Now that RuPaul’s Drag Race is down to its fierce five finalists, things are getting heated. Last night’s episode resembled a battlefield in more ways than one, as the queens were each assigned a gay war veteran (who fought in the painfully recent days of DADT) to make over as a drag sister and collaborate on a flag dance. The duos had to coordinate well in looks and routine, and a weak partner only indicated weak leadership. So, who fell short this week?
Not So Short: Roxxxy Andrews
At first, Roxxxy suspected foul play when Alaska (who won the mini challenge) paired her with the shortest guy. But her paranoia about being in the bottom two paid off — she and her partner were perfectly in sync in the flag dance and matched each other seamlessly on the runway, earning her a major win this week.
Working Those Achilles Heels: Jinkx Monsoon
After she won her second challenge, a few of the queens mentioned that they wanted Jinkx to somehow slip up this week. Sure enough, she did face a challenge when she was assigned an older partner who was HIV positive and had trouble walking in high heels due to medical issues. But Jinkx was kind and clever enough to work around the problems, opting for a Gypsy-inspired runway look and vaudeville-like flag dance, which made her look more intimidating than ever.
Blending Blunder: Coco Montrese
Coco’s been having a rough time in the competition for the last few weeks, and this was the fourth time she was in the bottom two. Her main issue this week was not attending well enough to her partner’s makeup and attire, making herself look glamorous while her teammate looked like her weaker half. Even though she got eliminated, she hung in there for as long as she could, and that’s something.
Out-Prettied: Alaska
Alaska got to pick everyone’s respective army buddies, and conveniently gave herself the tall, pretty, blond one. But this ended up hurting her more than helping, because her runway twin ended up outshining her in both looks and charisma.
The New Jinx: Detox
Detox was partnered with a good-looking man who could walk in heels with ease, and had no issue bragging about her advantage in the competition. But her boasting proved to be a crutch — as a result of it, she didn’t practice her routine enough and ended up in the bottom two. A lesson for all the ladies left: you’re never safe.