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. Miss Fiercalicious got a well-timed win this week, making her look like a far more viable competitor for the crown. But will she be able to maintain her top placement?
7. Bombae (last week: 6)—ELIMINATED
I don’t have a ton more to say about Bombae that I didn’t already mention in the recap—this was an expected result, but it’s no less of a bummer because we knew it was coming. A branding challenge is like a honey trap for queens who get in their own heads, because there’s just so much room to overthink. I do think her Holi look on the runway was my favourite of the week, but I understand why that wasn’t enough to save her. Canada’s Drag Race is one of the more runway-focused versions of the show, but it’s still ancillary if a queen isn’t stepping up in the challenges.
6. Irma Gerd (last week: 2)
I continue to think Irma and Vivian Vanderpuss are competing for the same spot in the final four, and after this week, I think Irma’s definitively losing that battle. I adored her paint-by-numbers runway look, and I was taken aback at how well she was able to do in the Lip Sync for Your Life. But as Irma likes to remind us, she is a comedy queen, and she couldn’t nail the funny in her commercial. More to the point, her feedback—in contrast to Vivian’s—also sent Bombae down a bad road with her commercial. I’m concerned Irma doesn’t have the instincts to keep up in this race, but I’m ready to be surprised by her in the Rusical next week.
5. Gisèle Lullaby (last week: 1)
A notable speed bump in Gisèle’s trajectory after two straight wins, but I’m not that worried about it. Yes, she gave too many jokes and not enough branding in the branding challenge, but that’s kind of a compliment in disguise. “You were too funny!” is not the kind of thing that’s going to make the judges doubt you on Drag Race. And her Picasso runway was super fun and inventive, so she still had a major moment this week. I still think the French-Canadian queen is very much on track to make the finale.
4. Kimmy Couture (last week: 7)
Conversely, I am actively starting to worry about Kimmy’s spot in this competition. She’s so charismatic, and the judges clearly adore her, so maybe I’m sweating over nothing. But as Miss Fiercalicious rises, Kimmy’s starting to fall short of expectations after her strong start this season. The runway this week is what really has me doubting—Kimmy just looked really simple in comparison to everyone else. And the fact that the judging focused so much on that feels like it’s potentially foreshadowing Kimmy’s arc to come. Not a disaster for her by any measure quite yet, but I’m keeping an eye on where this arc goes.
3. Vivian Vanderpuss (last week: 3)
Personally, I didn’t love the “Cat Mom” ad Vivian came up with this week. I think it was just a bit too jokey for me—even more so than Gisèle’s, frankly—and her runway look was one of the less impressive ones of the week. (Although that says more about the overall quality of the category, and less about what was still a cute, reveal-based runway.) You can tell Vivian is frustrated that she doesn’t have a win yet; clock the cut to her disappointed face when Fierce was declared the winner this episode. Because we’re getting such focus on that, and because I do think Vivian is likely making it to the final four, I would place my money on a Vivian Rusical win next week.
2. Jada Shada Hudson (last week: 5)
After this week, I am personally of the mind that Jada is our frontrunner to win the competition. She may not have the two wins that Gisèle does, but we’re getting an edit befitting a season champion with Jada. Her story is about a gorgeous, talented queen who’s learning to believe that she is, and has something significant to say in her drag. Her runway look this week was a great example of that: she looked gorgeous, and she used it to make a statement about colourism. The conversation that followed between her and Traci Melchor was so relevant and riveting, and it felt like the kind of moment we’d look back on after her crowning as a turning point for her in the competition. We’ll see how she does in these last few challenges, but don’t be surprised if we’re looking at Jada in a crown by season’s end.
1. Miss Fiercalicious (last week: 4)
A hearty congratulations to Fierce, who more than deserved her win this week! I was so impressed by just how focused and on message Fierce’s commercial was—as the judges noted, she’s got a real brain for business. Were Ru judging this season, I could see that being the deciding factor for him; he loves a queen who knows her branding. As it stands, I do think Fierce will need to do really well in the final challenges to stand a chance of ultimately winning. Canada’s Drag Race is judged differently, owing to the judges’ personal preferences, and branding isn’t as top of mind for them. (If it were, I think Rita Baga likely would’ve won over Priyanka in Season 1—the “alien actress” brand was a smart one for Rita to unveil at season’s end.) Still, if Fierce has more runway looks like this Rococo one to show, that might be what really wins Brooke Lynn Hytes over. This was just exquisite, and it was a great capper to a terrific week for Fierce. She earned this victory, and this top spot on the power rankings.
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