‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 17 Power Rankings: Episode 3 — Do Not Pass Go, Girl

I’ll say it: Lucky was sent home entirely too soon. No, her garment was not well-made, and yes, her lip sync against Joella to Paula Abdul’s “The Way That You Love Me” got away from her at the end. But damn it, she took a shot! I don’t think her look was the worst of the bunch here (more on that in a moment), and her stellar performance in the premiere pointed to a phenomenal road ahead for the queen.

To say that I’m heartbroken about Lucky’s elimination is an understatement of colossal magnitude, because I saw this queen making it late stages of the competition. But, the Starzzz just did not align this time around. Maybe All Starzzz? I certainly hope so.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 4

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Blood is in the water, and the sharks are circling Joella. After a less-than-stellar first performance in the talent show (where her fellow queens correctly ranked her second-to-last, we found out this week), Joella had a lot to prove this week. But, as has become an all-too-familiar refrain on Drag Race, the L.A. queen doesn’t know how to sew.

Normally, I’m the person who defends non-sewers — the challenge is never to sew, but to design and execute a cohesive garment that looks good on you — but I can’t do that here. Joella’s leotard with a cape was ill-constructed, poorly thought out and just plain boring. She barely skated by in the lip sync (I personally felt like she lost, but it’s RuPaul’s show, not mine), and if she wants another week in the competition, then Joella needs to live up to those delusions she keeps going on about in Untucked.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 12

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I spoke a lot about Kori King’s natural charisma last week. This week, I stand corrected — charisma makes up for a lot, but it doesn’t make up for everything. Kori went into this challenge with a simple stated goal: do better than two other girls so she wouldn’t end up in the bottom. And while she technically succeeded in that regard, it’s worth noting just how close she came to the lip sync; had Lucky decided to go in a more avant-garde direction, Kori could have very easily wound up next to Joelle. Here’s hoping that she’s not hit with another design challenge next week so Kori can make up for some significant lost ground.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 6

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I sincerely thought Acacia was going to wind up in the bottom yet again this week. There’s no denying that her runway couture was well-made — but it certainly did not scream “opulence” to me. That said, Kori edged her out for that low slot in the judges’ estimation, meaning Acacia was safe for another week. If I were her, though, I would be sweating — one bottom placement and one barely-safe week is a less-than-ideal way to start out on Drag Race. There’s still plenty of opportunity for Acacia to shine, so let’s all hope she’s not forgotten next week.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 13

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Within the first two episodes, Lana Ja’Rae introduced herself as our supermodel fashion queen of the season — think Naomi Smalls, Aquaria, Luxx Noir London, etc. Her costumes were sleek and fabulous, her mug was stamped down and her presence was undeniable. So, with a design challenge right off the premiere, Lana was set up for success. Her results here were … fine. Her little red dress, complete with scarf and and dropped shoulders, looked well-constructed on the runway, with just enough jewels encrusted to give it the “opulence” that the judges were looking for.

But — and call me a hater if you must — I expected more from Lana. I get that design challenges are one of the hardest parts of Drag Race, but if you’re going to come in as a self-proclaimed fashion queen, then I want to see that displayed in this challenge. While there’s still plenty of opportunities for Lana to distinguish herself among the contestants, I was hoping this week would be a coup for her.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 10

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Coming out of the double premiere, Hormona Lisa was in trouble (bombing in your first appearance on the show is never a good start to a Drag Race journey). But in episode 3, Hormona managed to claw back a good amount of credibility with her sewing challenge. The “princess goldfish” look, as she called it, was genuinely excellent, well-made and a welcome breath of fresh air from the Tennessee queen.

However, there’s still trouble ahead for Miss Hormona — after Lexi Love caught her and called her out for breaking the rules of the sewing challenge (“cheating” feels a bit strong, in my opinion), Hormona made it clear that she was none too pleased with having to de-stone her outfit. If she gets caught by the judges next time, it could be curtains for this week’s safe queen.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 14

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I personally thought Lydia’s dress deserved more credit this week — the goal of the challenge was “opulence,” and she took that to it’s literal, most maximal conclusion. From the giant fur fascinator to the immaculate detailing on the train, she took the phrase “you own everything” as literally as you can. But I can see why the judges didn’t quite get the vision; it’s a lot to have on one dress, and it’s a similar silhouette to what we’ve already seen her wear. Still, when it came down to the challenge, Lydia more than made up for her less-than-perfect talent show last week — I just hope the judges catch on sooner rather than later.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 11

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After the double premiere, I wrote that I wanted to see Crystal find the “uniqueness” in RuPaul’s winning formula of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. This week, I’m sorry to say it’s still missing. Her Old Hollywood, Norma Desmond-inspired look on the runway was very good, but it’s also something we’ve seen a lot on Drag Race, and something we’ve seen done better by plenty of other queens.

While she seemed a bit, shall we say, miffed about her exclusion from the top three in Untucked, I can’t say I was all that surprised — in a challenge fill of very good, distinct looks, Crystal’s didn’t make nearly as much of an impact as I would have liked. In the wise words of Violet Chachki: “Something else, something else, do my eyebrows, something else.”

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 5

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There we go, Onya. That’s more like it. Regardless of my feelings on this episode’s “Trimgate” — Jewels was right, Onya was wrong — the queen looked great on the main stage. Her outfit may not have been as clean as some of the others we saw on this episode, but she nailed the assignment. From the moment she stepped out on the stage, Onya made it clear that her outfit was dripping in (stolen) jewels, both in its design and (more importantly) through her excellent performance. Selling the garment is a huge part of the design challenge, and no one sold their look better than Miss Nerve this week.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 8

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I sympathized with Jewels this week, and not just because Onya stole her trimming — I told you, Jewels was in the right! The queen’s dress was fabulously constructed and ruched to literal perfection, only to be told that she was safe. Much like with Lydia, I was gagged; I thought Jewels was a strong contender for a high placement this week and was proven wrong almost immediately. That said, even though getting a safe placement after lip syncing for the win is a small let down, let’s not get it twisted; being safe is great on Drag Race. Don’t let one week dim your Sparkles, Jewels. There’s still plenty of road ahead for you.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 3

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After her scene-stealing victory in last week’s episode, Lexi Love spent most of episode 3 riding on the good will she’s already accrued — which, in my estimation, was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Her dress easily landed her in the safe category, with its minimalist style and runway-ready bolt throw. It was far from the worst outfit of the evening, while also not coming near the top spot this week.

Her performance was right in the middle of the pack, which is just about where she needed to be after last week’s domination — any less could have squandered her well-earned status as The Queen to Beat, and any more could have placed expectations just a bit too high. It’s a Goldilocks week for Lexi Love; not too bad, not too good, but just right.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 1

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Much like her fellow premiere winner Lexi Love, Suzie Toot came into episode 3 with a lot of positive vibes to carry her through. The only difference, in fact, from Lexi’s performance was that Suzie’s outfit was just that little bit better. The headpiece she made herself out of plastic was genuinely impressive, her dress looked expensive, and she managed to up the stakes on the main stage for herself. Her look didn’t quite reach the same highs as our two top entries on this week’s list, but it delivered on the Suzie Toot brand yet again while still adhering to the challenge. That’s something the judges are sure to take notice of moving forward.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 2

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What a week for Arrietty. After a solid-if-not-underwhelming introduction two weeks ago, the queen took her sisters’ critiques in stride and pulled out all the stops in her design challenge. Where Lucky was attempting to show some versatility to the judges, Arrietty wildly succeeded. Giving a different, softer take on her signature makeup and crafting a truly sensational runway outfit paid in dividends for the Seattle queen. After I wrote about wanting to see more a dialed in performance from her last week, I am simply thrilled to see Arrietty stepping into her own the very next week.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 9

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In our top slot this week, predictably, is pageant queen Sam Star, who quite frankly blew everyone else out of the water this week. Her showing on last week’s episode, it appears, was just an introduction, while her work on this excellently-created gown was nothing short of extraordinary. From the construction to the concept to the color, every inch of Sam’s outfit was crafted to perfection, making her the clearest winner among 13 other girls. In three episodes, Star has proven to be a force to be reckoned with on Drag Race — and if the other girls know what’s good for them, they’ll keep their eyes out.

Last Week’s Ranking: No. 7

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