RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Episode 1 Review
Before we jump into this, there are spoilers below if you haven’t watched the episode yet. All comments in this review just fun opinion, its a TV show, don’t get upset if we didn’t like your favourite Queen!
As the new year arrives, so does yet another Drag Race season! However, this time, if you want to watch the season, you will have to join Wow Presents Plus (not Netflix), where the season is airing exclusively in the UK.
On the 8th of January, the first half of the two-part premiere aired and fans were eagerly anticipating the introduction of a new roster of talent.
Now on its 14th instalment, the latest season of Drag Race features trans POC contestants, as well as a heterosexual queen. It’s safe to say that despite significant criticism from fans, the franchise is becoming more progressive and showcasing a wider demographic of drag artists.
The episode started with the iconic entrance looks, where we were given a glimpse into how diverse these set of queens are. From Willow Pill’s Y2K Bratz outfit, to Bosco’s high-fashion polka dot fantasy, these queens cater to everyone’s fashion sense. My personal favourite look was from the one and only Kerri Colby, who presented the trans flag colours in a gorgeously form fitted outfit. Following Kerri, Kornbread comes as a close second, showing everyone that big girls can look fashion forward in her black jacket dress. These two performers are not only presenting their drag to the world, but acting as ambassadors for the POC trans community. It is great to see that not only are we getting representation from singular minority groups, but also intersectional individuals who fall under various categories.
The premiere follows Drag Race tradition by having an iconic photo-shoot mini-challenge. The queens were strapped onto a spinning wheel and photographed for the gods! The standout’s here were no doubt Miss Kerri Colby and June Jumbalaya who managed to remain poised and elegant for the one second snapshot. Upon returning to the Werkroom the win was awarded to Kerri Colby.
RuPaul then announces that for the main-challenge, the queens would be showcasing a chosen skill in the ‘Charisma, Nerve and Talent Show’ (CNTs). The showcase was made up of lip-sync numbers as well as comedy sketches and dance displays – some performances proving to be more of a miss than a hit! The successful queens were Kerri Colby, Bosco, Kornbread and Willow Pill, who each produced a number that best represents them and their drag. A special shout-out must go to Miss Willow who stunned both audience and judges with her totally whimsical and unique performance. It was definitely outside of the box, or rather inside of the bath!
Alyssa Hunter, June Jumbalaya and Orion Story gave entertaining performances, but lacked in execution and attention-to-detail.
Alyssa’s performance felt too basic, with no elevation or story being told. Although June’s dancing was incredible, her headband became the villain of the episode and sabotaged the entire performance. Orion must be commended for delivering original content but, as is often the case within Drag Race, comedy acts must really make the judges laugh in order to succeed.
This week’s runway was ‘Signature Showstopping Drag’ and, as a whole, the girls turned it out! It is no surprise that the best looks came from Kerri, Bosco and Alyssa, perhaps foreshowing who the fashion queens of this season are going to be.
Kerri Colby came out in a stunning fur coat (let’s just hope it was faux), serving modern day Dominique Colby. Bosco walked the runway in a horned, mugler-esque dress, cementing her fashion prowess. And Alyssa’s ostrich feather gown (which although this is something we don’t agree with) it was exactly what we expected from such as successful Pageant queen.
June and Kornbread received some seemingly knit-picky critiques and their overall looks were also very strong. June looked expensive with her double train cat suit and Kornbread truly embodied the visual style of Lizzo, this week’s guest judge.
Orion and Willow both served good looks, but they weren’t necessarily show stopping. This left the judges, and myself at home, feeling underwhelmed and thirsty for more.
Now for the weekly placements, who else truly didn’t know which way the judges were going to sway?
The top spot could have easily gone to Kornbread, Kerri or Bosco; all three served stellar performances and spectacular runways. Kornbread takes the win which sees herself into the next week, perhaps that little bit more confident.
Where there is a top there must be a few bottoms, and facing the threat of elimination are Alyssa Hunter, June Jumbalaya and Orion Story. Alyssa is saved, thanks to her polished runway look, which means that June and Orion must lip-sync for their lives! They turn it out to “Water Me” by Lizzo.
In terms of performance, June embodied the essence of Lizzo which ultimately gave her the edge against Orion. Although Orion, once again, must be commended for that perfect wig reveal which is often a rarity in this competition.
In the end, Orion Story sashayed away but something tells me this isn’t the last time we’ll hear that name. Follow her on Instagram @theorionstory to see more of her amazing costume creations.
What did you think about the CNTs? Who stood out as a possible front runner? Let us know on our socials.
Favourite Performance
Willow Pill
Favourite Runway
Alyssa Hunter
Final Thoughts
Even though the two-part premiere is a controversial feature of recent seasons, this episode felt fresh and the threat of elimination gave even more meaning to the airtime that the contestants got.
Having Willow Pill actively talk about her chronic illness is truly breaking down ableist barriers within the drag community, proving that you can be a successful performer even with physical hurdles set against you.
Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 exclusively in the UK via the streamer of all things drag, WOW Presents Plus every Saturday, subscribe now here!
Imagery copyright: Wow Presents Plus
