RuPaul's Drag Race: ALL STARS 4

[Kieran_Frost]

I will be RuView-ing episode 2 tomorrow, and reply to your comments, BUT I just wanted to RuWind to last week to talk about this AMAZING moment...

Manila's painting talent was to die for, and hit every note: Charisma - She kept people's attention and focus the entire time. Uniqueness - WHO ELSE would choose 'speed painting' as a talent on a drag show, and then do it UPSIDE DOWN to boot? Nerve - Again, SPEED painting AND a costume change, during a talent show. Talent - Well, do I need to spell it out?

THANK-YOU! It was truly fantastic, I was shocked it wasn't in the Top 3. It was completely unexpected, a truly original usage of the platform a variety show gives them, and flawlessly executed. It had suspense, creativity, comedy, fashion. AND THE FACT her promo dress was a nod to this performance, with the paint brushes in the hair, and the melting paint... she's a true All Star.

[Kieran_Frost]

RUview - Episode II

The first 14 minutes have already been posted, so no need for spoilers. I have already commented most of my thoughts (still not buying Monet thinking eliminated your fellow queens is easy). I can't get over how beautiful Manila looks at the beginning, I love her streaked hair, it's such a wonderful, iconic trademark of hers. In that moment she is one of the most gorgeous queens. As for the groups, Trinity's group is the one to beat, it's such a strong group of girls. It was interesting they picked groups before they knew the full details. I did find a lot of joy in Manilla's excitement at seeing Stacy again. Before she even walked in the room, you could tell Manila was pumped. And let's speak of Stacy Layne Matthews. Make-up was always her strong suit, but she looks even more beat. Her face is everything. And while I know we're all sick of "stunning, brown cow, brown cow stunning, is it cow stunning brown or stunning cow cow brown stunning" I did love Monique's rabbit brown cow hat. It's nods like these, without needing to acknowledge them, that add true class.

INSTA: stacey_foxy
https://www.instagram.com/stacey_foxy/

spoilers:

We do the recording studio, then the dance rehearsal. I'm not going to do a blow-by-blow; it happened, it had highs & lows. It's what you'd expect to fill time. The only two fun facts to gleam from this: Monet went to school for opera; and Farrah had a job as a phone sex worker. Quote of the episode must go to Stacy in the dance rehearsal "I'm not doing a death drop. That would be the end of Stacy Layne Matthews, and I promise you this studio would have a basement." BWWWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! GIRL GROUPS "Don't Funk It Up" Overall this group was the clear winner when it came to the "team" element. They felt like a cohesive collective, and the moves were on point. Even though yes Manila was "the weakest", it still wasn't awful. I just felt it was disappointing considering HOW TALENTED Manila is; of all the queens she gets the least room to falter. Trinity should be very proud of her girls; and for personal growth her lyrics and performance were very strong (if you remember she was nervous for the Season 9 "Category Is..." final challenge, but I saw no such nerves here). And who knew Latrice could rap? I'd love to see more of that. "Everybody Say Love" It just didn't feel like a group or a team. BUT Naomi was shockingly good. She had the funniest line of all the performers "I'm hung like a motherfuckin' baseball bat". I didn't know what to expect of Naomi coming into All Stars, but so far... I'm pleasantly surprised. Monique had a great voice (possibly the best) but the dancing was so sloppy. The whole team felt off-kilter, in-fact. And while Monet's lyrics were awesome, her look was a total boot. Do I need to say Farrah was underwhelming, at this point is it even note worthy or a surprise? Michelle said it was "the whitest dancing I've ever seen" and Ross called it "vegan dessert". It was bad. Bad news, Brenda. HENNY TROPHY: Valentina. Even in the recording studio, she was serving it. I was reminded of her win for Season 9, all eyes were on her, and even when it wasn't her verse, I found myself looking at her. She looked gorgeous in that red jump-suit. Her lyrics were funny, well performed and she's a bloody good singer. I see why Trinity picked her first. She stole it. CATEGORY IS... Eleganza After Dark I have three main thoughts: This is All Stars. Gia and Farrah's dresses were both nice, but boring. The dresses would have been great on a regular season, but this is ALL STARS. A rather pedestrian "nice dress" won't cut it; the same way 90% of the outfits on season 1 wouldn't hold up now in a normal season. Drag has evolved, and we expect our stars to evolve from a seasonal queen to a true all star. Nice isn't enough. Nice is boring. Boring is safe; and in All Stars anything but the best puts you in the bottom. Bless her Heart. Monique's look shows growth, BUT... just not enough. The gloves and shoulder piece was awesome (the make-up was very cadaver-esq, similar to the critique Manila got on the runway in season 3... about her Carrot Cake couture look). Plus another bloody tear away. Monique Heart has more money, but she still isn't getting the basics. Her tearaways don't work and aren't needed. The end look, with a little more juss, would have been stunning. But she's still wasting energy on deliver two okay looks, rather than one show-stopper. I just feel Monique would be better served on a later All Stars. She's not ready to win that crown, she still has too much growth needed. On the fence. Monet, oddly gets a pass. She has evolved, like Monique. Her season she would never have delivered this kind of red carpet glamour. YES it is still a little basic. See Trinity's dress to realise how an All Star delivers a red glamazon look, Trinity looked like an All Star; but Monet is still showing more evolution and understanding of her visuals than Farrah, Gia or Monique. DARK B*TCH TROPHY: Manila. Dead. Gagged. Snatched. Living. Shooketh. Face crack the house down. How to put this politely: if you don't like this look, your opinion is clearly not worth ever hearing. THIS DRESS... oh my god! Already it has a safe spot in one of the "Top Ten" BEST. DRESSES. IN DRAG. HERSTORY. It's cinched in all the right places, flowy, yet hard, bejazzled for the gods but not tacky. That grey blonde hair that built upwards works perfectly, the colour hues on her skin, the nude illusion, how she leans up to SERVE. THE. CHILDREN! This is truly the one to beat for "look of the season." It's Violet Chachki at the season 8 finale level of EPICNESS. I might have have run out of words to convey the grand scale of perfection in this look, hence why every piece of fan art is dedicated to it. It rightly got the 'Top Toot' (and a "shooooot") on Fashion Photo RuView. If you disagree, to quote Yara Sofia "I'm sorry darling, but this is not your world." INSTA: gonblet https://www.instagram.com/gonblet/ Once again they are judged individually, and I have to say, I don't care for that. Why do a TEAM challenge, if that's not part of the assignment? The team captains had to do the choreography, the group had to work as a whole, why was it not judged as a team? It should have been Valentina vs Trinity (as the team captain), even though I agree Valentina, Monet and Naomi were the top three. But Trinity's runway was the better of the three, and that too should have mattered. Ah well... the bottom three I agreed with, and Manila saved herself with her stunning runway gag-er-iny. LIPSYNC (Ariana Grande's "Into You") Valentina had a lot to redeem, esp. during an Ariana Grande song. Monet has previously WON a lipsync to Ariana Grande. And it's the first time EVER two Miss Congeniality winners have lipsynced against one another. So a lot was going on and you knew it was going to be epic. And Valentina served it. I mean full on latina flavour gorgeousness. She was mesmerizing, and that continual spin while Monet did the splits... I'm living. Valentina wins, and is a good girl, sending home the right person. Farrah deserved to go, and despite Monique's face when Valentina won, I'm glad she chose right. AN ASIDE ABOUT FARRAH: Lets lay the cards on the table. There is a difference between being skilled at drag and skilled at drag RACE. Someone's worth or talent in real life is not for us to judge, or any bearing on their performance in a reality TV show... BUT... in Drag Race specifically Farrah was useless. Truly, she came off as almost entirely talentless. IN FACT, I think she might have the worst statistic record or any queen. Let's examine that: she was in 9 competitive episodes, bottom 4 times, two other times low. She didn't even WIN her damn lipsync. That's how bad her stats are, she didn't even win. Eureka had to go home for her to stay. Never in the top. Probably her "highest" point was being on the winning team for the "Good Morning, B*tches". I'm glad she's gone, she took someone's spot. And she was never an All Star. #sorrynotsorry

end of spoilers
My Final Thoughts: was the episode bad, no. Despite not being a massive Stacy Layne Matthews admirer on season 3, it was surprisingly joyous having her back, and she did float like an all star. Were the performances of a standard, yes. Was the runway pretty, yes. But this is. ALL. STARS. It's not enough to be "as entertaining as a regular season episode." And I was left wanting more, so much more. It's not enough that some shined, I want "you're in the bottom because the hair wasn't 'as feathered' as Diana" quality of competition. Not "this performance was bad, even for a regular season" f*ck ups.
~ rating: 2 out of 5 [grade: C+]

INSTA: pugnificentdesigns
https://www.instagram.com/pugnificentdesigns/

[Kieran_Frost]

I AM AWARE EPISODE III HAS LEAKED ON YOUTUBE. I've watched it, I hate being spoiled, by all means do the same.

DO NOT post anything, ANYTHING spoiler related to Episode 3 until it airs next Friday.

Not even "well, hmmmmm, let's see, wink wink" or "funny she said this mayyyyyybe it will bite her in the ass...". NOTHING. No hint, no implication, no coded mysterious message. It's really unkind to spoil an episode before it's even been aired (reddit b*tches poisoning Instagram, I'm talking about you). Not even using spoiler tags is fair. Just wait 4 days. It won't kill you. Don't be that person who tries and ruin others fun.
#truthbombOFLOVE

[nx01a]

Two more Farrah fuckups in this video. *sigh* BUT she has a revelation about Valentina that everyone else already had!

[zinderel]

So, I finally watched Episode 2, and I have THOUGHTS. Holidays keep me busy, but now that I have some breathing room, I'm gonna rewatch the episode, and then I'll be posting them.

And thank you, Kieran, for not being cool with spoilers for the 3rd episode until after it airs. Leakers, man...*Shakes head*

[Kieran_Frost]

I'm going to assume a week is long enough to not have to include spoiler tags? Juts in case, if you haven't seen episode 2, don't read on...

Gia Gunn is working my nerves, and I want to see her booted off as quickly as possible.

I'm just surprised how many queens are shook by her behaviour, did they not see her drag Milk in Untucked?

Was Monet even trying to win that lip synch? The crossing yourself then doing a split is getting old now, plus fanning your crotch can't compete with Valentina dancing so fiercely her crotch had to be blurred out.

Some queens can change it up depending on the song, and some queens do the same thing regardless of the song. I felt Monet made poor choices for that song, where as Valentina embodied the tone. It was a reveal song.

>I lost it when Valentina said that she and Farrah patched things up after Farrah apologized for what she said at the Ru-union. Really, bitch?!?! Farrah only had to apologize for believing fake ass Valentina really gave a damn about her. Yes, I really dislike this person on reality TV that I've never met before.

While Aja and Farrah clearly had beef, I remember thinking that robbing her of that Miss Congeniality moment showed little class. It was vindictive. Justified? Maybe. But two wrongs don't make a right.

>Speaking of which... Gia is giving our trans friends a bad name with her narcissism and vindictiveness.

This was messy drama, they clearly had a beef, and while it sounds like Farrah was in the wrong, Gia handled it in the worst way. Was she a bully? I hand over to the gorgeous Sonique on the Pit Stop who said "at that moment, if that's what you're representing, then that's what you need to be called." I did laugh that Gia texted Farrah and Farrah never texted back... ha, where have we heard that before? The true gag was going over during Farrah's time to fight for her place, to give some 'half-hearted' apology. Trinity's face. When she said "I wanna put Gia in the bottom" you knew she meant it.

>Bye, Farrah. Try to make friends with better people in the future. And don't try to leave lipstick kisses while wearing smudge-proof lipstick. The poor thing really portrayed herself as a big all around **** up, no producer or editorial conniving necessary.

Worst record in Drag Race HERstory.

So, I finally watched Episode 2, and I have THOUGHTS. Holidays keep me busy, but now that I have some breathing room, I'm gonna rewatch the episode, and then I'll be posting them.

Can't wait to hear them.

And thank you, Kieran, for not being cool with spoilers for the 3rd episode until after it airs. Leakers, man...*Shakes head*

Welcomes #CBRgoodFairy

[Kieran_Frost]

Fashion Photo RuView
ALL STAR 4, ep. 2
w. Raja and Asia

[zinderel]

OK, so first, Imma discuss the queens individually, then the group challenge, then my thoughts, overall.

Trinity: Once again, a strong showing from Ms. the Tuck. Her emotional response to eliminating Jasmine felt real, not just for show. She put on a strong performance tonight...except in the choreography for her team. But on stage, she did great in the performance, and on the runway, channeled some SERIOUS Fifth Element Starring Naomi Judd realness!

Backstage, when Gia went and interrupted Monet and Farah's time, and Trinity was over it?

---

Latrice: Latrice got the episode off right with her take down of Monique and Ms. Hart's tendency to de-wig during a lipsynch. "Brown cow stunning? Not so much..." Pretty much my thoughts, exactly. Her reaction to being called hag by Gia? Yup!

I didn't hate her runway look - in fact, I think it was a good look. The hair, the color, it all featured well, but she DOES tend to go for the same sillouhette every time, and her girl group look was...not great.

---

Manila: I have NO idea what was going on with her, this episode. I mean, where was her energy? Her verve? Her...manila-ness? She was just off, this week.

And then, that RUNWAY! My jaw dropped. Literally. She was, hands down, the star of the runway in the same way she let herself get overshadowed in the challenge. THIS is the Manila I know and love, and she better maintain this, if she wants to stay a contender.

---

Naomi: Made almost no impression on me. She's pretty, she's competent, but...not an All Star, for me. I barely registered her this episode until the runway. Her look in the challenge was not terrible but presented a bit too much of glittery boy body for my tastes, and she had a good line ('hung like a mother-fuckin' baseball bat!')

Her runway was a great idea, but I think the execution lacked something. I did not care for the wig, but that's not the problem. I dunno, I just didn't like it as much as I think I should have.

---

Monet: Girl can rap. She looked SUPER basic during the song, but her performance was such that I was able to squint and KIND of get a Tina Turner vibe. Wrong era, of course, but...she tried. Her runway look was fabulous. She looked incredible, possibly the best runway look I've seen, and the Sheryl Lee Ralph reference was DEAD on.

---

Monique: No de-wigging! Points for that! I know she got flack for her runway look, but I was LIVING for the gloves/fabric gauntlets thing she had going on. She made me think of Rita Repulsa from the newish movie mixed with some Princess Xayide from Neverending Story II (the only good thing ABOUT that atrocious movie) and that made me happy. I didn't care for the tearaway, though her nude illusion was quite well done. She does NOT take critiques well, though, and her lack of self-awareness about her Aaliyah look's failings hurt her.

That said, THANK YOU, Monique, for stepping in and telling Gia to step back and stop fucking with Farah. NO ONE bought the 'I'm just concerned for our friendship' nonsense, and Monique was the only one to really step up in the moment and say something.

#FakeAsFuckDotCom

---

Valentina: Actually got me to soften my stance on her, somewhat. I still find her INCREDIBLY un-genuine, but perhaps that's just on me. Once again, she looked beautiful, as always, and her Selena homage was delightful. Her hydrangia dress was nice, but...boring. It wasn't up to Valentina's usual standards.

Plus, her talking heads were pretty hilarious. "We're lucky our show has lip synch for your life, not sing for your life..."

She's growing on me...even if it felt like she was channeling Cynthia Lee Fontaine all episode.

---

Gia: What can I say. Everything I despise about Gia was on full display tonight. She is GORGEOUS, she is fishy AF, and I WANT to support her drag, as the first openly Trans performer on the show. (I know we've had others who came out as trans DURING the show, but Ms. Gunn is the first who was openly trans from day one.) But...well, let's start with the technical stuff...

Her lyrics were, predictably, selfishly about herself and how great she is and how shitty everyone who isn't her is. Not...EXACTLY...on theme for the song, but whatever, it's on-brand, I guess...Her runway look was a boot, for me. It wasn't ugly or a poor showing, mind you, but...it was a boring, pink pagent gown. Not enough, hunty. Not for All Stars.

Now...the ENTIRE Farah drama she manufactured...! "Farah tried to patch up a friendship between me and another person, but they showed up at my work, drunk..." I mean, GURL! Guuuuuurrrrl... Really...? Your 'friend' - a drag queen - showed up drunk to your work (at a bar or club, most likely, where people get drunk...) and drunkenly tried to help repair a relationship and THAT is why you hate Farah now?! FOR REAL?!?!?!?! Uh-uh. I call shenanigans. HARD.

And then she goes over to Farah's teammates and tries to get them riled against Farah. Her whole narrative tonight amounted to, "I don't want to let drama distract me from the competition...but here, let me bring up some drama without prompting! And then stir **** with Farah's team! And then go stir up more directly with Farah, to rattle her before runway. Then let me do rattle her SOME MORE during her ONE chance to plead her case! Then let me play innocent, and act like I had no idea anyone could take my obvious AF attempts to stir the pot were somehow me being magnanimous. What? Why does no one like me?"

Guh-HURL.

When I saw the other queens just trying to ignore, and finally coming to Farah's defense, like THEY had enough, too? And when Trinity was like, "I would have put Gia in the bottom, just on her attitude alone. She needs to go home." You KNOW this wasn't some producer storyline edit, this was Gia in full Gia mode, ragging on, tearing down and trying to **** over everyone else like she's a Kardashian at an Instagram Influencer party. And everyone saw her for what she was doing.

But at least she got people talking about her, I guess. Look at me! I can't stand her, and have devoted all these lines to her anyway! She plays the game, I guess.

---

Farah: Farah won a LOT of points tonight, for her handling of Gia's pot-stirring. "Some of us don't have to manufacture a storyline to get airtime." BOOM! READ. TO. FILTH. Also, why was Farah doing SUCH white boy dancing when she can CLEARLY twerk and move, off stage?! LOTS of queens were off their game tonight, it seems.

Buuuuuut...she was easily the most deserving of elimination tonight, despite my intense dislike of Gia Gunn. She's BEAUTIFUL, but beauty alone does not an All Star make. Maybe in a few years, with some more experience, she'd have stood a chance, but it was time.

That said, let me re-iterate how much I love her reprisal of the fabulous "You don't love me..." barb?!

---

Teams: Neither song was great, but then, they rarely are. The queens are so much better when taken individually, that team challenges like this annoy me. I get why they're here, but...they're never as entertainting as they should be. It was a delight seeing Stacy Layne Matthews again, though. And her gag about a death drop being the death of her AND the theater? *Snap snap*

Don't Funk it Up (Trinity, Manila, Latrice, Valentina, Gia): WAY too many people trying to control the choreography. Trinity needed to put her foot down more firmly. She's a fierce queen and that got lost tonight. The team had a good amount of cohesion in their colors (except for Valentina, who was doing her own thing, as always, but looked great doing it AND turned in a strong verse, to boot), but the quality of the verse performances was terribly spotty. Also, damn, Latrice can rap! And so can Trinity! Who knew!

Everybody Say Love (Monique, Naomi, Farah, Monet): There was a MAJOR lack of cohesion to their group, and the overall performance suffered for it. Monique's Aaliyah homage was a nice idea, but ended up falling flat. Farah's jumpsuit look was....I dunno. She looked pretty, but...not really getting the 'girl group' thing. Monique's verse was lovely, and the uplifting verse about embracing her unique look was great. Farah's was...meh. Monet blew it out of the WATER. Could have done without any more mentions of the Vixen, but...her performance was strong, so I'll give it a pass.

Over all, this was a fun episode, except for...everything involving Gia Gunn. Ru's wig was not up to her usual standards. I wonder what was up with that? Michele was delightful! Kacey Musgraves...I dunno her, but that huge-ass hair was pretty much life. Ciara was gorgeous. And while I know that the choice of an Ariana Grande (ugh...) song was for the Rudemption narrative Valentina is getting, it felt odd that they had two singers on the panel, but didn't use one of their songs instead. And, am I crazy, or did Valentina and Monique go for the same eyebrow, on the runway...?

Also...they DO all know that 'eleguence' isn't...a word, right? Anyway, I can't wait for the next episode!

[nx01a]

I HIGHLY recommend Cracker's Review with a Jew series on Youtube.

[Kieran_Frost]

RUview - Episode III

The first 14 minutes have already been posted, so no need for spoilers. It's time FOR SNATCH GAME!!!!! Snatch Game is an important challenge, it's beloved, it's the one you are able to prepare the most for (outside the Variety Show when it comes to All Stars) AND every single winner of Drag Race has been safe or better in Snatch Game (and no, Trixie doesn't count ). Most winners land in the "Top 3" for Snatch Game. Tyra and Violet are the only ones who didn't. So based on this episode... in all likelihood our winner will be one of this episode's top three.

INSTA: sono3_sono2
https://www.instagram.com/sono3_sono2/

spoilers:

Snatch Game... OF LOVE???? Snatch Game is THE challenge people wait all season for... why mess with what works? There are 8 episodes in All Stars: Variety Show, imitating famous women in a dance, Snatch Game, final dance rap/song. Add in a ball, and a make-over, you still have two episodes to play with. WHY mess with one of the staples? The celebrity wall in All Star 1 was terrible (though Chad's Bette Davis was great). THAT SAID this wasn't awful, it still worked, and the format was basically the same (celebrities asking questions to queens impersonating famous women, having to improvise funny and relevant responses). I feel like it was an attempt to combine Snatch Game and AS3's hilarious "the Bitchelor." SNATCH GAME OF LOVE TEAM GUS. Monet, Monet, Monet... why? You did so well as Maya Angelou, WHY did you rely on props, and planned segments? She didn't sound like Whitney, didn't really look like her. I was very disappointed. Naomi's Wendy Williams... I was shocked. She didn't look like Naomi, it was an excellent impersonation; and funny to boot. Naomi had a lot to redeem after her season's Snatch Game put her in the bottom, and she delivered. She's a sneaky queen; her consistency this whole season is very impressive and if others underestimate her, it will be at their detriment. Valentina's Eartha Kitt. I didn't even clock it was her, FABULOUS look. The voice = nailed it. It just... wasn't funny. In her season Valentina shrewdly had planned ways of avoiding answering questions, and I feel in trying to replicate that she missed the point of Snatch Game. But as "bottom 2" Snatch Game performances go, this doesn't even scratch the Top 20 worst Snatch Game performances; so it's not a massive fumble in the grand scheme of things. A shame, it wasn't actually that bad, and Ru CLEARLY hasn't seen the Emperor's New Groove (2000). TEAM KEIYNAN Manilla's Barbra Streisand. I didn't even realize it was her at first, just fantastic. It was a delightful caricature, that just gets better each time you watch it. It's so out-there, but one of the best tongue-in-cheek performances we've seen in a long time. She didn't embody Barbra, she sent her up, and I was loving every moment. Monique Heart as Tiffany Haddish. It was good, it redeemed her last Snatch Game, that is certain. But I didn't get much Tiffany; except when she was talking about her superpower, that was very funny. Latrice was Della Reese. I don't know who that is, and after this episode I still have no idea. Which is how you know it's a bad performance. Gia's Jenny Bui. Dayum. It's up there. It's up there with Kenya Michaels as one of the biggest train wrecks in Snatch Game history. I felt so bad for Latrice; she deserved better. BUT at-least the next day Gia didn't try and defend it, she knew it was appauling and she owned it. I respected the lack of delusion (RE: unlike Vixen's thoughts on her Snatch Game) SNATCH TROPHY: Trinity. It was excellent, no-one can deny that. The voice, the stance, the responses; she bulldozed everyone out the way and it was magnificent. I'm not sure it should be called "one of the greatest" Snatch Games PURELY because I have seen the videos of Sharon Needles playing Caitlyn Jenner on the touring Snatch Game, and... it's very similar. Except Sharon's walk was funnier, and she does this one eyelid shut thing that's hilarious. I gave the same criticism to Alexis Michelle season 9 as Jinx does an AMAZING Liza on the same tour. CATEGORY IS... Boots, the House Down This very much reminded me of Season 10's "Hats on the Runway"; and in that comparison I was left severely wanting. Lots of cool looks, just very few of them screamed "BOOTS" to me. A runway category is always a challenge, you have to obey the category, but not get lost in it; but also not lose the concept (which is what happened to a lot of them). Valentina's concept was excellent, even though it didn't work. Monique's wolf boots were so awesome, if she had elevated that Little Red Riddinghood idea further, she'd have won the runway (I mean HOW were those star-spangle'd shorts anything to do with the fairytale?) And I felt Manila hopping down the runway was at-least fabulous, if more bondage than boots to me. BOOTS TROPHY: Got booted. No-one stole it. It was a poor runway day, and no-one deserves this trophy. SIDE NOTE: I am no drag queen, never done it... but... part of my degree involved costume design at university and if I had that concept, I'd have done an all black glitter body, devil face, black horns, nails, tail; and the ONLY colour would be flame red thigh high boots up to the crotch, with flames on them. THAT makes it about the boots. INSTA: lucasbavid https://www.instagram.com/gonblet/ For me, this is where the real drama began: the deliberation. Now I could be wrong, but I feel this season's true fight is about one thing: Trinity vs Manila. Even when the promo came out, I just had a gut feeling it will come down to a final battle between these two FIERCE queens; and based on Snatch Game stats, I might be right. It's a genuine war built on a desire to win (unlike the fake drama of Gia vs Farrah). I feel this is an attempt to replicated the building final showdown between Ben and Shangela on AS3 (which sadly all went **** up). And this episode was the first time that very real battle lines were drawn. Trinity was full on lioness, determined to save her Valentina cub; whether it was pulling Manila aside to see if she could be persuaded, or preparing Valentina for the worst, Trinity came off so well in this episode. And as a side note, I am surprisingly touched by the blossoming friendship between Trinity and Valentina. It was unexpected and I loved that. And then we have Manila. If Trinity is a fierce lioness, Manila is more a serene queen, like a Greek goddess of old, she is almost above it all. AND YET she brought such tender support and understanding to Gia, for the first time ever, Gia actually seemed human and vulnerable. Manila gave us a genuine moment with Gia and only a great queen can bring out someone's true heart (I'm reminded of Asia trying to bring the Vixen away from her 'angry' persona). Manila's conversation with Valentina... hmmmm... I'm very happy Valentina stood her ground, and I get where Manila was coming from, and was surprised how much the idea of an alliance was looked down upon, considering every season has done it. But as we went to the lipsync, I had no idea how this would play out... LIPSYNC (Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know") Both are fierce lipsyncers, but from the first moment Manila had this in the bag, she embodied that carefree romance of an 80s girl in love. It's was the perfect synching of performance to song (think Latrice bringing it to church, or Jinx delivering schtick). I wasn't a massive fan of blocking Trinity TWICE, but I'll let it pass. Both delivered, it was another impressive showing for Trinity. For whatever reason Manila has decided it's fair to send Gia home, and it was the right choice. BUT I was on the edge of my sofa waiting for her to reveal that lipstick. It was GREAT TV. Manilla totally Shangela'd Valentina with her speech. As the words "I've wanted this longer... " left her lips, I was GAGGED! And if we thought the battle had ended (for now) with a justified elimination, you'd be wrong. Manila goes to hug Valentina (praise for her mercy), and Trinity DIVES in first and not only hugs Valentina but holds her in the hug, completely c*ck-blocking Manila. Manila may have won the lipsync, but Trinity won this episode's battle. It was sooooo good to watch, it had to be fattening.

end of spoilers
My Final Thoughts: while it's not the Snatch Game we look forward to, it was still very fun; but the true joy of the episode came from the moments outside the challenge. Three episodes in "this Diva's Battle ain't over yet..." also I felt it showed a different, more humble side of Gia Gunn. And I appreciated seeing more colours from that particular crayon box.
~ rating: 4 out of 5 [grade: A-]

FUN FACT: spoilers:

Gia Gunn is the only person to be eliminated TWICE for Snatch Game. Not much of an accolade, but hey...

end of spoilers

[Andru]

I am very curious as to how they cast All Stars. How Jasmine, Gia, & Farrah even ended up in an All Star's cast is beyond me. They obviously were not going to last long, and with all 3 being eliminated within the first 3 weeks...cannon fodder.

[Wiccan]

I am very curious as to how they cast All Stars. How Jasmine, Gia, & Farrah even ended up in an All Star's cast is beyond me. They obviously were not going to last long, and with all 3 being eliminated within the first 3 weeks...cannon fodder.

Well, Jasmine got a whole fandom after the show because of her videos becoming memes. And this is gonna sound terrible, but Gia was probably there because she's trans. Ru got a lot of backslash a while ago for saying she didn't want trans women on the show, and I believe that the casting and filming of AS4 happened shortly after that... Farrah Idk really.

[nx01a]

Well, Jasmine got a whole fandom after the show because of her videos becoming memes. And this is gonna sound terrible, but Gia was probably there because she's trans. Ru got a lot of backslash a while ago for saying she didn't want trans women on the show, and I believe that the casting and filming of AS4 happened shortly after that... Farrah Idk really.

Correct on the first two counts. As for Farrah...

[Andru]

Well, Jasmine got a whole fandom after the show because of her videos becoming memes. And this is gonna sound terrible, but Gia was probably there because she's trans. Ru got a lot of backslash a while ago for saying she didn't want trans women on the show, and I believe that the casting and filming of AS4 happened shortly after that... Farrah Idk really.

If that’s the case, I would have preferred Peppermint.

[CellarDweller]

I am very curious as to how they cast All Stars. How Jasmine, Gia, & Farrah even ended up in an All Star's cast is beyond me. They obviously were not going to last long, and with all 3 being eliminated within the first 3 weeks...cannon fodder.

Agreed. I wasn't impressed with them when they were first on, and I wasn't impressed with them now.

I am glad that Gia is gone. I read an interview where she said her being the villain made her think she was providing "good tv". Whatever.