BWW Breakdown: The HERstory of the World According to RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE ALL STARS

The HERstory of the World, as told by the DRAG RACE AllStars:

Last week's surprisingly uneven Celebrity Snatch Game saw Tatiana and Roxxy Andrews on the chopping block after a who-wore-the-black-latex-better game of runway roulette. Challenge and lip sync winner Alaska was tasked with sending a competing queen home, so we said goodbye to Tatianna, the beat-face glamtrom from RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE, Season 2. Alaska used the judges' critiques to support her choice to save besties Detox and Roxxy Andrews from elimination--a luxury the queens face losing as the competition become more fierce.

This week, glamour toad Ginger Minj is annoyed that her uncharacteristic blonde bombshell look didn't court favor from the judges, and Phi Phi O'Hara is irked by Alyssa Edwards' spastic shenanigans. But petty disappointments fade to excitement as RuPaul, supermodel of the world (and host of RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE), announces the next challenge: a lip sync extravaganza entitled "The HERstory of the World," a drag review celebrating the baddest bitches in "herstory."
br>RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE has shown an increasing willingness to share its self-awareness, and more and more frequently does the show reminds us that any "reality" competition featuring seasoned performers (which these drag queens are) will sashay the line between the vitality of unscripted television and the polish of a rehearsed variety show. "The HERstory of the World" is no different, and the queens are cast appropriately: Alaska's middle-gender aesthetic is put to the task of playing "the original naughty girl," Eve; Phi Phi O'Hara, queen of cosplay, is cast as Helen of Troy; Ginger is Katherine the Great; cool-kid Detox plays the ultimate spoiled brat, Marie Antoinette; Alyssa Edwards prepares to rep her Texas pride as gunslinger Annie Oakley; Roxxy Andrews will portray professional pageant queen Eva Perón; and Katya gets a chance to bat her lashes as Princess Diana.

Both Katya and Ginger balk at the cumbersome aspects of their gowns (namely Katherine the Great's hoop skirt and Princess Diana's cathedral-length wedding train). It's a little silly, considering the greatest performances on Drag Race are those in which feats of talent are perpetuated despite the inhibiting factors of extravagant costuming, but understandable considering Katya's stifling inferiority complex and Ginger's inability to dance her way out of a Mormon wedding reception. Guest-star choreographers Ash and Ant from The Squared Division reliably have nothing but "I guess you better figure it out" missives for Katya and Ginger's grumbling, but Phi Phi picks up the slack by dropping not-so-subtle hints to the other girls that their dresses will destroy them. She may be trying to resurrect her reputation after her season 4 reign of terror, but she's still a showgirl, and sly passive aggression is a proud tradition of pageant queens.

Phi Phi's competitive nature segues nicely into the serious topic of the week: bullying on Social Media. Phi Phi admits that after being portrayed as a villain during her season, she received death threats via social media, and was sometimes afraid to appear in drag to perform. Alaska sums up the show's position on bullying in her signature vocal-fry drawl: "Be nice. For f*ck's sake, it's just drag."

The HERstory of the World lip sync Extravaganza flaunts the genius of composer Lucian Piane, whose theatrical drag-tunes are tailor-made for each queen. Piane gives Ginger a brassy show tune called "Horse Around," and rubber-jaw Detox gets an overly-styled operatic tune called "Let Them Eat Cake." Alyssa twirls her way to comedy with her saloon chair dance, and Roxxy does Evita better than Madonna. The only misstep is Katya's Princess Di--though to be fair, Princess Diana isn't a character we associate with easy jokes, and the segment about the late princess being a "bad girl" of history seemed forced.

On the runway, the queens bring their vision of the future of drag. Alaska slays as an Edward Scissorhands-esque androgynous robot, and Phi Phi wowed with her bald, blue-tiful alien warrior princess. Ginger missteps with a silver disaster of a ruffle-bottom bathing suit complete with an inexplicable black wedding veil protruding from her undercarriage, but Detox, in full silver body paint, gags the judges with her own stunning take on the androgynous robot. Alyssa makes a typical fashion stumble by throwing together everything in her closet that's black or silver, leaving the panel divided as to whether her moon- boot/tutu/tinfoil headdress combination was fashion or faux pas. Roxxy plays it safe with a glamorous retro space-age bodysuit, and Katya thinks outside the box with a textured dress that, given the dumpy silhouette, seems dowdy.

RuPaul, always a vision of perfection, decrees Alyssa Edwards and Detox to be the week's winners. Most of the remaining queens cling to the notion that the winners will send home a queen based on the judges' critiques, but Alyssa suggests that if she wins the lip sync battle, she'll choose to save the queen she thinks has more desire to remain in the competition. This puts the rest of the queens on tilt, despite the inevitable hierarchy sure to form as the pack gets thin.

The lip sync song is Taylor Dayne's "Tell It To My Heart," is a retro showgirl power anthem perfect for Alyssa's brand of gymnastic dance performance, and her victory puts her in the position to send home another queen. She goes against the majority opinion and sends home Ginger Minj, setting up dissent amongst the queens for the next episode. Alaska continues to be a strong contender for the crown, but the competition remains, as always, fierce.

RESULTS:

Eliminated Queen: Ginger Minj

Remaining Queens: Alaska, Roxxy Andrews, Detox, Alyssa Edwards, Phi Phi O'Hara, Katya

Predicted Winner: Alaska

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