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'RuPaul's Drag Race' S11 Week Five Power Rankings

The same queens continue to separate themselves from the pack.

By Bryce BaileyPublished 5 years ago 10 min read
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This week just solidifies for me that we will have to suffer for the next few weeks of meaningless eliminations to really thin out the herd, before the competition becomes stiff. After last week, I thought that maybe some queens would be able to prove themselves as legitimate threats, by stepping out of their comfort zones, and while some of them very clearly did (Nina, Scarlet, and Ra'Jah), Ru chose to highlight the same queens that have been given high placements frequently. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Yvie, Brooke, and Plastique are all fan favorites with plenty of potential to go far, but it does cause many queens to continue to fade into the background. I had hope that this week could really even out the playing field a little bit, but instead, it reaffirmed the queens who are going to be here long-term, which may work out well in the end, when we get into Top five to seven territory and only the very best are left.

Saying Goodbye to Ariel

I really thought that Ariel had a few more episodes in her, but I don't disagree with eliminating her. She clearly did the worst this week, and after the mishap in the lip sync, she basically sealed her fate. I wish she could've connected the dots and really pushed herself out of her comfort zone with this challenge, but she pretty much did and said everything wrong (which Elvira pointed out). Ariel could make a strong candidate for an All Stars season later on, similar to Aja, so I don't think her 'Drag Race' narrative is over quite yet.

10. Shuga Cain (Prev. 10)

Shuga had a bad week, plain and simple. I don't know if I agree with her placement in the bottom, simply because her Witch runway was so strong, whereas none of Silky's looks got that same level of praise. However, her other two runway looks were very unpolished, and there were some clear changes that could've been made. Shuga's personality is great, but she really needs to let it shine through on challenges in order to stick around for the long haul. This could be a turning point for her, if she allows it to be, but at this time, she'll have to go into overdrive to catch up with the other queens and make it far.

9. Ra'Jah D. O'Hara (Prev. 11)

Every season it seems like there is a queen that Ru just connects to, and takes a personal investment in, and this season it appears to Ra'Jah. This week was pretty strong for Ra'Jah, and I can understand why Ru likes her so much. Her doll in the mini-challenge was one of the best and deserved the win, while all of her runway looks were surprisingly strong. If Ru wasn't giving such love to Brooke and Yvie, I could honestly see her in the top. A high placement this week could've really changed the momentum for her going forward. However, she's getting a villain edit, and going up against the powerhouse that is Yvie Oddly, (another girl that Ru clearly adores) so I can't imagine her making it much farther. Her comment about lip-syncing her way to the crown is absurd and ridiculous, so Yvie's reply to it was completely justified. It appears that they're setting up a rivalry between Silky and Yvie for the upcoming weeks, which could mean that Ra'Jah's time in the competition is coming to an end, and someone else has to fill the role in the edit. I'd be sad to see her go at this point, just because I think there is a star in there somewhere that has only shined through in lip-syncs so far.


8. A'keria C. Davenport (Prev. 9)

I'm just not sure I can be on the A'keria train anymore. I've been waiting for her to have the breakout week, and jump away from the queens towards the bottom of the rankings, but she just can't seem to do it. All of her runways could be described in two words: "pretty good." This clique that she has with Silky and Vanjie may give her some screen time in the edit, but if she can't deliver on the main challenges she is the clear odd one out between those three. She needs to get it together quick, or Ru will have no reason at all to keep her around much longer.

7. Plastique Tiara (Prev. 8)

Plastique placed high this week, but it surely does not feel like it. I mean they really liked her runways, but Michelle made sure to point out that her personality is boring. In the end, I think this was a push from Ru saying, "You're almost there, and once you really take it there, we'll be all in." She needs to do it fast though, as the gap between her and queens with the worst track records isn't that large. I could see her making it far, but she can only last so long being quiet in a group of loud queens like this one, unless the challenges that are presented just totally fall in her favor.

6. Scarlet Envy (Prev. 6)

Maybe I'm just as insane, as they're making Scarlet seem to be in the edit, but I thought her runways were just as strong as any of the top looks this week. Sure, her pirate one was pretty weak, but the other two were very strong, especially the last one. It seemed to me like one of the most fully realized concepts and executed pretty well. In the end, she's declared just safe, and her edit as over-confident will surely continue. I'm not sure what to expect from Scarlet in the future, but I have a feeling she's going to continue like this until the ball drops, and she finds herself going home suddenly and unexpectedly.

5. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (Prev. 5)

I liked all of Vanjie's looks this week, but I think it's mostly because she had the luxury of having way more money before this season to spend on these runways. Designing just isn't Vanjie's strong suit, even though she's made major improvements since the disaster of her Season 10 construction. I agree with her placement as safe this week, and while she continues to truck right along in the edit, I'm going to need her to step up in the main challenges fast, to have faith that she's more than just an amazing personality. I could see her really putting her stamp on the competition soon, if she's able to secure a win. Right now, I see her little showmance with Brooke taking an interesting turn if Brooke continues to outshine her, but we shall see.

4. Nina West (Prev. 4)

Nina's looks this week were just pretty good, except of course for that last one, which was a clear standout. If the judgments this week weren't so clearly biased, I could see it pulling her into top looks. More importantly, Nina is getting more and more screentime in the edit! From kissing Silky to having great chemistry with Ru in the walkthroughs, she's continuing to blaze a trail for herself, as strong competition despite not always shining in the main challenges. She's one of those queens that knows exactly what 'Drag Race' is all about, and even if she isn't always able to nail the mark, she knows exactly where it is and where she needs to be aiming (compare this to someone like Ariel who couldn't see when to switch it up or what not to say during critiques).

3. Dr. Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Prev. 1)

My concerns for Silky are growing and growing as the weeks progress, to be honest. Despite a stellar week last week, there were a few red flags, and a few more are being raised this episode. The first is that she doesn't care if she has to lip-sync. When has that ever been a good sign for things to come? The second is that she has formed a clique with Vanjie and A'keria. HELLO! Did you not see season five, and the backlash Rolaskatox got from their clique? The final is her interaction with the judges, as she gives the tired old excuse of, "I'm a pageant girl. I don't do scary." Everyone else had to do it too, nobody else explicitly made that excuse! Silky continues to remain a star in the edit though, and she was very unlikely to be placed in the bottom two, alongside Shuga and Ariel. I see Silky going far, but I'm no longer certain that she's a lock for the final four.

2. Yvie Oddly (Prev. 2)

Ru just can't get enough of this girl. After explicitly saying he didn't like her last runway, he still placed her in the top! Sure, queens are in the top all the time while still getting a couple of negative critiques, but never quite that harsh. I had a hard time telling if Silky or Yvie were in the top or the bottom, until the judges sent them backstage to deliberate, which just shows how mixed their critiques were. I love Yvie just as much as anyone else, but to have Ru showing such blatant favoritism two weeks in a row is a little disheartening, and makes the viewer have little investment in anyone else. It looks like we can expect a rivalry between Silky and Yvie in the upcoming weeks, which will be very fun to see, but it seems like Ru is showing his hand to too early, as there are some queens that are just too clearly outmatching their opponents.

1. Brooke Lynn Hytes (Prev. 3)

Speaking of clearly outmatching the other girls, we have our top queen of the week: Brooke Lynn! I must say I was very worried for her before the runway started, as they had me convinced she had no idea what she was doing. However, the judges overly-praised her runway looks, and made it seem like she was clearly leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else, when that simply wasn't the case. The other queens are getting annoyed that Brooke is winning so much (watch Untucked if you don't believe me), which could result in some very interesting storylines as the show goes on, but right now it's frustrating. I'd like to see some weaknesses from Brooke, as even the week where she placed low felt like a strong performance based on the critiques.There are very few queens that can make being technical perfection look interesting, so I would love to see some vulnerability from Brooke going forward, so that we are able to fall in love with her. It was the same problem the occurred for BenDeLaCreme in season six, as even though she was doing great in all the challenges, the judges quickly became bored because they weren't able to connect. Right now her showmance with Vanjie isn't enough to really pull me in, but I think that if some major conflicts develop between her and some queens who feel overlooked, it would certainly help show a different side of Brooke.

Final Thoughts and Future Expectations

This week wasn't what I had hoped it would be, as it was just a reinforcement of many of the storylines we already got last week. I'd like to just say very briefly that the guest judges were great this week, and I was living for RuPaul's runway look. As for next week, I hope we get to see some other girls get some critiques, just for a breath of fresh air. Great seasons are often built on the backs of casts that are strong all the way around, where every queen is getting some critiques every week. Look at Season five, where not a single queen had more than two wins as the competition was just so close. Look at season 10, where it was unclear who the frontrunners were until about halfway through, and even after that strong cases could be made for queens even without wins yet. I'm very optimistic for the rest of the season though, as there are plenty of seasons that are great even when there are clear frontrunners. A shocking elimination or a surprising main challenge win could breathe a lot of fresh air into the competition, but if that doesn't happen we may just have to wait for the herd to thin out to see some really strong episodes.

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