Alright Mary: All Things Rupaul's Drag Race

Mary's, we just got home from DragCon and boy are our arms tired! Or something--the point is, it was a lot. It was EXTRA. And we've pulled it together just enough to tell you all about the crowds, the queens, and finally meeting Nick & Amanda of Squirrel Friends Cocktail Hour!

When Sasha Belle, standing there in a nude illusion that is neither nude nor much of an illusion, meekly tells Ru, "I think I misunderstood the assignment," she's actually quoting a deep cut from "Drop Dead Gorgeous." Which is only one of the many connections the 1999 cult classic has to drag. We dive into the subtext and nuance (of course) of the pitch black satire of the American dream and the pageant system, plus give some much-deserved love to a couple legendary queens, discuss our mothers' love for The Birdcage and take pictures of Johnny's cat sleeping in a KitNip box.

Long before Valentina was bitterly crowned "fan favorite" to the jeers of her fellow queens at the Season 9 reunion...there was the Season 1 reunion. This episode is not only the birthplace of "I don't see you walking children in nature!", it delivers one of the fieriest sermons from The Gospel of RuPaul: "You Forgot, Tammie!" Shannel is giving us Grindr realness in her hunt for validation, Santino is brutally honest to a fault, Porkchop is the adult in the room we need, and Akashia has a stain on her dress. Also--Chloe Dao, if you're reading this, WE remember you.

The top two queens (as well as Rebecca Glasscock) are just some choreography, rapping and a Tic-Tac lunch away from the crown. But first, a clip show! We discuss Rebecca'a downfall, the evolution of final challenges, third place queens, Merle's hat, Mike Ruiz being extra, Cazwell, The Poseidon Adventure, Joan Rivers, and the world's first glimpse of a now cult classic queen.

Why you gaggin’? They bring it to you every season! A ball challenge, that is. Season 1’s ball is essentially one long marketing campaign for Absolut, with the prickly image czar Jeffrey Moran popping up for the first time ever to judge and read some well-crafted ad copy. We discuss Shannel’s desperate need for validation, what Jeffrey would be like as a boyfriend, the need for more vogueing challenges, Bebe & Nina’s friendship, and that terrible speech Shannel gave on the runway. Plus, our thoughts on the rumored AS3 cast and YouTube sensation/female drag queen Trisha Paytas.

Every season has one--whether it's jocks, dads or little women, the queens have been giving makeovers since the beginning. In Season 1, they were tasked with turning butch female fighters into femme drag daughters--the more "real," the better. (We disagree.) We discuss what it means to be a "real woman," Rebecca the strategist, drag as a pathway for gender identity and why Bebe won that lip sync. Plus: we move briefly into Season 2 territory to explore why Tyra really won her season, and if she could win future seasons.

We spent much of Season 9 talking about the #longcon that was Valentina, but long before she stoned those tights and asked to keep her mask on, Rebecca Glasscock was pulling a long con of her own. We discuss the game we (and many of the queens) think she was playing, as well as Ongina’s emotional reveal on the runway, the embarrassment of Shannel, and the potential Rigger Morris of that LSYFL.

“We need to see more vulnerability!” didn’t start with Michelle Visage, as we discover this episode. While Akashia was self-producing as the villain, Shannel quickly learned she needed to self-produce some flaws in order to stay in the race. We discuss her epic wig reveal, plus a special round of Wig Reveal Trivia, a fond remembrance of the movie “Trick,” an unofficial Moment of Appreciation for Oprah, Bebe’s panther on the runway realness, and a couple last drops of Season 9 reunion T.

It’s the first group challenge of the series with the queens channeling Destiny’s Child in rival girl groups. They even have some inspiration at the judges’ panel with special guest judge Beyon—no, not Beyonce, Kelly Row—not, not Kelly Rowlands. Michelle Williams! We discuss the character of Tammie Brown, Akashia as the original self-producer and Shannel as one of many queens who wanted to win too much Plus: Dragula first impressions, fawning over Shelly Long and draggy actors.

We're going back to the show's humble roots this week with our deep dive into Episode 1 of the blurry terrain of Season 1. We look past the aggressive filter and shoestring budget to meet the legendary queens who paved the way for seasons to come of Ru Girls. We discuss who stumbles and who shines in the series' first sewing challenge. But first we share our thoughts on Sasha Velour's Nightgowns revue, give a moment of appreciation for two show-stopping queens, and discuss the effects RPDR has had on local queens.

With Season 9 officially over, we take a look back at the looks we lived for, the quotes we'll be incorporating into our everyday lives and how right or wrong we were about our first impressions of these queens. Plus: trivia is back! We also discuss what's next for Alright Mary and drop the beat on Last Chance Lip Sync with a final fantasy lip sync song.

Our Season 9 queen has officially been crowned, in one of the most entertaining finales of the series. The decision to switch things up with a Lip Sync for the Crown gave us show-stopping reveals from Peppermint and Sasha that sent season frontrunners Trinity and Shea home and set things up for an epic final battle between a classic superstar and the self-proclaimed ‘future of drag.” Sasha Velour absolutely earned the crown, and we’re so proud to see it!

The Real Housequeens of the Workroom reunite to, quite frankly, tear each other to shreds. RuPaul's Best Friend Race has turned into RuPaul's Cage Match as they go in on Alexis Michelle's hypocrisy in the reading challenge, Nina's accusations of sabotage, Charlie's comatose lip sync, and of course, the #longcon of the season: the perfect, beautiful, model-resembling Valentina, her rabid fans, and whether she should have actually been crowned Miss Congeniality. (Turns out: no.)

We’re down to the Final 4, Mary’s! This week, Sasha, Shea, Trinity and Peppermint are rapping, dancing and podcasting their way to the crown. And let’s be real. all four of them killed it. We talk about what each queen brings to drag as the Final 4 (spoiler alert!), our thoughts and questions on trans and bio queens and the reason this season was all about internal conflicts, before wrapping things up with Last Chance Lipsync you won’t want to lose.

This week, the queens go not quite balls-to-the-wall for the Gayest Ball Ever. Rainbows and unicorns and Village People, oh my! Shea constructs one of the best looks of the season, while Sasha deconstructs the rainbow and Alexis...well, we'll talk about Alexis. We discuss drag vs. fashion, queens holding back, the importance of selling it on the runway, and who we think will make it to the Top 3 (and is it really that obvious?) and wrap things up with a priceless Last Chance Lipsync.

It’s Season 9 at its most meta—the queens are dragging up members of the production crew for this season’s makeover challenge. We discuss the inevitable conclusion of Nina’s self-sabotage storyline, the wonder that is Wintergreen (and Sarge…), the importance of three wins, Peppermint without her wig on, dropping appetizers and, of course, our predictions as we hit the home stretch. We wrap things up with a queer hipster Last Chance Lipsync in honor of Colin’s move to Brooklyn!

The queens team up to write, produce and star in television pilots that range from must-see TV to you-must-be-kidding-me. Sasha and Shea continue their reign as frontrunners, while Nina and Valentina concoct a fever dream of ad-libbing and literal pancake makeup and Trinity just steals the entire show (both her pilot and Drag Race itself). Then it’s an acid trip on the runway with an outlandish ode to club kids—but let’s be real, Mary’s, this episode is ultimately about one thing and one thing only: that MASK.

No one's safe at a roast, chickens--especially one this undercooked. This week, the queens practice first on each other, in one of the slightest reading mini-challenges of the series. (Well, unless you ask Alexis.) Then they set their sights on a supposedly unsuspecting Michelle Visage. While Peppermint hits all the right notes and Sasha's Jersey jokes leave us feeling very edified, half of the girls rely on characters that are nowhere near Ru's good cousin from the Brewster Projects. (To say nothing of a "wicked" dud of a closing act.) A lifeless lip sync only serves to remind us just how much better this challenge worked on Season 5.

The queens are giving us 90’s nostalgia this week with “9021-HO”—a throwback to a time before Farrah Moan was even born. While Trinity is giving us spot-on Jennifer Coolidge realness, Nina continues to battle her inner saboteur and Valentina’s #longcon starts to show in new ways. We discuss the unfortunate edit Alexis Michelle is getting, the impeccable rise of Shea Coulee, and debate who really should have won that lip sync. Plus: RPDR meeting SNL, some fabulous drag we both saw this week, and an incredibly, well, 'satisfying' Last Chance Lip Sync.

It is the high holy day of the season, Mary--Snatch Game! The queens are bringing their best celebrity impersonations to the panel. Alexis is Liza with a capital Z, Shea could throw a phone at us any day as Naomi Campbell and Nina has SOMETHING TO SAY! We discuss Peppermint's coming out, gender identity & the media, Ru's makeup, the brilliant banter in the Untucked lounge, and of course, THAT LIPSYNC.