After going for almost a whole month without putting on a new episode of the air The Drag Race of RuPaul, VH1 quenched the collective thirst of fans on Friday with the premiere of the franchise’s final offshoot – and there was plenty to drink.
The first hour of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Vegas Revue picked up two weeks before the official opening of The Drag Race of RuPaul Live!, a Las Vegas revue featuring six of the league’s most iconic queens: Yvie Oddly, Asia O’Hara, Derrick Barry, Cameron Michaels, Naomi Smalls and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo.
I expected that much of the drama would make him feel completely lost – and like all reality shows, some of it certainly was – but it was honestly refreshing to get to know some of these queens better outside of the workroom. For example, I could watch a whole spinoff just about Vanjie and Silky Nutmeg Ganache (are they neighbors ?!), as Derrick and his functioning thouple. (Can we start with a GoFundMe to buy her a slightly larger bed? I got claustrophobic right after I saw all three of them pushing into that thing.)
We also received an update on Yvie’s battle with Ehlers – Danlos syndrome, a condition that prevents them from producing or maintaining a lot of collagen. As a result, her joints are in a state of rapid decay, which means that being a stunt queen is probably one of the worst things she can do for her overall health. It’s a story we first learned when Yvie won Drag Race Season 11, but it’s one worth following. Hearing them talk to Ru about seeing a doctor see was heartbreaking.
Most of the drama of the premiere came from Naomi’s longtime feud with fellow Season 8 queen Derrick, who both took every opportunity to add more fuel to the fire. Naomi started mocking Derrick – albeit behind her back – for her aesthetic Britney Spears to prevent her actually having to develop a unique persona. Even when Yvie casually complimented Derrick’s work ethic and willingness to try anything, Naomi could not resist adding, “It’s so hockey.”
Their excitement took a turn for the worse during a meeting at Derrick’s house, when one-third of their throuple – Nick San Pedro, better known as Alaska’s drag girl Nebraska – read to each other. Derrick started yelling at Naomi to say you have to be ‘braindead’ to be a Derrick fan, then followed Nebraska by having fun with Naomi’s achievements in the Snatch Game. (Kind of weird to take on a random challenge from six years ago, but OK.) Naomi then closes it off by informing Nebraska that being 6 ′ 5 ″ does not make her angry.
The premiere ended with Nebraska crashing another of the outings after the Queens rehearsal, so we’ll have to wait and see how things play out between her and Naomi. (I think … not great.)
Hit PLAY on the trailer below for a taste of what you can expect differently this season. Dan, rate the premiere in our interviews and throw in a comment with your review.
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