‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ season 8 episode 7 recap: ‘Forensic Queens’
“RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season 8 continued on June 16 with the seventh episode streaming on Paramount+. For the first time ever, RuPaul Charles announced a “second way to win” in addition to earning the coveted crown and $200,000 prize given to the traditional winner. One of the eliminated queens will also be named Queen of the Fame Games and earn a $50,000 cash prize.
The queens still in the running at the start of episode 6 were: Alexis Michelle, Jessica Wild, Jimbo, Kahanna Montrese, Kandy Muse, and LaLa Ri.
Check out our full recap of episode 7 below to find out what happened when the queens dove purse first into another acting challenge in “Forensic Queens”:
Winning her first challenge of the season, Kandy Muse was feeling herself as a contender for the crown — she was also feeling the weight of $30,000 added to her pocket. The cash tip didn’t come without a cost though, for she was the one to make the decision to send Jaymes Mansfield home and save Kahanna Montrese. Had the group of safe queens vote come into play, they unanimously voted to keep Kahanna over Jaymes as well. The group mostly agreed that it was based on the track record of Kahanna having won a challenge, but LaLa Ri admitted that she votes on how she feels and she just felt like saving Kahanna. Despite being saved, placing in the bottom three times was getting to Kahanna and so this felt like a make or break week for her to turn things around.
The next morning, Ru popped in to advise the queens that they “lawyer up” in preparation for the improv challenge where they’d be acting off the cuff in the episode “What Had Happened to Lil’ Poundcake?” in the crime series “Forensic Queens.” Ru gave them case files to help them pick parts and develop their characters, but they’d be acting without a script in the hopes that they come up with funny moments through improvisation.
Alexis Michelle felt confident about her acting and improv skills, but Kahanna was feeling under pressure with another acting challenge after she’s failed at so many already this season. When it came to choosing characters everyone had their eye on a favorite that would put them in the best position to excel. Off the bat Kandy wanted the nosey Anita Klew, Jimbo wanted the examiner character, the girls talked Kahanna into pageant queen Imma Foxx and Jessica Wild accepted Ura Dragg.
Alexis and LaLa both had eyes on the security guard character, so when LaLa said she had no other options, Alexis posed the question to Kandy that she take the lawyer instead of the detective so that Alexis could be her second choice Anita Klew instead. As part of her argument, Alexis said that the detective and lawyer “aren’t that different” so Kandy shouldn’t be bothered to switch, but Kandy threw that back at Alexis who should just as easily be able to play either, too, then. Kandy felt like she was getting “tricked” into taking a different role while Alexis was hurt by the immaturity of Kandy not wanting to give up a role. In the end, Alexis got emotional, but took the attorney role anyway. Kandy reacted negatively to Alexis crying, calling it “dramatics” that were emotionally manipulative. Telling the other girls that she needed air, Alexis left the Werk Room.
As the queens worked through the development of their characters, the pressure of an acting challenge got to be too much for Kahanna as well and she told Kandy that she “wants to go home.” Kahanna started to pack her things in attempt to “remove herself before she got hurt.” Amidst all of this, Ru returned to the Werk Room to gather the girls around for a setting straight. She pointed out that “of course” they have a lot of feelings, but that “feelings are not facts.” She stressed that they’re professionals and they’re on the biggest stage of their careers. They should “not allow the little things to derail your bigger picture.” She then addressed Kahanna and Alexis directly, asking them if they’re ready to go, but they both said that they’d stay.
When they returned to their planning phase, Kahanna asked Jimbo for advice on how she does so well in acting challenges. Jimbo explained that she starts by thinking about what would bring her joy in the challenge and then running with that. She asked Kahanna to find what makes her happy about her character and then lean into it. The advice meant a lot to Kahanna and gave her a jumping off point to get into the groove of a challenge that made her very nervous. Elsewhere in the room, Jessica was concerned with having to improv in English since the words won’t come to her as quickly as they may with the other girls. Later, Alexis and Kandy mended fences by apologizing to each other and committing to their sisterhood.
In “Forensic Queens,” fashioned as a docuseries exploring the disappearance of Lil’ Poundcake, Jessica and Kahanna’s characters appeared as queens Poundcake was supposed to appear alongside on a lost season of “All Stars,” making them suspects in the crime. LaLa was set security guard Shari Coleman that she created into a drunk auntie with a lot of theories, Kandy put much of her own personality into the retired detective, Jimbo gave forensic examiner Eva Dentz a German accent and a magical “shtink finger,” and Alexis interpreted retired district attorney Effie Lee Bailey as a hyper sexualized woman from Brooklyn.
While getting ready for the runway, the queens reflected on their improv performances from the day before. Jessica was happy she stayed in character the whole time and LaLa was feeling like she did really well. Kandy told LaLa that she was funny and this might be her week to win. Jimbo asked Kahanna if she really considered leaving the competition, and she said yes but that she’s happy she stayed because Jimbo’s advice gave her a new lease to have fun in the challenge. Alexis was simply relieved that she and Kandy were able to put their dramatics behind them and not create enemies in one another.
On the Main Stage, Ru was joined by series judges Michelle Visage and Carson Kressley, as well as this week’s guest judge Javicia Leslie. On the runway, the queens walked in the “Miss Fill in the Blank” category. The parade of pageant queens featured Jessica as Miss Sausage Party, Kahanna as Miss Tired Ass Showgirl, LaLa as Miss Bootlegger, Kandy as Miss Arrogant, Alexis as Miss Manpig, and Jimbo as Miss Tits Magee.
Based on the challenge and their presentations, the judges delivered critiques to all six queens. Carson liked that Jessica created something “effective for this category” on the runway and Michelle “laughed a lot” at her improv in the challenge. Ru said she was natural and had a point of view, which is all they ask for in improv. Javicia led the judges in calling Kahanna gorgeous on the runway while Michelle detracted a bit on her performance in the challenge because she “struggled a bit” in the beginning before she had more fun. Carson thought LaLa created a character “so beautifully” and Michelle liked that she couldn’t even figure out what she was talking about. Javicia said that “it was your show” and Ru appreciated that she “over-compensated” within the character that was ultimately guilty. Michelle took issue with Kandy for playing herself in the challenge while Carson had a bigger problem with how she interpreted the runway. Ru agreed with both of them, saying that she didn’t take it far enough. The judges agreed that Jimbo commits to her ideas, both in the challenge and on the runway. Michelle appreciates that Alexis “always comes prepared,” but noted that sometimes she forgets to have fun. She said her character never took off, but acknowledged that her runway look did. Javicia and Ru said that it was energy and fun that was missing from her character.
Based on those critiques, Ru announced that this week’s winner was LaLa, her first of the season. For their own strong performances, Jessica, Kandy and Jimbo were all safe. That left Kahanna in the bottom for her fourth time and Alexis for her second. As the winner, LaLa was pitted against this week’s lip sync assassin Jorgeous in the Lip Sync for Your Legacy to “About Damn Time” by Lizzo. In the battle, Jorgeous used some of her tricks like a shablam and perfectly timed dips and turns, but overall LaLa had much more fun with the song and injected humor and more exaggerated movements into her performance and then ended the song with an unexpected split to the floor. By the end of the song, Ru had made her decision. The winner of this week’s lip sync was LaLa. As the winner, the decision for elimination came down to only LaLa. Put in the tough position between track record and friendship, among other things, LaLa decided that this week was finally Kahanna’s time go and so she kept Alexis.
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