Reflecting on Drag Race UK Season 2- Spoilers Ahead!
Written by Georgia Hilton-Buckley
We’ve been Bimini Bon Burgled. Last week saw the conclusion of ten weeks of joy, fashion and stupidity that has honestly shone a light within the misery of the third lockdown. As a long time Drag Race fan, I can honestly say that this is the best season there has ever been.
Let’s start by discussing the cast. There was not a single unlikeable queen. Comparing UK Drag Race with its American counterpart really shows how key the cast is for a good reality show. Season Thirteen of US Drag Race has perhaps three queens I like, one I hate, and the rest I couldn’t care less about. Every week I was genuinely upset at the prospect of a queen leaving, with the most heart-breaking departure being Tia Kofi, who was such a positive and funny character for the whole season. It’s hard to choose just a few but the standout stars of the season must surely be Bimini Bon Boulash, Tayce, and A’Whora, who have provided humour, camp, and mind blowing looks every week. Drag Race UK has always had a large pool of talented queens to pull from and masters a mix of seasoned queens and girls new to the scene, making it all the more interesting to see them bond.
This season had many memorable moments; I still feel flutters when I think about Tayce’s lip-sync to ‘Memories’ from Cats, for example, and Bimini’s Katie Price impression was actually funny, unlike most snatch game performances we get. UK Drag Race appears to have already mastered its pacing, and creates the right number of twists and turns so the show remains familiar but fresh, something the US version is struggling with. We are given satisfying storylines, shock eliminations, and beautiful friendships all developed in what appears to us a natural way, making the show not only humorous but warm. The drama is engaging but it doesn’t feel catty, over produced, or downright mean.
LGBTQ+ culture has always heavily influenced fashion, and recent years have seen drag queens leading the way for top designers to find a new muse and get creative again. drag is no longer just a campy ill-fitting dress, its elegant, shocking and most importantly fun. The best looks for me this season were:
· Ellie Diamond’s Hometown Dennis the Menace latex dress
· Tayce in her all-red jumpsuit covered in blood
· Lawrence’s Monster mash up mad professor
· A’Whora’s ‘Who Wore it Best’ look
· Anything Bimini wore all season
Now we get to the final, which everyone and their Mum had been waiting for. The run-up to the winning announcement is always a bit boring compared to the rest of the season but the final moments were so tense, I felt sick! The front runner and fan favourite was Bimini Bon Boulash from London, who had four wins under their belt and had become one of the most likeable personalities on television. Now, spoiler alert – Bimini didn’t win, much to the shock of everyone Twitter. Scottish queen Lawrence Chaney snatched the title after three wins and a final lip-sync. Personally, I can see by Lawrence won; they are side-splittingly quick witted and serve decent looks. But they appeared to have been falling behind after the COVID break, and just didn’t have the same wow factor as Bimini. However, Chaney is probably a better ambassador for the RuPaul brand – Bimini is far more rebellious and outspoken, while the Drag Race winner usually needs to fall within the rule of RuPaul and what he wants to represent his brand. In addition to this, Bimini is so popular that if they are cast on a All Stars season it will pull in so many viewers and keep a flame going under this long running brand.
Drag Race UK made my Thursday every week and now I will have a significant hole in my schedule. I’m going to miss these queens a lot! American Drag Race could learn a few things on how to get back to their roots from this show and I cannot wait to see what the queens do next. Bring on season three!
5/5
Georgia is a Third-year Politics student at the University of Leicester with an infatuation for books, particularly the classics. She is interested in feminism, philosophy, and music.
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