This is a recap of Rupaul’s Drag Race episode 1408. Spoilers below.
There’s a new leader of the pack! We’re about halfway through the season which means our resident villain, Daya Betty, is thriving. We’re fourteen seasons in and the Drag Race arc is hitting its beats.
One queen who is none too impressed is now out trans woman Jasmine Kennedie. She thinks Lady Camden deserved her win, but Daya did not deserve to share the top spot. On the more serious side, she’s also worried about her dad’s reaction to her coming out.
It’s a new day in the workroom and the competition is heating up! Tensions have been high which means it’s a perfect time to open The Library. I thought the queens were really funny! Most of the jokes are good-natured, except Jasmine says Daya should be a Gemini because she’s two-faced. Come on, Jasmine, study your astrology — of course the most emotional queen is a water sign!
Also, if she was a Gemini, she might’ve had sharper jokes — like mini challenge winner, Gemini and love of my life Bosco. Bosco’s jokes include telling Jasmine she puts the bottom in lobotomy and overall she was just having a great time.
The maxi challenge — sponsored by Sweet Tart Ropes! — is a 1960s Girl Group performance. They’re going to split themselves into three teams to perform three songs, each queen writing their own verse. We’ve got the Ru-Nettes, the Shang-Ru-Las, and the Ru-Premes.
Picking the groups is chaos. Everyone but Jasmine wants to be in the Ru-Premes or the Shang-Ru-Las. Someone suggests they do Rock Paper Scissors and Daya flat-out refuses. DeJa gives in and says she’ll do the Ru-Nettes and then Daya insults her during her confessional for playing it safe?? This episode caused me to do a 180 on Daya — or, rather a 90 — I still don’t like her, but she does make for a good villain.
The groups are Daya, Willow, and Bosco (the Shang-Ru-Las); Angeria, Kerri, and Camden (the Ru-Premes,); and Jasmine, DeJa, and Jorgeous (the Ru-Nettes). During the recording, Kerri and Jasmine struggle the most. Jorgeous also is struggling in the sense that she cannot sing, but she at least has a good energy.
DeJa takes on choreographer role for her group, but she’s usually a cheer coach for kids and Jasmine and Jorgeous aren’t exactly responding to her teaching methods. Willow is choreographer for her group — a talent she’d kept secret — revealing to all that she really is a threat. And Lady Camden choreographs for her group, which is forced to be pretty simple because Kerri and Angeria may be all-around talents but, in this case, all-around does not include dancing.
As the queens get ready on elimination day, there’s some chatter about Lady Camden finding solace from bullying in the Spice Girls and her childhood girl friends. Kerri talks about growing up not being allowed to listen to secular music and how she latched onto Destiny’s Child when she heard their music at the mall.
Daya brings up Bosco winning the reading challenge just to ask Jasmine why she called her two-faced. There’s a bit of bickering and it’s fun. #TeamJasmine.
The performances are really good! The Shang-Ru-Las are easily the best. They riff on the bad boy song by describing a truly gross man and it feels very in-line with Bosco and Willow. Daya also does a good job. I will admit that. Better than her groupmates? No. But a good job.
The other two groups are also fun, if a bit less memorable. DeJa is the best in her group, with Jorgeous making the wise choice to talk her lines. And in the other group Angeria is the obvious standout with possibly the best voice in the cast.
Alec Mapa is the guest judge and the runway is Heart On. Willow’s entire outfit is made of thongs with her nipples covered only by pasties. Daya looks like the Disney Channel version of punk. Bosco is in an all-white vampiric look, holding a heart, and when she turns around she reveals her bare ass! DeJa is doing an anime superhero look and Jasmine is inspired by Aphoridite in Hercules — both are meh. Jorgeous looks like a Victoria’s Secret model with heart wings. Angeria is in a 60s mod look with a very silly Sia wig and an even sillier reveal. Lady Camden is dressed as cupid or as someone shot by cupid — unclear. Oh and Kerri Colby is fucking hot. She has an outfit made to look like ventricles and she’s wearing a breastplate over her breasts.
Okay I’m going to need some help parsing out the judging because I know I’m biased. But I felt like The Shang-Ru-Las should’ve won as a team?? And if one person were to be singled out it shouldn’t have been Daya? Am I wrong?? Angeria and DeJa were the best of their groups so I’m okay with their top spots. Jorgeous joins Bosco and Willow as safe. This puts Camden, Kerri, and Jasmine in the bottom.
It’s tough because this cast is so strong. I’m honestly not sure how else this could’ve shaken out. I do think the judging was way too lenient on some runways and way too harsh on others. All three safe queens had better runways than the tops.
Daya wins, rewarding her bad behavior and promising more future drama. Camden is safe, placing Jasmine and Kerri in the bottom. You know I would love to say that RuPaul just couldn’t handle this many trans women in one room, but the truth is these queens probably deserved to be lip syncing. And their messy performances to Toni Braxton’s “UnBreak My Heart” didn’t convince me otherwise.
I love Kerri. If the queens were judged by their confessionals, she’d be the top every week. I’m genuinely so bummed to see her go. And I do think she probably should’ve stayed, even if Jasmine did slightly better in the lip sync. But this cast is just too strong! So it’s goodbye to Kerri Colby — the face that launched a thousand dolls.
Teleport Us to Mars!! Here Are Some Random Thoughts:
+ Before anyone accuses Jasmine of Gemini slander, she’s a Gemini. And Geminis are the best.
+ More trans talk in Untucked! Willow says that she goes between she and they, and that for her gender is tied to medical stuff. She says she’s felt a distance from her body and as she gets older she’s trying to figure things out. It’s so great to hear this discussion of gender and disability! And it’s great to hear someone talk about being in a place where they just aren’t sure about their identity yet.
+ Bosco admits to being a horse girl. Her boyfriend has two horses. I love this for Bosco.
+ When they’re writing their song Daya forgets the word for cruising and she asks for the word for when people walk through the woods. Gay people she clarifies, and Willow says hiking. Lesbian icon Willow Pill.
+ I watched this with Gaby and Mal. Gaby said they did a 180 on Jasmine, and Mal said that’s because someone coming out as trans is like a “save the cat” moment for us which I’m… obsessed with.
+ Mal was also concerned about Bosco’s bare ass being on the Untucked couch, but I don’t know why anyone would mind Bosco’s bare ass being anywhere.
+ And speaking of Bosco and being horny on main, in her note to Kerri, Bosco says that she should come to Seattle to meet her boyfriend. I’m sorry that feels very looking for a unicorn to me !!!!!
+ Queen I’m rooting for: Willow, Bosco, and Angeria
+ Queen I have the biggest crush on: Bosco and Kerri and Bosco’s boyfriend in Seattle
+ Queen I want to sashay: I’m still rooting against Daya I don’t care
I totally agree that they could have judged them in teams and given the win to the Shang-Ru-Las. Daya wasn’t any better than the rest of her team, and I think she got that win because it tells a certain story: she was first out, got a second chance, and has consequently become ruthless in her desire to win. Giving her the win solidifies her as the season’s villain—I doubt the other queens will be happy about it, given Daya’s attitude.
I thought the other two teams were equally mediocre. I was surprised that Jorgeous was safe (she didn’t stand out in the group challenge, and her runway was essentially lingerie), that Deja was in the top (her runway was costumey), and that Camden was in the bottom (she wasn’t great, but she did sound nice on the recording, and she took charge of the group’s choreo).
I feel like Angeria, Willow, and Bosco should have won most if not all of the challenges thus far… but I think the judges/producers are trying to convince us they aren’t clear front-runners.
Gosh once again Bosco’s runway look was my favorite! And again she was safe!
I’m sad about Kerri. Bad week for eliminating my favs in the rupaul universe (Pangina on UK vs the world)
Is next week snatch game?!
Sad about Kerri. I was really hoping she had the golden ticket/chocolate
I don’t know if your recaps are exactly in line with my thinking because I have been reading them, or I have been reading them because they are exactly in line with my thinking, but DAMN. I look forward to this every single week, moreso than the actual show at this point, so thank you.
I can’t freaking believe I will have to live without the Kerri confessionals. I love her so goddamned much. If she is not in All Stars, I’m throwing shit.
Daya is still worth rooting against, namely for her relishing in Kornbread’s departure as it means one of the more talented people are out of her way. Gonna take more than that, honey! Also GODDAMN I miss Kornbread.
Really just watching for Willow and Bosco, and it seems like Angeria is the clear frontrunner (and deservingly), but man this one got my blood boiling.
Daya was not better than Willow or Bosco; Angeria was the best of all of them. Jorgeous continues to underwhelm, I would have made Camden safe over her. And once again, it’s kind of hot watching Jasmine Kennedie tolerate zero guff, this time from Betty the villainess.
I think Daya was easily the best in her group! I think it comes down to facial expressions, the others were kind of blank.
How gorgeous is Jasmine out of drag?? During the rehearsals I kept admiring her bone structure and green eyes. Lol this happens to me every time someone comes out as trans
you’re completely right that Daya was not the best out of her group!! she got the win purely for producer/narrative reasons I reckon. I was SHOCKED that both Willow and Bosco were safe – as if they were on the same level as Jorgeous! What the shit!
Also I will say that Angeria’s runway look was actually kind of underwhelming for once (though I do have a pet peeve for text on clothing, ie “I <3 U", so maybe that's making me biased). But she's amazing and deserves to be in the top always anyway.
For me, the tops this week were Willow, Bosco and Angeria – Daya and Deja did not particularly earn that top spots.
Also i nearly cried with laughter at how Deja keeps saying that she works as a choreographer and then we find out… she's a cheer coach for kids. lmaooo
oh and also also! LOVED Willow’s frank discussion of 1. not being sure and 2. saying that her relationship with body is informed not only by gender but only by illness. As a trans, disabled person, I felt so seen.💛💛💛💛
I thought Willow should have won this week! Her team was praised for having the best lyrics, I think they also had the best choreography thanks to her, and she looked cute and on-theme in the challenge and cute, funny, and inventive on the runway. She’s my pick to win the whole thing right now, and I wish she was getting singled out more by the judges for having a distinctive point of view.