The makeover challenge is a hard round to win. Plenty of great Drag Race queens have been sent home in the past because they fumbled during this one challenge.
On RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 Episode 10, RuPaul wasn’t playing around by assigning the queens to makeover each other.
It’s one thing for the queens to paint their styles on a stranger, but this was a fellow queen still in the competition. Some drag styles aren’t so easy to carry over and embrace the vibe. But when they did, we were living for the transformations!
Case in point: Symone and Utica.
It’s clear why this pairing dominated the round and won the challenge. Their transformation was elevated, editorial, and it left a strong impact on the judges.
Symone is a confident and sexy queen on the runway while Utica is quirkier and artistic. Their styles were very much on the opposite ends of the spectrum.
Though, you could notice the change in them the moment they did their practice runway!
RuPaul: Best of all, your assigned psychic pairings, you’ll need to makeover … each other.
[The queens stare at each other]
Tina Burner: [In confessional] This is a makeover challenge, and I have been paired with a Scottish caveman.
Utica had Symone’s fierce runway down, and then when she paired it with the tiger suit/hair corset, she became a completely different queen. This more confident and stylish Utica could give all the queens a run for their money. Utica should hold onto this energy and bring it out more.
The same goes for Symone in her artistic and exaggerated movements that mimicked Utica. She captured the weird and expressive side that Utica brings to the runway.
Plus, she made Utica’s outfit work, which was shocking because the selection of the brown sheet with the ram headdress was an odd pairing. If this were any other week, that ensemble would not work and could get tough feedback from the judges.
Gottmik and Kandy Muse were one of the strongest pairs on the runway. The pair already being friends helped them to channel their personalities and style easily, but they blew everyone away with their performance.
Kandy Muse looked like the embodiment of Gottmik.
Kandy channeled her friend with the avant-garde ballerina dress and her flirtatious/playful mannerisms on the runway. Gottmik did an amazing job transforming her; the branding shined and she captured her essence.
Gottmik, on the other hand, did the impossible and brought out Kandy Muse’s vibe in a believable way. She had fun, she brought attitude, and she let loose to get out of her head.
The pair deserves a lot of credit, especially since they were at the biggest disadvantage being different sizes. Having to reconstruct and build new outfits could’ve hindered them if the looks didn’t translate to their drag aesthetic.
Gottmik and Kandy Muse pulled it off!
Rosé and Tina Burner’s transformations were where the performances started to hit a few roadblocks.
Granted, the pair looked like each other and they successfully transferred their drag-style onto another drag queen. And their runways matched their tones pretty well. However, I agree with the judges that the ensembles weren’t elevated or polished.
Tina Burner had Rosé’s iconic pink wig and her sexy outfit, but the makeup job needed a bit more attention to the finer details. Rosé had a good start and made Tina’s eyes pop; the look just needed more to stand out and capture her aesthetic.
Spirits far, spirits near, make my drag queens reappear!
RuPaul
Rosé was dressed like Tina Burner in her campy outfits and a signature smokey eye. Though, this runway should be one that Tina looks back on to reevaluate some choices she makes for future Drag Race runways.
Rosé’s makeup looked harsh and messy!
Maybe it was Rosé’s defined facial features? Maybe the lighting was off with all the colors? The eye makeup didn’t blend in well and it looked very heavy below her brow bone.
Tina Burner’s drag style couldn’t easily be transferred onto Rosé. At least they became better friends and buried the hatchet during the challenge. (That’s a win on its own.)
Denali and Olivia Lux fumbled the hardest with this challenge. Between the two queens, Denali did a better job transforming Olivia into herself than Olivia did to her.
Granted, Olivia’s icy makeup needed to be blended a bit more, but the overall style was good. She rocked Denali’s ponytail, she exuded being a figure skater, and she had a good time on the runway.
[In confessional] This cow is speaking through Char right now to Ms. Utica?! You know what actually, that checks out. [Laughs]
Denali
Though, what was with that runway walk? Olivia didn’t flow smoothly in her movements; she kept pausing and misstepping, which didn’t feel natural.
Denali, on the other hand, flowed effortlessly on the runway. She canneled pageant queen realness and had the grace you’d get from this drag queen type. It felt in-line with how Olivia Lux painted and instructed her to be in the challenge.
The transformation didn’t work since it didn’t feel like Olivia Lux.
The problem with this makeover challenge was that it relied on the queens to capture the elements and opinions that the judges view of them.
The queens have their perceptions of their drag styles, and they instructed each other based on knowing themselves. But, the judges might have differing opinions of what makes a queen standout.
[In confessionals] A few weeks ago, I was “winner, winner, chicken dinner!” and now I am Lunchables. So, I need to really get it together if I am seeing myself anywhere near the top in this competition. You’re on Drag Race to shine! I mean, like, let’s do this.
Olivia Lux
For instance, Olivia saw her drag style as the pageant Olivia with grace and elegance. The judges viewed Olivia as the smiley and bubbly queen who has run on the runway with stylish outfits. There’s a major disconnect there.
A pair wouldn’t be set up for success if they didn’t accurately guess what the judges thought beforehand.
The return of the “Who should go home?” vote is a shocking moment that always brings drama. RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 Episode 10 didn’t disappoint!
Kandy Muse let the queens have it because one queen dared to chastise the look.
Sure, Olivia may have been upset that the rest of the queens voted her, but all of the queens most likely walked off the stage feeling some type of way. And Kandy Muse was the only queen who could get away with calling everyone out and still look good in front of the judges.
Kandy’s confidence and strength will be one of her strongest assets in the competition.
Denali getting eliminated was a bittersweet moment, especially since she had just been reemerging at the top of the competition.
The lip-sync of “Shackles (Praise You)” was a tough battle. Going up against Olivia Lux was a huge hurdle because of Olivia’s two past challenge wins and her ability to shine during a lip-sync.
Kudos to Denali for doing what she could while wearing a gown!
This was a tight lip-sync. Based on the edit, it was anyone’s guess who was going to win because both Denali and Olivia brought the energy to the stage. The outcome could’ve gone in any direction.
Still, Denali made it as far as she could after being treated as a filler queen for a long stretch of the competition. Queens can only do so much against that hurdle.
Last Thoughts From The Werk Room:
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The psychic reading with Char was fun, but it was also a little suspect. Some of the details set up were things shared in past edits, like the Denali/Rosé flirtation.
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Utica wasn’t wrong about feeling the rush during a lip-sync.
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Gottmik’s first attempt at channeling Kandy was so hilariously bad! She didn’t have it at all.
- It’s nice to have those sweet moments where the queens appreciate each other and learn from one another. Sometimes it can be RuPaul’s Best Friend Race.
Now, over to you, Drag Race fans!
What did you think of “Freaky Friday Queens”?
Which queen had the best transformation? Are you sad to see Denali go? Who would you have voted out on the main stage?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Justin Carreiro is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.