- 21 hours ago
Somebody call a Rigga Morris, because the judges have some explaining to do! Join us as we count down the most baffling makeover challenge judging moments in "Drag Race" history, where contradictory critiques and convenient logic left deserving queens robbed, unfairly eliminated, and fans absolutely fuming at their screens!
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00:00in style. Again, this is drag family resemblance, so I expect you to look alike.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most egregious drag race
00:11makeover moments when the judges threw logic completely out the window and handed out critiques
00:16so contradictory they'd make your head spin. Yes, they look like each other, but then where do we
00:20go from there? And I feel like she didn't step it up. Number 10, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo is robbed of
00:27a win. Every single queen in the workroom was convinced Vanjie had this challenge in the bag.
00:40But the judges didn't seem to think so. Vanjie transformed her partner, eliminated contestant
00:46Ariel Versace into a fully realized drag sister without necessarily just copy pasting her look.
00:52The resemblance was right there, not just in their matching red outfits, but in the makeup
00:56and their energy on the runway. And what I love about this is how well executed it is.
01:02It's so smart to put one of you in a dress and one of you in pants. It's so good.
01:06This should have been Vanjie's redemption after two consecutive bottom two placements.
01:10However, the win went to Brooklyn Heights instead. Vanjie finished the season without a single
01:16challenge win, and moments like this one make it very clear why fans still feel she was underserved
01:22by the competition.
01:24Miss Vanjie, welcome back to the competition.
01:30You're safe.
01:33I thought she was going to win.
01:34Number 9, Brenda Breast Goes Home.
01:37This entire list is going to be a fun but incredibly difficult game of trying to follow Michelle
01:42Visage's logic. In this case, Brenda Breast and her partner stepped out in coordinated looks.
01:48They have the same silhouette and same vibe, just in different colors.
01:51Splendor is doing so well. She is living her best life on this runway. I couldn't be prouder.
01:59By nearly every standard the show has ever applied, that reads as family resemblance.
02:04And yet Michelle declared that she simply couldn't see it.
02:07Gonna be honest, drag family resemblance is struggling a little bit for me.
02:11You don't have to be twinning. But I always like me personally,
02:15some kind of tie-in where I can go, okay, I buy it.
02:18This is the exact same things that other queens like Brooklyn Heights have even won for.
02:23Michelle then doubled down, insisting queens don't need to look identical to win.
02:28Okay, but Brenda's pair literally did look identical.
02:31The contradiction was so blatant it became almost comedic.
02:35Even Michelle didn't seem fully convinced by her own argument.
02:38Could there have been a little tiny bit more resemblance? Absolutely.
02:42I agree. I think they could have had maybe a little bit more of the family resemblance.
02:45That's probably the biggest part of this breeze.
02:47Though they did deliver an incredible character.
02:51Number 8. Nymphia Wind is safe.
02:53The makeover challenge is also sort of a branding challenge.
02:57The queens have to replicate their signature look on another person.
03:00So, when Nymphia Wind, whose entire brand revolves around yellow,
03:04showed up in a stunning yellow feathered look alongside her equally gorgeous partner,
03:08who wore lavender, she should have won.
03:11It's time for us to soar through the runway.
03:14Because we're such beautiful birds.
03:17We have this gorgeous feather bodysuit corset.
03:21The concept was clear, the execution was beautiful,
03:24and the family resemblance was undeniable.
03:27Yet the judges criticized her for wearing yellow on a branding challenge.
03:32Make it make sense.
03:33I really would have loved to see you look at yourself.
03:36Did you consider switching the colors?
03:39No, I just wanted to wear the yellow. I'm sorry.
03:41I will not apologize for it.
03:43The win ultimately went to plain Jane,
03:45whose bodysuit, while polished, didn't bring anything new to the table.
03:49Nymphia being penalized for consistency in a challenge designed to highlight identity just felt bizarre.
03:55However, I've only seen her in yellow.
03:58That is the only critique that I have.
04:00But I didn't mind it because RuPaul's Drag Race is a big part about branding.
04:04So when she leaves here, she's going to get all the yellow deals that she wants.
04:06Number seven.
04:08Jimbo's presentation is deemed too sexy.
04:11Aika looks stunning.
04:13She looks like a dominatrix superhero.
04:16The judging on the first season of Canada's Drag Race was atrocious across the board.
04:20But this one was a particularly low point for the entire show.
04:25In the makeover challenge, Jimbo constructed two stunning matching latex looks for herself and her partner.
04:30It even received high praise from guest judge Amanda Bruegel, who begged Jimbo to make her one.
04:36Jimbo, is it true that you sewed these costumes yourself?
04:40Yes.
04:41It is?
04:41Can you sew me one and how quickly can you get it to me?
04:45So how come Jimbo didn't win?
04:47Well, the other judges felt her stage presentation was too sexy and not quirky enough.
04:52It was too sexy.
04:54It was like overly sexy.
04:55I got a little bit more of like freaky deaky sisterly Kai Kai action from you than family essence.
05:03Huh?
05:03Jimbo's whole brand has always been equal parts outrageous humor and unapologetic sexuality.
05:08That combination is literally her thing.
05:11Acting shocked by it is like being surprised that RuPaul wore a blonde wig on the main stage.
05:15Jimbo was missing that campy energy that she normally has and I was still expecting it because Eka so clearly
05:22had it as well.
05:23That would have really married it all together really well and made it funny instead of slightly uncomfortable.
05:28Number six, Coco Montrese is eliminated.
05:31Horchata is turning it out.
05:33She's smiling, she's bucking, she's doing her thing.
05:36The politics of season five were never particularly subtle, but the makeover challenge is where things got truly egregious.
05:42Coco Montrese and her partner delivered a cohesive look and their flag twirling routine was perfectly synchronized.
05:49During critiques, however, Michelle first mocked them for doing too much, then later called it a disaster.
05:55You guys really went for like the Olympics here with your flag routines.
06:00It's not necessary.
06:02I can tell that you've never done someone else's hair and makeup.
06:05Meanwhile, Alaska's partner Nebraska walked the runway in arguably the worst padding the show had ever seen.
06:11And yet Coco landed in the bottom alongside Detox while Alaska skated through.
06:17The flag show was a disaster and she would never let herself go out with a busted up face like
06:21that.
06:22Never ever.
06:23Please.
06:24It was like Frida Kahlo.
06:25It was a giant eyebrow walking down the stage.
06:28It was painfully obvious that production was ready to send Coco home,
06:32considering her major storyline with Alyssa had already wrapped.
06:35They also wanted to protect the Rilaskatox alliance and set up a finale between the trio and the underdog Jinx
06:41Monsoon.
06:42I think Alyssa and I can put the past behind us.
06:46I gained a lot of closure, which I probably would have never got if it wasn't for RuPaul.
06:52So I'm very happy.
06:57By the time the makeover challenge rolled around on season 15,
07:00Lucy Leduca was already on shaky ground with the judges.
07:04Still, she delivered near-identical looks with her partner.
07:07It feels so incredible to walk down this runway with my little drag baby Lala.
07:14She is giving Leduca family resemblance down.
07:18Both of them looked clean and polished,
07:20and it was abundantly clear that they shared the ever-elusive family resemblance.
07:25But Lucy Leduca still ended up in the bottom because they wore different shoes.
07:30That's it.
07:31The thing is about this stage in the competition is it's seriously down to splitting hairs, like the shoes.
07:36If you just would have stoned them just a little bit to make me go,
07:39oh yeah, they're the same.
07:40I know it sounds so stupid, but that's where we are in this competition.
07:43In a franchise where far bigger inconsistencies have been ignored or even praised,
07:49this was really splitting hairs.
07:51It didn't help that tensions between Lucy and Luxembourg London were at an all-time high,
07:56making their eventual lip sync feel almost pre-written.
07:59Lucy was ultimately eliminated, but the reasoning behind it never quite held up under scrutiny.
08:04It wasn't about the choreography for me.
08:06It was purely about the chemistry.
08:08I don't know if Lala was afraid or Lucy was, you know, afraid for Lala.
08:13It just lacked the chemistry that you really need on the main stage.
08:17Number 4.
08:18Discord Adams lacks family resemblance.
08:21Season 18's makeover judging felt like it was happening in an alternate universe.
08:25For the challenge, Discord Adams went for a conceptual evil sisters vibe
08:29inspired by teen classics like Mean Girls and Clueless.
08:33Harmony and I are sisters at the same school, but we sit at different lunch tables.
08:37Because she's preppy, and I hate that.
08:39And I'm punk, and she hates that even more.
08:42Her partner's makeup was so on point that she genuinely looked like Discord's twin.
08:47Yet Michelle Visage reached into her bag of convenient excuses and pulled out the usual no-family resemblance.
08:53You two are best friends.
08:55Even the updos are different, different color, different style.
08:59Again, this is drag family resemblance, so I expect you two look alike.
09:04This was almost identical to a look we've seen on Sugar and Spice,
09:08the only actual siblings to have competed on RuPaul's Drag Race.
09:11Yet Discord landed in the bottom and was eliminated.
09:14At the end of the day, this is a drag family resemblance.
09:17You get the opportunity to look like your partner, so make it happen.
09:21It's in the title.
09:22I don't get it.
09:23The same aggravating critique was handed to Jane Don't,
09:26despite presenting a concept comparable to what earned Bosco a top-two placement on All-Stars 10.
09:31You know I'm going to tell you I'm not getting family resemblance.
09:35The style of the dress is different.
09:37The jewelry is different.
09:39You have to give us something that would make us believe that you're related apart from the same hair color.
09:45Number three, Dakota Schiffer is eliminated.
09:48Michelle Visage stepped in as head judge while RuPaul was absent,
09:51and the result was one of the most infuriating episodes in Drag Race UK history.
09:56Dakota Schiffer gave her partner Lucy a beautiful, fully realized, 60s-inspired makeover.
10:01I know that Lucy feels beautiful.
10:04I feel very proud that I'm bringing home a triplet to the Schiffer dynasty.
10:08The judges all agreed that Lucy looked incredible, yet they still placed Dakota in the bottom,
10:13justifying that decision by saying that she stuck to her signature silhouette.
10:17You are beautiful. You are talented. But you could also do more than you're giving me.
10:22Yeah.
10:22I know you can.
10:23Okay.
10:23Because I feel like every time, it's the same silhouette.
10:27But just moments earlier in the very same judging panel, they had praised Danny Beard for doing exactly that.
10:33The double standard was impossible to ignore. Dakota ended up in the bottom and was ultimately eliminated that night,
10:40which left fans understandably outraged.
10:43I think what upsets me is that we saw this look. She just did funny girl,
10:46not trying to change the way she does drag. Give us something different,
10:50because predictability is not a good word here.
10:53Number two. Cheryl Hole goes home, despite being the best.
10:57I feel very confident this week. I've got a girl that is the spitting image of me,
11:04and we've got the same energy that we're ready to absolutely kill it.
11:07Of all the baffling makeover judging moments across the entire Drag Race franchise,
11:12this one leaves us puzzled to this day.
11:14Cheryl Hole gave her sister a full transformation, delivering matching hair, matching makeup,
11:19and a coordinated sparkling bodysuit look.
11:22By every metric the judges have ever claimed to value, this was a winner.
11:26A Cheryl Hole look is not far from a rhinestone and a bit of fringing,
11:30and these outfits are fringed for the gods.
11:33Me and Sissy are killing this runway.
11:36Michelle initially criticized the bodysuit for being too simple,
11:39then pivoted to saying there was no family resemblance,
11:41then admitted they did look alike, but that it didn't go anywhere.
11:45Pick a lane, Michelle.
11:46I don't, however, love what you're wearing.
11:48If you watch Drag Race, you know I'm not a big fan of spangled bodysuits.
11:52I know it's an easy way out, especially when you're dressing somebody else.
11:55And for me, it's always like, how about territory?
11:58Cheryl was eliminated that episode, right on the doorstep of the finale.
12:02And the decision reeked of predetermined outcomes.
12:05She should have won the challenge.
12:07Instead, she won a ticket back to Essex.
12:10The hair and the makeup was the only thing for me, really, that said family resemblance.
12:15Yes, they look like each other, but then where do we go from there?
12:17And I feel like she didn't step it up.
12:25Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Adia,
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12:37Where are you, my love zone here?
12:39Say the word and I'll appear.
12:41I wrote this song just for you to tell you what I always knew.
12:55Long before family resemblance became the most overused phrase in drag race history,
13:00Chanel was its first casualty.
13:02As she's walking down the runway, all I can think of is, wow, you are amazing.
13:07She gave her female wrestling partner one of the boldest makeover concepts.
13:11A high-fashion, S&M-inspired duo that was cohesive, editorial,
13:15and perhaps the most visually striking on the stage.
13:18But the judges penalized her for not sharing the spotlight enough
13:22and supposedly overshadowing her partner.
13:24You know, I would love to have seen them together.
13:26Chanel definitely seems like, you know, she feels so fabulous.
13:30And so, like, I look better, you know?
13:34And I'm gonna, I don't want to stand with you.
13:36They then handed the win to Rebecca Glasscock,
13:39whose look was, let's be honest, basic.
13:41Rebecca and her partner wore matching outfits,
13:43and that quickly became the gold standard.
13:45That one judging call essentially invented the family resemblance benchmark,
13:50and drag race fans have been arguing about what it actually means ever since.
13:55Chanel, your expertise with makeup and your flair for the dramatic
14:00worked to your advantage.
14:01But to be the next drag superstar, you need to broaden your appeal.
14:06Which of these moments had you screaming rigamorous at your screen?
14:09Let us know in the comments.
14:10Let us know in the comments.
14:10Let us know in the comments.
14:11Let us know in the comments.
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