RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 Episode 2 Review: The Blue Ball
Justin Carreiro
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The Ball is not an easy challenge to win. Fashion, style, and skill are all put to the test to deliver must-have looks on the runway.
Thirty-six ensembles strutted across the stage on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 Episode 2, and these queens proved why they're All Stars.
Beyond a few hiccups, "The Blue Ball" delivered many chic and eye-catching looks. With a Top 2 that was so close, the results could've gone in either direction.
"The Blue Ball" fell to the same issues that RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13 Episode 5 did. Mainly, there were too many outfits on the runway.
Thirty-six looks! Seriously, there were 36 ensembles the queens had to prepare and serve to the judges.
The Ball is better with fewer queens as more time is spent appreciating their looks and critiquing the work. Instead, the editing had to rush through the queens to get to the end; it's noticeable during the second and third looks how much fewer minutes the queens get to showcase their gowns.
Thankfully, "The Blue Ball" shined brighter than "The Bag Ball" due to this being the second round AND the queens bringing their A-game with the style. All Stars pushes the queens to elevate their games and this challenge was no exception.
Still, it's shocking when a queen hasn't learned from their previous mistakes.
Jiggly Caliente and Ra'Jah O'Hara were great narratives as they contrasted one another. Both queens majorly faltered during their original seasons in sewing challenges, but one queen prospered while the other stumbled to the same issue.
Why didn't Jiggly practice with unconventional sewing items? She knew this type of challenge pops up on Drag Race, and it was her biggest issue on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4.
At least with Ra'Jah, she recognized her mistakes and chose materials that she could work with. Jiggly focusing on only achieving safety limited her when compared to the others.
And typically, the last constructed look gets weighed a bit heavier since it's the queens creating those pieces.
For the Blue-Collar runway, the queens toed the line being either funny or sexy. Kylie Sonique Love, Eureka!, Jan, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, and Pandora Boxx had the strongest looks.
Jan and Silky were creative in their outfits by thinking outside the box and infusing style. Jan continued her avant-garde Lady Gaga-esque theme with the mechanic assets, and Silky played to her strengths with the clever and sexy approach to her milk delivery person. Plus, red is definitely her strongest color.
No more plastic hangers!
Scarlet Envy
Eureka and Pandora Boxx had a similar approach by taking a concept and making it fashion. Eureka's crosswalk guard was fitted and stylish, which helped her to stand out from the other crosswalk attendants on the runway (i.e., Trinity). Pandora's reveal of the blue glittery waitress saved her look and made it a stronger runway.
Though, Kylie had the best look from the first runway.
Her sexy carpenter had an intricate design using fabric that combined both fashion and style. Her look had an editorial quality that could've appeared in a magazine or a sexy pin-up burlesque show.
The Blue Jean Baby runway featured the queens in mostly fierce or sexy looks.
Did anyone else notice the theme focused mostly on jumpsuits and low-rise jeans? The queens must have a shared love for these fashion pieces.
I’m paying attention to everything around me. I’m paying attention to my competitors, their methods, their attitude. And to me, Jiggly’s drive to be here is a little stronger than Yara’s.
Trinity K. Bonet
The tops were Ra'Jah, Kylie, Eureka, Jan, Yara Sofia, Ginger Minj, and Trinity K. Bonet.
Ra'Jah's intricate denim jumpsuit exuded her strong confident energy. She strutted across the runway like she owned the place (and 51% percent of this company). The same goes for Kylie's sexy look inspired by Christina Aguilera. The outfit was too simple, but it exuded sexiness and the inclusion of the trans flag had a great message.
And Yara's sexy inspiration to Selena worked well, regardless of the judges critiquing its lack of denim.
Ginger's and Trinity's outfits had nice nods to their fashion decades.
Ginger's denim jumpsuit came across as sleek and fun. Trinity's outfit, on the other hand, shined with a stylish approach to the 70s hippie jumpsuit; the piece worked amazingly with her trademark long sleek straight hair.
Eureka utilizing a long denim coat was nicely tied to her brand. She loves wearing fitted waists with pieces that drape to the floor. This wasn't the first time she's worn a similar look like this on the Drag Race main stage; she went with what worked for her.
And Jan, once again, went for an avant-garde ensemble that played with geometric shapes. She did this style on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 and she continued the trend here.
The final runway of Blue Ball Bonanza was where the queens were sharply separated. My favorite looks were from Ra'Jah, Kylie, Jan, Scarlett Envy, A'keria C. Davenport, and Trinity.
Ra'Jah, Kylie, and Scarlet dominated this runway. Their three looks were the peak of fashion and elevated all three queens to the top, with Ra'Jah and Kylie being the two queens who were battling it out for the Maxi Challenge win.
Ra'Jah's futuristic outfit fitted her perfectly and worked with her movement on the stage. Kylie's starry ensemble looked cohesive with all the star markers strategically placed in all the right spots.
And Scarlet Envy's blue sparkly mermaid was a jaw-dropping moment. No one will ever doubt that Scarlet can bring glamor to the main stage after that gown!
Jan's decision to create an updated version of her Hunger Games look was a risky move. Canada's Drag Race Season 1 has shown that sometimes the judges can prefer the original ensemble and it could land her at the bottom.
Luckily, the final look came across as elevated and stunning. She achieved her vision for what the outfit should be.
Both A'keria and Trinity had glamorous gowns that made them so elegant and beautiful. A Cinderella inspiration is never a bad thing, so Trinity's nod with the missing slipper was a cute gimmick on the runway.
And A'keria can make any unconventional material work in a pageant gown. Blue cups and shower curtains? A'keria had this concept on lock.
Based on the 36 outfits, Jiggly Caliente and Yara Sofia were the right choices to land at the bottom.
Jiggly's outfits were fun and had cute nods, like her skater girl outfit during the second runway. However, she wasn't pushing herself with any of the looks. All three outfits were safe and didn't measure up to the competition from the other queens.
I think, Ladies, that we should talk about the two tributes tonight. I just want to lay out the facts. Like, Yara, do I think she had a better-constructed look today in the Ball? I do. Do I love hearing Jiggly’s fight? One hundred precent. So, I’m at a loss right now, and I think a lot of us are very confused about voting for someone we consider a friend.
Jan
Yara, on the other hand, let her overconfidence get to her. Let's face it: the construction look from the first runway wasn't it!
Bringing back the fake breasts didn't help her case since she used them too much during RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 Episode 1. She needed to retire them for a few rounds before bringing them back.
Plus, even though her third look was fine, it wasn't the grand reveal she kept lording over the queens.
The lip-sync of "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson was all levels of fierce. Ra'Jah and the lip-sync assassin (Brooke Lynn Hytes from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11) brought it all to the main stage.
Fierce expressions, moves, attitude, tricks, and hair flips were the perfect elements for this high-energy number.
Though, what was with the editing? It was extremely choppy by how much they kept jump-cutting from one moment to the next and not building up the queens to deliver their big moves.
The lip-sync packed a punch, but it could've been an epic number had the editors let the segment breathe. Chances are this will be one of the best lip-syncs of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6; it just needed more time than what we got.
Jiggly getting the chop was a heartbreaking moment.
You could feel her desperation at wanting to stay and show the world what she could do. And given a comedy or acting challenge, Jiggly could've slayed to win a Maxi Challenge.
I know it’s a hard decision, but please give me a shot. I have so much more to prove. I’m not done here. This can’t be my end.
Jiggly Caliente
Would she have won the crown? Probably not, but it would've been nice to have more time with her.
And, the double lipstick elimination was a cutthroat way to chop the queen. One day, the two winning queens will have selected different people and it will be a double elimination. The fates are tempting us with that outcome on Drag Race.
Last Thoughts From The Werk Room:
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What were you doing, Ginger? Voting out Jiggly was a shady move. No one would've held it against you if you voted to keep your longtime friend.
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Trinity K. Bonet has a chip on her shoulder and she's going to use it to chop Yara. Trinity truly let Yara's lipstick vote change her entire opinion of the queen.
- This is now the second time that RuPaul secretly saved a queen with this "game-within-a-game" twist. Will this be a buyback competition? Could it be something more shocking?
Now, over to you, Drag Race fans!
What did you think of "The Blue Ball"?
Which look was your favorite on the runway? Would you have had the lip-sync end in a tie? Do you agree that Jiggly Caliente should've been eliminated?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
