting it lightly, let's just say that. Thanks for reading! :)