Season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race was very impressive. The cast was all around much stronger than Season 2. RuPaul herself continues to not only shine in the multiple roles of host, mentor and judge, but she manages to rip through the very fabric of reality television! In this season she brought back a queen sent home before her time in Season 2, one week, she made the executive decision to not make any contestant "Sashay Away" and even allowed herself to be overruled by the other judges and bring back an eliminated queen! Before I go on, I must say that in 3 seasons of this show, and in the 33 queens who have graced the catwalk, I have yet to see one who matches the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent of RuPaul herself. She is regal, glamorous, intelligent, poised, funny and even a little trashy, bottom line she has it all. That being said, let's look at the fierceness that is RuPauls Drag Race Season 3!
Top Row (left to right): Mimi Imfurst, Carmen Carerra, Stacy Layne Matthews, India Ferrah, Alexis Mateo, Delta Work, Mariah, Manila Luzon, Yara Sofia, Venus D-Lite
Bottom Row (Right to left): Raja, Phoenix
Not pictured: Shangela Laquifa Wadley
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!
Venus D-Lite: The first queen eliminated is often a tough one to say goodbye to because it relies solely on their ability to make their own clothes. A contestant could have charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent coming out of their ears but if they can't sew, they won't last long. I would have liked to have seen more of Venus, she talked about how she has committed her life to performing, and I believe if she had gotten past the first lap she would have been more of a contender. However, she is mostly known as a Madonna impersonator (and a good one, she looks just like her), and in the search for America's Next Drag Superstar, I would be looking for someone with a whole new personality all their own.
Phoenix: Phoenix was eliminated in the Sci-Fi challenge in which the Queens portrayed various characters in a trailer from a Sci-Fi movie. From the two episodes she was on, it was clear that Phoenix has a fashion sense that stands out, eccentric and fun. However, anytime she opened her mouth to talk, she sounded like some cracked out dude being arrested on cops (and looked like one when she was out of makeup). The most consistent problem I find with contestants on the show is that as Drag Queens, their method of artistic expression and performing is only lip syncing. When it comes to actually speaking and being poised on camera, it is unfamiliar to them and instead of confidence and glamor shining through, we only see awkwardness. Phoenix's performance in the Sci-Fi trailer was so bad it felt like a lost clip from an Ed Wood film. This was Phoenix's downfall, and she did not rise from the ashes.
Mimi Imfurst: Mimi came into the competition carrying the torch of camp. Though today it seems to be phasing out of the culture, camp has a strong place in drag history. And considering this, it's surprising they haven't had more like Mimi. The closest were the 2nd season's Pandora Boxx or season 1's Tammie Brown. But Mimi brought an element of chaos, storming through the show like a hurricane. Despite consistent breakdowns during the episodes, she was in the top in both the first and second episode. Then in episode three, for the workout video challenge, the winds of Hurricane Mimi reached a point where you didn't want to take the boards off the windows for fear of getting glass in your eye, but you couldn't help but peek through the cracks and watch Mimi ripping through the neighborhood. I'm glad Mimi was on the show, she had a glaringly strong personality (even if it did include fits of crying EVERY EPISODE), I'm glad they got the one complete train wreck of a sketch in the workout video challenge, but it was definitely her time. This was wholly evident during the Lip Synch for Your Life against India Ferrah when she literally hoisted the competition on her shoulders. As Manila said "You can't go lifting up Drag Queens!" Personally, I would have made her pick out a switch, but RuPaul, ever the diplomatic classy broad that she is simply told her "Drag is NOT a contact sport" before making her "Sashay Away".
India Ferrah: Oh India... She and Phoenix suffered from the same syndrome of having very eccentric looks, but not delivering enough in the personality department. Awkward and bumbling, and always wearing her triple D latex breast plate (a somewhat new trend in drag, which to me just look tacky and fake), I was not sad to see India go. I'm sure she's fun to see lip sync, but in the race for America's Next Drag Superstar, she was just cannon fodder.
Mariah: Looks, style, poise and a "fish-like" (drag speak for "looks like a real woman") face that could go up against any supermodel, Mariah seemed like the Glamazon to beat. She always kept her cool, even when being "read" by the other queens, her confidence (which was well deserved) shined through and she stayed collected and calm as though she had just walked out of the best massage of her life. However, her laps around the track came to a screeching halt when the contestants had to play the "Snatch Game" in which they showcase their best celebrity impersonations. Mariah's interpretation of Joan Crawford (a classic drag favorite) must have made drag queens from coast to coast cringe. I liked Mariah, but I've seen better Joan Crawfords on Halloween. I mean, who goes into a comedy sketch as Joan Crawford and doesn't once come close to having a screaming fit of rage?! Unfortunately her cool and collected persona played against her. I was sad to see her go, but she skipped a beat and paid dearly for it.
Stacy Layne Matthews: From the beginning I didn't quite understand why they fished her out of Back Swamp, North Carolina. She was sweet, but like most sweet things, they didn't deliver the nutrients needed to really fuel my Drag fix. None of her looks were up to the caliber of the other queens. She did turn out a fun personality from time to time, she was good as the Maya Angelou inspired Sci-Fi Drag Queen, and was really uncanny as Monique's chain smoking character from the film "Precious" in the Snatch Game. But she wasn't consistent enough to take her into the final laps. Again, she may be great to see lip sync, but in the end she was just cannon fodder.
Delta Work: At first Delta seemed like a real competitor. But as the episodes went on, she began to bug in all the wrong ways. She's a heavy girl, which has a very prominent place in drag history with figures like Divine. But if you're going to be a big queen, you gotta own it like royalty. And Delta simply did not own it. Because she was friends with another contestant Raja, and was always willing to put down another queen (which just exposed her already glaring self-confidence issues), she managed to eek her way into the cool kids club of contestants who dubbed themselves the "Heathers" after the 80's high school cult film. Nevertheless, her self-esteem issues were exposed through her ill fitting clothes that always seemed to highlight her enormous belly that hung down below her groin. NOT CUTE... Ever. And whenever she had to perform a speaking role she consistently came across as unsure of herself and stumbling. By the time she Sashayed Away, she had worn out her welcome with me.
Shangela Laquifa Wadley: Shangela came into the competition wrapped in controversy, complete with a bow on top. She had been in Season 2 and was eliminated in the first episode due to a seriously unfortunate dress made out of curtains. RuPaul decided to give her another chance which received mixed reactions from the other new girls. Shangela is newer to drag than any of the contestants, and was often criticized for needing help with her makeup, hair, just about everything. But the one thing she needed absolutely no help in was the one thing many of the other Queens lacked, she had enough confidence, humor and poise on camera to match any television personality. In the newscaster episode she shined as the Celebrity Gossip Girl. While she did often look somewhat "busted" (which kept her in the "booger" status to the "Heathers") she was stronger on camera and more secure in a speaking performance than any of them. You could hand her a show and she would flourish, which to me is the goal of Drag Race. However in the world of Drag, if you don't look good enough, you never will be. I know many people were annoyed by her constant "Halleloo"'s and ridiculous boasts of being "The Nancy Drew of Drag" but I enjoyed watching her. She has a real vibrancy and energy that will carry her far. I'm glad she made it as far as she did, but also glad she didn't make it farther. I also have to thank her for "She said 'Laquifa!' I say 'Whaaaat?!'"
Carmen Carerra: I could just write "Body, butt and body" and it would sum up what I thought of Carmen. In the very first episode she came out wearing a bikini. The judges told her "Don't rely on your body". So what does she do? She continues to prance around mostly naked for all but one, maybe two episodes. It got tired very quick. Yes, she looked like a real woman, but her personality went from non-existent at its worst to "that bland, self-satisfied hot chick who might as well be a take-out meal for the boys of the Jersey Shore" at best. She was eliminated before Shangela, then after Shangela Sashayed away, the judges overruled RuPaul and brought Carmen back... Only to eliminate her again in the same episode. I was glad they brought her back only because it meant we got one extra episode of Drag fabulousness, but that was the only reason why. During her final lip sync she decided that despite the fact that we have seen her in a bikini almost every episode, we had not yet seen enough. So she took off her panties... All I have to say is the last thing I ever want to see is a drag queen's cooter. I've never said this before, but thank God for fuzzy boxes... NO, not that kind, the censoring kind! Get your mind out of the gutter!
Yara Sofia: I will forever love Yara. She came into the competition as the dark horse, she's Puerto Rican and her English isn't great. She flew under the radar for the first couple of episodes, and then suddenly with her first "Echa Palante" in the work out video challenge, she exploded like a volcano, scorching the competition and bringing a level of excitement every episode. Her fashion is very avant-garde, which I love, though I could do without the dead-looking blue contacts. Her personality is sweet, fun, exciting and engaging. She has the energy of a litter of Chihuahua puppies on speed, and if she could just learn to focus it a little better, she would be flawless... Well, that and she'd have to get rid of the blond, crunchy looking Shakira wig. From the exercise video to her Spanish variety show inspired stand up routine as a midget trying to find a man in America, every time Yara was given an opportunity to show her personality she excited the audience and made us laugh til we cry. Up until her final lap in the race, I had Yara pegged as one of the top three. And she would have made it had she not had a breakdown during the fatal second to last Lip Sync for your Life of the season. She's been criticized for throwing it all away, stripping and falling to her knees during the lip sync. But I understand, under the pressure to validate yourself during her artistic expression, Yara simply was tired of proving her worth to the judges.
Finally, the top three:
First I will say that in my opinion this was the strongest top three ever. That is to say, Season 1's top two Nina Flowers and Bebe Zahara Benet will always and forever be my top two. They both were so unique and had such valuable messages. But their third, Rebecca Glasscock was miles behind the two of them. I found Season 2 to be a disappointment all around. The winner Tyra Sanchez is not somebody I would ever rally around as a pop icon. She looks great, but her personality comes across as dull and as much as I hate to say it, unintelligent. Also, I cannot bring myself to respect someone who won't even tell his son what he does. If you tell your four year old son that you dad dresses up as a girl he won't think "Other dads don't do that, you're weird" he will think "Well that's what my dad does, it's weird that yours doesn't". My point is, if you lay it all out on the table for your kid then there's no secret that has to be disclosed, as the Great Sammi of Jersey Shore says, "It just is what it is". I am in no position to tell someone how to be a parent, and I fully understand that doing what they do, things get complicated with family but if I'm going to look up to a gay icon, it cannot be somebody who hides something they value so highly in themselves. Lying about what he does makes him seem ashamed and propagates the notion that drag is something that needs to be hidden. Isn't the whole point of this show to celebrate something that has never before been seen as a valid art form? The two runner ups, Jujubee and Raven were both fierce queens, but none of the three had it all. This season, by the time Carmen got re-eliminated, any of the top four could have won and I wouldn't be upset. I would have found it undeserved if Alexis won, but even she has a strong fun personality that I appreciate.
Alexis Mateo: The second runner up, and the weakest link of the top three, Alexis is a pageant queen. Which is shorthand for over the top and gaudy fashion sense. However, what kept her in the competition is her infectious energy and personality. She comes across as sweet and fun, someone you want to be around. But uuuugh.... most of her looks define tacky.
Manila Luzon: Never before in Drag Race history could you watch the very first episode and know which two queens will be lip syncing for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar. But from the very beginning Manila stood out as having it all, she is glamorous, quite "fish-like", funny and is very engaging on camera. To me Manila was the one who you could hand a talk show to and she would really flourish, which would have made her my first choice (not that I don't LOVE Raja, and everything she brings to the title). She is confident and funny and always fun to watch perform, even when she was playing a speech-less monkey. Her fashion sense is humorous in nature (my favorite was a 1920's inspired flapper dress made out of dollar bills!), but she never once sacrificed her beauty for the sake of humor, rather she consistently blended the two into a delightful cocktail of classic and new Drag!
And that rounds out our girls from Season 3! It's been quite a race, they are all fabulous, fierce and WHAT? Sickening! The only bad thing about having a new Drag Superstar is having to wait a whole year before the next season!!!
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