RuPaul's Drag Race: ALL STARS 4

[Kieran_Frost]

Another year, another All Stars. So excited for this new season.

In celebration of All Stars 4, let's start a thread to spill ALL THE T on the season; and praising our favourite queens. I'm very excited for this season, as Manilla and Latrice are back-back-back again (after the unfairness of All Stars 1). And after the shocking (travesty) of last All Stars crowned queen, let's hope Jury of Our Qu**rs is not back, and that wasn't nice or fair. Will anyone rise to best Ben dela Creme's stunning score? Will anyone quit this season... again? What twists and turns await us all? As always, I'll hope one of the queens for Snatch Game does Maggie Thatcher, because it would be HI-LARIOUS!!!! Also how has no-one done Judy Garland yet????

To kick us off: who do you want to win?


N.B. IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS... I would suggest not coming to this thread until you are caught up on the latest episode. Spoiler tags for that week's episode would be nice; I will always put them in my reviews. DO NOT post spoilers/rumours from later in the season, don't be that person. It's not nice..

[Kieran_Frost]

CURRENT STATS
Monet X Change - bttm 3, W, bttm 2, ep 5 "Top Toot", W, LIPSYNC, W, bttm 3
Monique Heart - W, Team Leader, bttm 2, W, LIPSYNC, (bttm 4), W, ep 8 "Top Toot", W
Naomi Smalls - Top 3, Top 3, Top 3, bttm 4, W, bttm 2, W, LIPSYNC, bttm 3, ep 9 "Top Toot"
Trinity the Tuck - promo "Top Toot", W, LIPSYNC, Team Leader, W, ep 3 "Top Toot", bttm 3, ep 4 "Top Toot", bttm 4, W, W, Top 3, W, LIPSYNC

spoilers:

Latrice Royale - READING, bttm 3, ELIMINATED, W, [RETURNED], W, LIPSYNC, ep 7 "Top Toot", bttm 2 - ELIMINATED Manila Luzon - bttm 3, ep 2 "Top Toot", W, LIPSYNC, W, W, LIPSYNC, ep 6 "Top Toot", Top 3 - ELIMINATED

end of spoilers
spoilers:

Valentina - ep1 "Top Toot", W, LIPSYNC, bttm 2, Top 3, bttm 4, W, ELIMINATED Gia Gunn - ELIMINATED Farrah Moan - bttm 2, ELIMINATED Jasmine Masters - ELIMINATED

end of spoilers

N.B. I will update this but keep it in spoilers, to give you time to watch the episode.

[Kieran_Frost]

RUview - Episode I

The first 14 mins has been out for a week, so there are no spoilers here. Coming back to All Stars is all about showing growth and redeeming yourself. It's important to hit the ground running, and some did... some didn't. I think Valentina looks beautiful, so polished yet still a step ahead of where she was in Season 9. Jasmine Masters has improved, and going for pants is a smart move (as many others were unlikely too, so you stand out). Trinity gets a 10 for creativity, and the body bag was fun but that colour... I'd have liked to see it 'jus' a little. Farrah... hmmm, how to say this politely. Every twink hits an age where their body stops being perfectly tight, where you can’t put in no effort at the gym and still look stunning and desirable. Farrah has hit that age where simple metabolism will not longer do all the work (and the look didn't reflect an understanding of her body, which is an issue; you have to know your body). Gia looked beautiful, and while her outfit was similar (somewhat) to Monique's I wasn't getting a full on re-live of the Princess vs India Ferrah entrance shocker. I was disappointed in Monet X Change. Yes it's more polished, but it was boring compared to her season 10 entrance (no reveal, no comedy to go with it). I would have worn her sponge swim-suit from later in the episode as my entrance look. THAT would have been far more effective; as it would have been fun AND polished.

ENTRANCE AWARD TROPHY: Manilla Luzon in that sickening re-imagination of her famous "big bird" muppet outfit for the comedy queen challenge... but this time it's been run over! LOL! I love referential drag, and this was brilliant; not only is it playing with the very concept of "drag race" (as in cars), but it's so detailed and clever (down to the little Xs over the eyes of the bird). It's perfection.



spoilers:

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL: both Latrice and Valentina have won the Reading challenge before, so they are competition; and we never got to see Jasmine or Gia read; so that could throw out some surprises. Ultimately... it was far less funny than either All Star 2 or 3, no-one slayed it (the house down). I watched the Extra Reads on LogoTV and actually my favourite one was Manilla's to Valentina "Have you tried eating your make-up? So you'll be pretty on the inside too." Farrah was unsurprisingly bad, as usual. She's just not an All Star. Monet telling Trinity she's so plastic when she dies they'll bury her in a recycling bin was HILARIOUS. And I was disappointed in Valentina's to be honest, maybe she needs to know the queens better to read them more? Latrice won, and she had some good moments "Jasmine Masters: welcome to a season that someone will give a sh*t about". But I think both Alaska and Ben would have won over her for their seasons. READING TROPHY: I would have actually given it to Naomi Smalls. She was surprisingly hilarious; and that surprise element I think should have trumped Latrice (who we expected to be good). "You're so dumb you thought Valentina was your friend", "Too bad you couldn't soak up a win" and on the EXTRA reading she tells Trinity "since you got beat by a Peppermint why does your breath still smell of sh*t". HA! TALENT SHOW I will prefix this by saying: I'm not a massive fan of queens lipsyncing for the talent show. This is an oppountity to show us something new, a talent we didn't know you had, not give us something we've seen (and will see) you do. It's just very unoriginal. I think Valentina was smart to use (potentially this only) opportunity to show she can lipsync, BUT she should have done it to Alaska's "Valentina" song and give us full on uber comedy. It would have been very surprising and could have won her the challenge. Latrice SERVED it with her flag routine, she moved and bucked and split, I was living (though her outfit needed some blue lip). The previous talent show winners both did burlesque so Farrah was both smart (and foolish) to give us that. It was smart to use a winning formula but foolish to so instantly compare herself to Roxxy and Ben if she wasn't going to deliver a new twist the contrast would hurt her more. It was "just" burlesque and wasn't massively entertaining even before she slipped on her dress (*insert crickets*). Gia Gunn... I wrote her off as talentless but actually her Kabuki performance was beautiful. It was smart to pick a high art, like Thorgy's violin performance, Ru was never going to put a high art in the bottom (if done well) EVEN if it wasn't that thrilling. It was a good call, and the glitter and fan twirling, the surprises; I loved it. I would have put her in the Top 3. Naomi had a great concept, but I think she should have shown us that wig reveal earlier. Had she done a song about fashion and modelling and beauty while looking busted through-out, it would have been even funnier. Instead it was just funny at the very end. She could have revealed saggy breasts too, really go for it. And Trinity, while enjoyable, wasn't a scene stealer. That screen needed to be used more, maybe pull up her dress to really imply she was tucking live. It was good, but (for me) needed to up the comedy even more. It could have gone further (Carson even said that). Killer concept, that didn't push the envelope hard enough BUT she gets major props for originality. TALENT TROPHY: Manilla Luzon. It was so unexpected and original. I loved the gag that it was upsidedown, she gave us comedy and the reveal of her "two-in-one" look was great, but I don't think she needed to hide it, show us that epic reveal. It was refreshing, and I love Greig's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" as a piece of music, she slayed. LIPSYNC (Mariah Carey's "Emotions"). I said earlier All Stars is about improvement and showing growth as well as redemption. Monique Heart redeemed the fact she didn't know her words BUT that wig. In the history of All Stars Ru has never dragged a winner like that, having to tell her how to tape down her wig... that was embarrassing (though the wig hanging from the ceiling was hilarious). Trinity though... she didn't do a Trinity lipsync, she stood her ground, she was funny, which mattered a lot and shows another feather in her bow. She is demonstrating growth, where as Monique was giving us redemption. Trinity wins, which I agree with (and it was unsurprising considering Ru HATES wigs coming off) and she saves her season 9 sister. Which I agreed with. Farrah is still showing us zero talent but she did prepare stuff, Jasmine not even preparing... she deserved to go home just for that. This is All Stars, do the work.

end of spoilers

My final thoughts: Was it better than Ep 1 or All Stars 2 or 3... no. Not even close. Ben, Roxxy, Aja and Tatianna would have easily been in the top against these girls. And had this been a regular season I would have said "epic episode, slayyyyyy" but this is All Stars. It's judged harsher, and these girls need to step their p*ssy up. I didn't agree with any of of the Top 3 choices (ROBBERY!), but the right person went home. It's a good start but the weakest of the 3 Talent Shows.
~ rating: 3 out of 5 [grade: B]

[Kieran_Frost]

Fashion Photo RuView
ALL STAR 4, ep. 1
w. Raja and Asia

[nx01a]

I enjoyed the first episode, and Trinity gets my full support to win this season!
>Latrice's two-faced Valentina read won her that award. Well done.
>Does Jasmine Masters care at all about anything?
>Keep your damned hair ON, Monique!
>Line of the night: "I love you but your crying is annoying."

[Kieran_Frost]

I enjoyed the first episode, and Trinity gets my full support to win this season!

Even before the season began, and we only had the promos out, I felt certain (in the end) it will come down to Manilla vs. Trinity. They are the two fiercest competitors, the only ones with three wins, the only ones versatile in both performance and looks (and both won the make-over challenge). If I had to guess Top 4: Manilla, Trinity, Valentina and Latrice.

>Latrice's two-faced Valentina read won her that award. Well done.

FUN FACT: Latrice said she is the only double reader, that's not true, Alaska won both Reading challenges (in S5 and AS2)

>Does Jasmine Masters care at all about anything?

spoilers:

I felt bad for Jasmine. If we graded on THE WHOLE episode (entrance look, reading, talent show and talent show outfit) Jasmine out-performed Farrah. Farrah's entrance look was bad, and her reading the worst. I did love Jasmine telling Farrah she is talented, clearly her laid back attitude also gives her great generosity, which I appreciated).

end of spoilers

>Keep your damned hair ON!

PREACH!!! As Aja said "I ain't seeing no rose petals..."

>Line of the night: "I love you but your crying is annoying."

LOL! And yet she then goes and cries to Trinity, she learnt NOTHING.