It’s been about a month or so since I wrote about season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, a zany, deliciously campy bit of reality goodness that is one of the highlights of my TV week. In said piece, I gave some thoughts on the remaining contestants and a few predictions over who I thought would leave and when. I figured since we’re getting down to the nitty gritty, as tonight will leave us with a final five, it might be time to revisit my thoughts and see how they’re working out.
I’ve been mostly right about the elimination order, which was a nice surprise. In the first episode after I published, the gorgeous Mariah flubbed her impersonation of Joan Crawford during an already underwhelming episode of Snatch Game and then couldn’t remember a word to Jody Watley’s “Lookin’ For a New Love” (c’mon, girl) to be sent home in 9th place. As beautiful as she was, she just didn’t show the chops necessary to compete on a stage like this and it was her time to go.
Following Mariah’s exit, Stacy Layne Bryant Matthews Lattisaw Q was next to go, thanks to her lack of fashion skills, lifeless lip sync, and messy cake in the decorating challenge. Stacy strikes me as someone with so much upside that I wasn’t that sad to see her go; she’s young and she’s never been surrounded by more professional drag queens before, so get this girl a drag mother STAT. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that she’s flourishing when we revisit her in a future season and I think she has enough rawness to her that she could build herself into a pretty darn good queen.
Finally, in the most recent episode, Delta Work sashayed away due to another timid performance in the challenge. I was wrong here, but I never knew what to make of Delta and always deemed her a floater. She has the fashion and runway presence to be a top 3 contestant, but she has failed every acting/personality challenge they’ve given and her lack of an ability to push her nerves aside ultimately did her in.
That’s where we’ve been, but where are we going?
I know one thing: the Heathers are evil and have to be destroyed. I know that cattiness is almost a required trait for drag queens, but the three “divas” (Raja, Manila, Carmen) are beyond annoying with their smugness and shallowness. I know, editing blah blah blah, but it’s hard to root for people who act like they’re so above everybody else in the competition. Carmen and Manila both surprised me with how well they did last episode (Carmen’s stand-up routine and Manila’s lip sync, respectively, though the first chinks in Manila's armor were seen), but I can’t root for them in the slightest because they’re not likable. The group as a whole I think is a result of some serious insecurity, but I think at least two of them get to the final three. I still think that Carmen just misses the top 3, just because she’s beautiful, but I’m a bit less sure now because of her performance last episode. If she can sustain that personality and diversify her look a bit, she’s a serious final three threat.
“Team Talent” is just darling to me. While Shangela may be the most divisive contestant this season, I think she’s fantastic and a delight to watch. It’s been interesting seeing her growth, thanks to help from Alexis and Yara, which is kind of a double edged sword. She’s so good already, but she’s still so raw (that make-up) and that may work against her (she’s not as polished as Raja and, to a lesser extent, Manila). I just know that “she said Laqueefa/I said what” is now apart of my lexicon and I truly think that she'll have the biggest post-Race career of anybody that's been on the show. Yara and Alexis are the two Latin queens and I love that they’re both still there fighting, though they’re going in two different directions. While Yara has had two straight very strong weeks (Who knew she was this funny and charming?! Her little person stand-up routine was bizarre, gross, and had me wiping tears from my eyes with how funny it was), Alexis has kind of wilted and I’m worried about her chances.
But what will happen, you ask?
Based off of previews and years of watching reality TV, here’s how I think this thing shakes down. I think Alexis can’t right the ship tonight and she goes home, much to my chagrin because her energy and commitment are top notch. Seriously, if I could be friends with anybody on this show, she’s my first choice for how warm and nice she is. I would say that Yara goes next, mostly due to the fact that the final three has seemed kind of obvious since the first couple of episodes. I’d say Carmen goes in 4th place (or the Tati/Rebecca slot for the pretty but dull-ish), as she’s gorgeous and the flashes of personality that she’s shown should carry her past Alexis and Yara.
Plus, this sets up an interesting dynamic as Shangela, Heather enemy/threat #1, is left to fend for herself against Raja and Manila. Oh, reality editors, I’m onto your game.
There’s no way this can’t be a Raja/Shangela finale, right? Old school vs. new school? Experienced vs. newbie? Plus, they’ve butted heads all season, so it’ll be fitting for the title to come down to those two. The show has seemingly been a Raja coronation since week one, so I fully expect the former Top Model make-up artist to take the crown.
I could be wrong, of course, and when it comes down to the final three, I’ll be here to tell you who I think’ll win. Halleloo.
For those of you queens who can't wait for tonight's episode, here are some previews:
Alexis Talks About Her Connection to the Military
Bra Designs and Ru in a Cowboy Hat
TV Preview
I do see a Shangela, Raja, Manila top three, but I don't think Shangela will make top 2 because it might appear as though the show was setup for her to get to the top 2. I think RuPaul will take Shangela far enough for it to appear that she fought back, but didn't quite crack the top.
I see Manila/Raja in top 2 with Shangela going down in a drag race battle royal!