Glamazonian Airways

"Glamazonian Airways"
RuPaul's Drag Race episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 2
Directed byNick Murray
Original air dateMarch 9, 2015 (2015-03-09)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Glamazonian Airways" is the second episode of the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race.[1][2] The episode aired on March 9, 2015, and features a Rusical (musical theatre challenge).[3] Olivia Newton-John and Jordin Sparks serve as guest judges, alongside regular panelists RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and Carson Kressley. Moby and Jamal Sims also make guest appearances, the former to help judge the mini-challenge and the latter to offer choreography coaching to contestants for the main challenge.

Ginger Minj and Trixie Mattel win the episode's mini-challenge. Ginger Minj also wins the main challenge, and Sasha Belle is eliminated from the competition after placing in the bottom two and losing a lip-sync against Katya to "Twist of Fate" by Newton-John.

Episode

Ginger Minj (left) was a winner of the episode's mini-challenge as well as the main challenge; Sasha Belle (right) was eliminated from the competition.

In the Werk Room, RuPaul greets the contestants and reveals the mini-challenge, which has the contestants "give face" while members of the Pit Crew use a leaf blower. Moby makes a guest appearance to help judge the mini-challenge. Ginger Minj and Trixie Mattel win, and therefore serve as team captains for the main challenge.[4]

RuPaul introduces the main challenge, which requires the contestants to perform a lip-synced (or spoken word)[5] and choreographed pre-flight safety presentation for Glamazonian Airways.[6] Ginger Minj's team includes Jaidynn Diore Fierce, Jasmine Kennedie, Kandy Ho, Kennedy Davenport, Mrs. Kasha Davis, and Sasha Belle. Trixie Mattel's team includes Katya, Max, Miss Fame, Pearl, and Violet Chachki.[7] While the two teams decide on roles, RuPaul meets with each group for status updates. The contestants receive choreography coaching from Jamal Sims on the main stage. Back in the Werk Room, the contestants get ready for the runway and discuss which skills they think a good drag performer should have. Later, Miss Fame shares about the experience of losing a family member to murder at a young age.

Guest judges Olivia Newton-John (left) and Jordin Sparks (right)

On the main stage, RuPaul welcomes fellow judges Michelle Visage and Carson Kressley,[4] as well as guest judges Olivia Newton-John and Jordin Sparks. The contestants perform the Rusical, which features members of the Pit Crew in the background, for the judges. The runway category is "Jet Set Eleganza", which requires the contestants to present "jet-set" looks. After the contestants present their looks for the judges, RuPaul asks those deemed safe to leave the main stage. The judges speak with the remaining contestants, then RuPaul asks the contestants to leave the main stage so the judges can deliberate.

Ginger Minj is declared the winner of the main challenge, with Mrs. Kasha Davis and Violet Chachki also placing in the top. Katya, Miss Fame, and Sasha Belle place in the bottom three, and Katya and Sasha Belle face off in a lip-sync to "Twist of Fate" (1983) by Newton-John.[8] Sasha Belle is eliminated from the competition.[4] She returns to the Werk Room to write a message on the mirror for the contestants using lipstick.

Production and broadcasting

"Glamazonian Airways" was directed by Nick Murray. The episode premiered on Logo TV in the United States on March 9, 2015. The episode's premiere was seen by close to 374,000 viewers.[9]

Sims has appeared on the show several times. He was a guest judge and choreographer on the eighth season's "Bitch Perfect" (2016), the twelfth season's "Viva Drag Vegas" (2020), and the thirteenth season's "Condragulations" and "Social Media: The Unverified Rusical" (2021). Additionally, he was solely guest choreographer on the twelfth season's "Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical" (2020) and the thirteenth season's "Gettin' Lucky" (2021). On the sixth season (2021) of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Sims was a guest judge and choreographer on "Halftime Headliners" and solely a guest choreographer on the finale "This Is Our Country".

Reception

Allison Shoemaker of The A.V. Club, classified the episode with a B+ rating with "still highly entertaining, skimped on the personality in favor of fashion".[6] Bernardo Sim from Out, included the main challenge in a list of fifteen moments "that prove ... season 7 was actually iconic".[5] Writing for Screen Rant in 2019, Sim deemed the episode the season's best and said: "By many standards, season 7’s 'Glamazonian Airways' is considered one of the best Rusicals in the entire series, being both funny and quirky. What's more, because it was that season’s second episode, this was a great opportunity for the queens to show off their potential early on."[10] In 2024, Stephen Daw ranked "Glamazonian Airways" fourteenth in Billboard's list of the best Rusicals to date. He wrote, "Glamazonian Airways is another rare swing-and-miss among the Rusical challenges. Especially when compared to later entries on this list, this season 7 challenge failed to take off."[11]

References

  1. ^ Carpentier, Megan; Rushe, Dominic (March 10, 2015). "RuPaul's Drag Race recap: season seven, episode two: Glamazonian Airways". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ Ehrman-Dupre, Joe (2015-03-10). "RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 7, Episode 2: 'Glamazonian Airways'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  3. ^ Malice, Michael (March 10, 2015). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' 7×2 Recap: Glamazonian Airways". Observer. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Lee, Stephan (March 13, 2015). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' recap: 'Glamazonian Airways'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Sim, Bernando (March 1, 2023). "15 Moments That Prove 'Drag Race' Season 7 Was Actually Iconic". Out. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Shoemaker, Allison (March 10, 2015). "RuPaul's Drag Race: "Glamazonian Airways"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Libby, Katie (March 10, 2015). ""RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 7, Episode 2: Glamazonian Airways". City Magazine. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Dior, Chiffon (March 10, 2015). "Talking Drag Race With Chiffon Dior: Episode Two "Glamazonian Airways"". Werrrk. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  9. ^ Metcalfe, Mitch (March 9, 2015). "Top 25 Monday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 3.9.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  10. ^ Sim, Bernardo (2019-11-29). "RuPaul's Drag Race: The Best Episode In Every Season, Ranked". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  11. ^ Daw, Stephen (2024-02-21). "Every Rusical from 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' Ranked Worst to Best". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-26.