AS5 E05: Snatch Game of Love

[lolly]

I think Mariah had great potential. Unfortunately the challenges really didn't play to her strengths.

I'm not sure I agree beyond how she looks, but then what is the point of inviting them back (even more so on All Stars) when you aren't going to let them play to those strengths?

 

[C’est la VoR]

Well that's the main failing of this season really (and Allstars 4 too) - too much reliance on horribly written acting challenges and 'improv'.

Mariah's first week performance proved at the very least that she had an interesting point of view. I'd have liked to have seen more from her, but based on the challenges she was was given she obviously deserved to go home when she did.

You can never really tell I think. People were crying out for an Ongina comeback and she crashed and burned. On the other hand I don't think Bendela was on a lot of lists of most wanted queens for a comeback and she pretty much ran away with her season. It's the format, not the casting that's the issue IMO.

Though I do definitely agree they should slow down the pace of production considerably.

 

[Berly]

But how do you play to everyone’s strengths?
Surely the whole premise is they rise above it by showing the are the All Star with the versatility to be a contender whatever the challenge

 

[C’est la VoR]

But how do you play to everyone’s strengths?
Surely the whole premise is they rise above it by showing the are the All Star with the versatility to be a contender whatever the challenge

Sure, but when every challenge is an acting challenge, how is that about versatility? Especially when they're frequently expected to work with embarrassingly sub-par writing?

 

[Berly]

Well every challenge isn’t an acting challenge but I take your point. Whilst the regular season can swing pretty wildly in its bias to particular challenges, All Stars sticks to a pretty formulaic structure so Queens know what to expect Even if the order jumps around a bit

 

[straightorbroken]

It's been evident since Tammie went home week 2 and Shannel's frustration at a queen barely adequate enough to work in a cosmetics hall, who didn't even have things with Versace buckles on them, was rising through the ranks, whilst her more is more was getting no reaction (so as to not let her think she was as good as she probably already does, or whatever the quote is), that this show has no interest in bringing out the best in people.

However, after India I do fear this could encourage more lessers just being absolutely awful.

Mariah didn't quite have the same air to her as she did years ago, but I'm glad she got her stand out moment week 1, which shows how beneath her most of what she ended up having to do truly was.

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

I will not tolerate people hating on Coco Montrese!

She's one of the best lipsyncers AND talking heads the show has ever seen, she brought DRAMA and (questionable) showgirl looks and THAT legendary talent show performance is probably the most entertaining minute of Drag Race EVER FILMED

 

[Raining on Me]

Sure, but when every challenge is an acting challenge, how is that about versatility? Especially when they're frequently expected to work with embarrassingly sub-par writing?

I always wonder about these acting challenges, how much is written and how much are they expected to make up themselves? The stupid hotel one and the improv one a week later (both interchangeable more or less) were total shambles and I can't work out whose fault it is. The fact no one was that funny in EITHER with that range of queens make me think it's the writers or rather how the tasks were presented to them, but then I kept getting annoyed how the strong queens just weren't bringing it and pushing the slapstick humour of it all.

I think it's somewhere in the middle, but everyone felt so lost to me in the previous two episodes to this that the production team clearly needs to guide them down certain routes more than they do sometimes.

What I'm saying is I don't think the writing is the problem because the hotel and improv challenges could have been as funny as any of them, it's how the challenges are presented, but the queens must take a small part of the blame too.

 

[Raining on Me]

With All Stars, saying if they never brought back India we'd never have got THAT moment etc is a pretty lame excuse to bring someone useless back. She has otherwise been mostly shit and there's no reason to assume an underwhelming queen is going to bring value when strong ones remain on the shelf.

But then I do agree the lesser ones mean the true stars get to shine. A season of Jujus and Sheas (not that that's even possible at this stage!) where a final worthy contestant goes home in week 1 would be horrible.

AS2 got this dead right, they weren't ALL imperial queens but enough to make it truly special, and then the twist where those eliminated came back (I think, it's been awhile) meant everyone got a fair crack of the whip anyway to a point.

We've just gone a bit too far the other way with the starting line up being slightly underwhelming, but either way I'm still enjoying this season and the remaining queens bar Cracker are pretty stellar

 

[Raining on Me]

Also everything has been said on the episode but I'm FURIOUS Juju didn't win that. She had me in fits, that thermostat line is surely one of Drag Race's greatest. It was classic snatch game AND she looked divine on the runway.

Shea was great don't get me wrong but after Juju's shitty non-win the other week it would be nice to see her win a challenge where she genuinely brought the goods. Biggest indication yet that Shea has this sewn up

 

[COB]

I watched this with ZG and honestly worried he might die laughing when the thermostat line happened

 

[RS]

Also everything has been said on the episode but I'm FURIOUS Juju didn't win that. She had me in fits, that thermostat line is surely one of Drag Race's greatest. It was classic snatch game AND she looked divine on the runway.

Shea was great don't get me wrong but after Juju's shitty non-win the other week it would be nice to see her win a challenge where she genuinely brought the goods. Biggest indication yet that Shea has this sewn up

Yes, that’s annoying because it’s the second week in a row when Juju should have won.

 

[lolly]

The Pit Stop was Jinkx this week. She awarded the win to Shea, but Bob went for Alexis.

 

[cwej]

I cannot for the life of me think how anyone could think Alexis won this week. She repeated the same joke forty times.

Juju smashed it out the park.

 

[COB]

The REAL queen of season 3 weighs in on Alexis vs. India:

 

[lolly]

I love that Detox's AS2 runways get the reverence they deserve on here. I thought that they had been overlooked at the time, with all the (deserved) adoration having been thrown towards Alaska and Katya.

I'm quite sure until AS2, we had never seen such a consistently strong runway from any Queen, although admittedly I didn't start watching until season 9, and my seasons were out of sync. But who has delivered to such a consistent high standard since? Off the top of my head I can only think of Manila in AS4 being able to compete.