RuPaul's Drag Race celebrates its 200th episode by going back to basics
The show uses The Crystal Ball to contemplate its past and future

After 15 seasons, RuPaul’s Drag Race toasted its 200th episode. And despite the abbreviated form, the installment managed to pack in a lot of material: a mini-challenge, a walkthrough, three emotional moments, two lip syncs, and a full ball. It also paid plenty of reverence to past iconic moments from the series. Even though it lasted a brisk 40 minutes, it worked.
With the unusual structure of the LaLaPaRUza, a lot of what fills the beginning of a standard episode was hashed out during last week’s Untucked. The queens already discussed Jax and their own performances during the lip syncs and, as there was no official winner from the last episode, they simply get to the business at hand. This truncated start allows us to actually get a better understanding of the queens and their relationships— finally. RuPaul is quick to enter and announce the monumental moment of celebrating both the 15th season and the 200th episode. To make the occasion, the queens will compete in The Crystal Ball by presenting three separate looks on the runway. A fixture since the first season, the ball allows for even more time for the runway and to see the queens interact and share their personal stories.
The werkroom
The queens warm up with a mini-challenge of photobombing iconic moments from past seasons. It affords the queens a little fun while competing, which has been sorely missing this season. (These are the sort of moments that can potentially produce new iconic moments.) Anetra, who has somewhat faded to the background since the talent show, wins the challenge. It creates a shift of focus to her throughout the episode and suggests she might be back in the spotlight moving forward.
After the queens learn of the ball challenge, they make a mad dash for materials. It’s another design challenge with somewhat conventional materials, which has been a failing of recent design challenges. It’s hard to tell what exactly each queen grabs as it all looks like a sea of glitter and crystal, and there’s a chaotic moment when someone breaks a container of pearl beads. Luxx seems to place the blame on Loosey, who is conveniently out of frame, but the real tragedy is that no one uses it as an opportunity to make a Showgirls reference. Luxx also gets into a semi tussle with Marcia over a piece of fabric. It’s a quick reminder that after the fun of a mini-challenge, the queens are still competitive. Luxx says she is here for a crown and some money.
The episode also finally includes a walkthrough with Carson and RuPaul. Like with the mini challenge, these are important moments to see the queens interact with the judges without the pressure of the stage lights. While only three queens are shown discussing their looks with the judges, it reveals a lot about each queen. Spice, for example, is met with critiques about repetitive silhouettes and a lack of personality in her looks. They encourage her to push further and convey a narrative in her runway presentations. Unfortunately, Spice interprets their words as simply lengthening her miniskirts. While Spice reasserted that she would be entering her top phase with this episode, her walkthrough does not bode well. Similarly, Mistress, who claimed to be more congenial in this episode, quickly starts reading the other queens for their “gaudy” looks. And RuPaul is loving it all. Their discussion also lays more of a foundation and understanding of the “big” personality Mistress has and how it may be rubbing some of the queens the wrong way, which has already been explored in the relationship between Mistress and Malaysia. The final walkthrough shows Salina, ever desperate to please, having an emotional breakthrough. She speaks of shrinking herself and losing her usual confidence since walking into the werkroom. It’s a powerful moment between Salina and RuPaul, who urges her to use and show this emotion to the judges.
After the judges exit, the queens return to their work and playfully tease one another. The major target is Loosey, who remains extremely competitive. It manages to slightly assuage the tension when Mistress asks if someone could help her dart and Sasha cracks that the person who can help is the one Mistress has been reading all day. The comic moment is coupled the next day with an emotional one from Anetra, who tells the story of her coming out, or rather founding out, to Salina. While the story of coming outs and familial rejection are sadly a substantial part of the Drag Race legacy, Anetra’s is particularly cruel. After her mother discovered her drag, Anetra lived a week feeling free before her family kicked her out of the home. A gut-wrenching story, Anetra manages to find a light at the end of the tunnel by celebrating her father and her contentment with her partner and career. Anetra briefly discussed this turmoil in an earlier Untucked, but the moment holds greater power in this episode, prompting the queens to recall some of their favorite instances from past seasons of Drag Race.
The Crystal Ball
The Ball opens with RuPaul greeting Michelle, Carson, and special guest Julia Garner in a cowgirl ensemble complete with red latex, golden studs, and plenty of fringe. They celebrate the milestone 200th episode with some cake and candy in a short shimmy and shake performance from RuPaul to, yes, her song “Cake & Candy.” The number is punctuated in the presentation of what looks like a completely inedible glitter cake.
The first category of the Crystal Ball requires each queen to reimagine RuPaul’s iconic racing jumpsuit. Mistress is the first to put her own stamp on the outfit. In a vinyl red and white jumpsuit, she reinterprets the racing patch with memorable quotes from former big girl contestants like Eureka and Silky Nutmeg Ganache. It fits well with Mistress’ campaign to make Season 15 the first season with a plus-sized winner. It also doesn’t hurt that her use of past catchphrases parallels the episode’s nostalgic tone. Mistress is followed by Spice who also reworks the red and white suit by turning it into a signature Spice minidress. The checkered platforms and the branded flag give it a personalized touch. Luxx breaks with the red in favor of a pink motocross-inspired two-piece set. Marcia’s color-blocked pastel interpretation feels like the freshest take so far and the volumized hair makes it feel like she is listening to the judges. Similarly, Salina’s blue, black, and white baggy approach is a departure from the standard RuPaul look but is fitting with her personal street aesthetic. Malaysia’s soft pink ensemble is perfectly fitted to her body and a welcome deviation from the gowns she typically wears on the runway. Loosey’s video-game, quasi-cartoon approach, while well-made, feels like it went a little off the track of the prompt. In a two-piece gown version similar to Luxx’s look, Sasha delivers a simple and impactful interpretation of the iconic outfit complete with pink and the racing checker pattern. Finally, Anetra closes the category with an acidic neon jumpsuit accented with flags representing her heritage like a walking 23andMe report.
For the second look, each queen must pay homage to one of the previous 16 balls. (Seasons 3 and 14 technically contained two balls.) Despite the ample material, as the ball challenge has been a part of Drag Race since its inception, the queens of Season 15 only managed to represent five separate balls. Again, Mistress leads the category with a striking look made of deconstructed beach balls. The full ensemble recalls the aesthetic of Leigh Bowery or ’90s club-kid culture. It was a smart choice that reveals an unexpected layer to Mistress. In a change of the initial order, Marcia comes out sporting a look inspired by the Bag Ball. Her milk-maid look is hampered by the fact that she made her choice based on using conventional materials and that it is yet again another white and unembellished costume. Malaysia presents her take on Cruella De Vil in a graphic black and white look inspired by season three’s Hair Ball. While the cape feels a little distracting, it’s a well-constructed look that fits the brief well. Like Mistress, Spice chose to recreate the Ball Ball, but it had less of an impact based on her more conventional material choice. While the color-blocked waves of purple and black are solid, she didn’t think about it from a full 360-degree perspective by leaving the back unadorned. It feels like another issue of someone who is used to performing from the fixed, frontal for a cell-phone camera.