RECAP: Drag Race Down Under vs. the World Episode 4
Apologies for the lack of an Episode 3 blog; it’s convention season and I was traveling. Bottom line, I’m enjoying this season — I know people are still furious over the Raven flap, but it’s not that deep — and I am just loving these queens. I think last week was Nikita’s time to go. I know she said she wanted to be there, but her heart just never seemed in it. She’s great, but I would not have wanted anyone else to leave, especially after her performance in that Snatch Game (loved her fruit runway, though).
But that was then, this is now! It’s another high-concept design challenge with entirely too much set-up, and fair to rough results. But I would watch this group of queens do pretty much anything and enjoy it. Read on for my take on “Drag Race Down Under vs. the World” Episode 4, “Franken-Drag.” SPOILERS AHEAD!
Want to watch “Drag Race Down Under vs. the World”? You should be! You can catch stream it now at Wow Presents Plus.
RELATED CONTENT
Best “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Lipsync (2020-2025)
Best “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Snatch Game Performance
Best “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Runway Look (S7-S12)
The conceit for this design challenge was that the queens were paired off, and then each one had to select from three looks their partner brought from home, and steal one garment. That was meant to be the base of a newly created look, mixed in with the drag they had brought from home. It’s an interesting challenge, and tests the queens’ creativity. But I would also argue it also doesn’t present a level playing field. Take a look at what M1ss Jade S0 brought compared to what LaLa Ri brought. Even if LaLa was a wizard at sewing (we know she is more of a glue-gun warrior), she was automatically starting at a disadvantage just from the base materials. But some of these queen took relative trash and made treasure, so what do I know.
I won’t bother going through each look individually, because describing drag looks is pointless — just look up the runway on socials. I will, however, weigh in on each queen and how I think they’re faring in the competition thus far.
Art Simone
I knew of Art before the first “Down Under” season, and was a fan of her drag. I always believed she could compete at this level, and it is so wonderful to see her thriving in this season. Two wins in a row, and another top placement this week — incredible streak. I understand why Michael Marouli would find Art’s furry dress (a result of the looks brought by Art’s partner, Estrella Extravaganza) simple compared to her super-drag look. But I really thought Art’s look was more successful. My concern for Art right now, is it’s going to be hard to keep up this pace for the entire competition, and they keep showing us shots of Art looking deeply worried at judging. I fear she is putting a tremendous amount of pressure on herself. I hope she is at least enjoying this ride, because she’s worked so hard for this her entire career.
Coco Jumbo
I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t vibe (poor choice of words) with Coco in her first run, but I wonder if that’s because the edit did a hatchet job on her, or the mess of that season just made everyone miserable. I am so enchanted by Coco this season. She isn’t lighting the challenges on fire, but she is winning hearts — and I would argue that’s the bigger prize here. I just love the way she carries herself, her warmth with just a bit of biting wit. I appreciate that both Art and Vybe are looking out for their sister, but even without that I simply enjoy just watching her on my television. I’m so pleased she was brought back for this.
Estrella Extravaganza
No, Estrella I DID love her first go-round, and I love her even more here. This queen is such a light, she radiates such warmth and humor. She has the Charisma, the Uniqueness, and the Nerve down, and there’s no denying that she is also very talented (and funny). Her aesthetics have always been her downfall — although I have enjoyed several of her brought-from-home looks this season! But creating garment is not Estrella’s forte. I love her cutesy monster drag. I love her point of view and her playfulness. You could totally see what she was going for here, and I think if she could have put what was in her head down that stage, we might have had a different outcome. She just doesn’t have the sewing/construction abilities to deliver there. But I was howling at her, “Am I delusional?” check-ins. God, I love her.
Flor
I think many queens would be fuming at the yo-yo trajectory Flor has been having this season, but I think she’s handling it better than many/most. Even when Flor is irritated at her bottom placements or her sisters’ unintentionally dismissive comments (and she has twice been the lipstick picked by the losing member of the Top 2!), she’s still great television. I personally thought Flor could have, and maybe even should have, been Top 2 this week. That was a very successful look, and a huge step up from her previous design challenge. She should be proud of herself this week. And I love her burgeoning friendship with Coco and Vybe. You should three should tour Australia doing Hocus Pocus drag at Halloween. Wait…do they have Halloween in Australia?
LaLa Ri
We all know that LaLa is more of a “nah, nah” when it comes to design challenges. I’ll be honest, I might have disliked this more than the infamous S13 paper-bag dress, or the look in which her Southern Hemisphere was visible from space earlier this season. Specifically, I had an issue with the total lack of ambition. This queen took Michael Marouli’s red vinyl dress, put it on backwards, put a bandau top across a breast plate, and she called it a day. What the fuck is that? She also put a fascinator on her bald head that looked fully CRAZY. LaLa is effortlessly charming, and super likable. But this is her third season in six years and she still does not seem at all interested in learning even basic skills that would advance her past these choke points. I find it frustrating, and I think she should have been in the B2 for this challenge.
Michael Marouli
I suspect Michael is getting more than a little irritated at only having been Top 2 in Week 1, despite performing good or great every week thereafter. In this case, I agree with the judges. A lovely second alternate is correct, if only for the bottom part of this look, which…barely existed. The top was a statement, to be sure. But it felt unfinished to me. This is where a little less ambition might have served Michael better in the challenge.
M1ss Jade S0
Jade is a truly special queen. Several girls this season have commented on how she operates in her own world, and that’s consistent with what we saw on her season of “Drag Race Philippines.” I don’t necessarily believe in a lot of the metaphysical stuff Jade talks about, but she does seems like she is on a whole different frequency than most people. And when she can harness that, she is a superstar. She for sure had an advantage with that wildly cool monster/demon look, but I also thought she delivered a cohesive, bold look that incorporate Flor’s outfit. Getting to watch her this season is one of my favorite parts of this show.
Vybe
Vybe was paired with her roommate/drag sister/best friend Coco Jumbo, and deliberately took the hit by selecting the hardest-to-work-with garment from Coco’s kit, essentially throwing herself on that fabric grenade. Incredible sportsmanship on Vybe’s part, but also potentially very costly — she did what she could, but boy that pink fabric just screamed out every imperfection. Vybe is a pro, and you saw that in the way she interacted with the judges here. No excuses, just acceptance of the critiques, and some playful humor to disarm them. She’s the total package, and at least a few of the other girls have said as much. She’s a big threat.
Which is why the drama for the episode centered around whether or not her competitors would take the opportunity to send home a big contender in Vybe, who was in the Bottom 2 along with the perpetually lovable Estrella Extravaganza (I maintain that LaLa Ri should have been in that B2, replacing Vybe). The Top 2 of Art Simone and M1ss Jade S0 lipsynced to “1999” by Charli XCX, and this is the part where I once again yell out to the world that Charli’s music might be enjoyable pop [insert Michelle Visage “meh” gif here], but holy shit do they make for lousy lipsyncs. Just 3 minutes of repetitive hooks that go absolutely fucking nowhere, devoid of any kind of soul or emotion, and liberally sprinkled with lyrical banalities. How exciting.
Jade was given the win — surely her overt sexiness was a better fit for the song than Art’s more theatrical approach — and she shared that Estrella was the queen she was sending home. I’ve been fearing this since Episode 1. She’s such an amazing queen, and I hope we get to see her back again in an arena where she can truly flourish. She is without question one of the Top 5 queens from “Drag Race Espana” and that is REALLY stiff competition. We love you, Estrella.
Last note: I was thrilled to see Blu Hydrangea on the judging panel this week. Blu was treated pretty heinously by the fandom after she won “UK vs. the World” S1 — so was her successor, Tia Kofi. Thy are both incredible artists who deserved their wins, and I’m glad to see Blu here. The “Vs. the World” winners sometimes get forgotten, but there is a GREAT group of champions there, and they deserve to be recognized. Give me more Tia, more Ra’Jah, more Lemon (she was just on “Canada All Stars”), more Gawdland, and if the “Royales” count (they should), more Brigiding.
What do YOU think of “Drag Race Down Under vs. the World”? Which queens are you rooting for? Drop your comments below!
