We’re finally done with Rate-A-Queen! The cast is back to our regularly scheduled programming with parodies of hot-button political issues. In the words of Jane Don’t, “it’s a good day to be a clown.” by Mike Kohfeld We’ re finally done with Rate-A-Queen! The cast is back to our regularly scheduled programming with parodies of hot-button political issues. In the words of Jane Don’t, “it’s a good day to be a clown.” “Y’all are playing chess, I’m playing checkers. Wait, what’s the thing?” Episode Seven began with the queens still reeling from their two-week Rate-A-Queen ordeal, in which the Miami alliance came out on top. On Drag Race, queens love to talk too much after winning challenges or getting safe placements. Athena did the same, insisting her play was honest and not at all about strategy while the other queens rolled their eyes. When you’ve just won a challenge, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. As if this wasn’t enough, the queens were given the Rate-A-Queen receipts. Mia looked stressed to see her ratings exposed… as if the producers were going to let any opportunity for drama to slide. Nini was pissed that everyone had given her mid-ratings for her Mother Mantis bit, and let it get into her head: “Does everybody not like me?” Kenya was pleased to have avoided the bottom through her alliance-building. “Y’all are playing chess, I’m playing checkers. Wait, what’s the thing?” Bless her. Myki Meeks was rated in the bottom by the queens despite having a strong talent act, and the receipts nearly brought her to tears. In a T-shirt that said REVENGE, Myki looked ready to prove herself this week. Maybe she’ll go full Arya Stark and start snatching faces. Emmy-Baiting Drag Politics If you’re not living under a rock, you know the 2026 midterm elections are going to be crucial for prying at least a little bit of power away from the world’s worst people. Drag Race celebrated the occasion by bringing us “totally twisted political ads that parody today’s most polarizing issues.” RuPaul added: “I deserve a fucking Emmy for that line.” The queens had a serious moment talking about the difficulty of living in red states with drag bans and the rise of violence against queer people during Trump’s second term. The most visceral account was Discord’s experience with a lifetime friend and roommate. Radicalized by right-wing anti-queer rhetoric seemingly overnight, they destroyed almost all of Discord’s drag and artwork. Discord compared the current conservative movement to a cult. Hear, hear. Mia balanced out the heaviness of the political discussion with a spontaneous dance party. It was the kind of genuine moment that has been missing in contemporary seasons of Drag Race. The Future Liberals Want: Foreign Trade and Breastplate Socialism The Main Challenge began when the queens were given five propositions on draggy subjects like breastplate entitlements, kai kai bans, and adding clowns to the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, paralleling real-world issues like bodily autonomy, trans rights, and immigration. I had to remind myself that this is a reality television show about drag queens acting stupid, but was interested to see how the cast would navigate the line between comedy and critique. Discord and Nini did a sound job with “Prop Kiki.” Discord adopted a pro-kai kai stance as the sultry, sister-loving Lydia Liquorup. (Queer vocabulary lesson #1: to kiki is to chat, gossip, or tell stories; kai kai refers to sexual relations between drag queens.) Discord’s stage-whispered hook, “date a sister,” is destined to become a queer vocal stim in the manner of Valentina and Naomi Smalls’ “Club 96” (All Stars Season 4) or Alaska’s “your makeup is terrible” (Season 5). Nini struggled while recording the skit, but turned out a conservative church lady arguing against sister-dating, keeping the pair safe. Darlene and Vita could not have been more dissimilar in their performances for “Prop 4Real.” Vita has struggled in past performance challenges, and this week was no different. She landed in the bottom for her stiff portrayal of a “traditional” drag queen. In contrast, Darlene’s “bedroom queen bimbo” was hysterical, with the judges calling her performance “really stupid.” So stupid, in fact, that Darlene earned a top placement for the week. Athena and Myki had fully-realized and memorable characters for “Prop 6969,” which sought to ban foreign trade (Queer vocabulary lesson #2: “trade” is queer slang for a masculine, straight-acting man). Athena sold us an eerily convincing Republicanesque character named Connie Cumminside against Prop 6969. Her lustful desire to ban trade was giving MAGA backlash to Bad Bunny’s recent Super Bowl LX performance. Myki was the standout of the week, with a punny performance arguing for steamy relations with foreign trade: “I’m concerned American citizen Stephanie Miller. But you can call me Lollipop!” Her playful irreverence won her the challenge. It felt like a karmic rebalance after Rate-A-Queen. Meanwhile, Mia and Juicy struggled to write material for “Prop DD,” where Mia argued to require breastplates and padding for all drag queens while Juicy embraced a natural, environmentally-friendly “hog body.” Mia got some laughs, but Juicy floundered. The pair fell into the bottom three. (If there had been a lip-sync-for-your-life between Mia and Juicy this week after they tied in a lip-sync-for-the-win two episodes ago, my wig would have flown into the troposphere.) Can Somebody Just Treat My Gonorrhea? Jane Don’t and Kenya worked together for “Prop C,” naming the pros and cons for adding clowns to the LGBTQIA acronym. Arguing against Prop C, Kenya played a decorated diva concerned about how “drag bars have been held captive by silly-ass drag queens who prioritize jokes and concepts over gowns.” Not in Seattle, surely! *clutches pearls* Jane Don’t played Daisy Funbuttons, the gonorrhea-ridden Professor of Nose-Honking at Pacoima Community Clown College (this is literally the stupidest sentence I’ve ever written). Her performance was Drag Race comedy perfection, and she was ranked in the top by the judges. We really need to just crown her now. Or at the very least, get her some antibiotics. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RuPaul's Drag Race (@rupaulsdragrace) I Can See Right Through Her These Season 18 girls brought some serious budget to the main stage, and the see-through outfits of Episode Seven did not disappoint. Nini’s candy-wrapper look was sublime. If winning was solely about runway looks, Nini would be in the number one spot. Jane’s Leigh Bowery-inspired checkered bodysuit with a short sheer pink dress fit the brief, but wasn’t as spectacular as her past looks. I later learned that she crafted it last-minute because her original designer didn’t deliver this look on time. What is it with late designers for these queens!? View this post on Instagram A post shared by MYKI MEEKS (@myki.meeks) For her see-through business suit, Myki Meeks expressed, “the quality I cherish most in a workplace is transparency.” Snaps, girl. The judges loved it too, with RuPaul exclaiming, “this is what the whores wear in Seattle!” Maybe Myki can come live here, too. Vita’s Last Act Juicy’s Met Gala-worthy tulle fantasy and Vita’s divine water goddess (it was giving Yemayá) were superb, but their performances landed them in the bottom. The rest of the cast reacted with shock. “Vita versus Juicy? Two people I thought were gonna make it to the end!” said Discord. “I don’t even wanna watch this.” But this was must-see TV. Vita held her own, but there is no stopping the elemental force that is Juicy Love Dion on the mainstage. Set to Dua Lipa’s “Houdini,” Juicy swept the lip-sync with grace, emotion, and jaw-dropping skill, including a handstand that tipped backwards into a split. There was no way RuPaul was going to let Juicy sashay away, and Vita was given the boot. I hope to see her in All Stars! Next week, it’s the challenge you’ve been waiting for (or dreading): Snatch Game! Either way, this is not one to miss. I’m ready for Jane to earn a second win! ...read more read less