RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 Episode 4 Review: Halftime Headliners
Justin Carreiro
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The Hall of Fame takes its shot at a halftime special on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 Episode 4.
The star-studded Maxi Challenge is a spiritual sister to the infamous Snatch Game. Queens act out as their favorite celebrities and live the dream of performing at a sold-out stadium show.
Some queens stole the spotlight while others couldn't channel the fire. Ultimately, the round felt like the first filler episode for RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6.
The Hall of Fame Halftime Show could best be compared to the Divas Live challenge on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3 Episode 2.
Many of the same beats were given to the queens: they had to lip-sync to a RuPaul song, channel their superstar character, and deliver a number that was part of a bigger show. The key to winning is embodying their celebrity in a short segment.
Between the two numbers, the Divas Live performance was better.
Divas Live had more humor, and the queens utilized more big pop culture moments. Plus, each queen had a number that allowed them to shine on stage and channel their star.
The problem with "Halftime Headliners" was that the challenge came across as very contained and unbalanced.
Certain queens got background dancers to help them, but beyond that, most queens were by themselves to lip-sync. And even then, the numbers were framed to keep them stationary to one or two points.
Queens like Jan and Trinity K. Bonet danced across the stage with a high difficulty level, while some queens, like Pandora Boxx and A'keria C. Davenport, got to restrain themselves to a microphone. It's hard to accurately critique the queens when they're not given the same playing field to compete. (Also, it's unfair to judge them evenly.)
We’re gonna lose this shit to Carol-fucking-Channing.
Trinity K. Bonet
Of course, the heavily choreographed routines should be at the top. Both Jan and Trinity killed it like Lady Gaga and Beyonce, respectively, but the other performances could only be subtle and safe by comparison.
The Maxi Challenge was a combination of separate segments trying to avoid being at the bottom.
Jan, Trinity K. Bonet, Ra'Jah O'Hara, Eureka!, Ginger Minj, and Scarlet Envy had the best performances from the group. Pandora's number, on the other hand, was sweet and serene, but it didn't captivate like the rest of the queens.
You could tell Eureka and Ra'Jah were having a great time portraying Madonna and Diana Ross, respectively. They had energy, smiles, and a good stage presence against the background dancers added to their routines.
Scarlet did a good job dealing with the bulky shark costume. A prop like that could've potentially hindered her if she didn't take it off properly. And Ginger channeled Fergie in all her fierce fire, but her performance wasn't the most recognizable out of the queens.
Kylie Sonique Love: You redeemed yourself.
Ra’Jah O’Hara: Redemption.
Jan: It was J for “Jandetta!”
Though the best of the night were Trinity and Jan. Both queens ate up the stage and set it on fire! (Metaphorically speaking, of course.)
Jan embraced full Lady Gaga with her chaotic dance moves and monstrous expressions. Trinity served the Beyonce flair and easily claimed the best Beyonce performance in Drag Race herstory. Their lip-syncs made the results a tight race to the finish.
Jan winning the round was a great redemption for her Drag Race story. Did anyone else smile when she finally got her moment?
Jan had been seriously underrated during her original season, and it's known among the fandom that she should've won the Madonna Rusical on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 7.
Claiming victory here in a performance challenge somewhat makes up for the previous loss. Hopefully, she uses the fire from her first win to push herself forward in the competition to blow RuPaul and the judges away.
Her Lady Gaga stunned the panel, and her runway outfit impressed some tough fashion critics, like Carson Kressley and Michelle Visage. Jan should use this to keep her momentum going.
Speaking of the runway, the frills were out in full effect -- so many ruffles, so little time to take it all in.
Eureka, Scarlet, Kylie Sonique Love, Jan, and A'keria blew the assignment out of the water. Each queen served plenty of frills and offered something new to the judges that felt fashionable and fun.
A'keria and Eureka both had chic surprises that elevated their looks. A'keria's "petal-wings-into-a-gown" transformation was an editorial stunner that could've pulled her out of the bottom had it not been for her weak Prince performance and Eureka's pink chaps were fun and fitted to the heavens.
Trinity K. Bonet: See you on the other side, Girl.
[Checks herself out in the mirror]
Trinity K. Bonet: Damn, I look good!
Kylie served sex with her glittery ruffles and diamond bra. Surprisingly, she didn't end up at the top after Michelle had a visible reaction. The same goes with Scarlet, as the judges were blown away by her beige Southern Belle ensemble.
Jan's Moulin Rouge-inspired gown looked intricate and fashionable. Her look was the type of outfit that balanced fashion and camp; it's something the judges love when done right. The dress sealed her fate as the winner compared to Trinity's pageant gown.
Yara Sofia and A'keria ending up at the bottom two was the right call.
Everyone did a good job, so it was already a tight race for queens being safe for the round. The judges had to pick the two queens who didn't bring it as hard.
Yara admitted it herself that her fire wasn't there; she didn't have the Shakira energy, nor did she connect to the cameras. A'keria wasn't a good dancer, and it showed on stage.
The story set up for "Halftime Headliners" was that Yara and A'keria were fighting against elimination.
Plus, the editing gave it away that Yara was going to be the queen getting the chop.
Why didn't she fight harder to stay? Why didn't she campaign to Jan and the queens to vote out A'keria?
[In confessional] Okay girl, that’s it? That’s all you got? Nothing else? No “I want to be here”? No … nothing. Nothing?!
Ra’Jah O’Hara
An easy way to stay is to show you're passionate about wanting to win and play the game. A'keria showed that passion, but Yara threw in the towel without even realizing it.
The queens need to fight harder if they want a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.
The lip-sync of "Womanizer" by Britney Spears was an average lip-sync that failed to wow or impress.
Jessica Wild from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 easily won the performance by channeling Britney's iconic hairography and sexiness. Jan, on the other hand, made questionable choices by doing a comedic robotic performance.
Drag Race has shown time and time again: if it's a Britney Spears lip-sync song, go for a sexy number.
Unless Jessica bombed on stage, her sensual and safe number was going to win. This number won't stand out in the grand scheme of lip-syncs throughout Drag Race herstory.
Last Thoughts From The Werk Room:
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The elimination votes were so close! If one queen hadn't voted Silky Nutmeg Ganache, it would've been the first tied group vote.
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Trinity K. Bonet is finally making friends and building relationships. This tactic will help her in the long run in the competition.
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Yara trying to choreograph and interrupting Jamal Sims was both uncomfortable and awkward.
- The editing was way too obvious. Once Yara failed to campaign for herself, the writing was on the wall (and all the expressions and confessionals from the queens).
Now, over to you, Drag Race fans.
What did you think of "Halftime Headliners"?
Why did Yara not campaign harder to stay? Which halftime performance was your favorite? How soon will Jan trademark "Jandetta" for merchandise?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
