Canada's Drag Race Season 6, Episode 8
"Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent"
Showrunner: Trevor Boris
Director: Shelagh O'Brien
Host: Brooke Lynn Hytes
Cast: Eboni La'Belle, Karamilk, PM, Sami Landri, Van Goth
Y'all know that Canada's Drag Race is the most-decorated Drag Race series, right? Like, I'm talking awards. Canada's Drag Race and Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World have won a combined 29 Canadian Screen Awards since its premiere in 2020. Three of those are for Brooke Lynn Hytes, which makes her the most award-winning drag queen after RuPaul (Raven, Delta Work, Laila McQueen, 6, and Lushious Massacr have all won an Emmy). By comparison, RuPaul's Drag Race has won 33 Primetime Emmys (including All Stars and Untucked). But because these awards are up in Canada, we don't hear about them down here — shockingly, because winning awards feels like the most obvious way to promote a series.
I bring all that up to say, the entire Canada's Drag Race team needs to clear more room on their shelves, because they're going to clean up next year. The penultimate episode of Season 6 is, as the queens clock, an entire season of Drag Race in one killer package — and this package delivers. Also PM's package is all over this episode. Even when casually watching from the sideline, the diva hates pants, skirts, skorts, or anything that covers an inch below the waist! Aren't they cold?
Similar to last season's design-for-Brooke-Lynn episode, this episode marks another first for the expanded Drag Race franchise. (And apologies for having to skip last week's design-for-Brooke-Lynn episode. Sometimes life lifes it up too much!) This week, the top five queens compete in four challenges encompassing the four qualities every winner must possess: Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent. I did love the moment when, after learning about the challenge, the queens all clock that the season's runway song has been RuPaul's 2017 jam "Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent." They should have seen it coming ... even though that phrase and song are ubiquitous.
Truly, there was no way the queens could have seen a four-part Maxi Challenge coming, because it's unprecedented. That's the way Canada's Drag Race works! The US franchise works more or less like clockwork, usually with one over-the-top but superficial twist that offers only the illusion of change. And after chocolate bars and dunk tanks and loading docks and blind ratings, even that became so predictable that Season 18's "twist" is not having a twist. But when Canada makes a tweak, they commit to it and actually let those format tweaks potentially alter the course of the season. See: The Golden Beaver vs. the UK's disastrous "Lucky Cow" thing.
First up: Charisma. To test their charisma, the five queens were tasked with performing a lip sync number to a rap about a previous season of ... Canada's Drag Race. Premise-wise, this sounded shaky and borderline cringey. In execution, though, it did exactly what it needed to do. The track was already prepped, leaving the delivery completely to the queens. Two absolutely delivered: PM (who gave it her all, even flashing her hole at the judges, but in a comedic and tasteful way) and Karamilk (who made every line and movement feel extemporaneous and cool). But PM won, deservedly, moving the drag artist who was just considered a dark horse into the frontrunner position.
Next: Uniqueness. This was a full-blown design challenge, the kind that, were a dozen girls still in the cast, would take up a full 50-minute episode. Each of the four remaining queens were given a basic-ass LBD and told to turn it into eleganza that showcased their unique personalities. This being a design challenge, everyone assume it would be Van Goth's challenge to lose. I mean, they were all right, but I have to give it up to Karamilk. After receiving positive critiques for her hot glue design last week, Karamilk used her "near win" to keep poking and poking Van Goth, who took the bait every time. I feel like everyone else clocked Karamilk as being facetious, but Van Goth couldn't even let Kara joke about doing well in a design challenge. Fantastic.
Also, Sami Landi treating her dress form as if it was a client. Iconic.
Van Goth absolutely wins this challenge — but there wasn't much competition. Even though they turned out looks that could stand up to Van's (if you squint, I guess), Sami and Karamilk were essentially disqualified for not using enough of the dress or for hiding what parts they did use. And Eboni's asymmetrical, high school dance-team captain by way of Pussycat Dolls number wasn't going to knock Van out of the top spot. Van wins.
Next: Nerve. Again, a challenge that felt potentially cringe-y — delivering a dramatic monologue. I assumed this was going to be a transcript of a prevoius Canada's Drag Race rant, like Melinda Verga's or Makayla Couture's Untucked moments. But no, it was a piece of original writing. The acting challenges across Drag Race don't tend to be well-written — but Canada's Drag Race has won awards for its writing! And Eboni rightfully won a spot in the finale with this performance. Damn. The monologue, all about the commitment and drive it takes to be a drag queen, actually wasn't bad, and Eboni's delivery — soul-stirring, dare I say the best dramatic performance we've seen on that or any Main Stage? — elevated the material something fierce. Eboni, who's been a lock for the finale from the jump, secured the third spot.
And that left the Talent portion, a LSFYL to "Fix You" by Vita Chambers. Karamilk vs. Sami Landri. Technically, this probably went to Karamilk, who is absolutely the better dancer. Sami, in a look she's already worn this season, pulled out one well-timed, well-executed cartwheel. But. Kara was hindered by the fact that the judges have already seen her tricks a few times by now. Sami, a weirdo through and through, gave it her version of giving it her all ... which at times did look like Tina Belcher at her first rave. Sami wins and, when you look at the season overall, I think Sami was a lock before the needle even dropped on Vita Chambers.
Karamilk sashays away, but with her head held high. Seriously — Karamilk went further than I think anyone would've thought midseason, after that trainwreck talk show challenge. She bounced back in the Slayoffs, surprised everyone in the design challenge, and I think had a fantastic showing in all four of this week's challenges — especially the Charisma and Uniqueness portions. But with no Maxi wins and a lot of shantays on her resume, it was Karamilk's time.
She'll kill it on Canada vs. the World Season 3, and that season will probably win a Canadian Emmy.
Next week, Rufus fucking Wainwright produces a Drag Race girl group bitch track. What the hell. I can't wait to see how this turns out.
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