Welcome to RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Power Rankings! Every Saturday, we’ll debrief the week’s new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7 to determine which queens are riding high, and which need she-mergency care. Math is the name of the game this week, as we parse out who still has a statistically significant chance of making it to the finale.
Monét X Change
Current Star Count: 1
Maxi-Challenges Won: 1
Lip Syncs Won: 0
Yet another week of Monét at the bottom of the ranking, simply by virtue of not landing in the top since the premiere. Truth be told, if I were power-ranking this season like I usually do, Monét would be more consistently near the top—largely because her edit has been so consistent in a way that almost no one else’s has been. Only Jinkx Monsoon has been edited as a main character in the way Monét has, with stakes and takes in every episode, regardless of their standing in the competition. Even more than Jinkx, Monét has been the mouthpiece for the talk of strategy this season—something that may be hinting at a big payoff down the line. But for now, here Monét stays. Props to her for a fun performance in the challenge and a cute, creative runway; in a less competitive week, I could’ve easily seen her score on the higher end.
Shea Couleé
Current Star Count: 1
Maxi-Challenges Won: 1
Lip Syncs Won: 1
I’m not quite prepared to say that Shea would’ve been in my top two this week, but give me a weekend and some Red Bull and I’ll have my presentation ready by Tuesday. What Shea did that was so impressive in the acting challenge was anchor the whole thing: like Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron before her, she kept pulling the skit back as the wackiness unfolded around her. Several of her deadpan line readings—“Winter solstice?”—were among my favourites of the skit. And then on the runway, Shea’s look was nothing short of spectacular. So creative, with such a specific point of view rendered in a way I would’ve never expected. I loved what Raja did this week as well, but I do think I’d have ultimately gone for Shea. See you Tuesday for my TEDTalk.
Yvie Oddly
Current Star Count: 2
Maxi-Challenges Won: 1
Lip Syncs Won: 0
Coming into the episode, I actually thought Yvie had a shot at surprising us, considering her only win in Season 11 was on an acting challenge. Alas, picking one of the least interesting characters in the skit (second only to Jinkx’s, whose role was foisted upon her) was not a recipe for success. She had some good moments: I loved how Yvie played the reveal of a teacher’s fall decorations to The Vivienne’s principal character. But in a sea of performers at the top of their game, Yvie’s line readings couldn’t help but feel overbaked. And on the runway, while her knitted look was very Yvie levels of cool, it also felt like a few different ideas put together. Not the worst week to have a bad episode, considering she was blocked, but Yvie does need to pull out another win in the next few to have a real shot at the finale.
Raja
Current Star Count: 2
Maxi-Challenges Won: 2
Lip Syncs Won: 1
I do think Raja was very good in the challenge this week, and was nothing short of stunning on the runway. But I have her a smidge under Shea, largely because while both runways were top-tier for me, Shea’s role was the more difficult to pull off. Raja was right to go straight for Scrooge (“short for Lisa”) in the role selection, as it matched her punk vibe perfectly. And to her credit, she played the role as directed—but I actually thought she showed better instincts before the direction. (The only instance I would say this week in which the direction made a performance worse.) Still, no denying she killed that lip sync: “Super Freak” was right up her alley, and she had exactly the right attitude for it. A hard-earned $10,000 cash tip.
Trinity the Tuck
Current Star Count: 2
Maxi-Challenges Won: 3
Lip Syncs Won: 1
Perhaps the single best play of the episode was Trinity denying Jinkx the roles she wanted. For the first time ever, Jinkx failed to earn some of the most positive critiques on an acting challenge, and instead Trinity took the high slot. I wouldn’t have put her there myself—I would’ve gone with Shea instead—but she was very wise to take all the notes given to her. Trinity is excellent at Drag Race largely because she knows the importance of things like that: delivering the best performance is one thing, but delivering the performance the judges want you to give is another. (Just ask Kylie Sonique Love, who took Michelle Visage’s notes all the way to a challenge win.) On the runway, I really liked Trinity’s purple look—like Janicza Bravo, I too want to do the same with a weighted blanket—but I didn’t love the leopard print in the hair. Still, a very good week for Trinity overall, and a sign that she’s probably in this for the long haul.
Jinkx Monsoon
Current Star Count: 2
Maxi-Challenges Won: 3
Lip Syncs Won: 2
She did her best, but Holly was not a winning role for anyone, much less Jinkx. I actually think we saw some of Jinkx’s worst instincts come out this week, going very big and broad to try and turn a small role into a significant one. It seems like Trinity’s gambit knocked her off her game. But I actually have a bigger quibble with Jinkx this week that I want to address: her runways. There’s no doubt that, in terms of execution, her package this season is remarkably elevated compared to her Season 5 collection. Her gown this week was immaculately made. But she’s seemingly sacrificing range to achieve that polish, losing the character that defined her runways before. Put simply, I’d rather have three quirky, ugly runways from Jinkx for one absolute home run like her Dia de Los Muertos look than see her come out in three Old Hollywood-style, beautifully rendered runways. Still, I get that that’s just my personal preference: if she brought Season 5-style runways to All Stars 7, the fandom would’ve turned on her fast.
The Vivienne
Current Star Count: 2
Maxi-Challenges Won: 3
Lip Syncs Won: 2
Slowly but surely, The Vivienne has worked her way into my absolute favourites of this season. I would be devastated if she didn’t make the finale at this point, considering how damn entertaining she’s made the past several episodes. Her performance this week was a showstopper, the kind of acting challenge work we see once in a blue moon on this show. The physicality, the line deliveries, the characterization of Principal Nutmegyn Kelly—all flawless. And then she comes out wearing a rug as a couture gown, and it is nothing short of breathtaking. Love that she added the knitting needles to her hair for a bit of camp value as well. My winner pick for the season was Jinkx coming in, but now I find myself vacillating between wanting Jaida and Viv to take the crown. At least make it to the finale, queen!
Jaida Essence Hall
Current Star Count: 3
Maxi-Challenges Won: 2
Lip Syncs Won: 1
The Platinum Plunger (*Bob the Drag Queen voice* which is certainly gold) has finally come for Jaida, as she’s been blocked after being the first to hit three stars. Will it matter? I’m not sure! Mathematically, Jaida is very well set up to make it to the end, and considering both of her wins were for design challenges, I’m not sure she’s likely to pick up a fourth star anyway. She’d need to surprise in another challenge type. The good news is, if her performance this week is any indication, she very well might! Jaida was a lot of fun in the skit, and as Janicza noted, stayed in character even when she wasn’t in focus. Another star would be nice, but honestly, the biggest benefit winning would give to Jaida at this point would be blocking her closest competition. If she can keep them at bay, I think she’s a lock for the finale.
Why you can trust Xtra
