PHOTO CREDIT: Bell Media
SPOILER ALERT: DON’T READ THIS IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHO WON AND LOST ON EPISODE 4 OF “CANADA’S DRAG RACE.”
How many times can a queen be recycled from near elimination on “Canada’s Drag Race”?
Twice was the limit for Tynomi Banks, who didn’t survive her third trip to the bottom in the show’s fourth episode.
There was no acting or rapping challenge to trip up the well known Toronto queen this week but, once again, the judges were unimpressed by her runway outfit.
All nine queens, split into groups of three, had to create “couture” fashion lines out of recyclable materials.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bell Media
Plastic may be a scourge in the environment, but it ruled the day for the trio made up of Rita Baga, Kiara and Scarlett BoBo – deservedly so, in my opinion – with Rita winning her second maxi-challenge with a dramatic plastic tarp column dress and jacket, and a stole of plastic netting.
The metal team, Priyanka, BOA and Lemon, were the runners-up — with the judges particularly gagged by Priyanka’s sheer silver dress, although I found it a little basic compared to Lemon’s dress of unravelled rose gold scouring pads. That left Jimbo, Tynomi and Ilona Verley and their paper couture headed for the dumpster.
for their metal outfits. PHOTO CREDIT: Bell Media
Would Tynomi have done better if Jimbo hadn’t kept the best outfit for herself, a gown bursting with paper flowers? I don’t know, but it didn’t help.
Tynomi and Ilona were dressed in far less flattering “knight” costumes to Jimbo’s “queen.” As judge Brooke Lynn Hytes told Ilona about her paper armour and hoop skirt: “I got much more ‘gay pride at the Renaissance fair’ than I did runway show … It looks like I should hang you in my backyard and beat you with a stick.”
Harsh but fair, Brooke. Also funny.
She also told Ilona and Tynomi they were being “way too Canadian” by allowing Jimbo to shine at their expense.
Jimbo did not escape unscathed, with judge Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman criticizing the fact she painted her face and chest white but not her arms and hands. (I wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t brought it up.)
“We are given a very limited amount of time to construct these looks, paint our faces, prepare,” responded Jimbo.
“Everyone gets the same amount of time. Use it better maybe,” retorted Jeffrey with narrowed eyes.
Oh snap.
At the beginning of the episode, Tynomi claimed not to be concerned about the warning Brooke gave her last week, to bring out the “fierce girl” within at every challenge. “I don’t fucking care about that. I was, like, calm down, bitch,” Tynomi said.
The consensus seemed to be that even if Tynomi did sink back to the bottom, no one could beat her in a lip sync — no one until Ilona, that is.
I don’t know how the Vancouver queen went from crying and protesting, “I can’t do it,” to throwing down in a lip sync of Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” that was the best battle we’ve seen all season, but she pulled it off.
There wasn’t a dry eye onstage as Tynomi was told to sashay away. Ilona was flat out sobbing and even guest host Biddell was wiping away tears. But Tynomi held her head up: “I know I’m fire and it will never be put out,” she said.
As Brooke Lynn said earlier, “You’re Tynomi motherfucking Banks.”
Tynomi’s exit leaves just four Toronto queens in the competition, which might suit Rita Baga fine. She complained early in the episode that the Toronto girls were “savage” and self-centred.
Priyanka did not disagree, saying the Toronto queens “think we’re high and mighty,” but also that they’re “dropping like flies.”
Mind you, Rita did bond with Toronto’s Scarlett BoBo, who confided in her about the death of her drag mentor, Ottawa’s Ginette BoBo, shortly before Scarlett came to “Drag Race.”
The bitchiest clash in the episode had nothing to do with Toronto at all, but was between Ilona and Jimbo, who’s from Victoria.
Basically, Ilona was feeling sorry for herself after the judges’ critiques and didn’t appreciate Jimbo changing the subject by talking about being cold in the werkroom. There were some swears. Ilona told Jimbo to “eat shit.”
Then everyone’s attention switched to Tynomi, who was crying and despondent, and then Ilona shifted the focus back to herself and started crying too.
“Like, this is not my drag. I wanted to come here (to) represent my culture,” said the Indigenous, two-spirit queen, “and all I’m representing for right now is fucking dumpster divers.”
That made everyone laugh, ratcheting down the tension.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bell Media
I haven’t mentioned the mini-challenge, which Jimbo won, but there’s not much to say. It was ostensibly a memory test for the queens, but it was really just an extended ogle of a supersized pit crew of 10, as the queens matched the different coloured bikini briefs under their black shorts.
Next week promises something even better than half-naked men: the first ever Canadian Snatch Game. Until then …
Catch “Drag Race” Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Crave.
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