RECAP: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 14 (Talk Show)
We were down to the Final 4, and probably not the Final 4 anyone was expecting heading into the finale. Last week’s shock elimination of frontrunner Jane Don’t predictably led to quite a bit of outrage from the fandom, but I do think Season 18 has delivered us a talented, interesting, and varied F4. I’m not sure this final challenge makes sense at this stage in the competition, but I also think it gave us at least one more star-making turn (Plane Jane found quaking). Let’s get into it!
Read on for my take on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 14, “Good Morning, Bitches.”
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The maxi-challenge this episode was for the queens, in pairs, to co-host multiple segments of the fictional morning TV talk show, “Good Morning, Bitches.” I personally think TV presenter challenges are a good fit for “Drag Race.” That feels like an area of entertainment where queens could actually break in, or have such a low economic barrier to entry that they could create their own media – some have, including Monet X Change and Mo Heart. Additionally, we have had a slew of TV host challengers throughout this show’s history, going back to Season 1’s Tori Spelling interview (“Locas, I said ‘HIV’”) to Season 3’s QNN (“Oh, the fire burned my ass!”) to Season 9’s original “Good Morning, Bitches” challenge.
But it WAS weird to hold it to the final competitive episode, with only four queens remaining. I wonder if that was intended so that there was parity between the various segments (the exercise segments typically flopped in previous challenges, while the interview segments were a mixed bag). Either way, the challenge certainly was more difficult for one of these four queens, while extremely well suited to two others.
The queens got to pick their partners, with Myki Meeks explicitly not wanting to go with Juicy Love Dion after what happened when they were partnered on “RDR Live,” where Myki put in a lot of effort to get Myki acclimated to the work and then being denied the win in favor of Juicy. Myki also knew she worked well with Darlene Mitchell after the Rusical, so they were Team 2, which left Juicy and Nini Coco as Team 1.
The segments included an opening bit in which the queens had to play off of one another, a breaking news segment in which the queens had to navigate tongue twisters, a celebrity interview with the seemingly omnipresent (not complaining) Zane Phillips, and then a fourth segment with Zane. Team 1 got an exercise bit with Thighmasters, Team 2 did a makeover and runway teach.
Team 1 struggled from the jump. Juicy kept taking things to a sexual place, and Nini attempted bounce off of that with straight-man ad libs, but none of it was landing. Nini seemed reserved and serious the whole time – this is not a challenge to be serious. Team 2 was instantly better. The chemistry between Myki and Darlene was effortless, with Myki playing the anchor that kept things on the rails, and Darlene being an absolute nutcase but in the best possible way. The highlight of the challenge was Darlene in the interview and the makeover – that runway segment was absolutely hysterical, and the moment where I thought, “You know, Darlene could win this entire season.” Never before this episode did I think that was even possible.
There was also an interview segment with RuPaul, featuring instantly controversial A.I. artwork (*jerks off vigorously*). The interviews were interesting in a few ways. Ru seemed particularly invested in Darlene and her sobriety journey, validated Myki’s underdog/comeback arc, seemed to better understand Nini’s technician approach to drag (while pushing her to bring the “humanity” into it), and in my opinion almost seemed to be giving Juicy a pat on the back as she readied her to walk out the door. Juicy’s interview had a significantly different vibe than any of the others.
On the runway, it was basically the “best drag” categry. I thought Juicy’s look was a mix of stunning (the gold pieces, which evoked drag mother Morphine’s “Body” lipsync outfit) and ungainly – I didn’t think the “tree” aspect of it was at all flattering. Myki’s universe-inspired look was…cute. Like, I appreciated the concept but in execution it looked a little crafty, especially that wire piece, which did not look good. Darlene’s was elegant and sexy, and I loved the cape shrug, but it also felt a bit off the rack to me. I also wish she had some kind of falsie on, as the flat chest was taking me out of the fantasy. Nini Coco absolutely devoured this runway, with an All Stars-level look that she made herself. Extending the dress into the wig, that wacky but very cool breast piece, and her signature eyelashes – again, Nini is a drag technician. That look is a knockout.
The Myki and Darlene team were unsurprisingly the winning one, but I was surprised that both queens got the win. I personally would have given it to Darlene alone, who I did think was the clear standout, and had a better night on the runway. That gives Myki four maxi-challenge wins, which feels high to me given her output this season, compared to Darlene and Nini’s two wins.
That left Juicy and Nini in the Bottom 2 to lipsync to Chappell Roan’s “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.” Great lipsync song, finally, but with a problem: both queens were wearing elaborate “best drag” gowns, which constrained them in their performance. In seconds, Juicy sloughed hers off, getting down to a two-piece look appropriate for a throwdown. Nini, however, could not remove that look, and gave us a borderline park-and-bark, at one point snapping the rigid breast piece in half, to give her more range of movement in her emoting. Juicy, meanwhile, was throwing every single trick in her book on the stage. But…I don’t think that’s what the song called for. I thought Juicy was doing way too much, while Nini wasn’t doing enough, but not by choice – she could not move in that gown. I feel like if you combined the two performances you get the right energy for that song.
The folks in my viewing party suspected that it would be a double save, leading to a Final 4. But no, Nini was given the win, and Juicy was sent home. I think that will prove controversial. Of the two, I think Juicy probably won that lipsync, but this was her fourth time in the B2 (and Nini’s third straight B2). At the end of the day, I think Ru felt she had seen everything Juicy was able to give, and everyone seemed to agree that she needs more time to cook. I actually agree. Juicy is an amazing queen and she is going to have an amazing career. But is she America’s next drag superstar? Not yet.
That gives us a F3 of Myki Meeks, Darlene Mitchell, and Nini Coco. I couldn’t tell you the last time we had an all-white F3 – S7? Up until this week, I don’t think I would have thought that Darlene had what it takes to be a finalist, but I am all in now. Nini peaked early season, Myki peaked later season (the Talent Show was THE most defining challenge of this season). I think it could go to any one of them, and I think they all bring something new to the Winner’s Circle.
Next week: The LaLaPaRuZa! And this cast had a lot of strong lipsyncers, so I am hopeful. Who do you want to win the smackdown? Who do you want to see win the season? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
