The Queens are given a RuPaul doll and told to drag it up as a ‘bad girl’, prompting some hilarious designs. After this mini challenge, the queens are brought to a night club and split into two teams before being asked to perform a burlesque performance and sell coupons on the street in a bid to make the most money. The guest judges this episode were Dita Von Tesse and Kim Coles and the episode was broadcast on February 8th 2010 by Logo. SPOILERS FOR THE FOLLOWING EPISODE AND SHOW AHEAD…
Mini Challenge
The mini challenge in this episode was quite fun because it paired queens together to turn a very pretty doll of RuPaul into a girl from the street, turning hot couture into hooker culture. Most of the queens fared quite well with this challenge and the outcome was actually a really good display of dolls that I think should be sold in retailers everywhere. Pandora and Sahara won as a pair and they got to be team captains in the maxi challenge for this week…
Preparation
Splitting into two teams, Sahara chose Jessica, Jujubee, Tyra, Mystique and Pandora got Morgan, Sonique, Raven, Tatianna and Nicole. The challenge for this episode was a tricky one because the queens were forced to choreograph sexy pole-dancing routines that would entertain men in a nightclub. Not only that, but they had to go out on Hollywood Boulevard and attempt to sell coupons for Cherry Pie at a nearby bakery. On the face of it, it sounds easy but it’s actually a very difficult challenge overall. As the groups begin to work, it becomes clear very quickly who the problematic queens were going to be in this challenge. Tyra spent the majority of the preparation time either complaining, sleeping or standing watching the other queens perform. Her excuses were pathetic, claiming she learns by watching and can do it flawlessly without even practicing and it became very clear, very quickly, that she was going to be the DIVA of the season… I already hated Tyra the first time that I watched it and rewatching it is infuriating me even more. She is dreadful, has no class and the fact that she was SLEEPING whilst everyone else was working hard really annoyed me because it just shows a lack of respect for the rest of the competitors and especially her team.
Stripper Pole
Pandora’s Group
Pandora’s group dance was a bumpy ride and that’s because Pandora and Nicole Paige Brooks were out of time and it was really uncomfortable to watch. It didn’t feel as polished as I would have wanted and therefore it just fell apart and was a disappointment. On their own, Sonique, Tatianna and Morgan absolutely rocked the stage and performed brilliantly, giving performances that were probably the best of the night. Pandora didn’t do terrible, but she just looked like a middle-aged mum dancing for her husband and it just made me chuckle more than anything. Raven just didn’t do well and it was a little underwhelming and not what I was expecting from Raven. Nicole’s performance was pretty dismal and was just a disappointment from beginning to end. It was laughable, but not in the way that Pandora’s was endearing. Nicole was just a poor performer…
Sahara’s Group
Sahara’s group looked a lot more polished when they were doing their group performance and everyone seemed to be in sync with each other, or at least as much as possible. Everyone did pretty well with their pole dancing segment as well, with Tyra and Sahara standing out as the clear front runners of this challenge. Jessica and Mystique were good too but Jujubee was having a bit of a struggle and it just didn’t work as well as I was hoping. Overall, I thought Sahara’s group was slightly better than Pandora’s in this part of the challenge so I’ll give her props for that.
Cherry Pies
The Cherry Pie part of the challenge was abysmal for both teams so I’ll just talk about individual queens that stood out for the right and wrong reasons. Sahara clearly didn’t get the memo about team work and ended up stealing other people’s customers on the streets so she could earn the most. It actually worked out for her so I can’t fault her but it’s not exactly putting you in a good place with your team. Tyra barely did anything and the rest of the team was decent and not dreadful so that was good. Pandora’s team was another mixed bag. Whilst Pandora, Morgan and Tatianna remained lovely and polite on the streets, Nicole attempted something that didn’t work out and it just made her performance in the entire challenge poor. Raven stood there like she didn’t know her ass from her elbow and Sonique was so incredibly RUDE to the public that she got told off on the runway for her poor manners. Not a good showing for Pandora’s team and it is clear to see why they lost the challenge.
High-Class Drag Runway
11th – Nicole Paige Brooks
Nicole’s performance in the main challenge places her in last place before the runway and unfortunately, her dress doesn’t do much to elevate her overall performance. Citing that she had a wardrobe malfunction with her intended dress, this one isn’t bad, it’s just a boring alternative. It’s just a black dress and it doesn’t really offer us anything that we couldn’t find off the rack. A bad week for Nicole and one she unfortunately cannot recover from. Nicole, being on the losing team, had to choose which queen should go home. Iconically, she said ‘send them all home’, which is definitely the mindset to have in this competition.
10th – Pandora Boxx
Pandora didn’t have a dreadful week but it was just a pretty lackluster one. Her performance in the pole dancing challenge was entertaining but it was by no means the best of the night. Her outfit on the runway is just a bit meh as it looks like curtains that your grandma would have back in the seventies. The black bands on the outfit were strange and I wasn’t sure what the point of them was. It just wasn’t Pandora’s night and therefore I thought she should have been in the bottom. We didn’t get to see who she thought should go home because Pandora gave a cop-out answer of ‘Whoever made the least money’, which was Nicole.
9th – Raven
Raven did terrible in the challenge and barely made any money in the challenge. She wasn’t the best performer on the pole and on the streets, she was weak, barely attracting any customers. However, the only reason that she isn’t further down this list is because this outfit is one of my favourites from Raven. It’s classic and beautiful and, as per usual, her makeup is perfect. Unfortunately, she didn’t make an impact in the challenge so her runway doesn’t really count for much… Raven chose Tatianna as the one that should go home, which is an odd choice considering Tatianna didn’t do bad in this challenge.
8th – Jessica Wild
Jessica Wild didn’t really stand out when it came to the main challenge but from what I saw, she did quite well and didn’t have any dramatic failures. However, this outfit on the runway was dreadful and it just looked ugly if I’m honest. The colour wasn’t flattering and the outfit just looked messy and completely thrown together, rather than looking cohesive. Not a great runway for Jessica…
7th – Tatianna
Tatianna is another person that didn’t do terribly in the main challenge but just failed to make a real impression on me. Her pole dance was fun and she didn’t do anything drastically terrible on the streets so that was decent. Her outfit this week was glamorous but there were definitely better outfits on the runway, which is why Tatianna is lower on this list than usual. She chose Morgan as the one that should go home, which is surprising, considering Morgan was one of the stronger contestants on the team and I felt like this was more out of spite than anything else.
6th – Jujubee
Jujubee did well during this episode and, as a result, she just misses out on the top five by a thin hair. After a weird pole dancing experience, she did pretty well on the streets and then she walked out in this outfit. I would probably say this is one of my least favourite Jujubee outfits but that isn’t saying much because I love the majority of her outfits. They’re always so perfect and this one just didn’t hit the spot but I’m not entirely sure why…
5th – Tyra Sanchez
Tyra was an absolute DIVA this episode but, by the grace of God, she managed to pull all the tricks out of the bag for her performance but when she arrived on the street, she barely did anything noteworthy. Her outfit on the runway was pure drag excellence and really exemplified the runway theme. It didn’t look as elevated as the rest of the best outfits on the runway but it was still incredible.
4th – Mystique Summers Madison
After last week’s dismal performance, Mystique got right back into the game and smashed the competition this week. Her performance was excellent, splitting all over the stage, and her street work was good as well, bringing in a lot of business. Then, this outfit on the runway was stunning and a huge step up from whatever mess she put on last week, which is brilliant. A great move in the right direction for Mystique!
3rd – Sonique
Sonique could have easily been higher on the list but unfortunately, her attitude during the street section let her down, opting for rudeness over politeness when it came to dealing with the general public. However, Sonique did an excellent job with her performance and her runway was absolutely stunning, which was really nice to see. I can’t quite help but think about how Sonique looks like a more glamorous Tammie Brown in the picture above but maybe I’m seeing things… Sonique also chose Tatianna, which once again is quite baffling…
2nd – Morgan McMichaels
This outfit was my favourite on the runway because it was so different and visually stunning that I couldn’t take my eyes off of Morgan at all. When I first watched Season 2, I don’t remember Morgan standing out but so far, she’s been doing really well! She was, by far, the best person on her team and it’s a shame she was on the losing team because she could have easily won another win this episode.
1st – Sahara Davenport
There are some episodes where there are questionable winners and some where there are definitive and clear winners and this episode, it was the latter. Sahara deserved this win because she was an excellent team leader, gave a brilliant performance and even sold her coupons in the street extremely well. Her outfit was gorgeous and she looked perfect in every single way. Her makeup was on point, her hair was excellent and the dress was to die for. She looked like Whitney Houston and I am loving it!
Untucked
Untucked was wild this episode as the entirety of Sahara’s group splinters and Sahara and Jujubee have a go at Tyra for her diva behavior. It’s so irritating when a queen is so delusional that they’re unwilling to work well in a group because they think they’re the best. Tyra then turned on Sahara and began blaming all of the problems that the group faced on her, stating that others in the group, presumably Mystique and Jessica, had made comments about it to her and they were unwilling to speak up about it. This isn’t the only time that Tyra causes problems, wait until the Wedding Dress episode, but it definitely all stems from here because a lot of people are angry with her success when she hasn’t earned it.
When Pandora’s group arrived back, conversation immediately addressed the majority of the group choosing Tatianna to go home. Clearly unhappy about this, Tatianna says that she disagrees and the queens attempt to justify it by saying that, since she’s only done seven shows in seven years, she doesn’t deserve it as much. This is complete bullshit and is the worst excuse they could have given. Experience doesn’t mean anything and, as we’ll see this season, some of the ‘inexperienced’ queens end up doing better than the experienced ones. Then the chat shifts to Sonique’s attitude on the streets and how her ‘tone’ can be quite rude sometimes, which she takes huge offence to. I don’t know whether this is actually the case or whether she was just stressed out during the challenge but she certainly didn’t take this well at all!
Lip Sync – Raven v.s Nicole
My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It) – En Vogue
An iconic lip-sync and a brilliant performance from both queens, which is not how I remembered this lip sync. Raven proves herself to be a lip-sync star when it comes to this and her performance is actually one that has stuck with me throughout the seasons. Nicole also did a really good job and it was difficult for me to see her go because she gave such an amazing performance.
Verdict
This episode wasn’t as good as the first episode because it just didn’t feel as polished as the premiere. I think that the show weakens when it leaves the studio and so the pole dance and coupon selling scenes felt weird and like they should have been on another show. Considering later seasons don’t have the queens leaving the studio at all, it felt out of place here and therefore it wasn’t as fun. However, the runway was good and the lip-sync between Raven and Nicole is an iconic one but the episode could have been stronger overall…
MyEnragedRants 