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'RuPaul's Drag Race' S11 Week 6 Power Rankings

This week sets in stone who the eventual Top Seven will most likely be.

By Bryce BaileyPublished 5 years ago 9 min read
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(PSA: This is a week late, but I still wanted to post it, since I had written most of it before Episode 7. Week 7 PR will be posted in a few days)

While the main challenge this week was just a little boring to watch, there were plenty of curveballs thrown in to make this episode very entertaining. It gave A'keria her first main challenge win, one that was perhaps overdue. Yvie was injured, putting a big fat question mark next to her future in the competition. And of course, we got the first surprise elimination of the season in Scarlet Envy. All of those things, and more really made this a very fun episode to watch, and it feels like this could be the point in the season where things really start to pick up.

Saying Goodbye to Scarlet

Just as predicted, Scarlet's time in the competition came to a very abrupt end, as all things that could go wrong just did. The only reason she was safe in the musical challenge was that she won the mini challenge, and was able to give herself the role with barely any dancing. With this challenge though, there was no way around the fact that Scarlet just simply cannot dance. She would have had to pull out one of the most sickening looks in 'Drag Race' herstory to save herself from lip-syncing for her life this week (e.g. Kameron Michaels' Feather Runway), which unfortunately she did not. Her lip sync was pretty good, which should've been enough to save her against Ra'Jah who had been in the Bottom 2 three times, but Ru seems to have an unshakable faith in Ra'Jah. I could honestly see Scarlet coming back this season, if there happens to be a double elimination, but if not she would be an excellent candidate for a future 'All Stars' season. However, if she was to return, I could see her getting a very negative edit, such as queens like Thorgy Thor or Milk.

9. Ra'Jah D. O'Hara (Prev. 9)

I really don't know what else to say about Ra'Jah at this point. Her runway this week was pretty good, but nothing we haven't seen from her or a multitude of other girls in past seasons before. Her lip sync, while still technically a little better than Scarlet's, was kind of a mess, and probably should've resulted in her going home this week instead of Scarlet. I could honestly see Ra'Jah sticking around a few weeks longer, but there is just no way that this season will end with her coming anywhere close to the crown.

8. Shuga Cain (Prev. 10)

The only reason Shuga was safe this week is that she happened to be on the winning team. She could have just as easily switched places with Scarlet, and ended up going home in a lip-sync against Ra'Jah. Her runway this week was pretty cool, but there is just something holding it back from being stunning, even though I can't quite put my finger on it. Shuga has just been too quiet to make it much farther, and with another sewing and design challenge coming up, I have a strong feeling she could find herself in the Bottom 2 again. I hope that she does not, as Shuga is one of the nicest queens to ever be on the show, and is my frontrunner for Miss Congeniality.

7. Nina West (Prev. 4)

Nina takes a hard fall this week after a pretty rough episode. She ended up towards the bottom, even though Vanjie received harsher critiques, which never bodes well for a queen in the long run, if they are being put in the bottom just because they aren't as likable. Her runway this week was just too "costume-y," and the judges read her for it, which will hurt her confidence going into next week in the design challenge. She needs to survive this sewing challenge to get to the Snatch Game where she can hopefully shine, and perhaps even earn another win. I see Nina going far in this competition if she is able to cover her weak spots enough.

6. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (Prev. 5)

Vanjie is reaping the benefits of being a clear standout favorite of RuPaul's, and it prevented her from coming anywhere close to the bottom this week. This has happened before, look at queens like Carmen Carrera, Dida Ritz, and Monet X Change, who never won challenges, but stayed in the competition because the judges saw potential and couldn't give up on them just yet. Vanjie's personality is pulling her through, but the writing is starting to appear on the wall that she may not make it to the end of the competition. I haven't given up hope on her yet, but with yet another sewing challenge coming up, she may be in danger if she continues to deliver the exact same silhouette that she has been. It's hard watching her struggle and become frustrated with herself at not being able to win anything, so I hope that she is able to turn this around and really deliver. There have been plenty of queens to come on late in the competition and make their way to the finale after a slow start (e.g. Naomi Smalls in Season 8, Alaska in Season 5), but at this point, she's running out of time.

5. Plastique Tiara (Prev. 7)

Plastique has a pretty good week despite leading her team to the bottom. Her runway, while predictable for her, was gorgeous and her performance in the mini-challenge had Ru amazed and stunned. However, she was rightfully called out for not capitalizing on her star moments and not delivering the way that she could have. Plastique is never going to be as outgoing and loud as girls like Silky and Yvie, but as we saw last season with Kameron Michaels, sometimes sheer talent can make up for lack of personality, and take a girl all the way to the end. With yet another design challenge coming up, Plastique could finally pick up her first win and prove that she belongs here.

4. A'keria C. Davenport (Prev. 8)

Of course, just as I finally gave up hope on A'keria she has to go and prove me wrong and finally get herself a win. I don't know if it was totally deserved, as her performance in the challenge was probably not the best, but her runway was one of the all-time greats, and if you combine that with her great leadership with her team, I can see how she pulled it out. Nevertheless, this was an absolutely terrific week for A'keria, and I can see her using this momentum to carry her through the rest of the competition. There is another design challenge next week, which I could see her doing very well in, as well as the Snatch Game coming up, which could also bode well for her. She had all the skills to make it far, she just needed to prove it and get a challenge win, and now that she has, I have a feeling she's in it for the long haul.

3. Dr. Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Prev. 3)

Silky has had a pretty average week for her, as she does pretty good in the challenge, mediocre on the runway, but is very vocal and present throughout the whole episode. Her ability to put her troubles with other queens away for the challenges (this week Yvie) has been impressive for the most part, but there have been times in the past where her attitude has gotten in the way of her performance. Silky needs to survive the upcoming design challenge so that she can deliver in the Snatch Game.

2. Yvie Oddly (Prev. 2)

This was a rough week for Yvie, because of her injury, and I am extremely worried for her that this could result in her leaving the competition. She was able to push through the pain, and that alone wins her major points. Her runway, had she not been forced to use a cane, would have been a little bit of a departure from her usual runways, so I do see her progressing well. Not much to say about Yvie this week, but I think we'll all be keeping a close eye on her as the competition goes on, as nobody wants to see a clear frontrunner be sidelined by an injury or something out of their control.

1. Brooke Lynn Hytes (Prev. 1)

Brooke has another strong week and honestly could've ended up winning this challenge had A'keria not done an excellent job of leading the team. Right now, Brooke and Yvie are performing at the type of level that is almost impossible to maintain. It's comparable to Season 4's Sharon Needles and Chad Michaels, Season 5's Jinkx Monsoon and Roxxxy Andrews, Season 3's Raja and Manila Luzon. Those are the types of numbers that they're putting up on the scoreboard. If either of them are able to maintain these performances, they'll be clear winners, but I'm not sure if they will be able to. Both of them have their clear faults, with Yvie's attitude rubbing others the wrong way, and sometimes getting lost in her own eccentric mind, while Brooke isn't always able to stand out in acting or comedy challenges. Brooke is delivering at such a high level that the judges could turn on her at the drop of a hat, similar to BenDeLaCreme in Season 6 or Max in Season 7, who were performing SO well that the judges got bored, and sent them home when they could no longer deliver what they did at the beginning. Brooke is going to do well in the design challenges, there's just no doubt about it, but I think the real challenge will be the Snatch Game, or any upcoming comedy, or acting, challenges. Those will be the real test for Miss Brooke.

Final Thoughts and Future Expectations

The Top 7 is pretty much solidified at this point, as there is no way that Ra'Jah or Shuga will stick around much longer, and once they are gone, it will really all depend on the challenges put forth. This is an extremely tight race, and after this design challenge, that will most likely highlight the exact same queens, the Snatch Game will really separate the girls from the women.

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