Drag Race is now a global franchise, airing multiple episodes every week.* There are dozens of queens werking it out for not just their country's respective crown, but for our attention. Every queen is captivating — but only one of them is a true gem. Pop Heist's Drag Race Gem of the Week singles out one special queen from that week's competitors and presents her with a gem. Or inducts her into our Hall of Gems. Maybe both? Neither are real, so why choose?
The Week: Jan. 26 to Jan. Feb. 2
The Episode: RuPaul's Drag Race 17x05, "RDR Live!"
The Gem: Lana Ja'Rae
When a series runs as long as Drag Race has, it accrues a series of moments that forever alter the course of the series — turning points that, in hindsight, set the show on whatever course it currently travels, for good or ill. Shangela leaving the first lipstick message, Latrice Royale's "Natural Woman" lip sync, Laganja's entrance line, Sasha Velour's rose petal reveal — and I think we need to add Jan's face-crack to the list.
Jan's face-crack moment in Season 12, after she lost the Rusical to Gigi Goode, firmly established a new kind of journey for one queen on every season of Drag Race: The Face-Crack Edit. It's the edit wherein no matter how well a queen does in a challenge, she's just not gonna get critiques. She's just gonna be safe, every week, as her world slowly spirals out of control. Jan was the originator, followed by Rosé, Daya Betty, Loosey LaDuca (and/or Marcia Marcia Marcia), and Dawn last season.
Y'all — this week confirmed that Lana Ja'Rae is this season's Face-Crack Queen.
Let's be real: Lana Ja'Rae showed up and showed out in "RDR Live!" She did everything a queen needs to do in order to land in the top. Lana fought for a role that she wanted — a small, scene-stealy role that she wisely knew she would kill. And she killed it. Her Homo sapien bombshell character was a serve. Not only was the look correct, Lana added a cartoonish tiddy-bib bounce to every one of her movements. That physical comedy alone showed off Lana's apparently innate sense of humor — which is something that has lacked from all of Lana's moments thus far. She finally showed us who she is just by knowing how to jiggle them tiddies just right!
Lana's cavewoman look is the best Kori King look of the season.
And then the runway? Lana's Tickled Pink look was perfectly executed, a retro glamorous dream of a look that showed unprecedented versatility. Isn't that what the judges want every single week? Lana is here, serving it! And yet ...
Lana's emotions were on full display in Untucked. She was unbelievably plucked, and rightly so. Lana easily — easily — could have taken top placement over Hormona Lisa. Lana said not a word in Untucked, knowing that she would absolutely cry on national television should she let loose a single syllable. She even hilariously turned her back to Jewels Sparkles while Jewels was trying to console her.
See? Lana knows physical comedy!
Fortunately for Lana, Arrietty and Suzie provided more than enough content for Untucked, so Lana avoided any poking and prodding.
The question now is: What do the producers want from Lana Ja'Rae? We could have gotten a very satisfactory conclusion to Lana's "perpetually safe" storyline this week, but the show chose to grind her down just a little bit more. And since Lana did not pop off in Untucked, does that mean she's doomed to being safe until she does give production a meltdown? Or are they denying her praise for another week just to make an eventual victory that much sweeter?
Face-Crack Queens don't have a set trajectory. They're just as likely to go all the way to the finale as they are to be sent packing at the halfway point. The only thing I know for sure is that Lana Ja'Rae deserved to be in the top this week — and I hope this incredibly ephemeral title offers some consolation. Welcome to the Hall of Gems, Lana. Long may you reign — and by "long" I mean until next Monday!
Follow Lana Ja'Rae on Instagram at @lanajarae.
The Hall of Gems
