It’s that time again, Wednesday, so it must mean it’s time for RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Vs the World.
So let’s spill the tea on what went down.
Remember, everything below is a spoiler, all of it.
All-Star rules are in play, but no money honey?
As we kick off episode one of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Vs the World we are treated with the familiar, with a twist.
Traditionally our queens enter the Drag Race workroom and drop a cheeky catchphrase they one day hope to sell on a T-shirt.
But, for the first time in Drag Race herstory, there is no workroom entrance.
Instead our queens one by one sashay down the runway to awkwardly sit on stools and judge each other as they walk out.
Everyone is on point and once our nine queens are assembled, Rupaul is ready to enter.
In a scissor lift.
Yes, seemingly out of nowhere Rupaul arrives out of drag and descends from a scissor lift to explain the game.
We hope he’s got a license for that thing.
Here’s the most important and shocking tea he had to spill.
All-Star rules will be in play, the queens will be eliminating themselves.
The winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Vs the World will get to record a single with Rupaul himself.
That’s it.
Obviously, due to airing on BBC again, there is again no prize money for the winning queen.
Imagine if JuJuBee finally wins on her fourth try and gets absolutely no prize money?
The gaggery.
To add insult to injury, all of the money raised from the sale of the single goes to charity.
Charity is great, who doesn’t love Charity? But it’s a pandemic, these girls gotta eat.
Time for the RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Vs the World Talent show.
Unsurprisingly given the All-Stars format, the first episode is kicking off with a talent show.
Not before we get a chance to see how the queens are all getting along in the workroom.
Monique Heart is already coming for blood, her standing in the corner and reading everyone is iconic.
But of course, JuJuBee sitting with her book and literally taking notes about each queen is even better.
For the most part, the rivalry is friendly as the queens get ready to hit the stage.
As it is pointed out quite quickly in the workroom, most of these girls are getting ready to do a song.
Most is an understatement.
In what has to be a Drag Race record, eight of the nine queens lip-sync or sing a song.
Most of the songs are their debut single/catch prase songs and the results are mixed.
What the hell was that Jimbo?
Overall it really is hard to differentiate one song from the next.
Lemons most interesting moment is her death drop, like Aja’s but higher.
Monique is singing live and literally cannot be understood.
For reasons unknown she’s also carrying what appears to be twelve dead squirrels under her armpit.
Janey Jacke debuts some kind of stripper routine to a song that sounds like it’s sung by that quiet girl from Pitch Perfect.
Bagga Chipz delivers what is quite honestly one of the worst things I’ve ever heard on the Drag Race stage.
It mostly comprises her shouting “Much betta” at everyone and it’s so insane and so bad, it’s almost brilliant.
But, it makes Rupaul laugh.
Finally, we are treated to a break in the songs, enter Jimbo.
We know Jimbo is weird, it’s why we love her.
So Jimbo delivers the weirdest thing ever seen on Drag Race and it’s brilliant.
I never ever thought that throwing deli meat at Rupaul would equate to a talent, yet here we are.
At this point it doesn’t matter what else happens we know that Jimbo will win.
Cheryl Hole does her best Morgan McMichaels impression and JuJuBee follows with a song. Both are nothing new.
Pangina and Blu close the show, Pangina with another song, about herself.
Blu’s closing number featuring her dancing, with 2 dolls at the same time was hands down the most entertaining song of the night.
Get ready for the Jimbo show on RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Vs the World
Once the runways are over there is one thing very clear.
Sporty Spice is here! And she is fabulous!
But in all seriousness, we better be ready for the Jimbo show this season.
Jimbo has made it very clear from the get-go that she knows how to stand out and not play by the rules.
Her quirky campy nature has landed her as an immediate front runner for the crown.
With her black and white runway weirdness, it’s hard to even remember what the other queens had to offer.
Ultimately, Monique, JuJuBee and Cheryl Hole are sent back to the workroom.
Overall the judge’s critiques are fair and entertaining, Mel C is loving being there and should return every season.
Lemon is read for her originality, Jacke for her song and Baga for her outfit.
Whilst Blu certainly had a hit with her performance the outfit didn’t land for the judges.
With Jimbo the clear winner it really was a coin flip for who was going to join her at the top.
Ultimately the judges gave Pangina the opportunity to lipsync for her legacy.
Lemon and Jacke are sent to get packing as the top queens deliberate.
It seems pretty clear, a Jimbo win will save Lemon and a Pangina win will send her home.
In what was a stellar kick-off to the first episode both queens slayed the house down with Pangina walking away with her first gold Rupeter badge.
Lemon’s defeat is written all over her face before Pangina even pulls the lipstick.
It’s a sad farewell for a talented queen in what was definitely a weird and wonderful episode.
If next week is even better, we can’t wait!
RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Vs the World airs weekly on Stan Australia, Wednesday at 10am.
For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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