{"id":118353,"date":"2026-01-31T14:19:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T14:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/118353\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T14:19:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T14:19:10","slug":"rupauls-drag-race-season-18-episode-5-breakdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/118353\/","title":{"rendered":"RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 5 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 Goped, Gagged, and Goated). Read on for our thoughts, musings, and reactions to RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 4.<\/p>\n

Drama: What are everyone\u2019s thoughts on Rate-A-Queen?\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

Jeanette: Rate-A-Queen turns Drag Race into Game of Thrones. Everyone starts plotting for power and vying for alliances. Sometimes it\u2019s fun; other times it\u2019s tedious. Here, it turned into the latter for me. The majority of the episode was just the queens talking and talking and talking about who would not-so-secretly team up with whom. Oh, and for whatever reason, Rate-A-Queen guarantees that someone will say something like, \u201cI thought we were playing checkers, but baby, we\u2019re playing chess now.\u201d *Eye roll*<\/p>\n

Personally, I align most with people like Jane Don\u2019t. Someone who sits back and watches it all unfold. As Jane herself said, she\u2019s here to be judged by RuPaul (and the judges), not her fellow competitors. I get that frustration, but I also get its reality TV. So, I\u2019m just going to throw my hands up and hope they don\u2019t screw over Jane next episode.<\/p>\n

Lyra: I started crying as soon as they said that Rate a Queen was back! Because there\u2019s no middle ground with this style. And I\u2019m not here for that. I want some sort of consistency in the riggory that is reality TV. That only happens if Ru is the one judging the queens. In this case them making alliances and trying to figure out what strategy is best took up most of the episode. And I don\u2019t think that the personalities of the queens are strong enough to carry all that interpersonal drama.<\/p>\n

Lizzie: Ironically, I like things like Rate-A-Queen in other reality TV shows, but I\u2019m watching Drag Race, not Traitors. I don\u2019t want to be worrying about who\u2019s going to backstab who; I just want to watch the show be about how good these contestants are. And the hour turned into more like Drag Race does Survivor or something, so it wasn\u2019t my favorite thing. This is still a competition, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s neccesary for all reality shows to start resembling each other. <\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Catch up with our\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u00a0Season 18, Episode 4 Breakdown<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Runway: Any looks you want to scream about?<\/p>\n

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

Jeanette: JUICY LOVE DION! Truthfully, I didn\u2019t quite understand all the Juicy hype in the first few episodes, but after this one, I\u2019m ready to go to her merch store and buy a T-shirt. I absolutely adored her Venus Flytrap-esque look! And her talent show performance\u2026 more on that below.<\/p>\n

Athena\u2019s To Wong Foo homage was fun, too, even if it was a little bright for my taste. But man, what in the world was Darlene wearing???<\/p>\n

Lyra: Juicy Love Dion looked so beautiful and elegant in her venus flytrap look. And I think it was a really strong look that transformed satin into something that fits with her brand. If there\u2019s anyone that\u2019s a strong second place it\u2019s Nini Coco. She also transformed satin into something unique. And that face was immaculateeeeee! These two are front runners. <\/p>\n

Lizzie: How have I gone from Juicy Love Dion being one of my least favorites to feeling like I should stand up and applaud her the last few weeks? I loved every part of it. And I loved no part of whatever Darlene was doing. It was giving prom, but like prom dress you got last minute and isn\u2019t actually doing anything for you. Sorry, not sorry. <\/p>\n

About That Challenge: Do you like that the talent show happened later in the season as opposed to the usual premiere episode airing?\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

Jeanette: I\u2019m not necessarily mad about the talent show existing in later episodes because it lets me root for certain queens more, or maybe even see a new side to them. However, I still think it works best in the premiere episode. To me, the talent show is like a pitch. I don\u2019t know these queens yet, but they get 60 seconds to show me who they are and what they can bring to the table.<\/p>\n

It feels more reminiscent of what happens in real life. You don\u2019t always know the queens at your local bar or drag brunch, but if they\u2019re good, you\u2019ll continue to remember them and want more of their content.<\/p>\n

Lyra: I really like the placement of the talent show. I feel like I know more about the queens to understand why they made these choices. And while Juicy\u2019s talent was talent, especially when she ran across that stage like something straight out of my nightmares but still cool, it\u2019s Nina that caught my eye. At the end of the day, they\u2019re going to pick a queen who has brand recognition. And the fact that Ru and Michelle were already saying, \u201cYou want to make me a mother?\u201d and \u201cI want to make you dinner.\u201d means that Nini is memorable. <\/p>\n

The one performance that really shocked me was Vita. That\u2026 wasn\u2019t good. It felt pedestrian and like we would see this in Season 1 of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race. Unfortunately for Vita, drag has evolved. And if you don\u2019t evolve with it, you will get left behind. Her performance was her getting left behind. It\u2019s made worse too by the fact that she forgot the lyrics\u2026 to her own song. But maybe it was nerves?<\/p>\n

Lizzie: I admit I kinda liked it more later in the show. It serves a purpose in the first episode, and I don\u2019t hate it, but I feel like the later it happens the more we actually care about these queens. Sometimes the thing about it being in the first episodes is that anything can be happen and we\u2019ll be like, okay? It gives you no time to get attached to a person, a vibe, or anything.<\/p>\n

That being said, Drag Race is in many ways a personality contest, but drag isn\u2019t necessarily one. And they should be able to stand out just for their looks. So, I guess I\u2019m not picky. I\u2019ll enjoy it whenever it comes. <\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Need more? Read our\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u00a0Season 18, Episode 3 Breakdown<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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

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

Jeanette: Can I start by saying poor Ciara Myst? She took a risk, bared her soul, and then got tossed in the bottom. Do I think the other queens were more entertaining than her? Absolutely. However, my heart broke for her. She was basically like, \u201cI survived crippling depression,\u201d and everyone was like, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s nice, but no.\u201d Her bottom placement is valid, but Ciara, I see you, and I\u2019m happy you\u2019re still here with us.<\/p>\n

If it weren\u2019t for this Rate-A-Queen business, I suspect Vita could\u2019ve been in the bottom. The aerobics thing is played out, and as the judges and other queens seemed to notice, she dropped her lip sync on multiple occasions. For those reasons, Vita should be in the bottom, not Ciara.<\/p>\n

As for the tops, I think it\u2019s right on the money. Again, JUICY LOVE DION! I\u2019m not entirely sure how her spine didn\u2019t crack in half after she did that back walkover to a handstand to a split combo and landed with an arched back\u2026 but that\u2019s the power of drag. I\u2019m assuming Juicy must have gymnastic training, along with dance, because her form is impeccable, especially considering she is wearing six-inch heels. Combine that with her runway, and she should\u2019ve been the default winner if they weren\u2019t picking a top 2. That said, Mia was also a blast! I\u2019d listen to her song on repeat every day. (Is it on Spotify yet? Note to self to check.)<\/p>\n

Lyra: Juicy and Mia absolutely deserved to be in the top. Both gave it their all and absolutely destroyed the competition. Juicy unfortunately did better than Mia because of that runway look. But they were immaculate. And then that performance at the end where they were stepping in sync? That\u2019s what makes iconic drag race performances. <\/p>\n

Now there\u2019s the bottoms. Ciara definitely deserved to be there. I feel for her and am glad she\u2019s there. Nevertheless, if you have to explain why you did something during a performance then the performance didn\u2019t work and you have to rework it. But she did it for her so at least she\u2019s happy. If anything, Vita should\u2019ve also been in the bottom. And if Ru and the other judges were giving their opinions this week, she would\u2019ve gotten read. <\/p>\n

Lizzie: I agree with Juicy and in some respects, with Mia. I think she took a risk, and that\u2019s why she made it there, even though I admit I didn\u2019t love her as much as I loved Juicy, who has just blown me out of the water with her looks. But a well-deserved top.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the bottoms, and look, we all know Ciara deserved to be there. No one understood what she was trying to do, and that\u2019s a real big problem on a show like this one. But the thing is, this is still a personality contest in some ways, so I\u2019m really glad we got to see a little bit more of her. Because that means that, even if this is the end of the road for her, she won\u2019t have done this for nothing. <\/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":118354,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4942,31681,9,24,63,3005,122,124,123,4943],"class_list":{"0":"post-118353","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-drag-race","9":"tag-mtv","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-nyc","13":"tag-paramount","14":"tag-queens","15":"tag-queens-headlines","16":"tag-queens-news","17":"tag-rupauls-drag-race"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}