We are officially at the semifinals of season 15, and we have seen so many highs and lows. In the fallout, Loosey LaDuca finally sashayed away, and with her gone, it is finally the first week of no one saying, “I should’ve been in the top,” or, “I got second place.” I am feeling peace.
The queens are ecstatic, having made it to the top four. Since season nine, Drag Race has done a final four, excluding season 14’s final five. The queens are probably feeling like they’ve officially made it over the finish line and are about to enter the victory lap of the finale.
The next day, the queens walk into the Werk Room and are swiftly met with RuMail and RuPaul. Ru announces that for the final main challenge, the queens will write an original verse and star in the music video to RuPaul’s song “Blame It on the Edit.” The queens will also be joining RuPaul and Michelle Visage for a Tic Tac lunch. In a twist, he also announces that by the end of the episode, our final four will be a final three.
When this was mentioned in the teaser, I was truly scared and actually believed it. Because there was such an intense reaction to the many episodes of season 14 where no one went home, I assume that’s why season 15 did not have a non-elimination episode, unless you count part one of this episode’s premiere. I was nervous the entire time — I don’t want any of these queens to miss the finale.
The queens then begin to write their verses, and Luxx Noir London is extra confident. Luxx has made music before and likes to write it, so she’s excited to do so. Despite them trying to show Luxx was in over her head, I really was not worried about her. Besides being a songwriter, she also knows RuPaul like the back of her hand — I wasn’t worried about her being able to connect with the song.
One by one, the queens have their Tic Tac sit-downs with Ru and Michelle. We get those final moments where the queens are put through the wringer to milk out the final bits of trauma we didn’t get earlier. Sasha Colby talks about her relationship with her mom, Anetra opens up about being Mormon and Luxx explains where her confidence comes from. I got nervous about the elimination when Mistress Isabelle Brooks’ section was used to talk about Loosey LaDuca and why Mistress is so honest.
[The Diamond Drag: Teacher Makeovers of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’]
We then head to the set of “Blame It on the Edit” to begin learning the choreography. Instantly, Luxx and Sasha are hitting every beat with precision and comfort. Anetra is getting it as well. Mistress, on the other hand, has some issues. We’ve seen her struggle with choreo before, but this time she feels more defeated. I don’t want to say she wasn’t trying, but it felt like she kept making excuses.
After learning the choreo, the queens must film the video right then. I wasn’t too surprised at this; they did the exact same thing in season 14. Once the camera starts rolling, Anetra starts to struggle standing next to Luxx, who hits every beat, putting it in further perspective.
Sasha and Mistress film next and find themselves in a similar situation. Sasha does well and Mistress is a bit behind — but I appreciated that Mistress continued to power through — something about her stumbling didn’t feel as off.
The next day, the queens get ready for the runway one last time. I always find this final moment to be super wholesome. It’s a moment of reflection for the queens and for fans to reflect on the season. I remember when all 16 queens were in the Werk Room for the premiere and thinking to myself, “Wow, this is gonna be a long season.” It’s so crazy following the journey of these entertainers and really heartwarming.
We hit the runway, and the category is Drag Excellence. Each queen wore something that really showcased who they are. Anetra wore a sci-fi glamor gown with gorgeous elements of old and new. Luxx was just a beaming runway vixen. I saw on Twitter that she ended in a white wedding gown because, in a couture fashion show, the final look is traditionally a wedding dress. She blows my mind with her fashion intentions. Sasha gave us pure glamor that embraced her Hawaiian heritage. Finally, Mistress gave pageant regalness in a stunning beaded cheetah gown.
We watch the music video and overall, the verses were fine. The hardest thing about the Rumix challenge is we’ve seen so many of them, and the very first one being so insanely amazing makes it hard to live up to. There’s always one queen who gets what I call the Roxxxy Andrews verse: the worst verse. Roxxxy had the worst verse in the first Rumix, “Read U Wrote U,’” and the Roxxxy of “Blame It on the Edit” is Anetra.
We have our final critiques and very final moments of trauma dumping when the queens talk to a baby photo of themselves. RuPaul announces Sasha Colby as the winner of the challenge, securing her spot in the finale. Luxx is safe, giving her the second of the final three spots.
[The Diamond Drag: Two Queens, One Joke of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’]
This leaves Mistress and Anetra in the bottom two, who lip-sync to “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland. I was on the edge of my seat watching this. However, I wish this wasn’t the song they chose. While the queens should be prepared for anything in the semifinals, most queens wear gowns and can’t really deliver the same level of performance as they could if they were in a dance costume.
Anetra thought ahead, wearing a dress with two pieces so she could transform into a bodysuit, but Mistress didn’t have that same luxury.
The lip-sync ends and in a twist, RuPaul announces there will be a final four! I was so happy because I truly could not imagine the finale without any of these queens.
As we head into the finale, I find myself on team Sasha. She walked in with such crazy expectations and delivered beyond what I expected. Week after week, she proved the reputation she has and expanded her legacy. She is a trailblazer in the community and will do so much good with the crown.
