Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
Miss Vanjie….
I was totally on the fence about Vanessa Vanjie Mateo until she opened her mouth. She is definitely one of the funniest queens to have been on the show. I understood her elimination, but it felt unfortunate at the time. Supposedly she will be on season 11; I hope she sticks around longer so we can get to know her more.
Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams
It’s hard to not fall in love with Kalorie’s personality, but it did seem that she was not ready for the competition. Her look and her talent aren’t in question; what is in question is her own confidence in a competition with all these other queens. She’s still a drag baby, so I am looking forward to her owning herself.
Yuhua Hamasaki
I was so excited about Yuhua being on this season. I was pretty disappointed. Her looks seemed good, but she wasn’t connecting with the challenges. I think the issue was that she didn’t, or maybe couldn’t, just relax and do the thing. She seemed overly excited up to the point she sashayed away. She’s beautiful though!
Dusty Ray Bottoms
Dusty, c’mon! I had her in my top 3, a place I think she totally deserved to be. Her personality and story are absolutely fantastic. I don’t know what all had been said on the runway, but I was for once frustrated with Michelle Visage when she jumped on Dusty’s signature makeup. I love it, and I love her whole look. When the look is right, it had me applauding by myself in my living room. But can we talk about that feather look? And the Martian Eleganza?? What???
Mayhem Miller
Mayhem is a freakin’ superstar! She did not need to win, and she really only needed to be on the show to have done it and be in the group with her sisters. I love her. I love a queen who not only has a fantastic personality generally, but who shows heart and the all-important vulnerability. I did not see Mayhem leaving as soon as she did, but I really don’t know that she needed to. This show will only continue to take her further.
Blair St. Clair
Blair surprised me, I must admit. She’s so young, and that really showed on the store. I think that her personal story about sexual assault is an important conversation to start on the show. And it made perfect sense that RuPaul was talking about the reaction to put rainbows on everything. Blair still seems in the midst of her journey through that pain. As far as the show goes, I don’t know how this should have been brought up, but it didn’t feel organic. It felt produced. Whether that was by the show or Blair St. Clair herself, I do not know. Still, people need to hear that they are not alone. Good on her for bringing it up.
Monique Heart
The ooh ah ah sensation, honey. America… When this seasons started, I thought Monique Heart would go home pretty quickly. Her outfits were great, but I just wasn’t convinced. But she made me a believer within a few weeks, and by this point I thought Monique could win the whole competition. And her elimination was doubly unfortunate. I can’t get into RuPaul’s head, but this situation seemed tailored to light a fire under Monique and send The Vixen home. Unfortunately, that isn’t how the lipsync went down. Maybe my favorite thing that happened this season was Monique’s speech during the reunion. The realization of what her gift is and how to use it was moving. That is one special queen and my choice for Miss Congeniality.
The Vixen
I’m not sure what to say about The Vixen. I think she was really focused on her own narrative during the season. She had a topic to discuss, and she tried to force it. I just don’t think she was enjoying herself. I don’t know The Vixen, and I don’t need to tell other people how to feel about anything. What I will say is that as a viewer, I found it difficult to want to get to know her and there were times when she seemed very likable. I don’t know why she’s put the wall up around her, but if nothing else I think it’s time to put in a window. It felt like she painted people broadly with pre-conceived notions of who or what those people were. She was probably doing that because it allowed her to make sense of people quickly, even when it might have not been justified. I was very frustrated by The Vixen this season; I always felt like she wasn’t allowing me to love her. I was also bothered that she couldn’t see the situations objectively after they aired. I don’t know if I would be able to do that myself. She needs to always be right, even when she’s not. That gets old fast. I really hope she lets people in more in the future. I think she’s very talented, but I also felt like it was time for her to go by the time she was eliminated.
Monét X Change
Soak it up! I just love Monét and I was so sad to see her go. It’s been said before, but if Monique was the heart of season 10, Monét was the soul. She brought life to the group, and was so much fun. Even when she was being a giant dork, and she often was, she was delightful. The sponge thing cracked me up. First of all, the sponge dress was amazing. I think it could’ve been a hair more fashion (like being hemmed at the bottom), but it was amazing and should have been in the top 3 for that challenge. I also don’t know how you tell Monét to go home and not think you are making a big mistake. Ru, I’m looking at you. Honestly, I was most excited for Monét this season, and I really wanted perfection every single week. And there was always something just a little off. I appreciate that at a show where a personality can make up for it, but on a runway it can be hard to get past some crunchy outfits. Mostly though, I love her! I think we are going to get so tired of hearing about Monét and all the success she’s got coming her way.
Miz Cracker
It’s thin and salty, and it’s a little Jew-y. By the episode that sent her home, I was hopeful that Cracker could win. I just don’t think there was time left for a mistake, and much of the season was eaten up by Cracker being in her head. From the moment she walked in, I knew I was going to love this queen. She reminds me of Raven from season 2 in a lot of ways. She was always overthinking the challenges and keeping herself from being the brightest star. Miz Cracker did the same thing. She was so good, but she didn’t push through until the makeover challenge. When she got so excited about the transformation, I saw everything we had been missing. I loved that moment because not only is Miz Cookie feeling herself, but Miz Cracker is finally having a good time. I wish that had been her attitude from the start of the season.
Top 4 in the order I would eliminate them:
Kameron Michaels
We’ve been on quite a journey with Kameron Michaels. On the show, she came across as charmingly reserved, and incredibly talented. Her feather runway was one of my favorite looks ever on RuPaul’s Drag Race. On Untucked, Kameron seemed stoic and serious, refusing ever to relax or rest on her laurels. It was a picture that made Kameron so likable that when Kameron started to struggle toward the end, episode after episode I hoped she would stay. She did send two of my favorite queens home. What is disappointing about Kameron is the revelation that she was producing her image so carefully, and that she had failed to bond with the other queens. In just a few moments of conversation, the facade disappeared and I realized I don’t really know who Kameron is. That’s a problem for a top 4 queen. I appreciate what was brought to this competition, but if it wasn’t the real Kameron, I’m let down. I really want to get to know who she is, but I fear it is too late for that. For that reason, she’s my fourth place pick.
Asia O’Hara
I was not terribly into Asia when this season started. She seemed wooden and pageant-y. It was off-putting. But over the course of the season, she showed herself to be a helpful queen who understands that lifting others doesn’t lower herself. It was nice to have a queen like that this season. And I actually like seeing sides of her that weren’t flattering. It humanized her pageantry and allowed me to like her as a person, not just as a queen… even if she was acting a little crazy a time or two. I think Asia is amazing, and I became a huge fan during the season. But Asia doesn’t feel like the winner to me. Maybe I’m off, and maybe it’s just the pageant thing, but I’ve had trouble getting past being impressed and getting to being awestruck. Oh, and that Tweety dress was right up there with Manila’s pineapple dress as one of my all time favorite things on the runway. I kept thinking that even if it didn’t have eyes, it would be amazing. Well done!
Aquaria
Oh, Aquaria. I was expecting Aquaria to go home in the first few episodes, and had a lot of trouble liking her throughout. It was so fortunate that Aquaria didn’t go home; she’s an acquired taste and it definitely takes a while to understand her. She’s every bit as charmingly quirky as Miss Fame or Alyssa Edwards, but with a quietness that defined her time on the show. I often felt like things were a little too shallow with her, which RuPaul gave her a pass for because of her age. I still didn’t think her inner saboteur went deep enough. What Aquaria was able to do was convince me every week that she was a star. She knew it from the start, but she knew to hold that back just enough that we didn’t end up resenting her for her confidence.
Eureka O’Hara
#TeamEureka! Elephant Queen for the win. I think what Eureka has personified what Latrice Royale said. “It’s okay to fall down. Get up, look sickening, and Make Them Eat It!” While Latrice was talking about mistakes, it certainly applies to those times in life when opportunities seem to be taken away from us. In season 9, I wasn’t sure about Eureka. She did well while she was on, but I hadn’t really formed a strong opinion about her. As soon as she walked into the workroom this season, I was hoping she could take the crown. And then she started winning everything and mopping the floor with everyone. And she was just so nice. I love people who are extra, and I wish I had more friends like Eureka O’Hara. Week after week, she had me falling for her. Her Snatch Game impersonation of Honey Boo Boo was genius. It was so good. The big baby was also pretty great, and I absolutely loved the dictionary dress. Even when she was in the bottom, I felt Eureka had done well. She’s had quite a journey on Drag Race. I hope she kills the lipsync competition at the finale and takes that crown. It is about time for a big girl to win this thing!