The girls are fighting! The third episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race got feisty as the queens fought for their spot in the competition during a high-stakes design challenge. With emotions extremely high, the queens were unafraid to evoke the rulebook to ensure their safety. First, during an off-camera moment, Lexi Love called out Hormona Lisa for using her own rhinestones, which went against the rules of the challenge, which were not completely and explicitly stated on camera. Then, Jewels Sparkles accused Onya Nurve of taking her trimming, to which Onya responded that they were tasked to share material. Jewels then said they were told to claim what they needed. Who told them? Production.
With two key moments factoring into the episode’s big picture drama, the fourth wall that we all know as viewers was broken. Bits and pieces of the narrative that happened when the cameras were down affected future action. It’s a fascinating moment of reality television storytelling because they easily could have been removed from the overall edit without us knowing, but these moments went on to cause drama later in Untucked. And likely beyond this episode.
Rattled by Rhinestones
To set the scene, the queens spend hours on camera, working on their garments during the design challenge. They’re shown picking up their materials. They’re shown as RuPaul does their walkthrough to guide the contestants. And they’re shown hard at work. Then the cameras are cut for them to work briefly without interruption. It was during that time that Lexi Love tattled on Hormona. She was rattled by Hormona’s rhinestones, which she brought from home and not part of the approved materials. In turn, Hormona was forced, on camera with a very moody face, to pluck off every stone from her gown. Anyone who has ever applied a rhinestone to a garment knows this is not an easy task! Hormona was infuriated as she believed this to be her challenge to be in the top, and potentially win. The rhinestones wouldn’t have been the make or break, but did her actions prevent her from being in the top? Was she silently disqualified? As fans of the first season of Drag Race Philippines Season 1 know, Corazon was essentially forced into the bottom and eliminated during the design challenge for improperly using unauthorized material.
Lexi calling out Hormona has created dissension, as Hormona was already disliked in the Werk Room for being the queen to be “picked” by RuPaul pre-season. On top of that, she beat the odds of selecting the correct lever of the Badonka Dunk Tank. It’s an animosity that is bound to continue beyond this week. As Hormona was plucking away, the other queens were mocking the situation, with Lexi doubling down that she was “Messy Love” this week. The rules are the rules, and she wanted everyone to play by the same set. She didn’t target her specifically, as social media had displayed. Hormona was not the only one to use illegal materials. Suzie Toot has been brought into the mix through social media accusations. In the original post by Lexi, from a now-deleted account, she wrote, “Let me set the record straight, Suzie also broke the rules with Hormona and I called both of them out. However, Hormona was the only one that brought it up once we were filming!” Could this issue have been left completely off the show? According to Lexi, if Hormona had been silent, it sure could have!
Trials and Tribulations
Now, to the other battle at hand. It was trials and tribulations for Onya Nurve and Jewels Sparkles. Through three episodes, both queens had been staying in their own lane, but when there wasn’t enough green trimming to suit both of their looks, the claws came out. In this challenge, the queens selected Monopoly cards that reflected what color materials they were to use. That meant everyone with that color had the same pile of materials to utilize. Both queens, along with Joella, were Team Green. But this was not a team challenge. It was every queen for themselves.
In a battle to stand out, what could have been a conversation, became an all-out fight. For Jewels and Onya, both queens have impressed RuPaul thus far. Their newfound tension stems from wanting to be at the top. Missing that one detail of trimming may have been the determining factor of Jewels being safe and Onya in the top. In a game of track records, it is splitting hairs. This single episode could alter their overall placement. For these queens to settle their score on camera and evoke the rules of the game showcases how brutal the conditions are in a shared material challenge. They even involved the other queens to try to determine how the schoolyard mindset of “finders keepers” works as adults. Both queens are destined for a long run, and, should that prove true, this moment will be the inciting incident that jumpstarts their rivalry. It had to be shown on camera for the overall story this season to be told.
‘Drag Race’ Exposes a Bigger Secret
The throughline for the fighting and complete dramatic story required off-camera moments to be brought on and discussed. These specific insistences call into question how much the audience truly is told about the challenges at hand. It opens up Pandora’s Box about what else we’ve missed over the years. How honest is RuPaul’s Drag Race with its viewers? With a fandom that loves to call out the judging, have there been other instances that were not pointed out by contestants that violated the rules? When it comes to design challenges on Drag Race, viewers are used to the canned line from RuPaul that they can use their own pads, heels, and hair but have to use the materials provided. Now we know that rhinestones, in this case, are strictly off-limits.
During RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8, Heidi N Closet infamously quit the competition due to some drama stemming from murmurings when the queens were “one ice,” or when the cameras were not rolling. There was a conversation that came from Kandy Muse off camera that alleged that Heidi would break her pact with Jimbo and eliminate her when the opportunity arose. Jimbo ran this to Kandy, who denied it all, thus making Heidi look foolish. She despised how messy the girls were by bringing incorrect accusations that happened off-camera into the fold. Between the pressure cooker of the competition and the feuding with her sisters, it was best that she departed from the competition. Yes, her judging was not fair, but when things became personal off-camera, it affected the narrative on camera. It had to be told to explain why Heidi was leaving.
Drag is about sisterhood, but not here! It was every queen for herself! From this point forward, fans are likely to keep a keen eye on what pieces of the puzzle might be left out, in addition to how this instance affects the energy in the Werk Room. The reality is that when the queens are “on ice” and the cameras are not rolling, the action is still juicy. It’s a reminder that not everything you see on screen is what happens during filming. There’s more that means the eye on reality television. Perhaps we should be thankful for the transparency from the Drag Race team. Now we want more! Never let those cameras go down! RuPaul’s Drag Race airs Fridays at 8:00pm on MTV. RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked airs immediately after. Previous seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race is available to stream on Paramount+.