Bracket three (and the final bracket) has barreled into “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season 11 episode 7. These queens are already bringing the laughs, the quick thinking, the one-liners, and are overall just enjoyable to watch.
Spoilers ahead!
WAG It Up!
We have to give flowers to the purple bracket, because they’re all here to slay. There are no slackers, no “I’m just happy to be here” attitudes; just a bunch of hungry, hilarious drag queens that make a thrilling combination to watch. Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, Kennedy Davenport, Jasmine Kennedie, Shuga Cain, Joey Jay, and Sam Star all bring something different to the table and most of them amuse RuPaul to the brink of tears.
There’s something about this group that feels more magnetic and exciting than the previous brackets. Perhaps it’s because all of them except one (Kennedy) haven’t been back to “Drag Race” since their original seasons, making this bracket more of a mystery with what’s to come.
Let’s talk about episode 7’s highlights.
The Entrance
The best part of “All Stars” is seeing how much growth and evolution the queens have gone through since their last seasons. The entrance looks always give us a little taste of what’s to come for the rest of the bracket and these entrance looks were a delicious preview.
- Shuga looks like a cunty CEO in a sapphire blue power suit and rhinestone-studded tights. She looks even prettier now than her original season and she was already gorgeous then.
- Sam’s look is hideous with this fringe. That pink and purple should never be combined together in that way ever again.
- Hershii’s outfit is very interesting to look at. It’s like a cross between Cruella de Vil and Grace Jones. A very elevated look with an interesting wig that makes curious about what else she packed in her bag.
- Jasmine clearly wanted to show her body off and wore as little clothes as possible. She looks great though. There’s not much to the look, but when you have a hot new body, show it off!
- Joey Jay looks incredible. This outfit is big as hell, but it works on the runway. And she’s wearing a wig! Evolution!
- Kennedy’s outfit is an interesting concept, but the bodice being screen printed rather than actually 3D takes away from it.
The Drama
Honestly, there really wasn’t a whole lot of drama. But that doesn’t mean this episode was lacking in entertainment. All the girls sizing each other up and being very shady makes for great TV. Jasmine and Sam are the most shady, especially with each other (with love, of course). Jasmine also thought Sam’s entrance look was ass, so I felt affirmed in that moment.
Potential drama to look out for: Jasmine is close with both Kennedy and Shuga and has started to form a bond with Sam, so she could be at the center of some M.V.Q. drama later.
The Challenge
When Ru tells the gathered queens that their first challenge is a design challenge, you could see Jasmine and Hershii’s faces drop. Hershii went home on a design challenge and one of Jasmine’s most dramatic moments during season 14 was after she was in the bottom for this task. The challenge is to turn athletic wear, provided by BIKE® Athletic, into sporty eleganza.
There was a point where everyone realized, as they were working on their outfits, that none of them had a good grip on what was happening. This really helps even out the playing field so we can’t even tell who’s the frontrunner. Jasmine and Joey Jay rightfully point out that Sam’s soccer ball look is similar to one she’s already done in her previous season, which ruffles Sam’s feathers a bit. I loved this Werk Room sequence, it showed off how quickly the girls gelled together.
The Runway
The category is: Athletic Supporter Eleganza, which could really mean anything, making for an exciting runway.
- Kennedy’s look was actually cute as hell. It’s like a sporty WAG look that works for her and the hair takes it to another level. I love the commitment of spray painting her shoes yellow to match.
- Shuga’s outfit was very 80s and wearable. I would wear her outfit, especially the micro-crop.
- Hershii did a really good job on her outfit, all things considered. It’s constructed really well and her hair set it off.
- Joey looked like a slutty geisha/Kitana from Mortal Kombat, which makes sense since she was going for a video game assassin vibe. She’s so pretty in and out of drag.
- Jasmine’s outfit was actually incredible, with the color graduation and the construction. I love how she made the skirt of the dress with a little slit.
- Sam’s outfit is ugly as sin. Why didn’t she do more with the balls? She just cut them in half and glued them on. They aren’t edited in any way, shape or form.
The Guest
Juno Temple was the guest judge and, girl, she was happy as a clam to be there. I don’t think I’ve seen a celebrity guest judge this enthusiastic to be on the panel in a while. Her giddiness radiated outward, making the entire runway that much more enjoyable.
She also had great critiques, fashion references and all. I appreciated how thoughtful she was even if was on the more negative side. I hope she comes back for a regular season judging.
The Winner
This judging panel was having a gay old time with this group. I don’t think I’ve heard the judges or RuPaul laugh this much with any other bracket so far. There are a lot of funny queens in this group, so it makes sense. Between this runway and the RuPaul walk-through, it has been quite the giggly episode.
Anyway, Jasmine and Sam are in the top two, which is a shock to me. I was surprised as hell that Sam’s look got such high praise from the judges, but for her to be in the top two absolutely threw me off. I definitely thought this should’ve been Jasmine and Kennedy for the lip sync, but I digress.
Sam and Jasmine’s lip sync was fine, definitely wasn’t one for the history books. Jasmine’s reveal was lackluster and Sam had a little bit more energy. Ru chooses Sam as the winner, which kind of annoys me, but congratulations to her!
The Untucking
The first episode of each bracket’s “Untucked” is never usually the most thrilling or nail-biting, but this episode was still a fun time.
- It’s clear Sam and Jasmine have bonded, they have good chemistry and read each other with love.
- Hershii’s strategy is to lock in with Joey because they’re both early outs and they sort of promise each other their M.V.Q. points.
- Nosey ass Sam sees them plotting and makes her way over to get answers, but they don’t reveal much.
- Then, Shuga talks with the group and basically said she’s not promising points to anyone; that whoever gives her a point will get one from her. Basically the Vivacious Plan.
- Juno joins the girls and she’s SO EXCITED. You can tell she’s a superfan of the show and can barely talk through her own delight.
Final Thoughts
The purple bracket started with a funny bang, showcasing a fun roster of queens that had Ru cackling throughout the episode. I’m already invested in this bracket and am rooting for a few, which is a stark difference from the previous bracket. Hopefully the next challenge will showcase how funny these girls are in a more structured setting.
Season 11 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” and “Untucked” streams weekly on Fridays on Paramount+.
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