We’ve made it, Drag Race fans! The last round of the competition is here before the grand finale.
The Top 4 queens had one final chance on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 Episode 14 to prove why they should have a spot in the grand finale.
Sure, RuPaul said only three would make it to the finale. But this is Drag Race; eliminations never truly go as planned.
“Blame It On The Edit” was an emotional yet expected round of Drag Race.
Between the music video, the choreography, and the rap verses, we knew what was in store for the queens for their video vixen moment. But even with a routine flow of events, the show still found a way to tug at all the tears.
I love a good music video challenge. Sure, it’s been done to death, all the way back to the early years of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
However, these queens earned the chance to star in a music video.
This challenge has some of the highest budget values, the sets are well-designed, and the queens get pretty fierce on camera. And unlike some other challenges, like Snatch Game, which is timeless, you can see the video quality and concepts grow throughout the years.
She was fierce competition, but when you play a dirty game, sometimes you get dirty results.
Luxx Noir London
In this case, the space-themed music video looked sleek and polished.
The sets were minimal, but the queens were the biggest drama. All four stole focus, whether through their looks or their dancing skills (both in good and bad ways).
With only four queens left, the best way to discuss the round is to go queen-by-queen. First up, the winner of the Maxi Challenge: Sasha Colby!
Was anyone else blown away by Sasha in the music video?
Her alien look was so hauntingly captivating; it was hard to look away when she started her rap because the makeup and ensemble were so well-done. Pair that with her sexy Barbarella look during the dance scene and you have a recipe for a video vixen superstar.
Her looks were stunning, and her lyrics were on fire. She wasn’t the best rapstress in the group, but she served her lyrics like a pro.
Plus, we can’t forget about her rhinestone orchid on the runway.
Her “Drag Excellence” gown was a beautiful ensemble that shined whenever she moved. The gown was the perfect mix of elegance and pageantry.
We can always count on Sasha to bring glamor to the runway. Her choice of the elaborate orchid was subtle enough not to steal focus, but it was big enough to leave a lasting impression.
It’s no wonder she snatched this victory.
Luxx Noir London was a close second out of the queens.
Just like Sasha, her ensembles in the music video were stunning and video-ready. My favorite is her black latex corset and white boots for the dancing portion.
She looked sexy and confident with an alien quality.
Her rap verse was a little hard to hear due to the singing and the audio mixing. It would’ve been better had the vocals been blended more, but that’s a post-production issue on the part of the editors.
Luxx’s rap verse was well-written and served pretty well.
And her runway gown was so beautifully elegant and simple. She didn’t need any elaborate designs or features to take away from the flowing silhouette.
[In confessional] Karma is a dish best served cold. You thought you got me. Whose face is the egg on now? Not mine. Yours.
Luxx Noir London
Luxx is a superstar with all her fits and outfit choices. Though, she does amazingly well when using neutral colors.
She excels with black-and-white combos.
Though, she’s lucky that she did a good job. If the judges found out she took a nap during the brainstorming, they would’ve roasted her for sleeping at an essential point in the competition.
Anetra was an interesting case of a queen who was a great performer but not great at certain choreography. It’s a vast difference between lip-synching and performing steps on the spot.
Listen, she had all the right pieces: unique looks, fierce dancing skills, and a strong rap verse.
However, you can never predict how a queen will be affected by a twist. Michelle Visage forcing the queens into recording the music video right away caught Anetra off-guard.
The twist paid off for what it wanted to do.
The rap scene in the music video helped her a lot, but those dancing scenes held her back.
Anetra needed to hit them harder and feel more confident in her moves. Showing fear in a recording challenge works against the queen in the final judging because it could appear in the final edit.
It’s a shame she stumbled at the end because her final runway was stunning!
All that’s left for me to win is the crown.
Anetra
The blue velvet fitted gown with the silver fringe accents looked incredible as she moved down the runway. She gave futuristic high fashion with a touch of haute couture. Her dress was a winning look.
If it weren’t for the dance moves, Anetra could’ve been a contender for the top.
In Mistress Isabelle Brooks’s case, it was a different story.
Can we all agree it was obvious she was landing at the bottom? The mystery of who would be taking one of the spots was long gone.
Mistress’s fate was sealed when she couldn’t keep up with the others and forgot her dance moves.
Her rap scenes were fire and would’ve protected her any other week. However, when only four queens are left in the competition, the judges must critique every little detail. And when a key part is the dancing, her dance portion didn’t measure up.
Her runway partially made up for the challenge stumble.
I agreed with the judges that her golden fringe cheetah gown looked elegant and stunning. Whenever she moved on the runway, it was so beautiful how the cheetah print moved with her and reflected in the light.
It would’ve been better had the cheetah spots looked a bit darker. With the movement and the bright lights, the spots were getting lost, and in some cases, they looked faded.
The gown might work better in photos instead of performing and with lots of movement.
Anetra and Mistress ending up as the bottom two wasn’t surprising. As mentioned above, Sasha and Luxx dominated the week, so the others had to fall by comparison.
The lip-sync of “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland was, by all means, average.
It was a nice number for the queens to showcase their emotions and dish out the lyrics. They didn’t have to do much movement to the beat since they were in gowns, but the song allowed them to do more if they wanted. I wish they had done more.
[In confessional] We still have one more challenge left. Eye on that prize. Eye on the grand finale. I see you! You’re mine! And I’m coming to get you.
Sasha Colby
It feels pretty lackluster for this lip-sync to be the Double Shantay of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15.
Like, why didn’t the Anetra vs. Marcia Marcia Marcia number get it? Michelle even admitted it was her new favorite lip-sync of all time. If I had to choose, Anetra won the lip-sync, but the double safety seemed like a filler win to save RuPaul’s Top 4 favorites.
Last Thoughts From The Werk Room:
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The twist of the queens having to perform the choreography right after learning it will never get old. It’s so deliciously evil and fun! Drag Race needs more twists like these because it keeps the queens and the viewers on their toes.
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The queens giving heartwarming speeches to their younger selves will always be emotional. So many tears!
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RuPaul needs to get some new Tic Tacs. They must be stuck together at this point.
Now, over to you, Drag Race fans.
What did you think of “Blame It On The Edit”?
Are you happy both Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Anetra survived? What was your favorite runway look? Who did the best during the music video?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Justin Carreiro is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
