Culture

Drag Race UK viewers left stunned by this week’s elimination

By Sam Damshenas

28th January 2021

Spoilers ahead for the third episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season two.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK just eliminated a major contender for the season two crown, and fans are absolutely – yes, we’re doing italics again – gobsmacked.

On this week’s episode, the ten remaining contestants – Asttina Mandella, A’Whora, Bimini, Ellie Diamond, Ginny Lemon, Lawrence Chaney, Sister Sister, Tayce, Tia Kofi and Veronica Green – competed in their first ever design challenge, called Who Wore It Best.

After their limbo skills were put to the test in the hilarious mini-challenge, the queens joined forces with their best Judy in the competition, before a cruel twist revealed they would be, in fact, competing against each other as “fashion frenemies”.

The pairings – which didn’t come as much of a surprise – were as follows: Asttina and Bimini, A’Whora and Tayce, Ellie and Lawrence, Ginny and Sister Sister, Tia and Veronica. Because it’s Drag Race, and we stan a twist, Mama Ru threw another spanner into the works: this week, there are no safe queens – it’s all tops and bottoms. Vers? We don’t know her.

Following their main stage presentations, RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Graham Norton – assisted by supermodel Jourdan Dunn – praised A’Whora, Bimini, Sister Sister, Veronica and Lawrence, with the latter emerging triumphant (to the chagrin of A’Whora).

Ginny, who was tasked by Ru to serve a sexier side to her quirky persona, was read for filth but managed to escape the bottom two, leading to a lip-sync showdown between Tia and Asttina to the beat of Dua Lipa’s Don’t Start Now.

As one of the most revered entertainers in the competition, as well as the show’s self-described “first real dancing queen,” viewers – even the contestants – expected Asttina to secure another week in the competition. Tia, however, impressed the judges with her more comedic take on the dance anthem, and booted the East London queen out of the running.

Here’s how fans reacted to the shock elimination:

https://twitter.com/katebiggar_/status/1354882015376658435

https://twitter.com/ewanb101/status/1354882004370812928

https://twitter.com/theapprentiss/status/1354881914805637126

https://twitter.com/sgfgdel/status/1354881878512295939

https://twitter.com/kafkatc/status/1354882257253785606

https://twitter.com/LittleBitOfAD_/status/1354882963494862848

https://twitter.com/HELLONELS0N/status/1354883783267385345

https://twitter.com/SwiftMcGrath13/status/1354883781237350406

https://twitter.com/hytiaras/status/1354883672630034445

On next week’s episode, the top nine queens will present in their own daytime magazine show, Morning Glory. Ru, Michelle and Alan Carr will be joined by the queen of British daytime television, Lorraine Kelly.

To hear our thoughts on the brand new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, subscribe to Snatched! an original podcast from GAY TIMES. Each week, we dissect all of the drama and conflama of the latest episode and chat with the eliminated queen, who spills all the T on their exit and time on the series. Snatched! is now available on all streaming services including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.