(Eddie's Re-View) How Rupaul's Drag Race Season 5, Episode 4 made Herstory!

by Eddie Walker

This week’s Season Five - RuPaul’s Drag Race episode is definitely one for the history books. Never before has there been a double-elimination, until now. The ‘lip-sync for your life’ performances by both girls definitely warranted a double elimination. And I’ll tell you why in a minute. First, let me tell you how it all went down.

The girls had to dance for their lives in this week’s episode titled “Black Swan - Why It Gotta Be Black”. For the mini-challenge, the girls competed against each other in a Soul Train-styled dance-off. RuPaul declared Coco Montrese and Jinkx Monsoon the winners of the dance-off. As the winners, they were made captains and had to pick the teams for the main challenge where the girls perform the ballet of RuPaul’s life called “No Rupologies”.


Team Jinx Monsoon, which includes Alaska as “RuPaul’s Mother”; Jade Jolie as “Young RuPaul”; Lineysha Sparx as “The Supremes Diana Ross”; Ivy Winters as “Lady Bunny”; and Jinkx Monsoon as “21-Year Old RuPaul”, performed Act One of the play.

Team Coco Montrese, which includes Alyssa Edwards as “Bad RuPaul”; Coco Montrese as “Good RuPaul”; Detox as “90s RuPaul”; Honey Mahogany as “90s Diana Ross”; Roxxy Andrews as “Modern RuPaul”; and Vivienne Pinay as “America’s Next Drag Super Star”, performed Act Two of the play.

One girl from each team stood out above all the rest. For Team Jinkx Monsoon, it was Alaska as “RuPaul’s Mother”. Alaska is the only one who brought comedic relief to the play. She had me laughing throughout Act One. For Team Coco Montrese, it was Alyssa Edwards as “Bad RuPaul”. Alyssa Edwards choreography background definitely showed in her performance. She had perfect timing, perfect facial expressions, perfect makeup, and perfect dance moves. Even when she had to lift Coco Montrese into the air, Alyssa Edwards did not falter. I personally would have dropped the bitch for throwing shade in Episode Three. But, that’s just me. Alyssa Edwards Tony-winning performance did not go unnoticed. RuPaul named her the winner of this week’s main challenge.

For the runway challenge, I can’t say that any of the girls’ runway looks took my breath away. However, there are a few that deserve honorable mention. Detox wore an electric blue, heavily bloused, high-fashion baby doll dress that I loved just because I’ve never seen anything like it. Ivy Winters wore a perfect replica of a Victor/Victoria dress that she hand-crafted herself. Roxxy Andrews wore my favorite look. Although the dress didn’t fit the best, I loved the metallic color pallet of the dress paired with some killer black, strappy heals.

Vivienne Pinay and Honey Mahogany had the worst looks on the runway. Vivienne Pinay wore a black cocktail dress with embroidered black stockings, a look Michelle Visage called “pedestrian”. Honey Mahogany, again, wore a bed sheet. Both of them ended up in the bottom two, and had to ‘lip-sync for their life’ to “Oops!…I Did It Again” by Britney Spears. Neither of their performances matched the energy level of the song. All they did was the one-two step routine for the entire song. Their performances bored everyone watching. So much so, RuPaul decided to tell both of them to ‘sashay away’, as she should have. This competition is not for those of weak presence.