RPDR All Stars 3: E4 - Notes on a Shangela Scandal(a)
Saturday, February 17, 2018 at 12:15PM by Chris Feil
“Shady Thorgy is so shady, she causes drama even after she ______”. Sis, it’s the Snatch Game!
The lead up to this week’s episode was quite understated compared to the hype machine of previous Snatch Games, perhaps a sign that the fanbase has wisely lowered their expectations. But it’s not any celebrity impersonation that made this an episode to remember. What’s the best thing Drag Race could hope for when its fan favorite challenge continues to experience such diminishing returns each season? A mountain full of drama to distract from another underwhelming end result!
Granted, Snatch Game does still deliver some brilliant moments, most recently with Sasha Velour’s Marlene Dietrich and Alaska’s Mae West. But by Drag Race terms, the challenge remains the most prestigious win of the season, and poor performance can spell a bad fate for your chances later in the competition. It still has the power to change the course of a queen’s trajectory - for better and worse.
It took no time for Snatch Game to take the back seat to the drama. Before the queens could digest Milk’s controversial elimination, Shangela spotted a note from bitterly departed Thorgy Thor hung up in Trixie’s station. It was a sudden confrontation so tense and juicy, it had me doing affirmation exercises: “I am Aja’s gagged expression. I am the sunglasses on Chi Chi’s shirt. I am the struggle that is real on Kennedy’s end.”
Now: was Trixie genuine about no ill will meant by displaying Thorgy’s farewell note? Surely. Should she still have removed the offending portion? Duh. But was this played up by Shangela for our benefit? Mhmmm. While her persistent need to find drama where it doesn’t exist (see: Ben’s disposition) continues to be grating, this moment had the kind of shockwaves that has so far eluded this tension-free season. For better or worse, it unleashed an episode almost entirely of Shangela’s orchestration.
Game of Thrones CliffNotes by Shangela LaQuifa Wadley
Listen - I don’t watch Game of Thrones, I don’t understand Game of Thrones, I don’t have time for Game of Thrones. And if I still can’t track the show through Shangie’s ongoing Drag Race comparisons, it’s probably not a good sign for me. I’m doubly confused how she’s referenced GoT every five seconds and never once mentioned a dragon.
Marc Jacobs stopped by the workroom in Lisa Kudrow fashion to help Ru interview the girls on their Snatch Game picks. Shangela nearly performed one of my long-standing wishlist characters, infomercial tarot maven Ms. Cleo. Even modest dreams sometimes aren’t meant to be, and Ru wisely redirected her to Jenifer Lewis in one of the cruelest bait and switches Drag Race has ever done to me personally.
Once Jacobs and Ru finished interviewing the queens, Marc asked “Where’s my protege, my BigAndMilky?” Ru hesitated and broke the news. Marc slapped him with his gloves in a single deft movement, and fled into the night. One assumes.
In the art of impersonation, Shangela has come a long way from What’s Love Got to Halleloo With It, and her Jenifer Lewis killed. Returning Snatch champions had reputations to protect: Kennedy played it far safer than her S7 winning Little Richard with a nonstarter Phaedra Parks, but Dela’s Paul Lynde was as terrifying as it was funny. Chi Chi reanimated her previous Eartha Kitt dialect for a caged bird of a Maya Angelou performance. Kristin Chenoweth showed up as herself?
It was Bebe and Trixie that were at a disadvantage, having not performed in a previous Snatch Game. Bebe was firmly in the middle for Grace Jones, but Trixie rehashed her beloved RuPaul impersonation to anemic result. It was a crash and burn that only Snatch Game can bring, the queen expected to dominate faceplanting on her own skill set.
Sally, on the runway the queens decided they would buy the flowers themselves. Unfortunately we were served another abruptly truncated runway and didn’t have much time to savor the intricate details of their floral designs. The highlights were Aja’s mini-petaled capelet and Dela’s full-body orchid, but this was the rare runway where every queen excelled.
Best Critique
“You look like a nice, slutty teen who’s getting married” - Nicole Byer to Chi Chi DeVayne’s adorably slutacious minidress
Dela and Shangela were the expected winners just as the front runners of the last All Stars (Alaska and Katya) did. Aja’s hilariously spot-on Crystal LaBeija should have been a contender and Kennedy flipflopped back into the bottom yet again after winning last week. Chi Chi’s misspelled Maya Angelou and Trixie’s unfortunate rendition of Mother Ru shared the bottom spots. While Trixie broke down during critique to the encouragement of the judges, the real waterworks came when the queens deliberated in the workroom.
“I feel like I told the judges and everyone here a secret, like I’m so scared. I didn’t want anyone to know because I don’t think anybody here saw me being afraid.”
And that hesitancy Trixie lends the word “secret” here cuts deep. Ru calls it an inner saboteur, an armchair philosopher calls it an imposter complex. Her bond with Katya now makes a lot more sense than the odd couple pairing we thought they were.
There is an aspect to Trixie’s psychosis that is purely midwestern, bred from a place where appearances of success and composure can wield a death grip over your self-worth. We hide here; our shame, doubt, insecurities, all tucked away as if your life depends on no one ever seeing how you are a fraud. If that sounds grim, imagine how it feels swimming in Trixie’s head with all that self-imposed pressure and dire perceptions of other people’s expectations. Oh and make ‘em laugh.
And yet this is a downfall made within the confines of Trixie’s own head. The creative blockage that has kept Trixie skimming by (and knocked Thorgy out of the competition) is caused directly by the inability to get out of the way of her bullshit so that her full self can shine. At its peak, RuPaul’s Drag Race is about the triumph of queer self-actualization, how we overcome our own internalized obstacles. Even if Trixie’s performance thus far hurts her chances at winning the crown, she’s now primed to be the season’s emotional success story.
And Trixie’s potential elimination returned the episode’s narrative back to the fateful letter from Thorgy. While Kennedy was confident in not being the worst performance and Chi Chi flowed zen, Trixie had to reassure Shangela that she could be trusted with her reemerging flimsy alliance strategy. However, trust Shangela when she tells you that she is business fish - she knows how to produce quality television and knew precisely what she was about to make happen.
We have our first double win lipsync, with Shangela and Dela both taking their second. BenDeLaCreme has now won as many challenges as has ever been won on Drag Race and shows no signs of stopping, with everyone (even Shangie) facing a tough climb to unthrone her. That being said, what to make of how each of Dela’s lipsyncs have blurred together into one mash of sameness? She’s been defaulting into an “aw shucks, no way am I going to beat her” performance that’s steadily undercut the drama every week.
This somewhat dubious double lipsync win (Oh please, this was Shangela's alone) looks manufactured to capitalize on the much needed tension, and sure it paid off with each of the queens getting to use their elimination power. As expected, Dela heeded Chi Chi’s “just be fair” direction and sent our bayou queen home.
Does this moment not carry as much weight if Trixie hadn’t been such an assumed frontrunner? Shangela certainly knows the weight of the moment, languorously delivering a Shakesqueerian monologue on how she hopes her chosen queen doesn’t take it personally and has achieved such success after losing the crown in her season. It’s like a verbal torture device on Trixie, and almost a punchline when Shangela reveals her choice to go home was... also Chi Chi. How Trixie didn’t emit a banshee wail of relief, we’ll never know.
Whether or not it was tomfoolery for the cameras or mindgames against a weak fan favorite, Shangela saved the episode from being another forgettable Snatch Game. If you thought she’d become less of a handful after being season three’s love-her-or-hate-her queen, guess again. I’m simultaneously exhausted and in love, but not convinced it won’t be her downfall. BenDeLaCreme and she are our clear two frontrunners, but Shangie is the one who is keeping things interesting.
We’re going to miss Chi Chi DeVayne, noted party-turner and Eraser enthusiast. Was it the effectiveness of this episode’s drama to make us think for even a second that she wouldn’t go home this week after a non-stop journey through the bottom, or was it our ceaseless affection for her? She’ll be the rare queen that walks away with her reputation untarnished despite her poor performance.
How am I feeling about the queens after such a tumultuous week? Let's rank:
- BenDeLaCreme
- Shangela
- Aja
- 🔻Kennedy Davenport
- 🔻Trixie Mattel
- Bebe Zahara Benet
- Chi Chi DeVayne OUT
- Morgan McMichaels OUT
- Thorgy Thor OUT
- Milk OUT
Gif as Episode Grade:
Reader Comments (27)
That Snatch Game was ABYSMAL, daw-ling! Only Dela and Ms. Shangie brought it.
Trixie's RuPaul (and to an extent, Trixie herself) was always going to flop hard, because what Snatch Game needs to succeed she does not seem to do. I'm seriously hoping she pulls it out in the next few weeks, because she's not winning this show and I want her to win at least one challenge.
i was glad to see ben's paul lynde was well-received; in the past, they've dragged people who dress as men, and i thought he did well. as for trixie, i like her as a contestant, but i was a little uncomfortable with a white man dressing as ru. anyone else?
Ben has won four challenges, so she soundly beat her two wins in season 6 last episode. And this lip sync would not have the hilarious interactions without her.
Honestly I thought Aja should have been in the top over Shangela, her Crystal Labeija was a fusion of persona and character so in sync that it really felt like she came back to life for a moment. Same with DeLa and Paul Lynde.
i was a little uncomfortable with a white man dressing as ru
There was no attempt on her part to darken her skin for the character so it feels inoffensive to me.
Trixie’s head-twitching Ru was cringe-worthy. Stick to YouTube, I guess.
At this point, Ben has won twice as many challenges as her closest competition. Anything less than top 2 would be an injustice. Still, I’m SO sick of seeing her lip sync. It’s a snooze.
Bring back Morgan!
Poor Trixie, but I can't say I didn't see it coming. I predicted her to come in fourth and she's left her potential resurgence too late to make a threat for the win (like Katya in s2). That being said, Shangela was also smart because girl can you imagine if she eliminated a fan favourite like that?!? Trixie's RuPaul started so good with that gag about shilling her album, but the rest was just puns and Ru is so much more than that. It works in the bite-sized capacity we get in skits, but not like this. Sadly. Kennedy and ChiChi were obviously deserving cohorts in the bottom three with ChiChi the worst of the bunch. Mispelling Maya Angelou's name just the first of the sad performance.
I thought Aja deserved Shangela's spot tbh, but the moment the producers knew the drama that was brewing backstage between Shangela and Trixie is was obvious Aja didn't have a chance. Her Crystal was funny and Aja was smart to make her replies little 'bits' where it didn't matter what the question was, but instead would just use it as a platform to go into her bit. Shangela's perf just seemed like exaggerations, which isn't my favourite kind of Snatch Game performance. Ben was clearly the runaway best, though. I'm glad they've given up the ghost of RuPaul being nervous about male performances in Snatch Game since they've done well in the past. I'm also glad they didn't make a deal out of the queens not knowing who Paul Lynde was like they have in the past with Little Edie and the like. As long as Ru knows who you are, it doesn't matter if nobody at home does.
I liked Ben's lip sync. She was appropriate for the song and I liked that she was interacting with Shangela because that's simply funnier and better to watch (at a drag show, at least). I thought Shange's strip was a yawn like when she took her wig off in earlier seasons.
i actually thought this episode was such a bad bad look on Shangela. She's my least favorite now.
Shangela is probably one of the smartest queens to ever grace the show. She really had us all fooled. I feel like it's problematic to make her out to be some kind of undeserving villain. She shows the most awareness of how the viewers and the other queens think. Ben is definitely more saccharine than sweet. I get that she's trying to be nice, but it's definitely very performative. Girl, own your success and stop trying to pander to the viewers. If I have to hear her say "this decision is really hard" in a confessional one more time I might puke.
Shangela is a "professional" hard,working fish. She totally should win, along with " Dela" and Aja. Shangela's energy and,positive just attitude is what really got me into Drag Race.
Prior to Bendelas Paul Lynde, does,everyone forget that Kennedy won Snatch Gamebher season by being a man. Or do we all think Little Richard is a,woman?
Dela is my fave this season, but i fear she will get the boot because she clearly is THE competition. I think im in the minority of those people who are not Shangela fans
Carl -- right there with you
Steven -- Shangela "positive"? Really? I get why people find her charismatic but that might be the last word I'd use to describe her attention-seeking drama-stirring whos-out-to-get-me-i-will-get-them-first Game of Thrones-ness. After this episode I just have such distaste for her. So disingenuous but then I think i am triggered by people who say things like "i accept your apology" and then clearly have not accepted it and are throwing shade to the camera about said apology.
gross!
I don't understand when folks complain about shadiness and bitchiness on this show *about drag queens* lol. Shangela is delivering on everything we come to this show for: performance, personality, drama, etc. The kind of bitchiness like Milk or Phi Phi are a different scenario when they don't back it up with the work
That was some stringbean couture on Ru.
Although overall, I'm rather cool to Shangela, I thought her reaction to Thorgy's note, was completely justified. Why would Trixie post the damn thing where everyone could see it? Even if Shangela hadn't seen it for herself first, someone else was bound to, and word would have certainly gotten back to her. Trixie's disingenuous denial of having any idea why Shangela was upset just won't wash. That was a provocation waiting to happen.
You know,
Its funny how a person of success would take the time to ridicule amd make jokes when there was no gain in this ordeal... Its fear of knowing and not knowing, fear of recieving help from people when not used to it, its lack of expenses to cover bills, and maybe lack of love for self.
Thank you for taking the time to get rid of the situation versus helping a so called queen as yourself portray. Funny ahit is I didnt gain anything but a drink from the room. As far as tweeking no its anxiety, its out of element, its called I'm in a room with 3 guys whom know one another, and trying to accept the fact a 4 sum wasnt what I was told. So as I tried to overcome the misguided shit from start I also had to overcome the sluttyness of the one in the bed focues on conquering a mini sized, med size with length, and a bazooka all in one hour. I was amazed but yet sickend by raw sloppy thirds at the same time.
Thank though to my dear gay brother, sister, or whatever you wanna be just please refrain from calling me a queen cause I'm all man. Funny shit is I didnt even know you nor take the occasional expenses you probably pay for that kind of shit. Since I know now your on television I know people will butter you up in order to get what they want or need wasmmne last thing I love all my people and as I found this I was appalled at first but remembered there were now not men but queens on the scene. I'm a man and if I got it or have the know how to give it I would take the time to provide some wisdom to a fellow brother or seek what needs to be seek in order to still be of help... Now drag run tell that...
Blessings are given in many different ways and the distasteful way your handling this without knowledge of the person in general is not one of them.
Um, so I think I kind of agree with the Shangela detractors. I don’t even think she’s a particularly ‘smart’ player. It’s because the seams show too much. I, and therefore
Have to assume others, can see the calculation in her talking heads and in her gameplay and it just feels manipulative. I can see she knows creating drama makes good tv. I can see she knows referencing previous seasons (haleloo, coming out in a box, corn) is a popular technique (see Alaska in All Stars 2). I can see she knows that people like a prop/gimmick in a lip sync. And most of all I knew she knew leading Trixie and the audience to believe she had chosen her would make for good TV. And it probably did but her it feels like we’re not seeing her win for her CUNT but because she understands TV and the audience.
When I think about smart queens I think about Tyra Sanchez gluing material to herself or making bags with Santino written on them for the runway.
Or Raja using unconventional matierial to construct an outfit, or Sharon Needles eating a blood capsule on the runway or Roxxy Andrews’ wig reveal at the lipsinc, or
BenDeLaCreme choosing whomshe chose for Snatch Game...,
Having said all that I think this episode has sealed the deal for a win for Shangela. No way BenDeLaCreme wins 4 in a row without some fall ahead, and Trixie has not performed to expectations, hard to justify a win for her. So congratulations Shangela! & I remain steadfast that All Stars 2 is the last great season of Drag Race.
You may not like Shangela but the season would have been so boring without her intentional tv villany (something Morgan attempted and failed at)
Rami - couldn't agree more. Dare I say this isn't a great season despite having an incredible lineup. BUT Shangela is also having a stellar run performance-wise
choog - Insightul. I agree re Shangela’s CUNT.
AS2 was the BEST season to date, so comparisons aren’t really fair. I’m happy that the quality has picked up since the series low of S7 (Sasha’s bogus win notwithstanding), so hopefully the next regular season continues. It’s too bad this All Stars cast is anything but!
I LOVE Shangela! She overreacted to Trixie, yes, but in general she's been pretty entertaining this season.
Gosh, some of y'all are taking Shangela's clear ACT so damn seriously. It's f'n TV, people.
If a queen posted a messy note about me on a public bulletin, I'd be suspicious of them too.
The GoT shtick is meant to be freakin' tongue in cheek...it's funny referential television...it isn't "attention-seeking drama-stirring whos-out-to-get-me-i-will-get-them-first" nonsense. Like some of the comments in this post/thread just read like some of y'all are pressed about Shangela personally.
I, too, am interpreting Shangela's Survivor act to be an ongoing schtick. She's just playing with the genre, y'all. I find it pretty funny.
Shangela is KILLING it in the confessionals – smart and insightful and giving us terrific reads --- but each week's work is nailing the challenge. Milk's delusional confessionals, on the other hand, were backed up by one of the worst Celine impressions I have seen in my LIFE (and I have seen MANY, I live in Quebec!)
BEN is the smartest though – just when I was growing tired of seeing the same look and makeup in different outfits, he brought out the totally unique blonde Cougar character and Paul Lynde! Trixie on the other hand always looks like Trixie in outfit x, y, or z. Unless Kennedy pulls out something as amazing as the Bachelor skank again, it's Ben or Shangela FTW.
"At its peak, RuPaul’s Drag Race is about the triumph of queer self-actualization, how we overcome our own internalized obstacles. " –– YES! That positivity and self love is part of RuPaul's brand and even the signature "If you can't love yourself" line is so important for all queer kids to internalize. It's a kinda cheap, messy Reality show, but it's truly a force for good.
I'm not a huge Shangela fan, but she's def aware of the way she's behaving. She's playing it up for the camera, and it's working. One of the things I learned in my early days of Drag Race watching is to not take the drama that seriously lol.
And count me in the minority, but I love this season (aside from Trixie underwhelming). I think the first two seasons of all stars had so many "omg they HAVE to win!" queens that it wasn't super fun, and season 2 had both Rolaskatox and a political correctness/fairness with the eliminations.
This season has no queen who clearly NEEDS to win, which makes it really fun to watch. And the queens aren't afraid to actually play the game and eliminate someone just because they want to, lol. I'm having fun watching this season.
I see why Shangela is grating on others' nerves, but if it weren't for her spicing things up, we'd be left watching hours of Trixie and Kennedy trying desperately to be hilarious narrators.
I also think that Shangela's high profile is more a focus of the editing than of Shangela herself. I'm left wondering why they're so desperate to hype her up...
I feel this season would probably be a bit dull w/o Shangela's antics. I'm down with her. She's entertaining and fun to watch.