RuPaul’s Drag Race (Logo)
Logo’s RuPaul’s Drag Race returned for its seventh season back in early March, but as is usually the case with the show, things don’t truly start cooking until mid-season and so Ru’s hilarious reality EXTRAVAGANZA was my favorite show to watch this April. The show picked up steam this month thanks in part due to the eliminations of several weaker contestants (my one complaint this season is the relative lack of big personalities compared to seasons past – nobody’s really emerged as a top contender for the crown and Ginger Minj, Katya, and Kennedy Davenport are the only ones who really stand out at all) and the annual arrival of such Drag Race institutions as the Reading is Fundamental challenge and Snatch Game.
Snatch Game, in particular, was a delight this season, with great work from Ginger as Adele and Katya as Suze Orman. Kennedy however turned in a hilarious performance for the ages, choosing to portray music legend Little Richard – a bold move since the judges typically shoot down contestants who attempt boy drag. It was one that paid off as Kennedy sashayed away as this season’s Snatch Game champ. Ru also spiced things up a bit by bringing back the season’s previously eliminated contestants for a challenge in which they were paired (quite literally – as they each created a runway look and persona as conjoined twins) with the remaining contestants, rewarding the recently axed half of the winning team with a spot back in the competition (which, thankfully, went to Trixie Mattel).
What makes RuPaul’s Drag Race so great is that it can be called a drag reality show on two levels – on a literal level due to its subject matter, of course – but also in that the show itself is donning the drag of various reality show tropes and clichés. A pastiche of the glam photo sessions and catwalks of America’s Next Top Model, the fashion design challenges of Project Runway, and the occasional bitchy, interpersonal drama of a Real Housewives franchise, Drag Race lovingly nods to the reality shows that came before with tongue planted firmly in cheek and a cast of seasoned, talented performers who know how to put on a hell of a show, hunty. – Kimberlee Rossi-Fuchs, Senior TV Writer
