RECAP: “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9" Episode 9 (The Rusical)
Full disclosure: I was pretty over “All Stars 9” after watching last week’s episode, which seemed completely pointless. A design challenge that served as a vague promo for RuPaul’s music (most of which I love, by the way!), the frontrunners pulling even further ahead of the pack, and a few of the queens doing the bare minimum since there’s no threat of elimination, and no real stakes — it was all getting rather dull. I’m pleased to report that Episode 9 turned that frown upside down. A top-tier Rusical and strong performances from nearly every member of the cast made this a powerhouse episode worthy of the franchise, and the eight terrific queens competing.
I don’t know if I would put “Rosemarie’s Baby Shower” as the very best Rusical of all time. That’s a tight race, especially over the past few years, and some day this podcast will probably tackle that topic. But certainly it was a very strong showing, a creative and daring concept, lots of fun, and it featured some surprisingly catchy numbers. Raise your hand if you ended the episode singing, “Holy quacamole!” I know I did.
As usual, I’ll deliver my thoughts on each queen individually, taking into account not only their role in the Rusical, but also their Bring Back My Pearls runway looks, as well as their general trajectory in the competition (which almost surely played a role in the judging this episode).
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Before we get into it, here’s Act 1 of Episode 9:
Angeria Paris VanMichaels: Angeria got the role of Ruth, the nosy devil-worshipping neighbor played by Ruth Gordon in the original horror masterpiece, Rosemary’s Baby. Angeria initially pushed for another, flashier role, but I thought she was good here. She mugged consistently and was on stage nearly the entire time. On the runway, Angeria did look stunning. My only criticism is that it was just as much feathers as it was pearls, and pearls were the concept. But I’m nitpicking. Angeria radiated elegance. As we enter the final stretch of the competition, Angeria should be incredibly proud of herself. She is one of the top contenders of the season, having not only 3 badges, but the honor (?) of being the most-blocked queen, having been snipped 3 out of the 8 possible episodes. That should make clear what a threat Angeria is. She’s an all-arounder; she does just about everything well, and she’s so likable. Angeria was a fan-favorite on Season 14, and as of Episode 9 here, has only become more beloved and respected.
Gottmik: Gottmik was super excited for the role of Blair, inspired by Linda Blair’s role, possessed girl Regan in The Exorcist. Mik felt a real kinship for the character, saying that queer people can often see themselves in horror films, via the outsiders, the people society sees as “monsters” who are only trying to live their lives. There’s truth to that, but I won’t be at all surprised if Mik receives some pushback over that sentiment from the chronically online. I think Gottmik was good in the Rusical, but the least attention-grabbing of the three baby-shower cameos. Where she did grab attention was the runway, where her monstrous black pearl look was once again among the best of the night. Gottmik has had a good AS9 run, dominating the early episodes, racking up 2 badges (and 2 blockings), and delivering one of two god-tier runway packages of this cast. While there have undoubtedly been some bumps along the way (the roast, especially the aftermath), Gottmik has demonstrated over and over again that she’s a spectacular, daring artist and a real trailblazer.
Jorgeous: Jorgeous — who was Bottom 2 for the Season 14 Rusical — redeemed herself in “Rosemarie’s Baby Shower” with her take on the killer AI doll from M3GAN. Jorgeous was that dancing doll on the stage, fully present in the role and effortlessly delivering one of the more technical dance sequences in the Rusical. I thought her Bring Back My Pearls look was among the less successful. It was pretty, to be sure, and it did have strategically placed pearls. But it just couldn’t stand up to some of the truly “WOW!” looks some of the other queens brought out. Still, Jorgeous was named one of the Top 2 of the night. I could see Top 2 for the challenge alone, but when factoring in the runway, it would have pushed her into the 3rd or 4th place for me personally. Jorgeous has shown incredible growth over the course of the season, and especially compared to her S14 run. She came into the episode with 2 badges — only one from a main challenge win — and 1 blocking. She exited it with 4 badges, means she is now tied for first place in the standings. I do not think that is an accurate reflection of her performance this season (although I thought she should have been Top 2 for some challenges where she was merely Safe, like the roast).
Nina West: Nina came into this challenge with tremendous pressure, given that she had just come off a two-year national tour as a lead in the cast of Hairspray. While she did well in her role of Dr. Poltergeist — inspired by Tangina from Poltergeist — I do think she was outperformed by several other members of this cast. I was genuinely surprised by that. And it wasn’t the role; she had an energetic solo in the style of a Pentecostal preacher, and Nina largely delivered on it. It was perfectly solid. But others in the cast just gave their roles a little something extra that Nina could not quite match. On the runway, it was, again, not great. I believe on last week’s episode of The Pit Stop, Trixie Mattel made the point that Nina’s handmade garment from Episode 8 was the best she’s looked all season, and that whoever is making her costumes has done her a real disservice. I’m in full agreement there. I have no doubt that Nina used every dime of the reported $25K stipend the queens received for runways, but it was not money well spent. We’ve seen this before; Brita Filter spent a great deal of money on her wardrobe for Season 12, and there were a LOT of clunkers in there. Overall, I don’t think Nina has had a great “All Stars 9” run. She’s had some strong moments (Snatch Game), and I know she’s giving her all every single episode. It’s just not always connecting. And that’s a shame, given the personal and professional toll Nina has been paying all season. She is currently toward the back of the pack with 2 badges, and given that next week is a lipsynch competition, and we know how Nina has traditionally done with lipsynchs…
Plastique Tiara: Plastique impressed the hell out of me tonight. Again. Season 11 Plastique was gorgeous but totally uncomfortable with humor. AS9 Plastique is even MORE gorgeous and — aside from that awful Snatch Game — reliably strong when it comes to the funny stuff. Plastique got the role of Rosemarie, and man did she dominate that stage in her solo number. So sexy, so assured, real icon shit. On the runway, she continued to gag the children with her inspiration of the Birth of Venus, a statuesque, stunning vision in all white. Like Mik, Plastique has reset the bar for runway packages for all future All Stars. I personally would have put Plastique in my Top 2. She was great in the challenge and she was breathtaking on the runway. She has had a few stumbles in this competition, but her successes completely outweigh them. One of the best “All Stars” runs in recent memory. Plastique goes into the home stretch with 4 badges and 0 blockings — that is insane. The spread of her wins is also impressive — ball, acting, roast, and design. She has, in my opinion, established herself as one of the all-time great Ru Girls over the course of this season.
Roxxxy Andrews: Speaking of all-time greats, Roxxxy also slayed this challenge, continuing her streak of doll domination over the past several weeks. IMO Roxxxy could have conceivably been Top 2 for the past 5 episodes, and it would have been completely justified. I certainly would have put her there for this week, where she completely transformed herself for the role of Pennywise, the demon clown from IT. The commitment here was astonishing — I couldn’t even tell you that was Roxxxy at first, and she delivered the music and dancing impeccably. There’s been a lot of talk this season about personal growth for these queens, but that is rarely directed at Roxxxy. It should be. As my GPCD Co-Producer Bob Erlenback pointed out, Season 5/AS2 Roxxxy could never have pulled off this role. It’s true. On the runway, Roxxxy gave us a totally acceptable pearl look that she said was “classic Roxxxy.” I can see that, but as has often been the case this season, Roxxxy has given us solid hand-made looks, but they do not measure up to the showstoppers that several of her competitors have commissioned from designers. That being said, she still looks good, and she has REALLY shown up the past several episodes, after a slow start to the competition overall. Roxxxy goes into the semifinals with 4 badges (only 3 from challenge wins) and 2 cuts, one of the biggest threats in the cast. On the whole, it’s been a great season for Roxxxy.
Shannel: So, this situation is a little complicated. Let’s break it down. Shannel did well in the Rusical, in the role of “Sydney” — I didn’t fully grasp the inspiration for her role, but she was another of the devil-worshipping neighbors, and Shannel played her in the style of Barbra Streisand. I thought this was solid work from Shannel, especially given that she had never done a Rusical, and this was out of her wheelhouse. On the runway, I thought she had one of the best looks of the night, a Club Kid-esque approach to pearls in which they were growing all over her. Everyone did well in the challenge, so I could see the judges justifying giving the win to just about any of them…but Shannel probably would not have been my choice based on merits alone. Now, that combined with the narrative — that Shannel was badgeless as of Episode 9, despite doing well nearly every week, and fighting an internal battle about possibly being too old to do this —- I get why they gave her the badge. They had been edging the gal for weeks, and we had to have a release. And it was satisfying. Not only did the other queens on stage applaud her win, my viewing party also erupted into applause. So Shannel, we are all rooting for you. Would I have given her this Top 2 spot myself? Probably not. But I certainly do not begrudge her that moment. Overall Shannel has, without question, struggled to break through this pack, and goes into the semifinals with 2 badges — one earned tonight, and the other given to her by Jorgeous (both of this week’s Top 2 got a second badge to share, and Jorgeous and Shannel each bestowed theirs on the other).
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: Vanjie could have also been Top 2 this episode and I would have totally bought it. She was commanding and sexy when she finally took the stage as the Spawn of Rosemarie — she has that X-Factor that you simply cannot teach, you either have it or you don’t. She also looked incredible in both the challenge and on the runway. I don’t think any other queen this season has had the kind of glow-up that Vanjie has experienced — she is truly one of the most stunning queens in the group, and there’s very stiff competition in this crew. But Vanjie’s greatest asset is her personality, which was on full display during judging. She thanked the judges, even crying a bit, because this experience means so much to her. Of all the queens in “Drag Race” history, I think Vanjie may be one of the most genuinely grateful for the blessings this show has bestowed upon her. She was a first out who was brought back on the strength of a meme, had an OK-ish run in Season 11, but remains a literal household name — and has had a good run here, as well. Vanjie goes into the semis with only 2 badge, one of them earned via a challenge win. I’ve criticized that in some challenges, Vanjie just gives up and gets through it. I think that is true, but I don’t ever for a second doubt that she’s been so happy to be there. And it is always a pleasure to watch her, always.
Ultimately the Top 2 of Shannel and Jorgeous lipsynched to guest judge Kristine W’s song, “Love Come Home.” Not the best Kristine W song; that would be “Lovin’ You,” which is iconic. It also wasn’t the best lipsynch (par for the course this season), although it was pretty clearly a Jorgeous victory. She even briefly punched the ghost! But the Shannel Release Project was still in full effect, and Ru declared it a tie, and both their charities received $5K. Again: I’m fine with it. Shannel has earned some deference. She is an icon, she has more than paid her dues, and it’s a lovely change of pace to see her celebrated by this show.
No more snipping! Next week it’s a Lipsynch LaLaPaRuZa, and as RuPaul made it clear to the queens this episode, any one of them still has the ability to make the finale. That sounds like a recipe for some old-fashioned multi-star fuckery, so buckle up!