‘Canada’s Drag Race’ Season 5, Episode 5 recap: Here comes the sunshine

Drag Race in the ’90s? Ugh, as if! While RuPaul was burning up the charts with “Supermodel (You Better Work)” in the early 1990s, his drag TV empire wouldn’t come into focus until a decade and a half later, with the late-aughts launch of RuPaul’s Drag Race. So while it might be way harsh to think about, we’ll never get the chance to see what a grungy take on TV’s best reality competition might look like … or will we?

This week, Canada’s Drag Race leans into a stylized special presentation for “The One Where They Went ’90s,” an episode that serves as tribute to the decade I was born in. There’s a special intro that looks like it’s being played on a VCR, new graphics and lower-thirds to reflect the throwback style and a maxi-challenge that tasks the girls with making ’90s-style bops in girl groups. Combined with a Grunge and Glamour runway prompt, and the end result is one of the most on-theme episodes of Drag Race we’ve ever seen.

Like with the Brooke Lynn Hytes special in Season 4, which featured a Rusical inspired by her life and an Always the Bridesmaid runway lampshading her runner-up status on Season 11 (with Brooke herself finally dressed as the bride, naturally), I really admire how thoughtful this whole presentation is. While there are definitely stand-out episodes of Drag Race, the usual structure of each is so similar that they can blend together. It’s fun to think about how, even if the general form of the episode is the same, Drag Race installments can be made to feel like their own special package. I’ll always remember “The One Where They Went ’90s” because the production team did so much to make it memorable.

Unfortunately, I’ll also remember it because it marks the elimination of a fan favourite queen. I’ll admit, I did not see this one coming. While Jaylene Tyme did struggle in the Lip Sync Slay-Offs, indicating potential future trouble in performance challenges, she’s been such a star that it became hard to imagine Canada’s Drag Race Season 5 without her. But we must now not only imagine it, but live it for the rest of the season, because after losing a lip sync to Xana, she’s been sent home.

Honestly, despite the bummer ending, very little in this episode is surprising. From the moment the queens are told to pick teams for the challenge, everyone is aware of how things will go down. Makayla Couture and The Virgo Queen immediately launch for each other, while Perla suggests that the two musical powerhouses split up. They have no interest in doing that; Perla, who’s a great deal smarter than your average Drag Race contestant, immediately abandons her team and joins theirs. “Literally, if you can’t beat them, join them,” she says in a confessional.

Xana rounds out their group, calling themselves VMXP after their initials. That leaves Uma Gahd, Minhi Wang, Jaylene Tyme and Helena Poison as the other team, the Backdoor Girls. The only intrigue is about song selection: Uma and her team briefly consider giving the more upbeat and positive song, “Duh,” to the other team in hopes that their personal vibes will clash with the music. But once they instead give them “Not,” which Traci Melchor describes as an “attitude-filled anthem throwing shade at a frenemy,” it’s all sealed up.

Let’s talk about “Not” and VMXP. Though the Backdoor Girls go first, it’s this team that makes the impression. There are three genuinely great performances on this team: Perla goes for a kind of campy take on spook that plays very well, and follows it up with what might be her most gorgeous runway yet for the Grunge and Glamour category. Makayla’s verse is fantastic, and while I wish she hadn’t had her back turned to the camera for a bit of the verse to execute her stunt, she’s overall still very strong. Virgo’s the best of the lot, with a killer verse, an excellent vocal performance and fierce, fluid dancing that showcases what a superstar she is. Both she and Makayla turn out gorgeous denim looks on the runway, but Makayla’s Lil’ Kim-inspired outfit is a masterpiece. Honestly, a double win would be deserved—though it’s mechanically impossible with the Golden Beaver.

Xana is the clear standout of VMXP for all the wrong reasons. She is off-beat throughout the performance, and most bafflingly, despite being clearly told in the recording session that her verse lacks musicality and rhythm, she still produces a verse that is allergic to tone and meter. She is, to put it bluntly, outclassed by her teammates, and this is the second time in which she’s failed at a challenge that should be tailored to her strengths as a lip sync performer. Xana talks a big game, but I’m increasingly frustrated that she is unable to back it up when she hits the main stage.

Because the judges ultimately decide not to simply declare one group the winning team, this leaves Xana vulnerable in the bottom three, while all her teammates comprise the top three. (This is basically the inverse of last season’s girl groups challenge, which featured three of the losing Vixens in the bottom, but only two of the Love Bugs in the top—accompanied by a fourth Vixen, Aimee Yoncé Shennel. Xana is joined by Jaylene and Helena from the Backdoor Girls after their performance of “Duh,” while Minhi and Uma are safe. Uma’s more deserving of this status than Minhi: her performance is excellent, and rivals Perla for that third spot in the top. Minhi, meanwhile, is okay, but she mostly gets by because the other two make more visible mistakes.

During the group’s choreography session, Helena foreshadows what will ultimately trip her up in this episode: because they have to dance in pairs, Helena is relying on Jaylene to keep up with her. While Jaylene certainly tries her best, she lags behind the pack in terms of confidence in her movement on stage. Helena, being a good partner, works hard to keep pace with Jaylene, but she can’t help but read as muted and nervous in her movements as a result. Helena says in confessional she wouldn’t do anything different, helping her sister is more important, which is a very noble thing to say. Unfortunately, it doesn’t keep her out of danger.

There’s an underlying feeling when it comes to dissecting whether Jaylene will make it through this episode: if she survives this one, she probably makes it to the finale. There could be a Rusical coming, but that would likely mean five challenges with a music performance component to it this season (the music video in the premiere, the Lip Sync Slay-Offs, the girl groups, the Rusical and the remix or original songs in the finale). And there are only nine episodes! In these next three weeks, I’d say we’re far more likely to get a makeover challenge, a roast, even potentially another acting challenge. Plus, there’s that design-for-Brooke challenge that was teased in the season’s trailer. So if Jaylene can get through this one, she might be golden to make it all the way.

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This, among other things, is what makes our challenge winner’s decision with the Golden Beaver so difficult. This time around, it’s Makayla making that choice, as Icesis Couture’s daughter picks up her first maxi-challenge win of the season (earning $5,000 in the process). She’s got a great relationship with Jaylene, calling her a “trans icon” in a confessional, but saving her would definitely be the heart pick. Virgo already did that two weeks ago, so it’s hard to argue for saving Jaylene once again.

Xana has also been saved once with the Golden Beaver, but she is also on Makayla’s team this week. There’s an argument for keeping her safe in solidarity, but as I’ll talk about further in the final thoughts, there’s something clearly going on between the two of them. Finally, Helena is probably the smartest choice: considering Makayla herself was just saved by Minhi last week based on track record, Makayla should probably keep those good vibes rolling.

In the end, and while nearly explicitly confirming this is to keep the queens on her good side, Makayla does save Helena. This leaves Xana and Jaylene to battle it out to Love Inc.’s “Here Comes the Sunshine.” A 2000 club classic like this is about as close to a fair shot as Jaylene is going to have in a lip sync, but unfortunately, Xana just clearly outperforms her. Credit to Xana: this is her best performance so far this season, partially because she gives up on stunts and just really feels the music. Xana shantays to safety, leaving Jaylene to sashay away.

It hurts to see Jaylene go, considering what a star she’s been all season long. But Canada’s Drag Race actually specializes in heartbreaking mid-season eliminations: Kiara, Synthia Kiss, Lady Boom Boom, Kitten Kaboodle and now Jaylene. Honestly, give us Canada’s Drag Race: Canada’s Iconic Mid-Season Boots vs. The World. I’d watch the hell out of it. Until then, I’ll keep the memories of Jaylene in this competition close—there’s really never been anyone quite like her on Drag Race.

Untucking our final thoughts

✨ Minhi admits in the cold open that saving Makayla last week was not strategic, it was about saving who was most deserving. However, I actually do think it had some incidental strategic benefit. By setting the tone that track record would trump all else, Minhi gave Makayla the reasoning she needed to not save Jaylene this week. Had Jaylene stuck around, I do think she likely makes the finale—which is one fewer spot Minhi could take instead. I don’t think this was Minhi’s intention, but it’s interesting to track how Beaver decisions have domino effects.

✨ Virgo admits she feels a bit freer with Sanjina Dabish Queen sent home, saying that while she’ll miss her daughter, she doesn’t have to be a role model for anyone anymore, and is ready to win and fuck shit up. That’s a super interesting dynamic I hadn’t thought of before: when your focus is split, you can’t commit to the competition the way you might otherwise. If Virgo’s performance this week is any indication, she is now fully committed.

✨ I am on high alert for this Makayla/Xana feud that we have brewing. Now two weeks in a row we’ve had Makayla shading Xana in confessional, which means we’re building to … something between them. We still don’t know what makes Makayla storm out of Mini-Untucked, as seen in the season’s trailer, but maybe we’re getting hints of what’s to come.

✨ We get a mini-challenge this week! It’s a daytime game show “showcase model” audition challenge, hosted by Traci (who seems a bit less stiff reading lines this week, credit where it’s due). The queens audition in pairs, Minhi noting that she and her partner Jaylene were both actually alive in the ’90s. Uma ultimately wins, getting $2,500 for her pleasure and choice of song in the maxi-challenge.

✨ Simone Denny from Love Inc. is our guest judge this week, and she’s genuinely one of the best guest judges CDR has ever had. She’s incredibly involved, from coaching the queens during their recording sessions to being featured on the songs themselves as a vocalist. She’s warm in her demeanor and specific with her advice and critiques, genuinely invested in helping the queens. Superstar showing from a musical legend.

✨ We get a werk room chat about alcohol and sobriety among the queens, in which we learn that half of them are sober. Makayla opens up about an experience that happened in a club even before she appeared on Season 2, in which she was drugged, assaulted and then blamed for drinking by the host. It’s a harrowing story, but it seems to heal something within Makayla to open up about it, and her sisters are incredibly supportive.

✨ Speaking of supportive sisters, you can tell it means a lot to Jaylene to have such a good friend and ally in Makayla. Not only is it meaningful to get the respect and praise from someone younger, but it also gives her great hope for the future. They’ve forged a lovely connection.

✨ Brooke’s look on the runway this week is my favourite from her all season. Not sure if this is a popular take, but I actually have found her fashions this go-around a bit underwhelming compared to recent seasons. Maybe a new stylist? Regardless, this represents a return-to-form for her. Meanwhile, Brad Goreski is dressed in Love Island USA star Rob Rausch’s overalls.

✨ We get a real argument in Mini-Untucked this week! Uma says that she and Minhi believed Virgo was definitely in the top, and Xana and Jaylene in the bottom, but they disagreed about where the other three queens would fall. Minhi thought Perla would be in the bottom, while Uma said it was between Helena and Makayla. This really upsets Makayla, who hasn’t even gotten to announce her win when this conversation happens. When Uma says it wasn’t personal, it was just considering the math of how many could be in the top, Makayla fires back, “Well, I failed math in high school, so I don’t know what to tell you.” Jaylene eventually confirms that Makayla is the winner, which Uma responds to with a simple “Work!” It’s a remarkably tense moment between two queens who, up to that point, hadn’t had any beef. Kinda gaggy!

✨ Xana says she was the Kelly in her group’s performance, meaning Kelly Rowland from Destiny’s Child. Minhi is gagged she didn’t say Michelle Williams instead.

✨ There’s something beautiful about Makayla’s grill fully jumping out of her mouth during her critiques, just before Brooke declares her the winner. She may be a champion, but she’s still a human, too!

✨ If you haven’t yet, I’d love it if you gave my Drag Race year-end essay a read. It’s a bit of a response to my own year-end essay from 2022, when the franchise looked poised to become a global phenomenon. If 2024 taught us everything, it’s that the franchise really does succeed in multiple markets internationally—but that the kind of mega-crossover potential World of Wonder is clearly interested in is still very far away. Perhaps they’ll get closer in 2025?

The next episode of Canada’s Drag Race will be available to stream on Thursday, Dec. 26, at 9 p.m. EST on WOW Presents Plus in the U.S. and on Crave in Canada. You can subscribe to our drag newsletter, Wig!, for exclusive Drag Race content delivered straight to your inbox every month.