‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars 5’ Episode 2 Recap — ‘I’m in Love’ With…
With new All-Star rules in place and one contestant already eliminated, things are just getting more complicated on season 5 of this reality competition series. What’s next for these drag performers? Here’s what you might’ve missed from the latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars 5.
[This article contains major spoilers from RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars 5. Read at your own risk, squirrel friends!]
Derrick Barry is eliminated, to begin with
With the first contestant already eliminated, and the kitty-cat out of the bag in terms of the “twist” for this season, the queens are ready for the next challenge. Ongina is ready to kick some butt and India is ready to win $20,000.
While they’re all talking, Jujubee shares that she actually voted for Mayhem to go home. Mayhem is, understandably, pretty hurt. Jujubee says that her feelings are valid… wait, that’s not a real apology. She’s sorry that she hurt Mayhem.
The next day, Miz Cracker discloses that she almost did a DeLa moment with the white-out, to write Ongina’s name on her lipstick. Ongina is very hurt by this. Miz Cracker reassures her that it’s nothing personal, but last week she just didn’t have the drive of an All-Star. Eventually, they brush it off and get ready for the next challenge.
This week, it’s a singing challenge, where the contestants must write, record, and then give a lip-sync performance for an original verse of the song “I’m in Love.” To do that, each queen must pick a celebrity crush to sing about.
And, for the performance, the queens will be broken up into teams. India is one captain and chooses Shea Couleé and Blair St. Clair as her biggest competition. They are the other team captains. After choosing their girl groups, they each branch off to work on their lyrics.
The queens write and perform their own verse for ‘I’m in Love’
The queens head to the mainstage to record vocals… and it’s pretty rough. Even Blair, who is a singer, is really nervous. Ongina can barely sing because she lost her voice. Mayhem is especially feeling the pressure because the last time she was on a team with Miz Cracker she was “overshadowed” and went home.
After recording, each team has a chance to practice their choreography on the mainstage and the group that’s most cohesive is Shea Couleé’s. Blair wonders if she picked the wrong team. Miz Cracker is interjecting her opinion and ideas. A lot.
While getting ready in the Werk Room, a few of the performers call Miz Cracker difficult to work with and, mama, that’s garbage. During her confessional, Miz Cracker explains that she’s always had trouble making friends and wants to come across as likable as Blair or the other queens.
It’s time for the challenge and the queens perform their original verses to “I’m in Love.” A few of the standouts are Jujubee, who laments over Uncle Jesse aka John Stamos. Blair makes the judges laugh with a verse about Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. Shea Couleé kills it, of course, with a verse about Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman.
On the runway, category is: ‘love the skin your in’
Following the performances, the queens bring their best skin-colored drag to the runway. After receiving their critiques from the judges, India, Ongina, and Mariah are the three queens in the bottom. Shea Couleé, with a crystalized bodysuit and (another) iconic rap verse in the bag, wins this week’s challenge.
While backstage, Ongina opens up to the girls and says that her head just isn’t in it. (There’s a “how’s your head?” joke in there somewhere.) Miz Cracker feels a little responsible. If she didn’t say anything earlier, maybe Ongina would’ve been more confident during this main challenge.
Shea Couleé feels torn because two of the queens in the bottom were her teammates. She can’t eliminate someone she picked to work with… can she? Each of the top/safe queens choose their lipsticks and they head back to the mainstage.
RuPaul ru-veals who the lip-sync assassin is and it’s Miss Alyssa Edwards of season 5 and All-Stars 2. She and Shea Couleé battle to “Neutron Dance” by the Pointer Sisters and Shea Couleé is the winner. She, reluctantly, eliminates Ongina.
