[Shaun]

Originally Posted by TomC

Her runways were always stunning and I thought it was criminal that Pearl got to stay over her.

Agreed 100%. Her staying over Pearl, and then finishing 6th/5th whilst Kennedy or Katya make the top 3 would've made Season 7 so much better.

Assuming Fame isn't a good dancer, she'd have had the "too many chances" edit in that Man/Woman dancing challenge and finished 6th, Trixie makes top 5 and probably beats Katya/Kennedy in the Hello Kitty sewing challenge, so Katya still finishes 5th, and then Trixie ends up 4th most likely

Would've made the arc for Violet winning a lot stronger, being up against TWO bitter old ladies rather than just one. But would've been an incredibly strong top 3, too.

[Shaun]

73rd Place: Ivy Winters (Season 5) - finished 7th

Heading dangerously into the territory of this list where all of you start to whine "but Shaun she should be higher " now, and next to get the chop is a name you can no longer say without the chilling, grating cadence of LaToya Jackson: EYE VEEEEEE WINTURRRRRRRRRRS.

Long before Ivy was the single line that landed Eureka in the bottom two in Season 10, she was an actual drag race queen and handed a very flattering and adorable edit in Season 5. Even as I prepare to dive into explaining why I'm ousting her already, I'm starting to feel guilty: Ivy is one of those queens wished for every time the casting rumours start buzzing for each season of All Stars, and with good reason. Many other queens have waxed lyrical about Ivy's many, many talents: she's a circus performer, a costume designer, a carpenter, made quilts, made stop-motion Claymation for his own music video, a basket weaver, she stains glass, makes her own jam, her own CHEESE... honestly, head to her Instagram and you'll find a new arts and crafts upload pretty much every week. She is insanely artistic and talented.

However, all of that... just didn't really translate to Season Five, and I won't argue that this was all her fault. I've said it a lot on here: Season 5 was an amazing season, however it was also exhausting and so driven by the same, tiring storylines (Coco vs. Alyssa, Rolaskatox vs. Jinkx) that anyone who didn't quite make the cut... was cut. It was thus inevitable that once all the filler dried up, Ivy would have to go before Coco & Alyssa. And it's not exactly unfair, either: Ivy bombed Snatch Game with a terrible Marilyn Monroe, she put together a confusing advert for her perfume, and delivered a pretty abysmal roast (but in an incredibly tough lineup, to be fair to her). But was she really, on the whole, worse than Coco or Alyssa? No - but unfortunately those two happen to be the strongest lipsyncers the show has ever seen.

In terms of storyline, she deservedly takes Miss Congeniality from Latrice Royale, and is liked by pretty much everyone; a little too much by Jinkx Monsoon, in a hilariously awkward storyline that saw Jinkx reveal to the workroom that she has "a crush on Ivy Winters". That reunion moment is exquisite schadenfreude, do watch. I still scream whenever I rewatch that episode, because they REALLY TRIED to make the 'Coming Up!' edit look like Ivy, crying and saying "I LOVE YOU", was really to Jinkx when it was actually to her Mom in a phone call home sf messy

As for Ivy's on-show strengths? She won the Can I Get an Amen? challenge and did exceptionally well at most of the others - Wikipedia has her Week 1 as a "HIGH" placing when she was criticised for not wearing anything that resembled trash, though, so perhaps she is being oversold - and was great at the Untucked Lipsync with Honey and Lineysha. She was also a capable dancer in the demanding ballet challenge.

With the number of Allstars seasons churning out now, it surely seems a matter of time before Ivy is cast, and she's definitely one I look forward to seeing compete to see what new talents she has to offer: it's just with Drag Race there's such a huge emphasis on comedy and lipsyncing and it's a shame really that those don't seem to be her forte.

Memorable quote(s): "She can't pull off 'crazy garbage'. She'll be going home before me " - about Coco Montrese
Best Runway(s): It's a close tie between her Cher replica and the dress she made out of pictures of herself.
Best Moment(s): Erm...

[Shaun]

72nd Place: Kim Chi (Season 8) - finished 2nd/3rd (but 2nd, let's face it)

This is my biggest culling so far and I have good reason, so hear me out.

In recent seasons I've had a huge complaint with the amount of production interference and the show trying to orchestrate just who exactly will be the fans' "queen to root for". It's understandable: the show has thrived thanks to loveable underdogs like Katya, Dela, Sharon Needles and Trixie Mattel. But in recent years the edits have become so obviously trite and favourable and with Kim Chi they made quite the mistake: she was neither underappreciated nor wildly-talented*. She came into season 8 with an incredibly strong following on Instagram, and a reputation that preceded her - so it was odd to me that production seemed so desperate to make her look vulnerable and ostracised:



This scene in particular PISSES ME OFF every time I rewatch because it's just so contrived and desperate to come across as a victim, and completely at odds with Kim's ability - all season - to fire back a witty retort at the other queens. Most other queens on Drag Race, if they suck at dancing, don't get such a hugely sympathetic edit, and thus it irked me that they tried it with Kim Chi. It wasn't just sympathy they tried to heavily influence her edit / talking heads with: look at the "doughnut come for me" line in the opening episode. Very similar to that Season 7 talking-head with Pearl having a producer "throw water at her to wake her up" - completely fabricated, artificial and unnecessary, and immediately throws up all sorts of production interference allegations. I know these examples are insignificant in the long run, but they build and every single bit of reality TV editing is there for a damn reason, so wake up pearlople

*Let me rephrase that: Kim Chi is an extremely talented make-up artist. Perhaps the greatest the show has ever seen. She can put together a killer runway.

BUT - can you actually remember a challenge (that wasn't design-based) that she actually did well at? I can't, and I've rewatched the season about 10 times. It is actually one of my biggest frustrations with the show of all time that Kim Chi joined the elite likes of Alaska, Courtney Act, Tyra Sanchez and Violet Chachki in never having to lipsync for her life, ESPECIALLY when she performed so piss-poorly in so many challenges! In RuCo's empire she was almost incoherent and just screeched and tongue-popped ad nauseum. In the Shady Politics episode she SUCKED and couldn't even put emphasis on the phrase "what a fat-ass", but was saved by a BS "judging in pairs" twist because Naomi actually did a good job. She also clunked around awkwardly in Bitch Perfect, but was given a favourable part that had more than 1 line (RIP Laila). It's also a shame that almost all of her stunning runways were undermined by a total lack of stage presence and inability to walk in heels.

She did FINE at Snatch Game, and she put together a competent 'angry punk' performance but was ultimately carried by Robbie Turner in Les Chicken Wings. And I can't hate Kim Chi because she is quite funny on Twitter, and pretty quick and witty too - it's just a shame she really dragged Season 8 down, and I was especially pissed off by her attacks on Bob in the Top 5 challenge for not having "the look" to win Drag Race. She had everything else you shallow bitch.

Also: MUG with Naomi Smalls was excruciating. They have a good friendship but zero charisma.

Memorable quote(s): "Oh, hello Rucius' doctor... it's Rucius' doctor..."
"Chi Chi... your drag is just like turkey neck: cheap and no one wants it."
Best Runway(s): I would opt for the Black & White look; her mime was gorgeous. Should've still lipsynced though
Best Moment(s): That clip that Lee Dawson keeps using in her videos, where she mimics slapping the little woman she's working with and calling her a "****ing bitch"

Youtube video

Same episode: Marc Jacobs' describing of her performance. "The trading of the brooms."