Week 2 Review:
This has to be my favorite challenge the series has ever thrown my way! True, it doesn't essentially highlight any of the girl's talents, but it does showcase which girls are game for anything and can think on their feet! Also, does anyone else HATE Billy B. as judge? I understand the complaints about Santino, but I rarely agree with any of Billy's critiques and frankly, after his butchered job on Shangela's face during last season's reunion, I lost any respect for his ideal that "less is more"! These are men; not women, and they don't look good with sparse cosmetics! Finally, does anyone else feel that Ru's first two eliminations are answers to people's complaints that she favors the conventionally pretty and essential Ru look-a-likes?
Now, on to the girls!
Madame Laqueer: I was with Milan as far as Laqueer's whining; push through it and shut up, and Madame did exactly that! She was a hoot in the ring, and she had a cute, solid look on the runway. She may be whiny, but she can pull it together when need be.
Chad Michaels: Let's be honest, if you had any doubts as to Chad's strengths in this competition, this episode( in particular the untucked) squelched all of them! I've stated before, I'm in love with a queen who can be fierce without resorting to b!tchyness, and Chad Michaels is the first queen since Nina Flowers to encompass that quality! I love her mothering the girls;no doubt the girls would have swarmed Jiggly like a school of piranha over her comment to Sharon, yet Chad encouraged them to look through Jiggly's eyes "You have that to support you, She may have never been told that she's loved!" That line right there sealed the deal for me;I'm am a 100% Chad Michael fan!
Sharon Needles: Considering her macabre niche, Sharon did incredibly well this week with her look! She also impressed during the match. I took her side in the boyfriend debate with Jiggly, but I did feel that she took it a bit more personally than Jiggly intended for it to be. It was sweet to see her sensitive side!
Milan: I'm still rooting for Milan to do well, but am concerned that she's still flying under the radar (albeit it's only week two; Bebe and Yara didn't start standing out until week three, so let's not turn our backs on her yet!) I do wonder if her wardrobe, despite how I like it, looks good only because she sells the heck out of it each week. Still, she has great energy, and as I already mentioned, I'm not giving up just yet!
Phi Phi O'Hara: She still likes to be a b!tch, but I'll admit begrudgingly that she turned it out in the wrestling ring! Her runway left something to be desired( when asked for your best "girly-girl" look, Dolly Parton shouldn't be the first idol to spring to mind!) I haven't warmed up to her yet, but I will admit that she's showed some decent drag chops this week!
Latrice Royale: Honestly, did anyone truly doubt she'd do well this week? She easily stole the show (overall anyway) during her team's round. Her make-up was a great improvement from what she normally defaults to, and her outfit was cute (albeit a little too safe for my tastes).
Kenya Michaels: I can't say that my faith is fully restored in her, but Kenya made a huge bound in the right direction this week. Her energy was completely in "Yara" territory during the match! I also loved her "baby-doll" approach to the runway, even if it did read a little to Nikki Minaj for me.
Jiggly Caliente: Still spewing attitude in all directions; but she really was the best of her team this week. That said, her runway look was only ok (how many of those lollipops does she have?) and she did well in the challenge because it played to her personality. I have to applaud the girls for trying to intervene with her. This is really the first time I feel the cast is a "family"!
Willam: As I stated at the beginning, this challenge really pointed out who could think on their feet and dive into whatever Ru throws at them; miss "I'm a successful queen/ actress" truly stunk this week. Her runway was ok at best, and really it was just her good luck that Lashawn and the Princess were blander than her this week!
Dida Ritz: Chad, Latrice, SOMEONE mother this queen in the ways of wigs! She easily had the worst runway look of the week. She needs polish like a fish needs water! Her performance was bland and honestly, she probably should have landed in the bottom two! Like Willam, she lucked out that two other queens were a fraction of a grade blander than her, at least in the judges eyes. I will say that she has a sweet personality, but that doesn't go far in this competition.
The Princess: Completely deserved to be in the bottom. She was practically non-existent in the challenge, which is worse than standing out for being bad, in the drag world at least! Taken by it's own merits, her runway look was great "Up yours Billy B, I liked the wig", but she was asked to bring her best "girly-girl" couture and this was anything but. In fact, I felt she won the lip sync more so due to Lashawn making obvious drag boo-boos than truly amazing the judges.
Lashawn Beyond: As I just stated, Lashawn's inexperience in the drag business was her undoing. As soon as the lip sync started she ripped her heels off, and for me the battle was over at that moment. If a queen can't work the stage in a pair of heels, than move over! Her outfit didn't read "girly-girl" the way it should (though it came closer than a couple of others) and ultimately, she's just too new to the drag world, and didn't seem to have the fire in her stomach needed to impress Ru. Still, she has HUGE amounts of potential, and her skills are off the chain for such a newbie!