‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 17 Power Rankings: Episode 5 — Live From the Main Stage, It’s RDR!

Were it not for a last-minute save via the Badonka Dunk Tank, Arrietty would have been sent packing this week — and we can’t say Ru was wrong for making that call. The queen’s runway look was impeccable, but everything else about her performance just fell flat this week. Her caveman character was both too big and too boring, and her performance in the lip sync fell apart at the seams once Lydia really started picking up steam. I defended Arrietty against Michelle’s makeup critiques last week, but after episode 5, I cannot offer the same solace. This queen is in serious danger of getting the chop sooner rather than later, and if she wants to stay in the competition, then it’s time for her to stop complaining about her placements and pull it together in the challenges. In the words of Latrice Royale: Good God, get a grip, girl.

Last Week’s Placement: No. 7

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Yes, I know, Lana Ja’Rae was not in the bottom this week, so what on Earth is she doing in the second to last position? Between a top-tier lip sync performance from Lydia B Kollins (more on that in a bit) and another boring week for Ms. Ja’Rae, I’m convinced that this queen’s time on the show is quickly coming to an end. It has become increasingly clear that Lana was focused almost solely on the fashion side of drag during her run on Drag Race — and it shows, she’s worn some lovely outfits on the show! But every time she’s given an opportunity to show what she’s made of in the main challenges, she just doesn’t follow through.

Given the opportunity to nail the punchline of the caveman sketch in this week’s challenge, Lana … put on a breast plate and did a kind-of-okay valley girl voice. We need to see a big swing from this queen if she’s going to stick around — I just hope for her sake she doesn’t whiff.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 10

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Remember what I said about taking big swings? That’s what Lydia did for two-thirds of this episode, and I appreciate a risky performance. When it came to the challenge, Ms. Kollins was very bad, completely failing at embodying Sophia from Golden Girls, a mortal sin in the eyes of one RuPaul Charles.

But when she hit the runway in that phallic getup, my jaw hit the floor. There is the Lydia B Kollins that we were promised at the outset of this season. Cut forward to the queen’s lip sync, and I was in awe of Lydia’s ability to command the stage and Ru’s attention for all two-and-a-half minutes of this performance. She didn’t just beat Arrietty here, she demolished her in such a way that there was no question once it was over who was leaving. Sometimes, landing in the bottom two can be the best thing to happen to a Drag Race queen — and I’m betting that Lydia’s going to put the pedal to the metal in the episodes to come.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 9

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Kori King needed a safe week badly after winding up in the bottom last week. Her look on the runway was forgettable but fine. Her performance as a homosapien-hating cavewoman wasn’t great, but when compared to Arrietty’s, it appeared Oscar-worthy. All in all, Kori’s week was defined by RuPaul’s bone-chilling proclamation from season 11: “Meh.” It still feels like there’s plenty more that Kori can do — I’m just confused as to why she’s not doing it yet.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 12

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Being paired with Lydia B Kollins in this week’s challenge proved to be a boon for Acaica Forgot — because had her partner not been so bad, I’m afraid we might have forgotten this performance. Her interpretation of a Blanche Devereaux-inspired cougar, while a solid impression of Rue McClanahan, felt pretty one note for most of the sketch. Her runway look, meanwhile, looked like it could have used a lot of help.

Often, the goal on Drag Race is to do better than at least two of the other contestants every week — and for the last few weeks, Acacia has managed to do just that. But pretty soon, she’ll have run out of girls to beat by a hair each week, meaning Ms. Forgot needs to remember to amp it up in the weeks to come.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 8

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If we’re spilling tea, then I have to say … I really don’t understand why Sam was put amongst the low queens this week. In the “Schweatty Balls” parody, it felt like Sam was mostly matching the energy of her co-stars Jewels and Hormona. Sure, her choice of character voice felt odd, but it worked better than a few of the girls’ choices lower down on this list. Meanwhile, her runway was yet another home run in the judges’ eyes, making it immediately apparent that she would not wind up in the bottom two. Maybe the judges just wanted to add some drama this week, or maybe they really were that unenthused by Sam’s performance — either way, we don’t see this week having a whole lot of long term effects on her path to the finale.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 4

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As CeCe Peniston famously declared: “Finally!” Ever since she sauntered into the work room in episode one, Hormona Lisa has talked and talked about being hand-chosen by RuPaul — but when it’s come time for the challenges, the queen has never quite shown us why Ru picked her. This week, it felt like the veil was finally lifted and we got to see what Hormona is actually capable of. Her riff on Ana Gasteyer’s iconic NPR host character Margaret Jo McCullen was spot-on, her mannerisms felt perfectly suited for the sketch and her runway was absolutely gorgeous. It’ll take more than one good week for Hormona to make it to the upper echelons of this list, but this is certainly an excellent start.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 9

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Crystal may not have been the strongest in her Weekend Update-themed sketch, but there is no denying that the queen performed well this week. She held her own in the anchor chair alongside Lexi Love and Suzie Toot, and her popped-bubblegum runway look was absolutely killer. After a strong week, Crystal is continuing to prove why she is a quiet force to be reckoned with in this competition — the smartest queens in this competition will know to keep an eye on Ms. Envy.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 3

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I understand that Hormona had a very good week, and I’m happy that she finally got her flowers from the judges. But damn it, I thought Jewels was getting at least high placement this week! Her scenework in the sketch was very good, her ridiculous Australian accent as the “beaverologist” was the definition of “more is more” and her My Fair Lady-inspired runway look was absolutely phenomenal. The judges keep sleeping on Jewels, and I don’t see a world where that continues — she’s scoring that challenge win, and it’s going to happen sooner rather than later.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 6

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Lexi Love had a very hard job in this week’s challenge. As we saw with Lydia’s less-than-stellar performance, playing the “straight man” in a heightened comedy scene is a delicate balance for performers. But to her credit, Lexi did an excellent job bouncing off of Suzie Toot’s unhinged babysitter character for their news segment, keeping the scene grounded and well-established. On the runway, her hot pink presentation was completely different from everyone else’s — even if she didn’t manage to stand out to the judges, Lexi proved that she is a very strong contender yet again this week.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 4

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Momentum is a key component to success on Drag Race, and Onya Nerve is moving full speed ahead. She’s been in the top three for the last three weeks straight, and she shows no signs of losing steam. Onya pulled double duty in the challenge, both as the show’s host and as the leader of the neanderthal tribe in the caveman sketch, and she nailed both of her parts. As the host, Ms. Nerve oozed charm and energy, while her prehistoric city counselor stole the entire scene. Her runway look was well-constructed and wowed the judges, meaning that Onya yet again proved just how versatile a queen she can be.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 1

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Ladies, gentlemen, non-binary friends, we at last have our frontrunner for season 17. Suzie has excelled at every challenge she’s been in (yes, even in the design challenge where she was merely safe felt like a big win for the campy queen), and is officially the first queen of the season to earn a second challenge win. RuPaul doesn’t hand out second wins lightly on this show — and usually, when a queen keeps winning this early in the competition, it’s a good indicator that she’s headed to the finale. The other girls made it clear that they are upset about Suzie’s ascendance during Untucked this week — I would be upset, too, if I saw my competitor rising to the top of the competition with nothing but ease this early in the game.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 3

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