Welcome to Canada’s Drag Race Power Rankings! Every week, we’ll debrief the week’s new episode of Canada’s Drag Race Season 3 to determine which queens are riding high, and which need she-mergency care. A lip sync challenge revealed which of the Season 3 queens will be able to hold their own when their backs are against the wall.
10. Chelazon Leroux (last week: 2)—ELIMINATED
This is a bummer, considering how much I enjoyed Chelazon last week, but I actually agreed with Hollywood Jade. Chelazon shot herself in the foot by offering up a disclaimer at the start of critiques—I think it was even odds that Kaos had to lip sync instead of her before she did that. A huge part of drag is confidence, and if you’re undermining yourself, you’re already at a disadvantage. Combined with a nude illusion that didn’t match her skin tone, and a Lip Sync for Your Life that lacked energy, Chelazon’s elimination was sadly all too clear.
9. Miss Fiercalicious (last week: 3)
I hate to keep sounding conspiratorial in these rankings, but y’all, Fierce isn’t going anywhere. To her credit, she did deliver the better Lip Sync for Your Life this week, and thus deserved to stay despite what I personally thought was the worst challenge performance of the week. (She did truly gag me with that Revealiana look, though. Coming for my Eve 6000 stan card!) But more important is that once again, Fierce was central to the drama of the week, getting angry with Vivian Vanderpuss for assigning her a song that she and Bombae did not want. Gisèle Lullaby promptly took no prisoners with her, demanding a better apology on Vivian’s behalf, and Fierce gave … about an inch in response. She’s just the most entertaining member of the cast this side of Kimmy Couture, guys. The producers aren’t parting with her unless they absolutely have to.
8. Kaos (last week: 8)
I think Kaos owes a great debt to Chelazon this week. Her lip sync was stronger in my eyes, but it sounds like the judges didn’t agree, and actually thought they were pretty split. They also really didn’t like her runway, and on that I agree with them: it was too many pieces of reveals for looks that weren’t all that interesting. Kaos had a really strong first week in this competition, but she seems to be losing her momentum. Could another design challenge be what she needs to stabilize in this game?
7. Bombae (last week: 7)
I think if she’d been with a different partner, Bombae could’ve actually won this week. Her commitment to the performance by fully falling across the stage impressed the judges, and her sharp pigtail runway look was one of my favourites of the week. I’m a little worried that Bombae isn’t getting the credit she deserves—I’d have put her in the top in Episode 1 when she was just safe, and she was technically part of the low-scoring group this week. These early weeks are crucial on Drag Race; it’s exceedingly rare that someone wins the whole season without at least a few high-scoring placements, if not a win, in the first half of the competition. Bombae needs a breakout moment, and soon.
6. Gisèle Lullaby (last week: 6)
Honestly, I liked Gisèle’s runway and performance well enough this week, but can we talk about that moment in the workroom? I personally found it fascinating just how fired up she got with Fierce on Vivian’s behalf. I took Gisèle at first as a Rita Baga type, and not just because of their shared Qubeçois background; her floating-above-the-fray reminded me of the Season 1 runner-up. But this? This is very interesting, and could make Gisèle a compelling character down the road. Now she just needs a standout challenge performance to support her arc.
5. Vivian Vanderpuss (last week: 4)
I remain impressed with Vivian, who is consistently rating just above her pal Gisèle in the middle of the pack. She could use a challenge like Snatch Game to really show off her comedic chops and separate from the pack. Both on the runway and in the challenge this week, she was quite good, and she got the mini-challenge win to boost her fortunes. I have high hopes for Vivian in the next two-thirds of this season.
4. Lady Boom Boom (last week: 5)
Of the top four this week, Lady Boom Boom’s performance was my least favourite—and she was still pretty good! She just had the misfortune of performing next to Kimmy Couture, who was sharper on all her movements. However, Boom Boom perhaps had my favourite runway of the week, an absurd take on high fashion with the most ridiculously elongated sleeves. Tripping over them on her way out was such a great moment of presentation, too. Keep an eye out for those this season: Brooke Lynn Hytes really likes a little something extra on the runway from her queens.
3. Kimmy Couture (last week: 1)
After a surprisingly strong week last week, Kimmy continued to impress, and demonstrated that on her own, she may be the best lip syncer of this lot. I would not want to face off against her in a LSFYL, to say the least. However, considering this was a team challenge, I actually think her overshadowing Boom Boom was not to their benefit. Still, she did a great job, and added another high-scoring placement to her report card. Good work, Kimmy!
2. Irma Gerd (last week: 9)
Well, okay, Irma! I have been slow to warm to the season’s self-described comedy queen, but she and Jada Shada Hudson both killed it this week. I think this grouping provides a good lesson for Drag Race competitors: it’s often a less ideal partner who can produce the best results. Because Irma and Jada had different strengths they could bring to the table, their collaboration was so much richer. And on the runway, Irma’s jellyfish look was pretty cute! A strong runner-up finish for Irma this week.
1. Jada Shada Hudson (last week: 10)
From the ashes of the bottom two, Jada rises to the top! This was a terrific week for the Toronto queen, rebounding from nearly going home in terrific fashion. I was absolutely obsessed with her watch-sleeve runway jacket, and will be ordering one for myself immediately. And in the challenge, playing up the contrasts in her and Irma’s twerking skills was a masterful choice. Good on her for taking Brooke Lynn’s hint about finding time to stand out, too. Knowing when to key into advice like that is big, and I think it will serve Jada well far into this competition.
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