Since reality television shows are certainly a dime a dozen nowadays and the 2003 hit show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy exploited the age-old stereotype of homosexuals being FABUUULOUUUS to great effect, I guess a show centered upon a group of drag queens providing makeovers for straight women was inevitable. Drag U is a comfortably fun forty-five minutes of women embracing the drag inside of them, even if the competitive side is virtually non-existent.
The third season premiere begins with RuPaul introducing three new contestants: Hilary, who after losing 165 pounds lost her husband to a fat chick; Faith, an incredibly “frumpish” (the idea of anyone using the word “frumpish” in any type of conversation amuses me greatly) housewife whose husband left her alone with her children; and Shana, who married a guy after only a few weeks of knowing him and found out that he wasted most of his time checking out porn sites. As you can see, divorce is the name of the game and RuPaul is looking to help these divorcees regain control of their lives… through the power of drag. Yes, the entire concept is a bit a silly; it’s a good thing that RuPaul does as well. Outside of RuPaul’s own eccentric personality, each woman is paired up with a Drag Professor: JuJuBee, Manila Luzon, who may as well have been Ronald McDonald's cousin in some John Waters-inspired alternative universe, and the ever booming All Wo(man) Latrice Royale. These “professors” are tasked with aiding each contestant in gaining their points in DPA: Drag Transformation, Performance, and Attitude Adjustment. The name of the game is whoever can get the most points wins cosmetics, clothes, and a cash prize of $3,166.29.
The first challenge, Quick Drag, involves each contestant to pick out a costume which will be inputted into the Dragulator, showing each of them what they’ll look like once they’ve been dragged out, as well as their chosen drag queen names. Hilary goes first and is rewarded the name of Tatiana D’amore (and becomes the first of many instances that Hilary refers to “her girls”), Faith is Elantra Sizzle, and finally, Shandra is given the name Callie Tropical, at which she bursts into tears at seeing how beautiful she is.
Next up, the girls receive lady lessons from personality Lady Bunny. Since the entire show is predicated on the notion that drag queens are all filthy perverts, Bunny spends most of her time making lewd jokes as each of the contestants are given make-up advice by Anton Khachaturan.
During the performance prep (and the only real activity that pits these girls against each other), dance choreographer Flex, gives the girls a dance routine based on Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. Hilary has a bit of a break down as it seems she can’t quite get the moves right. Later on, RuPaul sees to all the women and basically plays psychiatrist as he basically tells them to get over their problems in order to be the best person they can be.
Finally, the girls begin their final performance as they walk on the Runway to all their friends and family, strutting their stuff and proclaiming that they’re going to start living their lives the way they want to. The dance performance is the final test, and each contestant is judged based on their performance. Ultimately, it’s Shandra that wins the contest and goes home with the grand prize.
Sumology: My first Drag U episode was fun and light, but I hope that there’s something else added to a mix because it’s a bit on the empty side.
Grade: B
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