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• The Top Six Most One-Sided Lip-Syncs!
Come Monday, it’ll be the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race season six, and thus far they hypetrain has been running so hard that the show’s already been greenlit for a SEVENTH season. Yes, the new season isn’t even out yet and already it’s a big enough hit to warrant another round. AWESOME! Now, we’ve briefly talked about the new queens in the past, but I’ve never really outright made any predictions, so without further ado, I’m going to make my guesses. At the end of the season, I’ll compare and see how hopelessly wrong I was because I haven’t seen a single episode yet (Although you guys in the states can watch it NOW on the LogoTV app!) so take these with a grain of salt.
ADORE DELANO
Adore has probably the biggest built-in fanbase of any of the queens, since she was on American Idol, and that’s where her strength lies: She’s a clearly defined performer with singing chops. She’s got attitude and a great aesthetic, but the big thing I think is going to get in her way is going to that same attitude. Comparative to the other girls, she’s a bit of a baby queen, and her stint on American Idol shows she treads a very thin line between sassy and bitchy. And as Ru says, “I do sassy, I don’t do bitchy.” As long as she can maintain her composure, she can go far.
Queens she’ll play like: Phi Phi O’Hara meets Detox.
APRIL CARRION
The season’s Puerto Rican queen. Unlike most of the other PR girls, April seems to have a much better grasp of the English language, and considering how often that held back most of the other latina girls, that’s already one stepping stone out of her way. She’s crafty, she’s got a great pool of references to play with, and she’s gorgeous when she’s in drag. The only drawback I’d say is that she didn’t really *pop* in her Meet the Queens video, and while that’s not indicative of anything, she needs to bring her attitude up to the level of her look.
Queens she’ll play like: Yara Sofia meets Ivy Winters.
BEN DE LA CREME
Ben definitely has attitude and wit to spare, and she brings something to the table that’s never really been seen on the show before: Burlesque. Couple that with her friendship with Jinkx Monsoon, and we have a queen with a ton of moxie and a solid comedy background. It also helps that her style and make-up make her look like Michelle Visage, so she’ll never be dinged for looking less than fabulous. The only risk I see for her is if she ever veers too far into camp, she could be in trouble, but I think she’s a solid enough performer to temper her more out-there flights of fancy with a touch of sublety.
Queens she’ll play like: Jinkx Monsoon meets Shannel.
BIANCA DEL RIO
I had my doubts with her at first, and I’ll be honest: A lot of them were based on hearsay. That being said, she’s one whose grown on me. Make no doubt about it, she’ll definitely be a bitch, and she’ll be cutting, but I feel like she’ll inure herself to the audience as time goes on. And yet, there are some pitfalls she could run up against: The make-up is out there, even if it is her trademark, and if she goes too mean she could alienate herself. And yes, being Miss Congeniality is definitely a factor now that the fan vote factors in to the final score.
Queens she’ll play like: Willam meets Raja.
COURTNEY ACT
It really is remarkable how much she looks like a woman. Courtney I see going far, just because she’s such a well-respected queen in the drag community. More than that, she’s already established herself as a celebrity down in Australia, so now it’s just a matter of making her presence known up here. Courtney serves amazing looks, she has the perfect face for make-up, and she seems down to earth and very sweet, and that’s where her trouble may come from: sweet is good, but there needs to be another flavour note in there. Expect Michelle to say “We need to see the real you!” or “I wanna see you get down and dirty!”
Queens she’ll play like: Chad Michaels meets Manila Luzon.
GIA GUNN
Oh Gia … She’s beautiful, she’s graceful, but I’m just not sure she has “America’s Next Drag Superstar” written on her. I mean, she’s an absolute stunner, and the polish on her? Incredible. But I’m not sure I see much else other than a stunning woman with fantastic dancing ability.
Queens she’ll play like: Carmen Carrera meets Lineysha Sparx.
JOSLYN FOX
I initially wrote Joslyn off as just a body queen, but … I don’t know. I think there’s a spark in her that can catch fire with the right amount of coaching. She’s beautiful, she’s got a pretty good sense of humor about herself, and there’s something to her personality that makes me think there’s something inside her that can catch on. I’m not sure if she’ll go that far, but there’s something there.
Queens she’ll play like: Jade meets Monica Beverly Hillz.
KELLY MANTLE
There’s something about Kelly that screams “sassy southern lady” to me, and I’m genuinely intrigued by her. She’s got a lot of talent to her, from singing to comedy, and there’s a sly good ol’ fashioned sass to her. That being said, I’m not sold on her just yet. She seems like a sweetheart, but I think she needs to make her voice just a bit stronger. I also think her styling needs just a touch more polish, but if she can nail that down I see her going far.
Queens she’ll play like: Nicole Paige Brooks meets Jessica Wild.
LAGANJA ESTRANJA
I get that Laganja has a ton of fans, and I can totally see why: Her lip-synchs are INCREDIBLE. Her style is fun. But I think I have the hardest time with her, and it’s because it all just feels forced. It feels rehearsed. There’s a disconnect underlying what she says and what she’s doing. I know she explained herself by saying she has a background in theatre, but it just doesn’t feel natural to me. Also: The death-drops. Laganja, we get it, you really like death-drops. But in the words of Sarah Silverman, you need to make it a treat. That being said, she’s gonna be a fan-favourite, and tumblr is going to runneth over with gifs of her.
Queens she’ll play like: Alyssa Edwards meets Serena Cha Cha.
MAGNOLIA CRAWFORD
When she started out, Magnolia kinda seemed pegged as cannon fodder. But like Joslyn, she’s growing on me. There’s a wit there, and she knows how to do sketch comedy which is going to be an absolute boon to her. It also turns out that she actually has a fair bit of styling to her, so she’ll probably surprise a lot of people on that front. My note for her is that make-up just looks harsh. I know it’s intentional, but it really does come across as unforgiving at times.
Queens she’ll play like: Tammie Brown meets Mimi Imfurst.
MILK
She emerged as the surprise Dark Horse, and the more we get to know her the more she seems like a front-runner. Her fashion sense is incredibly chic bordering on avant garde, she has a great sense of humor and her background as a competitive figure skater would indicate that she’s a fair bit more graceful than we’d think. Milk runs the risk of being called out for being too out there, and she doesn’t seem like a big lip-syncher, which might be a disadvantage if she’s put up against some of the more lip-centric queens.
Queens she’ll play like: Alaska meets Ongina.
MISS DARIENNE LAKE
I feel like out of all the queens, Darienne is a bit underlooked. She probably has the most experience out of anyone, and her comedy skills, while not as pointed as Bianca’s, are some of the strongest of anyone on the show. I think out of anyone on the show, Darienne is going to be the one who surprises people the most, and I have my fingers crossed that she’ll be the first big girl to make it all the way.
Queens she’ll play like: Pandora Boxx meets Stacy Layne Matthews.
TRINITY K. BONET
Trinity seems like the kind of girl who can serve face and glamour more than anyone else on the show, but … She’s not killing me with her originality or personality. She seems nice enough, and the story of her and her mother from the Meet The Queens video totally warmed the cold little cockles of my heart, but I think I’m having the same problem with her as I have with Gia and Joslyn: I see a beautiful woman, but I don’t see a pioneer.
Queens she’ll play like: Tyra Sanches meets Mariah.
VIVACIOUS
Oh gawd, I’m really pulling for Vivacious. She’s giving me club kid goddess, and considering how little of that we’ve seen on the show, it really makes me hope that she’ll stick around for the long run so that she can show us her style of drag. Her aesthetic is visionary, original, and editorial, and her personality is a huge hit for me. I just wonder, if the judges ask her to do something traditionally girly, whether or not she’ll be able to bring it without losing that essence that makes her so unique.
Queens she’ll play like: Nina Flowers meets Latrice Royale.