Drag U Tue - A Family That Drags Together

This season of Drag U keeps on surprising me. Just when I think the show is winding down it throws me a curve ball and gets me hooked in again. This week's episode was very special. The families of three of our favorite drag queens came on the show to be made over to be just as fierce as their brothers/sons. This week RuPaul proved that families that drag together, do indeed stay together.

Behold Manila's twenty nipples!

This episode featured Susan, dubbed Falconetta, Jujubees shy and reserved sister, Rachel, given the name Lark St. Laurent, Manila's already quite outspoken sister, and Deshawna, AKA Ladyhawke Raven's core Christian values mother. Let me tell you, the family resemblance is striking -- even without all the makeup. These women really need a style boost, and they are in the right hands for the job.

The tension between the girls and their families was outrageous at first. We had Raven, who's mother not only insisted on calling him by his boy name, but also had never been around him in drag before. Manila's sister Rachel was feeling neglected. The biggest shock for me, however, was Susan. She and her brother were very close at one point, but something happened.

The first teary-eyed moment in the show was between Juju and Susan. We know from earlier episodes, as well as Drag Race, that Jujubee's father passed away. The three of them were very close. What we didn't know, was that right after he passed away, Juju's mother left with another man, breaking their family apart. Seeing the two of them discuss it and try and make amends was touching. I can really feel for their situation; I know what they are going through. I can only hope the best for the two of them.

The Lady Lesson this week was hilarious. They learned the art of padding. The real kicker was Raven giving her mother bird seed boobs (complete with nipples). The others focused on butts and hips, making the illusion of being really skinny. The sassyness of this episode is impossible to describe. They all had so much to catch up on and yet it felt like they had all been together forever. The rapport the sisters developed was hilarious, and even Deshawna learned a thing or two from Raven.

No, Juju isn't drunk again.

Deshawna and Raven surprised me the most out of all the girls. We learned during the course of the episode that she once disowned her son. They were from a strict Mormon family, and that was definitely a no-no. Over the years, her mother relaxed and began to accept her for the man-woman she had become. Drag U was the final step in that process to finally be accepted. Near the end of the episode, Raven teared up, thanking her mother for finally coming to terms and renewing their family bond. How sweet!

Tears aside, Deshawna was probably the fiercest mom I've ever seen. She was serving up some shade, which is exactly what Ms. Raven is famous for. The two of them hatched a plan to annoy Juju, and with that the Raven Show was off hiatus and back into the spotlight. This time, she and her co-star Ladyhawke, decided to mix and match all the shoes to make it difficult for Juju to find anything for her sister. And as if having a sixth toe on one foot wouldn't make that hard enough!

The dance lesson was one big blah for me. Neither of my sexy deans were there this time around. Hopefully we'll get to see Andre one last time before the show ends. He was such a cutie! I really have nothing left to say here.

Manila and her sister were quite the pair. They had been very close when they were younger, but not so much now. The drive behind her sister wanting to be better than her was finally revealed late in the episode. Apparently she has had a feeling of being left behind. She said her sister never was in the mood to see her or hang out with her, and she was never invited to the drag shows Manila put on. Manila said she didn't realize those things meant so much to her sister and vowed to correct them in the future.

Before I knew it, Draguation was here. Susan looked fabulous. She had a very shiny dress and some crazy diva-fro hair going on. Her confidence level went through the roof!  Rachel had a freaking Icecream hair clip! That is so Manila. In fact, she looked just like Manila -- which isn't a bad thing at all. She had a very colorful and poofy dress on. She was definitely my fave! Deshawna was the weakest of the group, but not bad by a long shot. She had an interesting asymmetrical dress on. The only thing that didn't work for me was the hair.

In the end, Deshawna had the best transformation and she draguated with top honors. Despite my critiques, I still loved her look. All of the girls looked amazing this time. I don't know how the judges were able to pick just one. I really do think Raven deserved the win this time. She is fierce, and so is her mama!

She pronounced it "Cuh-cumber". So cute!

The Drag Tips this week are brought to you by fan favorite Ongina. She gave us tips on how to use cucumbers effectively... as something other than a sex toy? Anyway, apparently you can use it to tighten cellulite and even to make your eyes less puffy. Who'd have thought?

Drag U Tue - Lesbians Gone Wild

After taking a break to watch the fireworks (and probably make some of their own) Drag U has returned in full swing. This time around we have some overly butch lesbians going back to school to learn how to be amazingly fabulous and get back in touch with their feminine sides.

Julie is our first ladylover and is quickly paired up with Jujubee. This girl hasn't worn a dress since her highschool prom. AJ, a self conscious girl hiding under layers and layers of clothing, teams up with Raven. Skyler, a -- wait. That's a girl? It looks like a man. A hot man. Oh lord. Anyway, Skyler goes with Ongina. It looks like we are off to a great start.

Julie (Calamity), AJ (Thunder), and Skyler (Scorpio) pay a visit to the Dragulator as per usual and then are shuffled into their first lady lesson with Lady Bunny, but not before Ongina proceeded to list off all kinds of synonyms for boobs. Their lesson is in finding the perfect bra. Being a gay man, I could care less about knowing how to configure a bra size, so I spent the majority of this segment on twitter rambling off about music and whatnot. I did come back in time to hear Raven exclaim about how amazing AJ's tatas were. And girl did she prove it when she revealed her corrected bra.

After a few hilarious impersonations by Julie and an extended scene about how Skyler hates every wig in existence, we finally move onto the dance class. The song of the week is Bootylicious, a song that they believe will bring out the sexy in these girls. Honestly, from the clips they showed, I don't think any of these girls needed to be shaking their jelly, but then again, editing always makes things look worse than they really are, right? Right!? Either that or Skyler was just too distracted by how hot the teacher was to dance accordingly.

Oddly enough, I'd have to say the highlight of the episode was definitely the continuing catfight between Jujubee and Raven. Their first fight was over how to walk properly, wherein we discovered Juju is a hoodrat and Raven was rejected from the Real Houswives franchise. In the second fight, Juju tricks Raven into giving up her ring by saying she stole it. I have always loved Raven, and her random drama-for-no-reason instances make me giggle.

Draguation came sooner than I had expected and the girls were all dolled up. Julie looked like a gangster wife straight from the fifties. Not exactly the most flattering colors, but it worked for her. AJ came out wearing a tux-dress, showing off her nice tots (and was that a Mimi ImFurst wig?). Skyler, the most shocking transformation, came out as a Rihanna impersonator -- and a damn good one at that. In the end, AJ won. I was satisfied with the end result. I loved Skyler's look, but her attitude remained the same. AJ showed more of a dramatic change, overcoming her fear or showing her chest and her negative self image.

Wrapping things up, we have Pandora Boxx giving us drag tips on what all you can do with Hair Spray. And DAMN isn't it about time she actually got to be showcased on the show? I've been waiting and waiting to see my favorite queen on the show. And who knew that hair spray could save panty hos?

Also, anyone else think this week's Dean of Dance looked like Carmen from Drag Race season three? Maybe I'm crazy.

Drag U Tue - Suddenly Single

This week, Drag U brings us three ladies, who, for one reason or another, have found themselves single and without a clue in the world, but before I get into all the juicy details, I think it would be best to start the day off with a picture of one of my favorite professors -- The fabulous Manila Luzon.

Ahem. Moving on. We are presented with three single ladies. First up is Kris, left in Manila's hands. This construction worker is afraid of being viewed as weak, and says since she's attracted to masculine women (!) she should be what she is attracted to. Second, we have Annie. This girl has a tragic story to tell, and when Ongina found out her boyfriend died just a few months prior, she knew that she had to revive that diva inside of her for her own sake, as well as her lost love. Lastly, we have mother of three Marcia. She gave up everything to go to California and start anew. Shannel (uhg, I know) was set up to be her drag professor.

Before I move on, let me address my beef with Shannel. On the first season of Drag Race, she was really self absorbed and quite annoying; this trend carried over into Drag U season one. Perhaps she learned her lesson, or maybe it was the editing of the previous seasons, but this season of Drag U portrays her in a very different light. As I said in the last Drag U Tue, she is starting to change my opinion on her, and the way she helped and comforted Annie -- who wasn't even her drag student -- made me really think that I may have misjudged Shannel. Ok, miss thang, you are starting to win my heart.

The Dragulator assigned names for the girls. Annie as Gogo West, Kris as Caprice Classic, and Marcia as Loni Fellini. The Dragulator looks were pretty good this time around, but not all of the girls agreed. Most notably was Kris, who thought the Twiggy look she was given just didn't work, and when they tried out wigs, Manila agreed. The others seemed quite content with their given looks.

 

This week's lesson with Lady Bunny was how to take a good profile picture. Lighting and angles were the key, of course, and the girls took decent pictures. Honestly, they would have been better if they had been dolled up or in their drag looks, but they had to deal with what they had. Also, I just can't get over how big Lady Bunny's hair is. I mean last season she had some redic looks, but this one takes the cake. Her hair makes her at least a foot and a half taller. Some serious hair, hurr.

The dance lesson didn't go as well as the drag lesson. After blindfolding the girls to get their true dance styles when they feel nobody watching, they were taught a routine to a favorite song of mine, Call Me by Blondie. As usual, the girls just didn't seem to catch on very quickly, but all of that was in the background when I cam to the conclusion that Andre, the Dean of Dance, is undeniably cute. I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize it. 

After their one on one talks with President Ru Paul (and a few dramatic moments, including Manila claiming she is being set up with the worst contestant), the girls debut their looks on the stage. I had a hard time picking my favorite. Kris looked like a fabulous sixties gogo dancer -- and Manila even convinced her to wear pink when she refused to for the whole episode. Annie had sequins in every spot you could imagine (ok, so maybe not there) and had a wrist muff that was to die for... but Marcia failed to impress. Her dress was abysmal and made it look like she was wearing a comically huge tie. In the end, Kris won this week, and I have to say I'm satisfied. I feel like she had the biggest transformation and greatest attitude adjustment. 

The trend of the "Drag Tips" and "A Word With Ru" continue in this episode. This weeks word with our Drag U President was "Escandalo" another Ru Classic. I was a bit more confused with the Drag Tips segment, as it was less comical than last week, but at least Carmen was totally hot -- oh and she Nailed It!

'Til next week!