35 thoughts I had watching Drag Race season 16, episode 10: ‘A twist to gag over’

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16, episode 10, saw the queens perform political anthem “Power”, an immunity potion twist to gag over and some very *interesting* production choices.

Following a lipsync that saw Plasma donate herself to the flight home, the queens of season 16 are challenged with a Drag Race political challenge with a performance twist.

It’s business as usual in Drag Race episode 10 as Sapphira and (no shade but surprisingly) Morphine get their flowers, Plane and Nymphia deliver a storyline conclusion that I don’t think anyone saw coming and Q is saved by the skin of her very bald head.

Here are 35 thoughts I had watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, season 16, episode 10.

• As I say every week: The girls are back in the Werk Room following Plasma’s elimination and personellement, I am still a little very gagged that a two-time challenge winner went home after last episode’s lip sync! I know it’s not ‘track record for your life’, but still.

• Mhi’ya is getting ever so bold, and I LOVE it. Her and Morphine are sparring on the couch and Mhi’ya calls Morphine, “Slow”. SLOW! Even Plane is gagged.

• It’s a new WHAT? WEEK IN THE WERK ROOM! And we find out that this week’s challenge is a political/ performance one – in the form of the anthem “POWER”. This is a reminder that Bob The Drag Queen and Jaida Essence Hall both won their political challenges – and their season. Manifesting this for Sapphira or Nymphia.

• The lineup of these girls is giving me randomised Sim, and Plane looks like a discreet straight married man on Gr*ndr.

• Can I say something and not be penalised by rabid 16 year olds of the internet? I enjoy Plane Jane. (Unless you’re reading this and you’re Amanda Tori Meating, in which I do not enjoy her, because I love you.)

• Morphine points out to Q that this is a performance challenge. Let’s all think about her arms in the girl group challenge. RIP. She should be scared.

• Mhi’ya rhyming ‘equal’ with ‘equal’ is just… so f*cking funny. That’s famously not how rhymes work.
• Nymphia always pretends to be panicking but I think she might genuinely be panicking this week.

• Recording time with Leland and the very cute Freddie Scott. Morphine eats severely, and gets told she has a ‘potentially show-stopping verse’. Werk.

• Mhi’ya doing this stupid ‘equal – equal’ rhyme is only funnier when she actually performs it.

• Is Plane showing a … weakness? She’s been consistently slaying (despite being a c*nt), so it’s really weird to see her stumble. I also completely forgot about Plane’s immunity potion; surely she’s not going to give it to someone else? I would gag. She might need it.

• Nymphia’s verse could do with a few more words.

• Q’s recording is so bad. I am CRYING laughing. Crying. She said she was a musical theatre queen! What was she doing? Stage design? Cos it wasn’t singing.

• The queens have a choreo session with Jamal Sims and I’m dead at Sapphira saying she fancies him and then adding: “But he reminds me of my cousin, so I should be fine.” Like… what.

• Q is stiffer than Loosey Laduca performing ‘Let Loose’ in season 15.

• Plane continues to struggle with her choreo – but then no one is really excelling apart from Sapphira and Morphine…

• Performance tiiime, but before that we get a beat about Nymphia pleading for Plane’s immunity potion… Inch resting!

• The Pit Crew do such a great job at looking hot, don’t they.

• Dawn did well! Mhi’ya was a little unremarkable (apart from Equal-gate), but Morphine absolutely slays her verse! A win for miss Phine?

• Nymphia showing vulnerablity like a true winner and being a bit rubbish! We stan. Plane looks unsure of herself for the first time!

• Q…. this is hard to watch. Sapphira, on the other hand, has just trampled every other girl in the competition into the stage.

• Sorry Morphine, you did so well but Sapphira ate.

• The runway theme is True Coloures, so every girl is in monochrome looks, which is fun!

• Mhi’ya’s red feather moment is great, as is Nymphia’s banana yellow slay.

• Sapphira IS. TAKING. IT. Marge Simpson if she served c**t!

• It’s also the first time Q’s runway look hasn’t been impeccable. I’m worried for her today. Morphine, Plane and Dawn all have fantastic lewks too.

• Critiques begin – and ladies, my wig has been sent into outer orbit. Plane. Jane. Gives. Her. Immunity. Potion. To. Nymphia!!!!! WHAT THE HELL! WHO SAW THAT COMING?

• From intentionally sabotaging her in the Rate-A-Queen twist to potentially saving her from the bottom two? Gagged.

• Because of that, it seems like Plane might have put herself in the bottom against Q? My word, what a twist.

• I’m so confused. Mhi’ya, then Dawn get called safe – and then Q gets called safe? And then Plane? HUH?

• Sorry, this reeks of production riggory. I am thrilled that Sapphira and Morphione are in the top two – but this should have been a bottom two week – Q and Plane (because the latter saved Nymphia) should have lip synced! Q clearly did the worst this week?

• And what’s the point of using immunity in a non-elim episode? Drag Race sometimes absolutely fumbles the execution of really good episodes in the last ten minutes.

• And to a Meghan Trainor song? Oh I can’t be arsed.

• Sapphira rightfully wins – though Morphine slays too. I live for the latter’s three claps into *silence* at the end of the song.

• Q should be thanking her lucky stars that this was a top two episode. Weird.

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 continues on Friday on MTV in the US and on Saturday on WOW Presents Plus internationally. You can read last week’s recap here.

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