With RuPaul’s Drag Race bringing back their Rate-a-Queen system for season 17, Billboard decided to rate each of the new queens every week based on their performance. Below, we take a look at the emotional makeover challenge to see which queens became proud drag parents to their proud real parents. Spoilers ahead for episode 13.
It is a time-honored tradition on RuPaul’s Drag Race to have the queens put someone else in drag. The show has given us dozens of different permutations of this challenge — queens have made over veterans. athletes, members of the Pit Crew, even other eliminated queens.
But in the latest episode of the franchise (aired Friday, March 28), Drag Race decided to go for the emotional jugular, having the remaining contestants make over members of their actual family into members of their drag family. Reuniting with their moms or dads, the contestants put together a look, painted their parent’s faces and presented them on the runway for the judges, all while showing their family what it’s actually like to be a drag artist.
Much has been made over the year’s about Drag Race‘s attempts at sentimentality — fans and former contestants regularly make fun of RuPaul asking the contestants what they would say to their younger selves at the end of the competition. But this episode highlights what a subversive phenomenon Drag Race still is today. What other episode of modern television shows a trans drag performer working through a rocky relationship with her mother, a work-in-progress who is trying to be better after kicking her child out of the house? Given the combative and horrific political climate we find ourselves in today, this episode of Drag Race feels like a breath of fresh air.
Now, for the results: after winding up in the bottom the week prior, Sam Star took home her third challenge win for transforming her mother into Sassy Star. Frontrunner Onya Nurve and underdog Jewels Sparkles, meanwhile, wound up in the bottom for their makeovers of their dads. Lip synching to Amerie’s “1 Thing,” the duo delivered a stunning performance — so stunning, that RuPaul decided no one would be going home this week.
Below, Billboard takes a look back at episode 13 and ranks where our remaining contestants lie based on this episode and the season as a whole:
Jewels Sparkles
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV
Jewels was in a tough spot this week — as the only queen with fewer than two wins, she was being viewed by her competitors as the weakest link. Unfortunately, she proved the other queens right in the challenge; compared to the other queens’ makeover transformations, Jewels and Salchicha failed to light up the main stage with a look that seemed basic by comparison. With her excellent performance in the lip sync, we’re thrilled to see her hanging on for one more week — but when it comes down to it, she would likely need to win the next challenge in order to stay competitive for the crown.
Last Week’s Ranking: No. 5
Track Record:
Wins: 1
High Placements: 3
Safe Placements: 5
Low Placements: 1
Bottom Placements: 2
Lexi Love
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV
What a week to be Lexi Love — not only was she the catalyst for one of the most heartwarming moments of trans representation that I can think of in recent television history, but she also looked truly fabulous while doing it. It became clear that she wouldn’t be in the bottom this episode as the judges offered their critiques — even if she and Mimi Lovely didn’t quite match, they were still close enough to earn a pass for this week. Lexi is still on the knife’s edge when it comes to that last finale slot, though — the numbers might not be in her favor, but the judges’ love for her could very well send her to the end.
Last Week’s Ranking: No. 2
Track Record:
Wins: 2
High Placements: 2
Safe Placements: 6
Low Placements: 2
Onya Nurve
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV
Did Onya Nurve deserve to be in the bottom two this week? For sure: Her and Nunya Bidness’ family resemblance was lacking, the outfits were a little sloppy and the performance just wasn’t quite up to par. Was there ever any chance that she would go home this episode? Absolutely not. Track records are not everything, but four wins before her first visit to the bottom meant that Onya was the queen to beat in this competition. One slight misstep in the contest hasn’t really changed that fact, it’s just given the other girls a shot at those other finale positions.
Last Week’s Ranking: No. 1
Track Record:
Wins: 4
High Placements: 3
Safe Placements: 3
Low Placements: 1
Bottom Placements: 1
Suzie Toot
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV
Suzie Toot excels when she’s being underestimated, a fact that came very much in handy for her this week. Her decision to present herself and Queenie as escaped cartoon characters was a bold risk that her competitors continually called out. But it paid off — the look was spot-on, the resemblance was perfect, and Suzie proved exactly why the judges are continually impressed by her in this competition. Barring disaster in the final competitive episode, Suzie seems like a lock for the finale.
Last Week’s Ranking: No. 3
Track Record:
Wins: 2
High Placements: 4
Safe Placements: 6
Sam Star
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV
From storyline to performance to execution, Sam Star simply had everything going for her this last week. After her first visit to the bottom, the queen lit a fire and made sure that she and her mom were the cream of the crop this week. The outfits and makeup on Sam and Sassy were pitch-perfect, the delivery of an outfit reveal was excellent, and her mom’s entire performance on the runway was everything you would want for this challenge and more. There’s no doubt that Sam Star is making it to the final round of this competition, and this week, she proved it yet again.
