RECAP: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 11, Episode 4
Happy Memorial Day! I know this one is late, but she needed a break. This week we got the first part of the Pink Bracket, with six new queens. I already like the energy of the Pink Bracket more than the Orange Bracket, and I am glad to see every one of these queens back in the mix (yes, even Silky). That said, I’m not convinced this will be a super competitive bracket, and even though most of the queens did well this episode, I found the actual challenge performances just OK.
Read on for my take on “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 11, Episode 4. SPOILERS AHEAD!
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I’m going to recap the episode by going over each queen in alphabetical order. I’ll include my thoughts on the girl group duos, the butter runway, and overall impressions.
April Carrion (Season 6)
Thrilled to see April back. Season 6 has been one of the least-represented early seasons on “All Stars,” which is crazy given that it is widely considered a Top 5 season for the whole franchise. April did not have a long run on S6, but she was impactful, particularly for her beauty in and out of drag, and strong aesthetic — that rainstorm look remain iconic a dozen years later. April’s weakness was her performance and comedy chops, and based on this episode, I don’t get the sense that has changed. She looked amazing in the challenge but didn’t make much of an impact in the lyrics or performance. Her butter runway — which I think she interpreted as simply “yellow” — was a reference to a specific Puerto Rican character, apparently one with homophobic overtones, which she reclaimed. I love the thought process there, but I don’t think the look itself was particularly strong. Ultimately I’m glad April is getting a boost in exposure, and I think she will get lots of new fans bewitched by her beauty. Not for nothing, I bet April would make a great cast member on “Drag Race Live” in Vegas.
Aura Mayari (Season 15)
Multiple times this episode Aura made reference to the fact that she did not know how to break through the noise in Season 15 to really leave her mark, even though she won a challenge (girl groups) and had several memorable runways. She’s right. We’ve all known that Season 15 was the Sasha Colby Meet and Greet from the jump, but even among the rest of the F6 — Mistress, Loosey, Luxx, Anetra — there was barely an atom of oxygen left for anyone else. Aura seems to be using “All Stars 11” as her proper introduction to the fandom, and thus far I think she’s doing great. Extremely strong looks this episode, excellent job in the challenge. Aura has the skills and looks to be a real threat. Where she is still faltering is in her ability to hold attention. When she’s on the screen, she has star quality. But when she’s not, she doesn’t stick in my mind. I’m not sure why that is. I thought her performance in the lipsync was manic, completely the wrong vibe for the song, and she was trying way too hard to capture attention (there it is again). It’ll be interesting to watch her. I think she’s a great inclusion here.
Crystal Methyd (Season 12)
By far one of the most requested “All Star” contestants from the more recent seasons, certified weirdo and mullet icon Crystal from the cursed Season 12 is a huge threat in this bracket. That said, I’m not entirely sure I agreed with the effusive praise given to her by the panel this episode. Crystal held her own in the duo number, but Aura was without question running that show. I don’t think Crystal matched her energy, and she never looked fully comfortable doing the routine (I did enjoy her performance look, however). She absolutely crushed the butter runway, with a look I’m calling Margarine Simpson, which I’m confident will inspire a thousand pieces of fan art. In the work room, Crystal seemed nervous and reserved, even if the other queens seemed instinctively to realize that she is threat in this group. I did love Crystal’s Top 2 lipsync to “Enough is Enough (No More Tears),” which I think may be our first-ever Barbra Streisand lipsync on “Drag Race.” Did her bizarre costume do most of the work? It certainly did a lot, but I thought her campy energy was a better fit with the song than the capillary-busting manic energy Aura was laying down.
Salina EsTitties (Season 15)
I’m also happy to see Salina back. Like Aura, Salina never had a shot in Season 15, even though she was a primary narrator for the season and had a few meme-able moments, mostly at her expense (see: the Golden Boot Award, which she deservedly won for one of the worst runway packages in recent memory). I thought Salina was a real standout this episode, clearly carrying her “Boy Is Mine”-style duet with April and giving us a truly beautiful look on the runway. This feels like a levelled-up version of Salina, and after one episode I already see her as much more of a legit competitor than I did for the entirety of Season 15. And she’s still delivering in her talking heads. Great episode for Salina.
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Season 11/All Stars 6)
I’ve seen a lot of bitching about Silky coming back for not her third, but her FOURTH round at “Drag Race.” They’re completely ignoring her run on “Canada’s Drag Race Vs. the World” Season 2 — I assume because it’s a different production company — which is a shame, because it had a wonderful run for Silky (and also featured another multiple-time returnee we will see in the Purple Bracket). My main concern with Silky coming back again is that “CanVsTW2” gave Silky the perfect end to her “Drag Race” mega-arc. Silky came into S11 as THE fan favorite, completely obliterated any goodwill in the first episode, and spent the rest of the season being pushed and protected by Production while she served up sloppy drag and caustic attitude. She came back for “All Stars 6” much more reserved, and was an early boot, redeeming herself with that crazy lipsync run. The Silky we got on “CANvs” was, I think, the best version of her we have ever seen — confident but not cocky, lovely to the other queens but also playfully shady, and genuinely strong in challenges and on the runway. I love Ra’Jah O’Hara, but I really felt that was Silky’s season to win. So her coming back for “All Stars 11,” I fear she risks jeopardizing the great place she left herself not even five years ago. Already in this episode, the talking heads veer toward the grating, with the screaming and the…hand puppet? I don’t know. She did great in the challenge, is getting along well with the other queens, and I enjoyed her butter runway, although most of the others in my viewing party did not. I’m rooting for Silky, but she has an uphill battle with this fandom.
Vivacious (Season 6)
Mother has arrived — again! I don’t know if any queens has been referenced more times on this franchise than Vivacious, whose Season 6 entrance with Ornacia has been rehashed by any number of queens over virtually every season for the past dozen years. That’s remarkable, because Vivacious went home on Episode 3 of her season. Talk about star quality and making a lasting impression! Vivacious came across wonderfully in this episode, the seasoned elder who knows she needs to step up her game to advance in this super competitive game stocked with young, hungry queens. In her duet with Silky, Vivacious tried admirably, but there was a stiffness to the dancing that I found charming — it was giving Bernadette in “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” and I mean that as the highest form of compliment, truly. Vivacious has very clearly invested in her looks for this season — although I don’t think her aesthetic was ever a problem, her Club Kid looks are naturally fascinating. One area I think Vivacious will probably realize that she needs to focus going forward is on her make-up, specifically how it shows up on television. In person I’m confident it works, but in HD it looks dusty and unblended. I don’t believe that’s the intention. Regardless, I’m excited to see Vivacious back, and I do think she will walk away with many new fans after this season. She’s endearing, she’s fierce, and she’s entertaining. That’s a great combo for modern fans.
What did YOU think of the Pink Bracket of “All Stars” 11? Which queens are you rooting for? Drop your comments below!
