RPDR Season 9 Episode 2 “She Done Already Done Brought It on” Review | Spoiler Alert
Ra! Ra! Now sissy that boom bah! Ready to review Episode 2? That’s the spirit.
After a non-elimination first episode off of season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, fans all over the country wonder two things: 1. What is first challenge going to be that is finally going to send someone home? And 2. Who is this mystery 14th queen that is re-entering the competition?
The 14th Queen
At the end of episode 1, we received this glimpse of the back of the head of the 14th queen to enter the season 9 race. And based on the lighting, the choice in wig and the choice in costume, my guesses were Jasmine Masters and Dax Exclamationpoint, two queens who could have both used a redemption story.
But it turns out that the producers tricked me with their lighting of the back of the queen’s neck, and it ended up being Austin Texas’ own Cynthia Lee Fontaine!
Cynthia won America’s heart immediately during her short time on Season 8 of Drag Race. After going home fourth (or third depending on if you count Naysha Lopez’s comeback her new ranking in the competition. But then if you don’t, I would have to assume that you consider Mrs. Kasha Davis, Kandy Ho, Max, Jayden Diore Fierce and Miss Fame to have placed higher than Trixie Mattel… Just saying,) she was still voted by fans as the Miss Congeniality of her season.
Cynthia is rejoining the competition and the new season with a lot of love from all over the country, a keen understanding of the competition and the can-do attitude she’s known for. Let’s see how she fairs!
This episode, the queens were challenged to let their inner cheerleaders shine. The girls were split into two cheer teams:
THE GLAMAZONIANS (CAPTAIN: NINA BO’NINA BROWN)
and
THE B-52 BOMBERS (CAPTAIN: CYNTHIA LEE FONTAINE)
There were such varying performances in both teams that Ru decided not to judge by teams, but by hand selecting the Top and Bottom 3 where she saw fit.
Now the time has come for us to toot and boot the White Party themed looks on this week’s runway, and talk about the challenge and workroom drama of this week. Shall we?
Aja
The Look
While I like the dress, the cape and the mask separately, all together the story of the look doesn’t make sense to me. I am not sure what the theme was. Some sort of Silence of the Lambs angel going to Coachella? And Gaga was so right last week when she said that Aja needs to show more versatility with her face jewelry. A nose-ring can only go with so many outfits before it starts to get distracting. BOOT
Alexis Michelle
The Look
Ok so everything about this is a Drag Queen go-to. From the hair to the jewelry to the dress shape to the four-inch nails. But I DON’T CARE. When it’s done this impeccably, I cannot be mad at it. Alexis Michelle gives me the polished looks of Roxxxy Andrews and Shannel combined. And there is everything right with that. TOOT
Let’s Get Personal
This week in Untucked, Alexis mentioned that she doesn’t see Jaymes Mansfield at the same level as the rest of them in the competition, stating “If this is Season 9, Jaymes is Season 1.” Fans of the show got so upset at this comment, feeling that Alexis had put down all of the talented queens of Season 1. So Alexis recorded a YouTube video to explain herself. She tells viewers that she respects the craft and the talent of Season 1 queens. But that the show has evolved so much and has now more difficult and nuanced challenges than back then. She just believes Jaymes hasn’t risen to the occasion to show that she’s capable of pulling the stunts they expect in Season 9. And honestly, that’s what I got from her comment too. Unfortunately, now Jaymes won’t have the chance to show people all that she’s capable of. But this competition isn’t easy and someone has to go home first.
Charlie Hides
The Look
I love how polished Charlie is. Her hair mixing in with the puffy hood of the dress, the beautiful sleeves cut at an angle 3/4 of the way up her arm, her accessorizing, her idea of associating White Party with snow and her silhouette in general. One of my favorite looks of the week for sure. TOOT
The Challenge
This week, Charlie supposedly fell short. The judges claim that she wasn’t memorable in her performance. And I guess someone has to be in the bottom 3, (Although I believe they should have done what they do in some Project Runway episodes where only two people did poorly and just have a bottom two without forcing another person into getting critiqued arbitrarily.) I thought that considering Charlie’s lack of physicality, she still performed well and gave it a really good shot. Especially when being one of the queens lifted. Hopefully she slays the next couple of challenges. Still waiting for her Snatch Game performance.
Let’s Get Personal
Charlie has mentioned time and time again that she is worried that she won’t truly get a chance to shine because of her age. And sure, with the oldest queens from seasons 1, 6 and 7 being sent home early in the competition, it would be a scary thing to enter the competition at the age of 52. But Charlie handles herself with grace, has a very youthful sense of style and is undoubtedly hilarious. So as long as she doesn’t use her age as an excuse to falter in the competition, I know she’ll do great.
Cynthia Lee Fontaine
The Look
While Cynthia Lee Fontaine can really sell any garment with her attitude (Hell, I was charmed when she rollerbladed out in a pair of men’s shorts) but I am not too “cucu” for this look. However the headpiece does look beautiful on her and I do love the way the studio lights reflect off her stones. Also, I think with her gorgeous cucu, she should also wear a breastplate to give more of a realistic look to a curvy bodytype. BOOT
The Challenge
Once again, Cynthia is the most congenial team leader of all time. Cucu for captain of all team challenges. Hell, Cucu for president in 2020. She placed in the safe zone this episode, and now it’s on to show the queens how far she can go in her second opportunity to shine.
Let’s Get Personal
At the beginning of the episode, Cynthia shares more about being in remission after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Hopefully the message of hope can spread far and wide to audience members going through their own or their loved-one’s own personal battle with the disease.
Eureka O’Hara
The Look
I love Eureka’s look. She is so damn put together. I would be excited to see her maybe have a better attitude, win a few challenges and win the competition potentially. Because much of what has held big girls in the past back from winning was a lack of diversity and proper fit of their garments. But Eureka winning (or at least placing high) could open up so many doors and show that there is no excuse as to why you cannot be the fiercest version of yourself possible. Keep the looks coming, queen. And maybe zip your lip a bit more often in Untucked so that the producers like you! TOOT
Farrah Moan
The Look
Omg what can I even say? The makeup is gorgeous, the headpiece is gorgeous, the outfit is gorgeous and I’m a sucker for a cut out on the side of a dress. If I could go to the office everyday with my hips hanging out, I would. Live my fantasy, Farrah. TOOT
Jaymes Mansfield
The Look
Once again, Jaymes Mansfield did not rise to the occasion during this week’s runway. She did show that she’s willing to do glamour without comedy, but this wasn’t really the week to showcase that. She doesn’t seem to get when to be glamorous and when to have a funny campy outfit. She sort of gave glamour without enough humor when she wore a cow print in the first episode, she tried too hard to add humor to her Lady Gaga outfit where it didn’t belong, and now during a White Party challenge, where she could have gone white with cocaine or white with some kind of funny kooky concept, she did sort of a random glamor look. I wanted her to go all out. Especially with how lovely her padding was in this episode. I don’t hate it. I just want her to challenge herself more. BOOT
Let’s Get Personal
So this week, we got our first Lip Sync for Your Life, where Jaymes fell into the bottom with Kimora Blac. And unfortunately, our girl Jaymes was sent home. Unfairly in my opinion. Jaymes was a fashion miss this season, but I saw a lot of passion in her I didn’t see in Kimora and a true want to change up the Drag Race brands of comedy. With the unfair lip-sync elimination, it would seem to me that Jaymes may return at some point, Naysha Lopez style. But due to Cynthia’s big revealed return, I doubt it at this point. But this won’t be the last we’ll see of Miss Milwaukee in the real world, and I’m sure she will turn out to be one of the most influential of the first queens eliminated in the future.
Kimora Blac
The Look
I know this is the first time probably anyone has said this in 2017, but “I need more whiteness!” For me, there were way too many colorful accessories in this look for it to be a legitimate “White Party” garment. Kimora and her body look beautiful, and the nautical theme is much appreciated, but this skewed so far from the theme. BOOT
Let’s Get Personal
This week, Kimora tried to pull the STUNTS of the fishy Asian “airhead” that came before her: Gia Gunn. Now I love Gia and I love a sexy or ditzy Asian girl, as I feel like to an extent, it breaks up the stereotype of Asian girls only having intelligence as a positive trait, or being bookworms, or being sexually repressed. But Kimora took it a bit far this season by asking what bloomers and adjectives were and I guess “not realizing” that some people have to make their own clothes. Seemed like she was trying too hard to play up a dumb character. When Alyssa Edwards or Roxxxy Andrews misspeak (a la “rigga morris” and “sequins dress,”) I don’t consider them stupid. They clearly have talent and intelligence or they wouldn’t be the famous and successful people that they are. So the mistakes they make while speaking are charmingly hilarious. But with Kimora you can tell it’s so contrived, that I want her to give herself more credit…and other hot Asian girls more credit too.
Nina Bo’Nina Brown
The Look
Unfortunately there is not much special about this look….besides those hips which are orgeous. It’s kind of your run of the mill drag costume. Come to think of it, the two outfits she wore on the runway last episode weren’t really all that, it was more of her makeup that stood out. Hopefully she can stun us next week with something unexpected. And hopefully she doesn’t rely on her makeup skills in all of the challenges. I hope she can give us looks that compliment the complexity of the makeup. She owes herself that effort. It is so worth it. BOOT
The Challenge
Because of her win last episode, Nina got to be team captain this week. And when choosing team members, she picked Jaymes Mansfield, mentioning that she wants to support the underdog. To me, that was more offensive than what Alexis said. Alexis was at least trying to be constructive while Nina was just being catty. It’s one thing when Roxxxy reads Coco Montrese for lipsyncing for her life so often in the competition (that is objectively true) but Jaymes had technically not yet received a low score in the competition, so Nina’s comment was really just about cutting her down because of how she perceived her in the beginning. Ugh
Peppermint
The Look
First there was Jiggly Caliente’s orange cape in Season 4. Then there was Kennedy Davenport’s pistachio green cape in the Season 7 opener. Then there was Jasmine Masters’ purple robe in the same episode. Then Farrah Moan’s Judas costume from last week. Now this. I am talking about outfits you wanted to see a reveal from that you never did. To me, this was just very plain and not what I expect from such a fantastic season as this one. Plus Peppermint is was a cheerleading captain in high school. If she had worn a better White Party look, she probably would have been in the top 3. BOOT
Let’s Get Personal
This week we get to learn about Peppermint’s high school experience. And boy is it something many can relate to. Peppermint was the cheer captain at her high school, and well loved by many. However, some homophobic basketball team members got together to physically assault her on school grounds after hearing she may have had a crush on one of the players. Luckily for Peppermint, her story comes with a happy ending.
Her attackers were punished, she remained the cheer team captain, the rest of the school backed her up after the incident and she went on to become a gorgeous trans woman and compete on Drag Race on VH1. And the legend lives on.
Sasha Velour
The Look
Well Michelle Visage, if you had any gripes about only seeing Sasha as a bald queen last week, here’s this to put all that to a stop for now. I think she looks wonderful in this hair. But unfortunately, the unibrow is a bit of a crutch and I’d like to see a bit more versatility in the makeup. I love the print and translucent effect to the garment, but the fit could be better. BOOT
Let’s Get Personal
This week, while Cynthia talked about her battle with cancer, I saw Sasha at the forefront of the group comforting her. From what I’ve heard, Sasha’s mother passed away from cancer and she performs as a bald drag queen in her honor. We didn’t get to hear anything about that story if they did talk about it, but I’m sure it’s going to be discussed soon. I really can’t wait to learn more about her.
Shea Coulee
The Look
Yes. That’s all I have to say. Yes. Shea Coulee, you slay. Please give me more of these catsuits I know you’ve got up your sleeve. This is the Shea Coulee from the promo photos who I was excited to see. Next time I want crazier hair and more theatrics, but this look is a total TOOT
The Challenge
Shea Coulee also slayed the challenge this week, cheering her way into the top 3. Now if only Logo or VH1 or somebody would allow me to rewatch this episode so I could see the details of her performance. Seriously, I live in San Francisco and my Macbook is my TV. Help a ho out. Thank you.
Trinity Taylor
The Look
This made me smile so much. We’ve got a white version of the Reading is Fundamental glasses of Drag Race past and we’ve got the most beautiful flouncy catsuit imaginable. With some very sexy U-shaped detailing in the pant leg and some very androgynous undergarments peeping through. Trinity looks so polished and I love that she never looks the same and always keeps you guessing. TOOT
The Challenge
Trinity gave me so much energy in this challenge and it was no surprise to me that she was on the top. I am so excited to see what this queen brings to the competition, because she has the competitive nature and can-do attitude of a pageant queen, with the willingness to be edgy that comes from a fashion or comedy queen. This is one of my picks for the top 3 so far.
Valentina
The Look
Well what can I say? It’s incredible. Sure as Raven and Raja pointed out, the mermaid shape of the dress looked like an afterthought, but that veil, that bouquet, those sleeves, that makeup, that hair and those earrings are just perfection. What a creative idea to do a bridal gown for White Party. Showing off her culture, her unique sense of style, and stealing the attention from everyone at the same time. TOOT
Let’s Get Personal
There’s nothing more memorable than an outfit that’s from the heart. I too am very influenced by my mother’s style. She grew up on the big island of Hawai’i and always had her clothes ordered in from the more fashionable Oahu, so that she’d have the latest gear. So I understand how Valentina felt when she reminisced about watching and re-watching footage of her mother in her wedding gown. It was relatable, but not cheesy. It was appropriate for the challenge, and made her stand out in the second episode of the competition. Say what you will, but you cannot deny this was a well deserved win for Valentina.
Join me in my next review coming very soon of Season 9 Episode 3, “Draggily Ever After.” And check out Raven and Raja’s “Fashion Photo Review” on Wow Presents to see if they agreed with me on this week’s looks!
Please give me a like on Facebook for more Drag Race coverage! Until next time.
