RPDR Season 9 Episode 1 "Oh My Gaga" Review | Spoiler Alert
Are you ready to "Toot and Boot" the looks from Season 9 Episode 1 of RuPaul's Drag Race? There were so many outfits to look at and so much to be excited for, as these Season 9 queens brought their A game.
Special guest judge Lady Gaga joins Ru and the gang as the season kicks off with the always highly anticipated Main Entrance looks, and their two runway challenge themes: A look inspired by their hometowns and their take on their favorite Lady Gaga ensembles.
This episode, Ru greets us with the gag that no one is going home this episode. A concept fans have been begging for since the beginning to get to know the first contestants to leave on a deeper level. But later on, Ru reveals a huge shocker that could shake up the whole game.
Now in no particular order (Except alphabetical,) let's get started.
Aja
Main Entrance Look
This is a queen I've seen all over the internet and in person at The Ritz in Hell's Kitchen. And I've always seen her polished and put together. This entrance look was from a while back, and so maybe she's cleaned up since then. I still love her and I do like the dress and the shoes and the hair separately. But all together with that reveal was just a bit messy for me. BOOT
Hometown Look:
I thought this was the best of the three Statue of Liberty representations. It fit well, it gave me Studio 54 costumery and it made me smile. TOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
This was an immaculate replica of the Gaga look and such a great choice for this runway. I was blown away by the accuracy and I actually adored the color change in it too. Lady Gaga always teaches us to embrace ourselves, and she truly let the world know she loves herself too much to let them bring her down when the tabloids were filled with rumors of her weight gain. I am so glad someone brought it to the main stage of Drag Race. I just wish she had done a different hair color, and taken out the nose ring. TOOT
Alexis Michelle
Main Entrance Look
This is one of those polished queens who have the body and the mug down like Roxxxy Andrews. In fact, she kind of looks like Roxxxy in my opinion. The entrance look was very beautiful and the hair wasn't short of gorgeous. I just had a problem with the length of the pant (little bit high water for my taste,) and the shoe wasn't my favorite. TOOT
Hometown Look:
I was surprised to see this look on her after the beauty of her promo photo and her entrance look. The skirt flipped up was nice, but it was hard to see any of the political statements on the suit. It looked like an afterthought and I thought it would have been better to either do without it or go full on and have them in big letters across the skirt. BOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
This was so gorgeous, and just proved again that this queen is capable of so much. That body is right, that hair is right, that makeup is right, this queen is just right ok? And the Emmy prop was perfect, as is the choice for this garment. TOOT
Charlie Hides
Main Entrance Look
After following Charlie on YouTube for years, I always loved her celebrity impersonations and wit. I always wondered if I'd ever see her on Drag Race, and that if I had, if she'd bring it to me in the fashion department, since I've never really gotten a good glimpse of what her fashion is like. And she brought it. This main entrance was adorable and simple enough to replicate that I might just wear it for Halloween ;) TOOT
Hometown Look:
I was expecting something very campy and over the top for the reveal. Going from a long skirt to a short one is the oldest trick in the book and I know Charlie can do a lot more. I was expecting something really inappropriate to roast the pilgrims. Like a skirt made of fake dead turkeys or something. Or maybe she could have been eating a turkey leg while she walked out and smeared lipstick all over her face. I just needed more. (And I'mma need you to practice your reveals too. Love you, girl.) BOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
Well I asked for more and I got more. I thought this was a brilliant choice for a Gaga look. And done correctly. The hair shape and height was amazing, the mask was accurate and the garment was well executed. It was my favorite Gaga look of the evening. TOOT
Eureka O'Hara
Main Entrance Look
After the Ginger Minj fashion fiasco of 2015, I got very worried that even when the big girls are the most talented actors and singers, that we'd have a hard time finding one who had a wardrobe that would pummel the other average-sized girls. But Eureka! We might have finally found the queen to pull it off. I'm not usually one for pastels (my boyfriend even calls me The Bat with all the black and grey clothing I wear,) but this was just a wonderfully bright, colorful, fun and girlie look with a silhouette and pink pump that flattered her so well. TOOT
Hometown Look:
The RuPaul's Drag Race judges, and more importantly, Raja and Raven on Fashion Photo Ruview really dug this look, but I didn't. I get what she was going for, and I love the campy concept of a busted queen look - but I would have loved for her to take it much much further. I wanted to be able to see the incredible detail from afar. I wanted the hair to be much worse, the cigarettes to be a cartoonish size, and even a bigger and more busted baby. I think Eureka is capable of taking us there, so she should every time. BOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
There's a reason why this bitch had a top score this week. This look was stunning. She is debunking the theory that it's hard to look fabulous when you hit a certain size. It may be true when the average person is shopping at the mall to FIND things that fit well and look great on an alternative bodytype, but I've never believed that it should be "difficult" for a queen of any bodytype to look good if things are tailored, if they know their shape really well and if they carry themselves with confidence. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us the rest of the season. TOOT
Farrah Moan
Main Entrance Look
Not sure what to say. I'm speechless at how beautiful this queen is. And how humble she is (so far.) I'm getting the same feeling from her as I got from Naomi Smalls last season. I wrongfully assumed that because Naomi was beautiful and young that she'd have an attitude on her. But all along she was just a talented queen, willing to make changes and improve, who happened to be young and beautiful. And that's what I get from Farrah so far. TOOT
Hometown Look:
Thought this was gorgeous. Was it perfectly what we think Vegas is? No, but neither are some of the other garments that got praised by the judges. I thought her look was a great variation of a showgirl and was so flattering to her face and body. TOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
This was such a beautiful garment that - again framed her face well. This girl knows how to beat her mug and she knows how to wear garments that bring all of the attention up to her beautiful face. At the end of the day that's the point of fashion and she gets it. I just wish she had done the beautiful reveal she had planned. In my opinion, she could have won with her two looks had she done the reveal and owned it. TOOT
Jaymes Mansfield
Main Entrance Look
While the puppet idea was unique, I didn't love that she was wearing the same outfit as the puppet. It honestly made it look like a Mini Me and Maxi Me mother daughter challenge, and it took so much attention away from her. And her looking like she wasn't sure how long to pose kind of told me this queen is not giving herself the confidence she probably deserves. BOOT
Hometown Look:
While the shape of this garment was pretty flattering, I hated the cow print, the use of color and the concept. Cow print didn't work for Magnolia Crawford and it doesn't work for Jaymes either. She painted Milwaukee to be such a crazy place filled with odd people and serial killers. I wish she had shown me that in this look. I mean she could have dressed up as Jeffrey Dahmer in drag or SOMETHING. She definitely has a sense of humor and I'd like to see it well utilized when the time is right. BOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
Ok and this is an example of a moment when comedy wasn't needed. When I want her to take me to camp town, she doesn't take me all the way. And yet when I want her to be glamorous like this Gaga look, she adds just too much humor. Gaga's Vogue photoshoot was poignant and elegant and I would have liked to have seen Jaymes Mansfield act that way also. She owes it to herself. Plus the hair was off by a lot. BOOT
Kimora Blac
Main Entrance Look
This queen is so stunning and is giving me the same sexy Asian persuasion vibes of Gia Gunn. I personally, I hope she goes far and I'm rooting for her as a fellow Asian queen. I thought this lace bodysuit number was stunning and showed off her curves and sex appeal in all the right ways. And who doesn't love a Blasian? TOOT
Hometown Look:
I didn't find much wrong with this. Sure, it didn't scream Vegas and I could have done without the lace bodysuit (As we've seen this already before in the same day,) but she does look polished and beautiful. TOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
This look was not my favorite. She has such a stunning body and I think she could have gone with a more complex or better fitting bodysuit. And I hope she doesn't present herself as another just sexy fishy girl (Even though yes I love the idea of an Asian being ridiculously sexy.) I want her to be so much more than that. BOOT
Nina Bo'Nina Brown
Main Entrance Look
The moment you see this queen enter the workroom, you know she wants the crown. That can also be said for recent past winners like Alaska, Bob and Violet (I'm just saying.) Nina walked in with so much confidence, and knew her look was the shit because she knew she has spent years honing her craft. I love this mouse look and thought combining it with a tuxedo garment was just the way to snatch my wig in the first 20 minutes of this television program. TOOT
Hometown Look
I know nothing about makeup. ("I know you don't" screams anyone who knows me in real life reading this. Shut up. I'm just saying.) But I know enough to know that it cannot be easy to go from that mouse look to this peach one in the amount of time reality TV allots you. This makeup and this concept to represent Georgia was just the thing I needed to let me know I'm going to love this season. This showed everyone that Nina is the one to beat and that she did not come here to play. And she did what the judges always say they want from the queens. To entertain and gag us, while showing who you are as an artist and performer. And that's why she won this challenge, people. TOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
When I first saw this walk out onstage, I realized there was no makeup to get to study and that the headdress was kind of thrown together. But the body and the walk just made me happy. The red lace over that fantastic padding made me almost want to switch teams. It was absolutely luscious. Is this a winning Gaga look on its own? Uh....probably not. But I will say: After seasons and seasons of auditioning and the struggle to be accepted into this competition, Nina is giving me Alaska vibes that she will not quit until a crown is on her head. She knows she was made for this show and that this is her time. Let's see how she does the rest of this season. TOOT
Peppermint
Main Entrance Look
I think Peppermint is absolutely gorgeous and is giving me face for days. I am also excited for the first out-to-the-public-from-the-beginning trans woman competing in the show. That being said, I don't think she gave us much fashion in this episode. The braids and the accessories were lovely in this entrance look, but she could have done something more interesting than this blue robe. BOOT
Hometown Look:
Again. beautiful body, face and hair but not a killer outfit. It could have been more flattering and shown off her figure more, and it could have had more personality injected into it. This queen is probably told 1000 times a day how pretty she is and never took her fashion much further than it already was. And it'll be great to hopefully see her do that as the season progresses. BOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
BOOT. Again, she's not taking things as far as I'd like her to. And you can see that deep down inside she wants to be more eccentric. She has the gorgeous braids in her first outfit, a campy look in her second outfit, and she chose a David Bowie look for her Gaga look. She wants to be edgy, and I hope she takes us there. I worry that she's afraid to not wear earrings or afraid to be androgynous or paint a lightning bolt on her face or not be feminine for a moment. Especially being a trans woman in a drag queen competition, it may be difficult to look at yourself in an androgynous or non-feminine way, as it may seem like it could veer far from who you are. But we as the audience wouldn't see her as any less of a woman if she did draggier looks, so I hope she doesn't either.
Sasha Velour
Main Entrance Look
I love this look. I love this look....I love this look. I mean what an incredible looking queen. I love when these people come up and shock you in their first look. She's giving me the same pounding heart I got when I first saw Milk or Max. The baldness, the crown, the eyebrows, the look, and the reminder of how sickening the promo photo was just give me chills. Do I wish the length of the dress were shorter and that the outfit was cinched more? Yes, but ugh it's still so good. TOOT
Hometown Look:
This one is tough. We have four queens from New York and three of them did the Statue of Liberty, and this one takes it to a whole 'nother realm of New York culture. The pop art scene. And turns herself into a wonderful pop art creation. However I don't love the prints on the dress, the photo she held or the reuse of a crown. But it is the first time the judges are seeing her so I can see why she'd showcase it again. But I have to give this a thumbs up for originality and concept. I love pop art, I love New York and I love Sasha Velour. TOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
Ok so the makeup isn't quite as vibrant or defined as the Gaga original, but man does this queen look good anyway. The garment is stunning and looks so expensive. And the concept of her going from pop art to Artpop is very smart. You can see why she placed high this week. TOOT
Shea Coulee
Main Entrance Look
Now that I get a chance to look at the make-up more closely and in better lighting, I see how beautifully she shades her face. However, her use of colors in her makeup may not be the best to showcase her lovely features. And while I'm a fan of the muppets, I'm not a fan of their fur...or green boots for that matter. BOOT
Hometown Look:
This made me smile and gave me flashbacks to how incredible her promo photo was. I am so excited to see what else this queen can balance on her head. We may get another LaShauwn Beyond headpiece moment up in here. TOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
I didn't like this hair and I didn't like how far this look veered off from the original Gaga look. But it does look very nice and as Gaga later said, she had this fabulous Grace Jones modelesque look to her walk which made me so so happy. TOOT
Trinity Taylor
Main Entrance Look
Ok, so teal bodysuits and jungle prints aren't my thing. That doesn't mean that I can't appreciate a hot body and a well put together ensemble. And that's exactly what this was. The money for her pumping was well spent. She looks incredible. TOOT
Hometown Look:
Again with the flipped up skirt backdrops. Did she and Alexis call each other to remind each other to pack those? I thought the concept was interesting. I just am not a fan of the color combination and the fact that we didn't get to learn much about Orlando besides the fact that it's got great amusement parks. BOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
I don't watch any other television show besides Drag Race. But I quickly picked up the American Horror Story garment reference while looking at this. I loved it and thought she was so stunning and polished. I hope this queen brings on more edgy looks such as this one. TOOT
Valentina
Main Entrance Look
Valentine is absolutely cuckoo for Cocopuffs and I cannot get enough of it. I find her charming, fun-spirited and uplifting to watch. I loved this main entrance look. Her personality just put it over the top for me and with the flower in her wavy hair, she gave me all the Latina fantasies. TOOT
Hometown Look:
This was one of my favorite looks of the evening. I absolutely adored how androgynous this was. Masculine in the right ways and feminine in the right ways. Beautiful makeup, a beautiful costume, a great cultural nod and overall a sexy sexy look. It made me happy the way Milk's matador costume did in season 6. TOOT
Lady Gaga Look:
This wasn't the most out-there thing, but she really seemed to strike a chord with Gaga as she entered the runway. Maybe it's the confident and fun-loving attitude she presented with it. Because I see a star in Valentina. I hope as the season goes on we get more ambitious looks from her. TOOT
Ronnie Germanotta
What is there to say? It's Lady Gaga. She brought us all the pageantry with her nude illusion bodysuit, her puffed sleeves, her bedazzled garter and some crazy high platform shoes. While I'm not a fan of the big sleeves and the matchy matchy garter belt and boots, I thought she looked great and that it was a great outfit to showcase that she is very much a drag queen herself.
And Gaga made me so happy in Untucked when she mentioned her love for the gay community and her sadness that sometimes people in the community don't want her to represent them at all as she's not a gay woman. I hope her message will show that her intention and the intention of many straight icons and allies is not to represent the community as in identify and decide what the gay community will be conveying to the world, but instead to be a vessel who can utilize her platform to relay what the gay community would like to say, to the rest of the world.
She was a lovely guest judge and I hope she'll do this again in future seasons.
The 14th Queen
At the tail end of this episode, Mama Ru announces that a 14th queen will be entering the competition. Of course the identity won't be revealed until Episode 2. Ru doesn't necessarily say it's a past contestant, but with a grand last minute entrance like this, it's hard to believe it's not. The question is...who could it be? Here are the visual clues as to who it is.
By the look of the skintone, we've got a past African or African-American queen. One who likes a short Jimmy-Neutron style hair-do.
We've also got a queen with a thin frame who also doesn't skimp out on the booty. And loves a blue catsuit.
And finally, a sparkly thigh-high boot to sashay into Episode 2 with.
Based on the bodytype, skin-tone, and aesthetic clues, my best guesses are Jasmine Masters or Dax Exclamationpoint. Here's why
Jasmine was a contestant who went home quite early on Season 7. She was not the most loved queen after some shady comments about the bodytype of fan-favorite, Pearl. And after some lame excuses during an acting challenge and a runway presentation, Jasmine went home, but not before admitting defeat prematurely and packing her bags before the elimination process. After the show's premiere, Jasmine received some hatemail. But not just any hatemail. The haters stooped so low as to comment on her character and nose-dive into disgusting racial slurs. In the end, RuPaul invited Jasmine's personal hero Patti LaBelle to create a pre-recorded video message for Jasmine to show at the Season 7 reunion, to tell her to keep her head up and remember she's still a Rugirl and a queen. It was a huge triumph for Jasmine, however she still never got a chance to prove herself as a competitor with her new found attitude and sense of confidence. This would definitely be a chance for her to prove to the world what she was hoping to in Season 7.
Dax Exclamationpoint was a Season 8 competitor, a cosplay queen and drag mother to Season 7 winner Violet Chachki. People were expecting so much from the gorgeous Storm-impersonating mother of a past Drag Race champion. But unfortunately, she fell flat during a live performance challenge, and then followed it up with a less-than-stellar bridesmaid type dress with a random bolt of fabric jetting out from underneath. After falling in the bottom two, she then battled fellow competitor Layla McQueen in a lip-sync battle to the classic "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. After both queens fell short, Ru made the decision to send them both home, shortening our time with Dax by a lot. I think people would be curious to see what a difference a year makes and would welcome another chance to see what Dax can do and what other cosplay looks she can bring to the runway.
So excited to see what unfolds and who the 14th queen is. Thanks so much for checking out this article and subscribe for more Drag Race coverage. Cheers!
And check out Raven and Raja's Fashion Photo RuView episodes below to see if they agree with me or not on these looks!
PS these photos are from @RuPaulsDragRace and @RuPaulsDragRaceBR on Instagram. Please give me a like on Facebook for more Drag Race updates
