{"id":250263,"date":"2026-01-24T23:31:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T23:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/250263\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T23:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T23:31:13","slug":"rupauls-drag-race-season-18-episode-4-breakdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/250263\/","title":{"rendered":"RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 4 Breakdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/a> is back and as sparkly as ever, which should be expected with Season 18\u2019s \u201cLet There Be Light\u201d theme. This time around, each of the 14 queens feels polished and seasoned. Perhaps that correlates to the majority of queens being over 30, or maybe it\u2019s due to better casting. Either way, Season 18 is shaping up to be one of the show\u2019s most exciting seasons in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After the controversy stemming from Season 10 of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars, most fans are ready to get back to basics and discover some new names to fall in love with. With Drag Race going back to its classic formula, you\u2019ll find few complaints from us. And since RuPaul loves a good acronym, we\u2019ll be conducting our reviews using the word DRAG (Drama, Runway, About That Challenge, and Gooped, Gagged, and Goated). Read on for our thoughts, musings, and reactions to RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 4.<\/p>\n

Drama: Briar was the main character this week, from the opening argument in the beginning to her fainting on stage. Are we buying what Briar is selling?<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul'sMTV<\/p>\n

Jeanette: As a local, I always want to support the Boston queens, but Briar makes that extraordinarily difficult. Listen, if you want to win RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race, you need to have the whole package, which includes personality. Briar can turn a look (just not this episode), but she also purposefully pushes buttons, and there\u2019s nothing congenial about that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps Athena said it best, \u201cBriar is in the wrong because she expects other people to respect her boundaries, but she doesn\u2019t respect anybody else\u2019s boundaries in the Werkoom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Period.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her interactions with Athena, at least on camera, still come off as \u201cpigtail pulling.\u201d But, again, the keyword here is \u201con camera.\u201d Athena maintains Briar is saying \u201cnasty\u201d things behind the scenes, and Mia seems to be keeping it pretty real. It doesn\u2019t help that Briar just sits there with a blank, almost uninterested expression. Maybe that\u2019s her defense mechanism. Perhaps it\u2019s guilt. I\u2019m not quite sure, but the whole thing feels off.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad Mia and Briar had their little heart-to-heart later in the episode, but then we\u2019re hit with the fainting incident, and I\u2019m right back to scratching my head. This show is A LOT of pressure. The queens might also struggle to get the proper amount of food, water, and sleep because of the stress, so I won\u2019t accuse Briar of \u201cfaking it\u201d because that feels icky. However, it is really telling when a good chunk of your castmates suspect it\u2019s theatrics. That\u2019s all I\u2019m going to say. Regardless, I\u2019m glad she\u2019s okay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lyra: Briar really bothers me because she wants others to respect her boundaries but she doesn\u2019t respect other queens boundaries. And yes, I\u2019m talking about Athena. She has made it very clear that she doesn\u2019t f*ck with Briar. But Briar continues to be in her space, says rude things off camera to her, and then doesn\u2019t respect when Athena doesn\u2019t want to be touched. <\/p>\n

Drag Race in itself is a lot of fun, barbs, and dynamic outfits. But it\u2019s built on respect. And if you don\u2019t know that balance yet, then maybe you aren\u2019t as good of a queen as you think you are or you\u2019re not ready for a worldwide stage. I think it\u2019s a little of both. Hopefully Drag Race will be a humbling experience for her where she\u2019ll grow.<\/p>\n

Lizzie: She\u2019s giving mean girl who doesn\u2019t want everyone to know she\u2019s a mean girl, and I just don\u2019t like that. Perhaps it\u2019s just that she feels inauthentic to me, but I believe Athena when she\u2019s saying nasty things behind the scenes, because from what we\u2019re seeing on camera, it feels like she would. Obviously, we don\u2019t really know what\u2019s happening, but in reality TV shows, perception is half the battle, and the problem with Briar is that she lost that battle very easily.<\/p>\n

The touching thing particularly bothered me. I feel like a person who is this bad at boundaries is also a person who is saying nasty things behind the camera. So no, I\u2019m not buying what she\u2019s selling, and that even involves the fainting. I almost feel like she was trying to drum up sympathy, it just didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

Shana: Yeah, I agree with everyone. I\u2019m not here for her or her drama. She doesn\u2019t have boundaries, she picks at people in a way that crosses lines, and she\u2019s just annoying AF. I also have watched way too much Drag Race from way too many franchises because, like, I remember at least one other fainting incident, and that was way less fake than this felt. Just seemed like really bad acting. And while her talk about how she was always treated like othered, or like she was doing something wrong, (or however she put it) at least provided some context, I\u2019ve still got limits on my patience that she\u2019s long since met.<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Need more? Read our RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 3 Breakdown<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Runway: Okay, but did some of these queens actually wear it better?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul'sMTV<\/p>\n

Jeanette: I disagreed with half of Ru\u2019s winners. Juicy, Ciara Myst, and Vita definitely wore it best, but as for everyone else? It\u2019s questionable. (Also, why is Michelle calling Juicy\u2019s fur cheap? Like, you guys gave her that fabric to work with. Blame yourselves.)<\/p>\n

Truthfully, though, I\u2019m most upset about Myki Meeks losing to Nini Coco. Law Roach criticized Myki for not using the JLo fabric better, but um, Nini just did a catsuit and literally wrapped a piece of green fabric around her body like a mummy. The Michelle I used to know would\u2019ve ripped her to shreds for that. What do you mean by \u201cit works for you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lyra: Ciara Myst was definitely my favorite. From the walk to the construction, she understood the assignment and made a mashup look that was elevated. Honestly, I think she should\u2019ve won. Sorry Vita. The Lil Kim of it all was missing, even if it was opulent.<\/p>\n

This is where things get controversial. (For this roundtable at least.) Juicy\u2019s look did look cheap. And it\u2019s because she didn\u2019t double up the trim or try to make it look thicker. But it\u2019s probably because the trim and train was hard enough. As for Nini Coco, oh she smoked Myki Meeks. Why? Because Myki\u2019s look didn\u2019t look cohesive and she was doing too much. As for Nini, it was a perfect blend of the looks requested. And it was done in a silhouette that emphasized her curves and body but still was recognizable. <\/p>\n

Lizzie: I\u2019ve been pleasantly surprised by Juicy, because when the season started, she was basically like, \u201cI can\u2019t sew, I can\u2019t do comedy, I can\u2019t sing,\u201d and I wasn\u2019t sure if she was selling herself short or if she just really didn\u2019t have what it took to go far in this competition. But she\u2019s been a pleasant surprise for me. That being said, Ciara Myst was outstanding too.<\/p>\n

Shana: I had at least one thing that I hated about every single look. Even Vita, who was the clear winner, did too much for me with that white dangly bit right in front. <\/p>\n

About That Challenge: Is it slightly toxic for Ru to ask the queens to pair up with their \u2018best friends\u2019 only to pit them against each other after?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul'sMTV<\/p>\n

Jeanette: It\u2019s not \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Best Friends Race!\u201d I get it. Everyone is your competition, but it does feel a little shady. For whatever reason, I always forgot about the Who Wore It Best challenge format, so when Ru tells people to pair up with their bestie only to reveal later they\u2019re now their competition, I\u2019m like, \u201cOooo, that\u2019s cold.\u201d That said, I like that it highlights a queen\u2019s character. Some people turn a little nasty, others continue showing support, and even help their \u201cpartner.\u201d\u00a0In that sense, I consider it science. <\/p>\n

Lyra: It\u2019s was so messy when Ru asked them to pair up as \u201cbest friends.\u201d And it\u2019s especially true because Briar has latched onto the one person who can stand her and seems to be rubbing it in Athena\u2019s face. So yeah, mess. But also, I need the criteria to start making sense here. Because challenges like this happen and they judge a queen with one set of criteria and then turn around and judge with another. Basically, this show needs a refresh.<\/p>\n

Lizzie: Slightly? 100% toxic, but this is reality TV, and Ru kinda loves to be messy, so should we really be surprised? It made for a better show! The last thing I want is for the show to be boring, and as much as in real life I\u2019d be like that\u2019s an unfair twist, I am watching Ru Paul\u2019s Drag Race, so bring it.<\/p>\n

Shana: Nah. It\u2019s a competition, and it\u2019s reality TV. Nobody should trust anybody at any time, least of all RuPaul.<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Don\u2019t forget to check out our RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 2 Breakdown<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Gooped, Gagged, and GOATED: Do you agree with RuPaul\u2019s choices for bottoms and tops in RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 4?<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul'sMTV<\/p>\n

Jeanette: Bottoms? Absolutely. Briar\u2019s outfit was terrible. As for Kenya, I love her, but there was nothing meat or denim about that dress. It wasn\u2019t even Spider-Man colors, which arguably would have been better. Thankfully, my girl can dance, so it all worked out for the best because I would\u2019ve been sad to see her go home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tops? My feelings get muddier. Vita looked gorgeous in that color, so yeah, wins all around, but what the heck is Jane Don\u2019t doing in the top? Again, I love her, but this outfit did nothing for me\u2026 or for her. In fact, it made her look matronly. I hated it! As for Ciara, the outfit works, but her lips, I just find them too distracting. They take up the entirety of her face, and I\u2019m saying this as a fan of Trixie Mattel, so it means something when I say makeup is too much. <\/p>\n

Lyra: Look, I love Athena, but that outfit shouldn\u2019t have been safe. It\u2019s dated and giving Bianca del Rio in Season 6. She should\u2019ve joined Briar, Kenya, and Discord. Jane as well because I didn\u2019t get what you were doing at all with that look. The one bottom that hurt was Kenya. She\u2019s a really talented queen that knows herself and how to dress her body. (Coming from a fellow big girl.) So she did a good job on the construction of the dress but not the execution of the actual challenge. <\/p>\n

As for saying goodbye to Briar. Wrote these answers before watching the end, where she got booted. There\u2019s still room to grow even if she\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

Lizzie: The bottoms were dead on. I\u2019m even happy with Briar leaving. I think this is such a strong group, and she was truly one of the weakest links in general, with her personality issues not helping her at all. The tops \u2026eh. I agree with Jeanette that Jane Don\u2019t is just cruising at this point, because why was she there? I loved Ciara, and I loved Juicy, but I feel like I didn\u2019t love anyone else. A lot of people were in the middle for me this week.<\/p>\n

Shana: I think within the context of me not caring for most of the looks, the tops and bottoms were more or less correct. At least Vita winning and Briar going home were. Can we please have a challenge I enjoy again soon???<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race is back and as sparkly as ever, which should be expected with Season 18\u2019s \u201cLet…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[145512,156,10940,111,139,69,421,101338,437],"class_list":{"0":"post-250263","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-drag-race","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-mtv","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz","14":"tag-paramount","15":"tag-rupauls-drag-race","16":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}