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RuPaul_season10.jpg

Let's Talk 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 10, Episode 1: 10s Across The Board

By Kristy Puchko | TV | March 23, 2018 |

By Kristy Puchko | TV | March 23, 2018 |

RuPaul_season10.jpg

Last night, RuPaul’s Drag Race’s tenth season kicked off on VH1. And it was a star-studded affair not only boasting winners and fan favorite queens from past seasons but also a pop princess as part of a farrahcious fakeout!

Spoilers ahead.


Things kicked off with a round of introductions that included a bunch of queens from New York, home season nine winner Sasha Velour. Then the competition began with a ball, throwing these newly minted Drag Racers onto a runway to impress the likes of Bob The Drag Queen, Kim Chi, Trixie Mattel, and Jinkx Monsoon, who got slapped in the face!

For the main challenge, Ru went back to season one’s roots, daring the queens to create high-fashion looks out of cheap materials, like shower curtains, beach balls, and straw hats. Because you know a true queen can turn one man’s trash into a diva’s divineness.

Let’s dive in with a rundown of the season 10 queens.

Eureka is a returning queen, who busted her knee while giving her all on season nine. She entered the workroom as a phoenix, which in most instances would be a solid look born from a metaphor of rises from the ashes of her injury and all that. But between Kennedy Davenport’s notorious glitter chicken and Ben Affleck’s infamous back tattoo, the Phoenix look needs to die and stay dead. Stil, she did well on the runway, and managed a super sweet dress for the mainstage challenge. Both landed her squarely in safe.

Asia O’Hara is a pageant queen from Texas, who worked that fringe on the runway looking like Mary J. Blige. Then in the main challenge, she festooned herself with party supplies. Which was enough to be safe, but not stand out.

Miz Cracker (formerly Brianna Cracker) is a comedy queen out of Harlem, which I guess she thinks makes her face-cracking name edgy instead of offensive? The drag daughter of Bob the Drag Queen impressed the judges, and came in top three with her dollar store couture. But producers are spoiling for a fight between her and rival NY queen Aquaria. Could this be season 10’s Alyssa versus Coco? Ugh. I hope not. I watch this show to be inspired and uplifted, not for the back(rolls) biting meanness of other reality tv competitions.

Aquaria is a NY queen with a great reputation. But it’ll take more than that to stand out on Drag Race, especially when Miz Cracker and she are sharing faces. Her biggest moments in the opening ep were accusing Miz of stealing her look, and slapping Jinx in the face by accident.

When it came to the main challenge, Aquaria’s bawdy Bo Peep landed her squarely in safe.

Another New York queen, Yuhua Hamasaki came into the workroom looking flawless and serving wit along with face. And despite doing an uninspired caution-tape design, she made it into the top three. The judges love a fishy queen. But it’s frustrating to see Kalorie get read over her money dress while Yuhua’s wearing a look that’s been better executed on Lady Gaga and iZombie.

Also on the top was Broadway gaby Blair St. Clair, who looks like a CW ingenue in drag and a Boy Scout out of it. This 22-year-old Indiana queen came to slay, and battled being starstruck to go balls to the wall, and then impressed the judges with her posh outfit of windshield visors and garbage bags.

Bronx queen Monét X Change won my heart the moment she broke out her Rosie the Riveter fantasy. Then this working girl won the first challenge bringing death drops, comedy, and bravura to that runway.

Then she tried to clean up the competition with her sponge dress. But the judges deemed it safe.

Kameron Michaels won no prizes this round, except for hands down hottest guy out of drag. This self-proclaimed “muscle queen” is all about going from buff and macho to femme fish. The transformation is amazing. But am I alone in being underwhelmed by her actual drag look?

Watch out for this California queen! Mayhem Miller is drag fam with past standouts like Morgan Michaels, Detox Icunt, and Delta Work. And after years of auditioning for Drag Race, she’s living for her moment. SHE DID A CARTWHEEL IN A GOWN.

Then, this glamor girl turned latex gloves and garbage bags into the ep-winning look. And look all respect for her ball turnout. The mainstage look was cute. But again: How you going to read Kalorie for unoriginality when Chi Chi and Alaska made garbage bag eleganza for their big entrances!

Let’s talk about Kalorie Karbdashian Williams. Yes, her money dress was basic, and committed the crime of hiding her thick and juicy stems and booty from the judges. Yes, other queens have done the money dress look far more successfully before her. While that dumb dress got her in the bottom two, Kalorie’s charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent ripped her out of danger. And when she reached deep down into herself to not only pull out not only a killer lip sync, but also an explosion of cash?

She made it rain. Both on the stage and on my face. I teared up y’all.

Dusty Ray Bottoms name proved prophetic. This NY queen ended up in the bottom three with her weak look. And Michelle Visage was not feeling this queen’s signature dotted face. She better bring it next week. Because her “scary Bradshaw” schtick is already wearing thin.

Monique Heart came in living a glittery disco number that wasn’t that memorable. But am I alone in thinking she had that main challenge in the bag? She built a wig!

Frankly, I think it was a crime that her Queen of Hearts look didn’t win the main challenge. This look made my heart beat so hard I’m counting it as my cardio for the day.



The Vixen is from Chicago, bitch. Besides being into crafting kooky looks out of foam and pool noodles, she’s a practioner of drag magic. How else do you explain the somersault she did in that ball that didn’t even topple her bullhorns?

Representing from the House of Mateo, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo is the drag daughter of the ever effervescent Alexis Mateo, of season 3 and All-Stars 1. (BAM!) But though she’s spirited, Vanessa took her cheap materials and turned herself into a big pink ball of fake flowers and knock-off barbies. There is no universe in which that look was going to impress the judges. And when it came to the lip sync, Vanessa tripped herself up literally! She stumbled on that big pink tulle and seemed distracted. Meanwhile, Kalorie was twerking to the gawds, and showing a tuck so tight that Carson Kressley was agog and downright confused.

In the end, season 10 began with a bam, and looks like it could be one of the most thrilling yet.


Kristy Puchko is the film editor of Pajiba. You can follow her on Twitter.


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