Episode 1
“Baga Chipz here! Queen of the battered sausage — and I love to be covered in daddy’s sauce!” will go down in history as the first words ever uttered on the UK edition of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
That day, Baga may have seemed to be the first and only person in the Werk Room but, many months later, the world is watching her every step. Many have succumbed to this immense pressure and have tried to make themselves more likeable for an average traditional middle-class audience and their children. However, Baga brings back the unapologetic, outrageous campiness of drag that the latest seasons of American Drag Race have lost over the years. She is here to remind you who the show is really for and, if you don’t like it, you can damn well switch the channel to Midsomer Murders on ITV3. (Disclaimer: that is probably not even possible as Drag Race UK airs on BBC iPlayer only).
Before we move on, I would like to salute all the Americans who made it through the first two minutes of the episode, as they must have been very surprised by such linguistics nuances as: knockers, knickers, tuppence, shag, and Birmingham.
The second queen to come into the Werk Room is Belfast-native Blu Hydrangea. “Where are you from? Scotland?” “No, Northern Ireland.” is the most relatable dialogue I have heard in the history of Drag Race, probably only second to Monique Heart asking Monet X Change how to paint a wall (“That’s not the right way.” “Who said?” “Jesus.”) in All Stars 4.
“Where are you from? Scotland?” “No, Northern Ireland.”
Divina De Campo is the next queen to enter the room, and gets an edit comparable to Willam in season 4 — her TV credits are so extensive, they need to be sped-up. It’s a shame that no one kept up with them well enough to update her Wikipedia page. Some may recognise her from her 2016 appearance in The Voice — Divina herself says that she can “sing in five languages in four-and-a-half octaves while doing the splits”. And those skills combined can really catapult one into the finale, so keep an eye on her.
My favourite entrance of the episode has to be Crystal’s: “Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s body dysmorphia”. Birmingham-based Sumting Wong reclaims the racist micro-agressions that Asian minorities have to deal with in the country where only two out of the 10 Drag Race UK contestants are non-white Caucasian. She is followed by the Queen of Essex herself, Cheryl Hole (get it? Hole instead of Cole? Ha ha) and 21-year old Gothy Kendoll, who shows the older queens how it’s done with a gorgeous purple jumpsuit and a dildo-shaped hairdo.
“Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s body dysmorphia.”
Last Saturday, I saw Trixie Mattel perform at Heaven in London and she made some joke about British people having crooked teeth. Trixie herself had recently gotten veneers, after complaining about her teeth for years. Around an hour after the joke was made, I made the mistake of enthusiastically smiling for a picture with Trixie and the contrast between us was evident and appalling. I confirm that British people have awful teeth, and that should be taken under account when plucking young people from relative obscurity to a BBC reality show. Gothy Kendoll sheds life onto this issue, as she covers her mouth when she speaks because of insecurities linked to her teeth. Since the episode was filmed (and the queens got paid), she has obviously had a dentist appointment or two, but I wish crooked teeth were more acceptable on TV screens. Not that I have anything against veneers, but reality TV is supposed to be real and people should not be ashamed of themselves just because they don’t happen to have a few thousand quid to spare.
“I didn’t become a little bit of a slag, I became a total slag,” claims Vinegar Strokes, referencing the iconic quote by Kim Slater in EastEnders. British soap opera is exactly what Drag Race UK will need to keep us going.
My fellow Wiltshire-resident Scaredy Kat is the baby of the season. At only 19-years old, she has already had to deal with drag queens twice her age questioning her sexuality on YouTube. That is why I 100% stan Scaredy and I hope she shows Yuhua Hamasaki what it is like to be a memorable drag queen.
Finally, we have The Vivienne from Liverpool, who some might remember as the UK ambassador to Drag Race, an (allegedly) very prestigious and memorable award launched by RuPaul.
The Challenges
The mini-challenge could have been funnier and a little bit less awkward. RuPaul seemed a bit shocked by the queens’ outrageousness and the moment breastfeeding was brought onto the screen, I was a bit put off myself.
When it comes to the Hometown Queen runway looks, I disagree with Crystal’s idea of East London. Her look was less Brick Lane or Hackney Downs and more Liverpool Street Station— a dangerously convenient connection to Essex. As a former East London resident (Mile End will forever hold a special place in my heart), I did not see anything familiar nor relatable about her look. The gown seemed out of place and the giant letters, although big over the summer, have already been relegated to the cheap knock-off category by the time the episode aired.
On a positive note, here are the Hometown Spirit looks that I stan:
When it comes to the Queen Elizabeth Realness runway looks, Vinegar Strokes should not have been so hardly critiqued. The yellow outfit was not as obvious and safe as the typical coat + skirt + handbag coordinated looks that we associate with the Queen. Vinegar went further than the other contestants and decided to reclaim the original dated, colonial subtexts of the sovereign wearing a turban and (I will fight anyone on this) wear it way better. She also had like three wigs underneath it, so there.
What is more, since we already know that Vinegar could not wear her original runway choice for Hometown Queen (due to licensing issues I think?) how dare the judges do her like that and place her in bottom two?
Speaking of the bottom two, I loved Kendoll’s 1950s Queen look. It looked like straight out of the Dior exhibition at the V&A. Don’t even get me started on how gorgeous her makeup was. Reluctantly, I agree with Kendoll’s critique but I am still bitter over her [SPOILER ALERT] elimination. Of course Kendoll was not even remotely as good as Vinegar in the lipsynch (then again, “New Rules” is a bit of a drab song to lipsynch to anyway). Years ago, Pearl was attempting some lethargic movements while Trixie Mattel lipsynched for her life and, in a shocking and much controversial turn of events, Trixie was sent home so that Pearl could develop her storyline. I wish Gothy could have been given that chance instead of Pearl. While Pearl came off as lazy and sluggish, Gothy just seemed terrified. I really felt bad for her.
My verdict? Since nobody asked, I’m going to say that the historic first episode of Drag Race UK is mad campy, culturally-relatable, and already heartbreaking. Oh, and already full of controversial eliminations. Gothy Kendoll — I hope to see you in All Stars.
