RPDR Season 17, Episode 12: The Recap.

Season 17 is proving to be a good one - undeniably entertaining.

The Mini Challenge

In pairs, the queens had to write a bio for the queen that they were paired with. This is a twist on the reading challenge but the queen had to read the bio that had been written for them.

This was cute.

Jewels was declared the winner for her reads of Suzie.

The Main Challenge

Monologues.

The queens randomly selected a prompt for their monologue.

Sticking with the pairings from the mini-challenge. While one of the queens is performing their monologue, their scene partner has to accompany her with a performance of interpretative dance.

As the winner of the mini-challenge, Jewels got to decide the order of performance.

This is a tough challenge. The monologue format requires you to be vulnerable and share some sort of meaningful story but as a performance it needs to be funny and stupid.

Everyone did a reasonable job, but the pairing of Onya and Lexi was the most successful in making it entertaining.

Least entertaining was probably Lana and Sam.

The Runway

The category this week was Ugliest Dress Ever.

• Jewels Sparkles: Jewels gave us an 80s prom dress. She looked gorgeous.
• Lana Ja’Rae: Lana gave us a pocket dress previously worn on the show by Kandy Muse. I don't really understand the lore of this dress. But sure, it hit the category.
• Lexi Love: Lexi gave us a multilayered and multicoloured tulle dress constructed from tutus. It was ugly but it was also fashion.
• Onya Nurve: Onya gave us a turkey thanksgiving look. It was very costume.
• Sam Star: Sam gave us a version of the Gaga meat dress. It was a head-to-toe look that was perfectly executed, but I don't think it was for this category.
• Suzie Toot: Suzy gave us a Christmas tree dress. It was ugly.

The Judging

Onya and Lexi were the winning team, which was clear.

Ending up in the Bottom 2 were Sam and Lana.

The lip-sync

The track was Illusion by Dua Lipa.

It's a cute track.

This was Lana's 4th lip-sync. That's a lot of lip-syncs. She was either going to have to pull out something pretty spectacular or Sam was going to have to flop really hard.

Lana stripped down to a gold bikini and looked stunning - she served the song.

Sam also did a really solid lip-sync.

If you were just looking at this lip-sync, you'd give it to Lana. But it was her 4th time in the bottom so unsurprisingly it was Lana's time to leave.

Episode 12, done!

The Cast

Still in the competition

• Jewels Sparkles: A fan favourite. Deserved. There's something really engaging and likeable about everything that Jewels does.
• Lexi Love: Lexi is giving us good TV. Is she going to make it to Top 4? I think it's going to come down to either Lexi or Sam.
• Onya Nurve: Great presence and engaging personality - seems to be a favourite with the judges. It's starting to feel inevitable that she's going to win this.
• Sam Star: She's a pageant queen from a very accomplished Drag House - that can take you a long way in this competition. The Top 4 spots are up for grabs but I'm not convinced that Sam is going to make it.
• Suzie Toot: With a quirky sense of humour and clear perspective, Suzie was my early pick to win. I still think she'll be Top 4 but I'm not sure that this is her time.

The eliminated queens

• Lana Ja’Rae: Stunning and her personality is super-charming but Lana never felt like she was hitting her full potential in this competition. Against the odds, she made it all the way to Episode 12, beaten in the lip-sync by Sam.
• Lydia Kollins: Lydia is a surprisingly success story of this season - her low-key personality and quirky humour kept her in the mix, on the radar, and in the game for longer than I imagined possible. Unsurprisingly, it was an acting challenge that was her undoing. Eliminated in the lip-sync by Lana.
• Arrietty: I adore Arrietty - she's got great personality and serves stunning looks. This season was a roller-coaster for her and, unsurprisingly, it was a comedy challenge that was her undoing - beaten in the lip-sync by Jewels after struggling in the Roast. I just need to restate how much I adore Arrietty.
• Kori King: Lots of personality, great presence, and engaging energy. Kori gave us good TV but she didn't win challenges and that ultimately caught up with her.
• Acacia Forgot: Acacia had a rocky start to the season and never really found her feet. She made it to Episode 8, beaten in the lip-sync by Kori.
• Crystal Envy: It was a surprise to lose Crystal in Episode 7, making her 4th out - she's a strong performer with strong looks who hit every challenge with intention. Snatch Game was her downfall, and the lip-sync against Lana went against her.
• Hormona Lisa: The rest of the cast never seemed to gel with Hormona and it wasn't clear if it was because of the way that she was cast, or just a personality clash. It could have been a bit of both. Regardless, Hormona gave us the storyline that she was sent here to do but she never really seemed like a force to be reckoned with in this competition. Eliminated in Episode 6, beaten in the lip-sync by Lana.
• Joella: Joella gave us the Katy Perry storyline that no one wanted but beyond that it seemed as if production didn't have any storyline options for her. What endeared Joella to everyone was that her level of delusion was off the charts - it's glorious to behold.
• Lucky Starzzz: Hugely talented and a crafty queen in the best possible way. Surprisingly, it was the sewing challenge of Episode 3 that was her undoing, beaten in the lip-sync by Joella. Lucky is the Pork Chop of the season.