Welcome to Canada’s Drag Race Power Rankings! Every Friday, 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 design challenge with shared materials puts all the queens on the same playing field—and demonstrates to us who has the best fashion instincts.
9. Kaos (last week: 8)—ELIMINATED
Though she did well in the first design challenge, I’ll admit I didn’t have high hopes for Kaos coming into this one. For one, her edit has significantly deteriorated since the premiere, and she easily could’ve been lip syncing last week. For another, Kaos’s strength in that first challenge was in reinventing a design she already made. This time around, with the same materials as before, Kaos reverted to old habits. I admire that she did something interesting in terms of the fabric, but the silhouette was so similar to her first design challenge look. And what’s worse, it looked really stiff as it moved. A shame to see her go, especially right after Chelazon Leroux, but I can’t disagree with the result.
8. Jada Shada Hudson (last week: 1)
Man, it’s a roller coaster with Jada, isn’t it? She was actually in the top for her first design challenge entry, and won the maxi-challenge just last week. But this week marks her second time in the bottom two in just four episodes, and that is a rough track record for a queen. We’ve seen queens get to the end with such records before—think of Raven lip syncing in two of the first three episodes way back in Season 2—but it’s grown increasingly difficult to shake off an early impression that you’re a bottom-dweller. Sadly, I think Jada’s actual design look may stick even more in the memory: it was by far the worst, and only thanks to Jada’s terrific lip syncing skills did she stick around this week. I’m hopeful this is her last trip to the bottom, because I’m not sure she could survive another.
7. Irma Gerd (last week: 2)
After a strong performance in the last episode, Irma took a hard fall back into the bottom three with this clown-inspired drag look. Jimbo really roasted her for taking inspiration from a lot of Season 1 looks, but I’m not sure how much I care about that. Not every hoop skirt is a reference to Jimbo’s hoop skirt, and the colours were literally assigned to Irma. No, the bigger issues with this look were about both the concept and execution. Going for a circus concept could be cute, but this was a mess. I don’t think she deserved to be in the bottom two, but I do think Irma needs a smash performance in the Snatch Game to keep afloat for the rest of the season.
6. Vivian Vanderpuss (last week: 5)
Like Irma, Vivian’s success or failure in this competition is probably going to come down to how she does in Snatch Game. They’re both comedy-leaning queens, and that improv challenge is a real make-or-break moment for that archetype. Of the two, I think I give Vivian the edge: she’s been funnier consistently, and she hasn’t fallen into the bottom three yet. I am worried that we’re almost half a season in and we know so little about Vivian, though. When is she going to get her moment in the spotlight?
5. Miss Fiercalicious (last week: 9)
Fierce continues to be a major character in the season without delivering the performances to back that up. Credit where it’s due: I actually did really like her runway garment this week. I thought it was kind of expected when she first turned the corner, but further inspection revealed just how well made it was. It felt like something Krystal Versace might make for a design challenge, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. Still, until Fierce’s output in the challenges starts to match her output in the design department, I’ll still be looking askance at her continued prominent presence in the edit.
4. Lady Boom Boom (last week: 4)
There’s not a lot of attention put on it, but it’s kinda tough that Boom Boom went from winning the first design challenge to just a safe placement on this one, yeah? Especially since the judges didn’t seem all that hot on Bombae’s or Kimmy Couture’s looks, for separate reasons (which we’ll get into in their write-ups). I personally preferred Bombae’s to Boom Boom’s, but would’ve elevated the Québécois queen over Kimmy. Yes, calling the look in any way “Carrie Bradshaw”-inspired was silly, but the baby doll dress was super cute. More to the point, it was a real design in a design challenge. Robbed of a top three spot, I’d say.
3. Bombae (last week: 7)
Bombae’s top placement feels a bit soft, considering the judges had a variety of critiques for her. I wildly disagree with their assessment that the reveal was unnecessary—or even comedic, as Jimbo suggested—because I don’t think the jumpsuit and Storm-inspired hair and makeup are enough without some drama. I figured Brooke Lynn Hytes would respond to the reveal, considering it was very reminiscent in action to her iconic Season 11 post-Snatch Game runway look! Alas, Bombae’s first high-scoring placement was asterisked, making it clear she wasn’t really in contention for the win. A bummer; she was my second favourite this week.
2. Kimmy Couture (last week: 3)
I’ll be honest: Kimmy getting a top-scoring placement this week is a little suspect to me. Brooke Lynn specifically called out that Kimmy’s look was similar to her sun goddess runway from two weeks back, and yet she still was conceivably in contention for the win. Kaos was sent home for making something too similar in silhouette to her first design challenge look! Why the inconsistent standard? It’s for that reason that I’m ultimately very happy Kimmy does not win. I get that the judges may just be fully charmed by Kimmy—I certainly am! Her calling her garment “Disco Cher” plus “I have no freaking idea, but it’s a beautiful skirt”? I was cackling! She knows how to sell a garment! But the winner was far and away the best this week.
1. Gisèle Lullaby (last week: 6)
A huge congrats to Gisèle on one of the most deserved design challenge wins in … years? Certainly since A’Whora’s lockdown superhero look from UK Season 2. This was absolutely terrific, and I understand why the judges were actually taken aback at how much work she got done. This was a really high-calibre garment to produce in this challenge, and it was honestly a little embarrassing for all the other queens that Gisèle so thoroughly blew them out of the water with the same fabrics. That speaks to a real editorial eye, and I think that’ll serve her well throughout the competition. A more-than-deserved first maxi-challenge win for Gisèle—welcome to the frontrunners’ circle, queen!
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