Welcome to RuPaul’s Drag Race Power Rankings! Every Tuesday, we’re debriefing the week’s new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 to determine which queens are riding high, and which need she-mergency care. The first design challenge of the season produces strong results from almost all the queens, but who’s at the top of the pack?
13. Amethyst (last week: 6)—ELIMINATED
You could argue Amethyst’s overall style this week should’ve saved her from lip syncing, but this is a design challenge. And there were enough issues with the actual design to put her in the bottom: too simple, oddly placed ruffles, etc. And then in the lip sync itself, Salina EsTitties just wiped the floor with her. Amethyst wasn’t bad, but she did not have the connection to the song or the movement skills that Salina did. Maybe she could’ve survived a week or two longer, but I sadly think this result was inevitable for Amethyst after her first two times in the bottom.
12. Salina EsTitties (last week: 10)
Lip syncing this week was arguably the best thing that could’ve happened to Salina. She tore up that performance of “Q.U.E.E.N.”—just a perfect example of how song interpretation and killer dance moves combined can get you out of nearly any pickle on Drag Race. But I do worry that Salina is getting painted with the “messy” brush, and it’ll be hard to undo that expectation. A comedy or performance challenge win would help; Ru can fall for a queen with endearingly underwhelming runways (think Jinkx Monsoon or Spankie Jackzon), but they have to show their strength elsewhere. I believe in Salina’s ability to do that!
11. Jax (last week: 8)
I’m afraid the show and judges just don’t seem into Jax. She did well in the premiere, obviously, but since then, she’s scored a couple of dubious low-scoring placements, and her banter on the runway isn’t promising. The fact that not only did Ross Mathews question what was a pretty obvious Heathers reference, but then hammer the point home that she didn’t do enough to sell that character, is telling. I really like Jax, but I think she may just be in a bad rut here. She needs another performance like her talent show to right the ship.
10. Aura Mayari (last week: 12)
I just don’t know what we’re heading toward with Aura. I thought her look this week was disappointing, with some very odd proportions to the lower half (though I did love her glasses). It’s the latest in a very underwhelming run for the Nashville queen. Even beyond her challenge performances, though, she’s not popping in terms of her character. She tried to get Spice to admit she thought Aura should’ve gone home last week instead of Sugar, but Spice’s unwillingness to engage made that a non-starter. Aura is currently benefiting from there being other queens consistently landing in the bottom ranks, but that’s only going to get her as far as ninth or so. She needs a major shakeup in her trajectory.
9. Spice (last week: 13)
If this is what we can expect of Spice post-Sugar, I’m not sure we’re in for the twin Rudemption narrative it seemed like this season was leading to. She didn’t look bad—there was something to it in terms of the style—but it was remarkably simple. And I fully stand with Mistress Isabelle Brooks regarding Spice’s inability to talk shit. To say that people don’t deserve to be there, but then decline the chance to name names three times? Girl! Stand behind your dish! Saying Aura deserved to go last week is not a controversial claim, and Spice could stand to show a bit of, well, spice in her personality.
8. Marcia Marcia Marcia (last week: 3)
Probably Marcia Times Three’s quietest week in the competition yet, no? She didn’t fade into the background or anything, which is a sign she’s likely to go far—the show is still investing time in her even when she’s not being critiqued. But I do think this week’s look was another instance of Marcia not pushing her drag enough for the judges to fully and firmly get on board with her. These more simple looks, while cute and true to her aesthetic, feel too similar to each other. Unless she can pull out something genuinely surprising—think on the level of Trinity the Tuck’s club kid look in Season 9—I imagine Marcia will continue to float somewhere between safe and high placements.
7. Anetra (last week: 5)
Anetra got confessionals, guys! Two of them! The show finally remembered the queen who stormed the first episode and, as a result of her talent show’s virality, became the second-most-followed queen remaining in the competition (after Spice). Granted, it wasn’t much—though I did love her confessional about Carson Kressley’s town and country style. “I’m seeing a lot of leather, plaids, lots of horses?” she said. “You know white people like horses.” On the runway, I liked seeing Anetra with a softer mug and blonde hair, and I liked the top half of her look. The bottom felt unresolved to me, though. Still, easily good enough for safe.
6. Mistress Isabelle Brooks (last week: 2)
Mistress (I’ve committed to calling her Mistress now) has remained arguably the most significant presence in the edit every week. At a time when some queens are struggling to be featured at all, she’s central, even when she’s just safe. I thought her look this week was a very strong safe: there was nothing particularly notable about it as a design, but she set the tone for the House of Visage very well. She got the essence of Michelle Visage perfectly, and I think her team benefitted from her setting the tone. Another great week.
5. Loosey LaDuca (last week: 1)
The Palm Springs group landed a couple of queens in the top, but honestly, I thought Loosey deserved to be one of them! To serve “drunk aunt at the beach bungalow realness” isn’t exactly out of her wheelhouse, but she did it well, and with an incredibly cute pair of pants to boot. As we saw with the winner’s look, pants are hard to pull off well, and Loosey did them in a fabric that was quintessentially Palm Springs. A great effort from last week’s maxi-challenge winner.
4. Malaysia Babydoll Foxx (last week: 9)
I don’t think it started this way, but by the time we got to Ru making his decisions, Malaysia felt like a clear fourth in the top four. She was called safe before any of the others, and there was that puzzling moment when the edit seemed almost unsure of how to react to Malaysia saying that this was the first garment she’d ever sewed. Janelle Monáe drew that surprising confession from her by calling her a “fantastic seamstress,” which to be fair, she clearly is! Her look was a delight! And I don’t think this cost her the win or anything; Luxx Noir London was pretty far and ahead of the class this week. But I do think it’ll be interesting to see if this comes back up again. It was too oddly edited a moment (that long pause, Ru’s “really?,” the shot of Jax) to stand on its own—though with 42-minute episodes, it might have to.
3. Robin Fierce (last week: 11)
I more so admired and respected the technical work of Robin’s outfit than I liked it, if that makes sense. It was impressive, especially that shoulder detail, but it didn’t strike me as a particularly memorable design. Super cute, but I would’ve personally put Loosey’s look in the top over Robin’s (but assuming four spots, still would’ve had Robin in the top over Malaysia). That said, I’m very glad for Robin that she got a moment in the sun this week. Her trajectory has been quite safe so far, and she was at real risk of fading into the background. Hopefully this is the start of a stronger presence in the edit moving forward.
2. Sasha Colby (last week: 4)
If I think anyone benefitted from the extra high-scoring spot this week, it was likely Sasha. Her critiques actually skewed slightly more negative than Malaysia’s and Robin’s, with Janelle noting her attempt to get her wrap off didn’t work. But the praise for the rest of her work was strong, and now she’s added another top score to her increasingly impressive report card. Staying in the judges’ good graces for as long as possible is what sets a queen up for a strong endgame, and with this, I’d say Sasha’s prospects are looking quite bright indeed.
1. Luxx Noir London (last week: 7)
Smashed it. One of the best design challenge wins ever, right up there with A’Whora’s on UK Season 2. The technical work in Luxx’s was so impressive, what with the construction of her pants (the matching pattern!) and how she got her cape to practically cascade off her shoulders. But even more impressive, perhaps, was how well she sold it on the runway. Her confidence was clear in her response to critiques, and it was earned: this was a breakout moment for Luxx. She’s a real threat in this competition; watch out for her.
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