[Barry.]

Will you continue this please?

[montblanc]

obey our bazza's demand

[Shaun]

i never have time lately that said i'll rush a 40th place writeup now

[Shaun]

40th Place: Tatianna (Season 2, All Stars 2) - finished 4th and 6th, respectively

We're down to the nitty and gritty now and each of the placements are starting to hurt. This one'll probably upset a lot, as she'd make at least the top 20 of most of yours, but hear me out: she didn't do that greatly in either season and she hasn't really done much post-Drag Race to justify placing her any higher.

A brief history of Tatianna then: in season two she posed as a 21 year old despite being 20 at the time. It is perhaps unsurprising, considering it was season two and she was so young, that her drag was routinely undermined and described - by the more seasoned queens like Raven, Morgan and Jujubee - as so pedestrian and "off the rack". Indeed, some of the dresses she wore in the S2 runway were pretty much just... things you might spot at a River Island. But for all of her lacklustre runways, she had a few star moments; she won the first ever Snatch Game as a genius take on Britney Spears, and her makeover of her older partner almost saw her take the crown thanks to a wheelchair performance that is so underrated

Youtube video

the gold moment is at 2:10

Otherwise, Tatianna is best remembered for Untucked drama and there was a lot of it. Her talking heads were pretty vicious and she often had a lot to say about the cliquey bitchiness of Raven/Sonique/Morgan and the ridiculousness that was Tyra Sanchez. It's actually inconceivable for another season in future to be anywhere near as vitriolic and authentically-bitchy as Season 2 was, although season 3 sure eclipsed it. This video best encapsulates where Tatianna was coming from - and whilst the reunion episode definitely made Raven look more of the "bitch", I would still venture that Tatianna gave as good as she got and the majority of Season 2 is spent with her whining and bitching in confessionals about how nasty and stinky everyone was. It was a bit of a headache.

Youtube video

the "I'm not done talking yet. You'll speak when I'm done " bit is a tad cringe, too

Surprising everyone and finishing 4th, it shouldn't really have come as any surprise that she should feature in All Stars 2... but compared to your frontrunners like Katya, Alaska, Alyssa and Adore, she was very much an afterthought in most fans' minds.

That, of course, changed, with one little song.

Youtube video

It's kinda funny, really, how massively this impacted Tatianna's reception on the show. Aside from a pretty comfortable stand-up comedy challenge, paired with Detox, she otherwise did pretty terribly at All Stars and her Ariana Grande was perhaps an all-time low (especially disappointing considering she won the very first, although I did laugh at her being unable to keep in character when Detox started interrogating her as Nancy Grace). It was a little irritating seeing fans leap to her defence when she again bombed at the advert challenge with an awkward, confused "Tea with Tati" product that only really had one LOL moment (".............she's a fucking cunt " )

In both seasons, Tatianna divided opinions but came across relatively well and secured a strong number of fans. But I just don't know if I really see her as this wowing talent that I see in some of the other queens I've placed higher, so her journey ends here in this ranking sorry

Memorable quote(s): "Umm... I don't think that the judges are seeing that Tyra is a complete bitch "
"Your outside is gorgeous, Raven, but your insides are dark and nasty."
Best Runway(s): Obviously her Pants runway in AS2.
Best Moment(s): Did you think I'd go this whole writeup without mentioning the Alyssa lipsync?

Youtube video

Remaining queens
Acid Betty - Alaska - Alexis Mateo - Alyssa Edwards - Asia O'Hara - Bebe Zahara Benet - Bendelacreme - Bianca Del Rio - Bob the Drag Queen - Chad Michaels - Courtney Act - Darienne Lake
Detox - Eureka - Ginger Minj - Jinkx Monsoon - Jujubee - Katya - Kennedy Davenport - Latrice Royale - Manila Luzon - Mariah - Monet X Change - Monique Heart - Nina Bo'nina Brown - Nina Flowers
Raja - Raven - Roxxxy Andrews - Shangela - Sharon Needles - Shea Coulee - Stacy Layne Matthews - Tammie Brown - Thorgy Thor - Trinity the Tuck - Willam - Yara Sofia

[Shaun]

If it helps with me placing her this low: I still maintain to this day that she won the Alyssa lipsync hands down. I tire a little of Alyssa's unnecessary "let's hit the floor a bit" sometimes.

[MB.]

That wasn't a rushed write-up in the slightest, you lying little girl!

If Scaredy Kat turns out to be half the iconic bedroom queen Tatianna was on season 2 (didn't she get her boyfriend to film her lip syncing in her garage and pretend it was a club? lmao ), we'd be very lucky

[montblanc]

Riley's queen cut

[Barry.]

I loved her little tiff with Raven at the reunion and her Britney snatch game.

[Shaun]

39th Place: Violet Chachki (Season 7) - finished 1st

Right, so I forgot to put her in the "remaining queens" section at the bottom but she does exit here, so... here goes. I've made peace with Violet Chacki winning season seven, even if the runner-up probably hasn't. The tide turning against Ginger in spite of her numerable talents was pretty understandable, although a little frustrating since Violet was arguably just as catty and nasty at the start of the season. But being young, cute and white on Drag Race gives you a lot of free passes, so whatever.

I still have difficulty with her trajectory on Season 7, though. The editing was a complete mess, and save for one random awkward talking head of Mrs. Kasha Davis commenting on how much "growth" Violet had displayed on her return for the Conjoined Queens challenge, there wasn't really that much of a story arc for Violet. She absolutely murdered every single runway, yes, but there were no stand-out challenge performances to really laud.

Her Alyssa Edwards Snatch Game (awkwardly changed, last minute, not to clash with Miss Fame's disastrous Donatella Versace) was fine. Her acting was wooden in the John Waters and Shakesqueer episodes, and her comedy was "meh" at best in the DESPYs. In fact, save for the joint win with Katya on that weird half-man-half-woman dancing challenge (which, let's face it, they won by virtue of "not having Ginger or Pearl on their team"), there realy isn't that much great about Violet's win.

With every rewatch I do like her more, though, but that's just why I'm placing her this low. In her favour? The talking heads were usually sublime (eyerolling at Max's affected British accent and supposed loathing of sex-talk) and she of course, contributed this moment:


Come through!

But... yeah I end this writeup with a shrug, really. Her YouTube channel is pretty good, though.

Memorable quote(s): "No one says that, but yes "
"Trixie Mattel. Haute couture? More like haute glue."
"But she does have cliffhangers. You see her toes, like, literally clinging onto the shoe. Boner killer."
Best Runway(s): I mean, obviously the Fall one in episode one, with the jumpsuit 2-in-1 tartan moment that nearly killed Carson.
Best Moment(s): This. Bloody. Runway.

Youtube video

Remaining queens
Acid Betty - Alaska - Alexis Mateo - Alyssa Edwards - Asia O'Hara - Bebe Zahara Benet - Bendelacreme - Bianca Del Rio - Bob the Drag Queen - Chad Michaels - Courtney Act - Darienne Lake
Detox - Eureka - Ginger Minj - Jinkx Monsoon - Jujubee - Katya - Kennedy Davenport - Latrice Royale - Manila Luzon - Mariah - Monet X Change - Monique Heart - Nina Bo'nina Brown - Nina Flowers
Raja - Raven - Roxxxy Andrews - Shangela - Sharon Needles - Shea Coulee - Stacy Layne Matthews - Tammie Brown - Thorgy Thor - Trinity the Tuck - Willam - Yara Sofia

[Barry.]

Katya was robbed of season 7. Violet was fine but I forget she was a winner a lot.

[RileyH]

Tati was robbed again

[Barry.]

How would you rate the season 11 girls in the rankings Shaun?

[MB.]

As you say, Violet has aged quite well, particularly in terms of her as a reality TV character who clearly showed no signs of the ~personal growth~ storyline that the producers relucantly forced onto her when Ginger stumbled in the endgame

(I'm choosing to ignore her recent UK tour which was apparently a complete shambles, not limited to her turning up late to every show and hiring a kids' party magician to be her warm-up act)

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by Barry.

How would you rate the season 11 girls in the rankings Shaun?

A'Keria - perhaps top 50????
everyone else - struggling to crack the top 100
Ariel - bottom 10

god i hated that season

[MB.]

Also, speaking of Violet rocking up to gigs ridiculously late, her and Valentina's episode of WOW Presents' backstage Werq the World series is easily one of the top television moments of the year, right next to Richard Madeley dabbing and Gemma Collins having a blazing row with Jason Gardiner while dressed as Marilyn Monroe

[MB.]

Originally Posted by Shaun

A'Keria - perhaps top 50????
everyone else - struggling to crack the top 100
Ariel - bottom 10

god i hated that season

This is Scarlet and Ra'Jah erasure!

[Shaun]

They both sucked ty!

[MB.]

Reported

[Barry.]

Scarlet was a goddess.

[Shaun]

38th Place: Acid Betty (Season 8) - finished 8th

There aren't too many people who worship season eight. There were fewer queens than most seasons, and it was so hilariously one-sided and obvious that Bob would win that most of the competition element of the season was pretty much AWOL. But for a brief few episodes, it at least seemed like Bob might have competition and one of the biggest surprise-culls - and by surprise cull I mean A TOTAL ****ING ATROCITY - was Acid Betty.

Betty spent all of the first three episodes in the "tops"; she delivered a great silhouette with a revamp of the Money Ball, that should've won over Kim Chi's Gothy Kendoll look, also landed in the top for her Bitch Perfect performance (despite Robbie Turner being better) and then also finished high for her RuCo's Empire acting performance as a schizophrenic daughter. I'm hard-pushed to recall a better start to the season, but they'd most likely belong to your Biancas and your Rajas.

An attitude began to emerge and that pretty much defined Betty's storyline on the show; Thorgy Thor's talking heads helped to create this impression that Acid Betty is a one-note bitch who is impossible to work with, and sure enough there were signs of that when glaring at team-leader Chi Chi DeVayne and demanding that they learn their lines before they attempted choreography. Throw in that Untucked moment where she attacked Trixie Mattel's makeup in a video message to Kim Chi, and... yeah it was inevitable she'd end up hated (even though Trixie's makeup was hideous until, like, a year before AS3).

But the editing was so weird on season eight that it's hard to take this at face value: Robbie Turner had the worst premiere edit of perhaps all time and ended up being loved by pretty much all of her fellow queens (and the judges). So much build-up was put into the double elimination episode. A huge teaser for a returning queen ended up in...Naysha Lopez. It was just a bit all over the place, and I refuse to accept that the same Acid Betty, who's visibly kikiing with Thorgy, Derrick, Bob and Robbie in many workroom scenes, was this unapproachable monster who stands as an all-time villain.

Especially when her talent is so insane. I place her this high for her runways alone; all of them were creative, outside-of-the-box masterpieces (she not only didn't wear a kimono, she opted to have birds fly out of her ****ing stomach), and if you follow her on Instagram you'll be familiar with her ridiculous make-up skills and experimentations with colour.

Also I forgot about her reunion look. Jesus christ.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Instagram (@instagram) on Feb 3, 2020 at 9:42am PST

Memorable quote(s): "Look at that ugly make-up, let's be honest she is ugly that nose contour is atrocious."
"I'm a cunt and I can't stand people."
Best Runway(s): If pushed I'd have to say the Neon Runway. I think it's my favourite of all time.


Best Moment(s): Her entrance with the hairspray and a mask was pretty awesome.

Remaining queens
Alaska - Alexis Mateo - Alyssa Edwards - Asia O'Hara - Bebe Zahara Benet - Bendelacreme - Bianca Del Rio - Bob the Drag Queen - Chad Michaels - Courtney Act - Darienne Lake
Detox - Eureka - Ginger Minj - Jinkx Monsoon - Jujubee - Katya - Kennedy Davenport - Latrice Royale - Manila Luzon - Mariah - Monet X Change - Monique Heart - Nina Bo'nina Brown - Nina Flowers
Raja - Raven - Roxxxy Andrews - Shangela - Sharon Needles - Shea Coulee - Stacy Layne Matthews - Tammie Brown - Thorgy Thor - Trinity the Tuck - Willam - Yara Sofia

[Barry.]

She was a good queen, left too soon.

[Shaun]

37th Place: Alyssa Edwards (Season 5, All Stars 2) - finished 6th and 5th respectively

Obviously, Alyssa is one of the show's most iconic and memorable queens. She is a walking meme, a tremendously talented girl and full of unpredictable quotes. She has made a name for herself and is the only queen, to date, with a Netflix special following her life.

So why do I place her this low? A handful of reasons, really...



The chief one? Phi Phi was right; Alyssa was handed an awful lot of free passes and "safe" placements just by virtue of accidentally making RuPaul and other judges piss themselves laughing. See All Stars 2, and her Snatch Game as Joan Crawford. Absolutely no resemblance whatsoever, but she read out an IMDb page of quotes in a ridiculous voice and pulled some faces and it was apparently enough (but then, Tatianna, Detox and Roxxxy sucked anyway). She somehow won the stand-up challenge just by shouting one-word catchphrases that aren't even that funny? whilst Alaska did all the leg work, and had AS2's most obvious example of production "rigor morris" in being given the only character in the historic women of the world lipsync number, in Annie Oakley, with any comedy.

And if you look back on season five, she was frankly pretty piss poor at every respect bar the ballet challenge. Her runways were ram-shod, her Snatch Game as Katy Perry is an all-time-worst, and she just couldn't act (Telenovela challenge) or harness her uniqueness into a commanding role. And I guess that's the most frustrating thing with Alyssa: it often looks like she isn't trying, and takes things for granted - Alyssa is the queen with the absolute worst reputation for showing up late, if at all, to gigs and meet-and-greets and the like - because she's been afforded so much lee-way by virtue of "the gays on Twitter find her hilarious".

I'm making a bigger deal of this than is actually necessary because I need to back up putting such a big name so low, but I just get the impression that the character of Alyssa Edwards is one big, draining chore to be around... but pretty bloody fun from far away.

Off the show, there have been even more memes, and I will always cherish this exchange with Violet Chachki and Katya when they improvised a pageant entry for Violet:

Memorable quote(s): "Bitch, sit your ass down and shut the hell up, bitch!"
"....Backrolls?"
"What the hell you squirpin' like the chirpin' like the bird?"
Best Runway(s): The camera dress was iconic, not gonna lie
Best Moment(s): I mean it would have to be the mirror moment from AS2, really, wouldn't it?

Remaining queens
Alaska - Alexis Mateo - Asia O'Hara - Bebe Zahara Benet - Bendelacreme - Bianca Del Rio - Bob the Drag Queen - Chad Michaels - Courtney Act - Darienne Lake - Detox - Eureka
Ginger Minj - Jinkx Monsoon - Jujubee - Katya - Kennedy Davenport - Latrice Royale - Manila Luzon - Mariah - Monet X Change - Monique Heart - Nina Bo'nina Brown - Nina Flowers
Raja - Raven - Roxxxy Andrews - Shangela - Sharon Needles - Shea Coulee - Stacy Layne Matthews - Tammie Brown - Thorgy Thor - Trinity the Tuck - Willam - Yara Sofia

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

37

[Barry.]

What a shock. But your write up did make me agree with most parts.

[Shaun]

36th Place: Bebe Zahara Benet (Season 1, All Stars 3) - finished 1st and 3rd respectively

In amongst all of the confusion and outrage that was All Stars 3, it was quite easy to overlook what made Bebe such a fierce queen. Her presence was a continual affront to the fans of the younger queens, and her supposed betrayal of Aja in the Warhol Ball almost made her a villain. "She's already won!" they screamed. "This is so unfair!" Yes, well, that might be a salient point had Season 1 not had a prize fund of 50p and been watched by just fifteen people in the back of a Wendy's.

Even in season 1 things came pretty close with Bebe's path to the crown; she was one half of the first ever "nail-biter" lipsync in a showdown with Ongina that pretty much set the bar for lipsyncs to come.

Youtube video

There's a reason this is the only lipsync song to be used twice

As for her positives? She nailed the Oprah challenge, she had a strong Grace Jones impression in Snatch Game, channeled Diana Ross in the Divas lipsync perfectly (but we won't credit that because that episode is the most contrived of all time) and just shone in both seasons as this unique, African goddess that was above it all and had a tone that was often interpreted as condescension and superiority (but... look at her? You are inferior).

I also feel that whenever we talk about who gave the best verse in a RuPaul song in the semi-final episode of a season, we go on and on about Shea, Katya, Kameron, Detox, etc... but Bebe's cameo in the "Cover Girl" music video is honestly beautiful and so simple.

Youtube video

an iconic budget! "Shall we hire 50 hot guys to make up the background? No, Lucian Piane has a boiler suit and we'll just clone him x"

We won't mention the slip in the Kitty Girl performance, because that would be cheap and mean

Memorable quote(s): "Paramedics! Paramedics make sure she's ok. Because I was not ready. NOT."
Best Runway(s): She had some great ones in AS3, but I will always remember Bebe as this:


Best Moment(s): I hated it the first time I watched it, but, it's unquestionably...

Youtube video

Remaining queens
Alaska - Alexis Mateo - Asia O'Hara - Bendelacreme - Bianca Del Rio - Bob the Drag Queen - Chad Michaels - Courtney Act - Darienne Lake - Detox - Eureka - Ginger Minj
Jinkx Monsoon - Jujubee - Katya - Kennedy Davenport - Latrice Royale - Manila Luzon - Mariah - Monet X Change - Monique Heart - Nina Bo'nina Brown - Nina Flowers
Raja - Raven - Roxxxy Andrews - Shangela - Sharon Needles - Shea Coulee - Stacy Layne Matthews - Tammie Brown - Thorgy Thor - Trinity the Tuck - Willam - Yara Sofia