Drag Race UK - Season 5, Episode 10: The Recap
Are you up to speed?
The Drag Race fever-dream continues – we’ve reached the grand finale of Season 5 of Drag Race UK.
Are you up to speed? Let’s get into it.
The main challenge
Following the standard format of the franchise, the finale main challenge is a music video.
The track? Spotlight - a deep cut from the RuPaul songbook.
The choreography process was interesting to watch - it looked like the production team had put some effort into it.
The end results were solid, although the stage performance at the end got a bit messy.
The Chats
As well as the standard one-on-one chats, the brought out a family member to be part of the chat. This is a smart move - it adds a different dimension and extra emotion into a format that was getting a bit repetitive.
The Runway
The category this week was Eleganza Extravaganza - Dripping Jewells.
- Ginger Johnson: Ginger gave us matador-chick encrusted with crystals. She looked good and it wasn't a gown.
- Michael Marouli: Michael gave us an ice-queen gown. Strong look. She'll be able to wear it in a panto.
- Tomara Thomas: Tomara looked gorgeous, in a sort of flapper-inspired look from the 20s. The downside was that she had to hoik it up in order to be able to walk in it.
The Judging
We went from a Top 3 to a Top 2 - Tomara was told that she'd placed third.
That left us with a Top 2 of Ginger versus Michael.
The lip-sync
The track was A Little Respect by Erasure.
This is an iconic queer slice of UK music history. It's a great track - not an obvious choice for a lip-sync battle. It's a bit one-level, which makes it hard to inject much personality or energy into the performance.
Ginger and Michael are both very experienced stage performers. Michael delivered more of an old-school drag lip-sync performance, while Ginger gave it a bit more humour.
You could have argued it either way, but it's never the final lip-sync that decides the winner.
The winner? It's Ginger.
I'd have been happy with either Michael or Ginger taking the crown - I've been a fan of them both for years. In a way, it's surprising that they've both been able to excel in the format of this competition, but they have - they've both absolutely smashed it.
Congratulations, Ginger - a worthy winner!
Series 5, done!
The Cast
Ginger Johnson
Current Ranking: I've seen Ginger performing in London for a number of years - she's talented and always entertaining. I wasn't sure whether she would be able to adapt those skills to the format of this franchise. Well, there's no doubt about that now - Ginger has absolutely smashed this competition. Talent wins, as it should.
Michael Marouli
Final Ranking: Michael is the consummate performer - he has used the platform of this competition to demonstrated and showcase his skills. It's been a joy to watch. Michael could easily have been the winner of Season 5 but second place is still a great result. We're going to be seeing a lot more of Michael Marouli.
Tomara Thomas
Final Ranking: Tomara definitely makes an impression. Dancing is her strength but she also pulled out a surprise win in the design challenge. She's really thrived in this competition and has given us great TV. I underestimated Tomara. Third place was a great result - she's had an outstanding series and has elevated her career to an international stage.
DeDeLicious
Final Ranking: DeDe did much better in this competition than I initially expected. She's young but confident and very good at drag - that took her a long way in this competition, it took her all the way to the Top 4. She made it to Episode 9, beaten in the lip-sync by Tomara.
Kate Butch
Final Ranking: Kate is an accomplished queen with a great sense of humour. She’s made it work this week, almost against the odds. She made it to Top 5 but the make-over challenge was her undoing - eliminated in the lip-sync by DeDe.
Cara Melle
Final Ranking: Cara came into this competition looking like a winner, but she couldn't quite translate all of that confidence into the various challenges. The acting and comedy challenges highlighted that she's a very good dancer. Still, I'm surprised that she didn't go further - eliminated in Episode 7, beaten in the lip-sync by Michael.
Vicki Vivacious
Final Ranking: I really like Vicki and I was hoping she might go a bit further in this competition, but Snatch Game was her downfall – beaten in the lip-sync by DeDe.
Banksie
Final Ranking: She’s very tall but Banksie has clearly got an interesting perspective on the world. She gave us some great TV and it was a bit surprising to lose Banksie this early in the competition – eliminated in Episode 5, beaten in the lip-sync by DeDe.
Miss Naomi Carter
Final Ranking: Naomi seems really likeable but she hurt her knee in Episode 3 and we’ve seen how bad knees go down in this competition. The elimination in Episode 4 felt like a foregone conclusion.
Alexis Saint Pete
Final Ranking: Alexis got to showcase her performance skills but never really looked comfortable in this competition. She is the Pork Chop of the season, eliminated in Episode 2 – beaten in the lip-sync by Naomi.