Stand-up comedy is one of the toughest challenges on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The judges put a lot of pressure on the queens to craft a funny stand-up routine. They want to hear all the jokes.
The latest comedy show on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 Episode 11 showed how certain queens could thrive (or stumble) under the set-up.
Either you’ve got the comedy skill, or the lack killed all your chances. Safe to say the consistently safe queen couldn’t hide from this showcase.
“Two Queens, One Joke” was a roller coaster of jokes and cringeworthy silence. RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 still has plenty of comedy queens left in the competition, so the odds were high that we’d be in for a good time.
Between Mistress constantly roasting the cast and the queens bantering with each other, we knew they could make us laugh. But delivering for the stand-up show was another story.
The highlights of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 Episode 11 started right from the Mini Challenge. Who else loved the vogueing dance-off?
This Mini Challenge is one of the best in the competition. You could tell that RuPaul and all of the queens were having a great time dancing and performing for each other. No one took this dance-off seriously.
Category is, “I’m SO into voguing right now.”
RuPaul
Sasha Colby and Anetra slayed the vogueing!
Every leg split, hip turn, hair flip, duck walk, and stunt made their dance better every second. They threw it all in the Werk Room, and I was here for it.
And a special shoutout to Mistress Isabelle Brooks for adding some sassy clapbacks. Her stubble touch against Luxx Noir London and the makeup gag on Marcia Marcia Marcia were big punches; it was so clever and so funny.
Now if only Mistress’s comedic timing had landed harder during the Maxi Challenge, the outcome could’ve turned out differently. Shockingly, Mistress stumbled during a comedy challenge; a stand-up show seemed right up her alley.
She did well for what she delivered, but I agreed with the judges that her jokes went on for too long. She didn’t learn the lesson the judges gave Salina EsTitties during the rehearsal and applied it to herself.
Mistress could’ve given their team a better shot if she had done that.
[In confessional] Are we that shocked? Loosey thinks she should win every week.
Mistress Isabelle Brooks
On the other hand, Salina’s turnaround had great growth which helped her a lot during her stand-up. Listening to Ali Wong and Michelle Visage paid off because her story was so much funnier in the punchier version than what she did in rehearsal.
I feel the judges expected Mistress and Salina to get to the top.
Loosey LaDuca and Luxx Noir London’s chemistry during their routine was one of the best.
All the arguing over Beyoncé paid off because their savage one-liners made the stand-up so funny and punchy. The tension added to the zingers, making the show feel like a cheeky roast.
Both queens played well off each other.
Luxx Noir London: Why weren’t you pregnant though?
Loosey LaDuca: Umm… she wasn’t very far along when she announced her pregnancy.
Luxx Noir London: You could see the bump on the red carpet in the orange dress, and you could see it in the performance dance.
Loosey LaDuca: I feel like you’re insulting B right now.
Luxx Noir London: I’m not insulting her because she was actually pregnant. I’m insulting you because you had a corset on.
Either could’ve won this challenge solo, but I’m happy they won as a team. They planned the routine together and delivered on their promise to focus on the comedy.
Plus, both got their long-awaited redemption of winning another challenge. No doubt someone (*cough* Mistress *cough*) is itching to tease and call Loosey out about it.
Regarding Sasha and Anetra, they couldn’t get into a good rhythm with each other. They had a concept but no idea how to get each other to the jokes.
Like, where were the jokes?!
Did anyone else find it cringeworthy at times? It wasn’t a complete trainwreck, but the awkward silence made every failed joke rough.
At least Sasha got in a few cheeky jokes near the end. Her chances of landing at the bottom two were very slim anyway, but those quick gags were funny enough to save her. The pair needed more of those jokes.
And in Marcia Marcia Marcia’s case, she barely had any jokes at all. Once again, where were the jokes?!
Marcia is a Broadway queen with strong performance skills, but she needed a partner for this challenge. Like, how Loosey and Luxx benefited from each other; they were able to bounce off their partnership and make it funnier.
The minute Salina stole Mistress from her, I knew Marcia was in danger.
Doing well in a stand-up routine requires well-crafted jokes and good comedic timing. Marcia can do well with improv and acting, but this challenge didn’t feel like it was in her wheelhouse. She seemed scared and ready to get off that stage.
On the “Rip Her To Shreds” runway, Loosey, Lux, Sasha, Anetra, and Mistress had the top five best looks.
Mistress’s burnt pink gown stood out as a nice campy alternative to the other high-fashion looks on the runway. She got the point across by mixing comedy with fashion.
And Loosey’s Victorian vampire was an elevated take on a well-known classic character.
Vampires have been down to the death on the Drag Race runway, but this tattered gown had a new spin. My only critique would’ve been to fix the makeup, as the face looked too chalky and heavily layered.
Both Anetra and Sasha had stunning gowns that were jaw-dropping and beautiful.
I loved how Anetra’s black and pink gown fitted her perfectly; each rip and fabric flowed with her down the runway. Michelle was right that she had the best runway walk out of the group.
Sasha’s shredded denim gown was perfection! Each rip accentuated every curve in the right spot, and the flowing diamonds elevated the looks. Her ensemble could easily be anywhere from the runway to a music video.
And Luxx’s fashion callback with the shredded arm fringes was a stylish take on an important outfit. Using a RuPaul dress as an inspiration is risky as RuPaul could be the harshest critic, but her runway hit it out of the park.
The lip-sync of “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat left my jaw on the floor. It stayed there and waited to see if Marcia Marcia Marcia could even top Anetra.
Both queens served a high-energy number that kept us all entertained. The fierce stares, the stunts, the comedy clapbacks, Anetra jumping over a crab-walking Marcia … it was perfection!
Anetra: Oh that was quick!
Luxx Noir London: She knows her way around cleaning the mirror at this point. [Laughs]
Anetra was the frontrunner to win this lip-sync; her lip-sync assassin skills always come in handy to wow the judges. Though, the second she flew over Marcia, that sealed the fate.
Chapter over. Book closed. Place it back on the shelf. Anetra won this lip-sync, but having both queens serve it and blow us away was a fun ride.
Last Thoughts From The Werk Room:
- Ninety-minute episodes are back! Oh, I’ve missed you so much. The extra length has made a huge difference; it feels like Drag Race again.
- The secret judging panel is back too. Don’t ever leave us again!
- We love a messy twist. Salina getting to steal a comedy partner was so deliciously cruel and fun.
Now, over to you, Drag Race fans.
What did you think of “Two Queens, One Joke”?
Are you sad to see Marcia Marcia Marcia leave? Which comedy duo was your favorite? Who vogued the best during the Mini Challenge?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Justin Carreiro is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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