In all 20 (US) seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race (including All Stars), there has never been a twist as polarising as the golden chocolate bar. Introduced in the third episode of season 14, the brand new format sees RuPaul embrace his inner Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, bar the Oompa-Loompa’s, as he equips each of the contestants with one of his branded bars. TWIST ALERT – which we absolutely did not, in any circumstances, see coming – only one of them contains a golden wrapper. Gasp! The bars, which are, erm, $9,99, hold no relevance until after the lip-sync smackdown. If the losing queen’s bar contains the golden ticket, she lives to slay another day. If it’s just chocolate, they sashay away – for good. Following seven eliminations with “it’s just chocolate” [insert trombone noise here], the golden ticket holder was revealed on this week’s episode to be Bosco; providing the two-time maxi-challenge winner with a second shot at the crown following her loss to lip-sync assassin Jorgeous. Now that the twist has reached its conclusion, we have to wonder: will it return for another season? Here, we explain why the twist should stay or sashay away, before the eliminated queens share their thoughts on RuPaul’s unreasonably priced candy.
Here’s why it should stay:
It’s quite camp really, isn’t it? A drag queen unwrapping a $9,99 (can’t get over it, sorry) RuPaul-branded chocolate bar on stage to discover if she’s in possession of a golden ticket, followed by a trombone sound effect if aforementioned ticket isn’t gold, is camp! Of course RuPaul would introduce a twist that sees a queen’s entire career rest on a mothertucking chocolate bar. Following Bosco’s save, one fan who’s in favour of the twist wrote: “I will miss the trombone sound after the girls reveal what their chocolate bar has.” And honestly, same. June Jambalaya has managed to transform a rather unremarkable phrase – “It’s just chocolate” – into something iconic. (Gay Twitter, as per, has been on top form in the memes department.) Although we felt bad for the contestants after their eliminations, it provided viewers with a new form of tension, which is important for a show 14 years into its run with 33 (complete, as of writing) seasons of the same twists and turns. Not only are we rooting for our favourites to conquer the lip-sync smackdown, we’re now trusting the “Drag Gods” to throw them a lifeline. Whether you think she triumphed over Jorgeous or not, it would’ve been a complete disaster if Bosco, a firm fan-favourite and frontrunner for the crown, sashayed away in seventh place with two challenge wins under her belt. Social media would’ve been absolute bedlam. However, if – we repeat, if – the bar really is allocated randomly (we’ll get onto that in a bit), it would result in some pretty fantastic television if a queen who’s undeserving – or a villain – uncovers the gold. Honestly, we’re just here for the drama and if the bars, $9,99, return for season 15, we would welcome it.
And here’s why it should sashay away:
It could just be a coincidence, but it seems rather suss that the bar came at the perfect time; saving a queen with an excellent track record and a passionate following. We’re not mad, because we stan Bosco until the end of time, but fans are calling Rigga Morris, girl, Rigga Morris. “Absolutely nobody wins an Oscar for pretending like they didn’t know the producers handed Bosco the golden chocolate bar two minutes before the reveal,” said one viewer, while another wrote in a viral tweet: “RuPaul deserves another Emmy for pretending not to know Bosco had that gold bar.” Let’s be honest, June – the first eliminated queen – was never going to be in possession of the gold. Imagine how anticlimactic that would’ve been? This distrust seems to be a common thread in those who post about Drag Race on social media – so should the show really continue with a format that isn’t respected by the fanbase? And while we stated above that a villain or an undeserving competitor unwrapping the gold would instil a sense of goopery and gaggery within us, it really would be disappointing if it was ruvealed in the first episode. Also, do we need more non-eliminations? A recurring complaint over these past two seasons is how they’ve been dragged out, with a record-breaking eight queens on season 14 surviving until episode 11. If the twist makes a return in season 15, Ru is going to have to cut down on the double saves.
What did the eliminated queens have to say?
June Jambalaya: “I think it’s a great idea to give hope to the girls but shouldn’t be something you depend on.”
Alyssa Hunter: “I think it is fun but at the same time very scary. It was definitely something different that felt like a second chance.”
Orion Story: “I thought it was fun. Immunities on Drag Race have not been done in quite a while. It definitely makes for great suspenseful television. I would have enjoyed it more if I had gotten it though to be honest.”
Maddy Morphosis: “I liked it. I think it really adds a little drama and suspense to the end of each episode. I just wish the twist had a different ending.”
Kerri Colby: “I feel like I am the golden bar and the golden ticket no matter what happens on that show. However, I was very much shocked and in disbelief that I did not get the golden opportunity.”
Jasmine Kennedie: “As a competitor, the golden ticket has a great benefit to us. It’s that last hope that fate is on your side in the competition. It’s something fresh also and nods to the immunity that Drag Race used to have in earlier seasons.”
Thoughts? Should the candy bar twist make a return in season 15, or should it – like season eight’s Shade Tree – get the chop?
Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 every Saturday on the streamer of all things drag, WOW Presents Plus. Subscribe via http://uk.wowpresentsplus.com/
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