Drag Race Philippines RuCap Episode 2: Sagalamazon
Things are starting to heat up in the Werk Room.
Turing and Corazon’s conflict
As the queens huddle and lament their fallen sister Prince, Corazon can’t help but feel irritated by Turing’s statement in Untucked wishing that she should go home first. This is why Untucked should be released alongside its episode so we can get the full context of their argument.
From what I’ve gathered it was only a misunderstanding and Turing said it out of banter. This doesn’t stop Corazon from holding a grudge which carries over to the end of the episode. Later, it is revealed on the main stage that Precious Paula Nicole actually instigated all this. Juicy, juicy drama.
Mini Challenge – Palo Sebo
The next day the mini challenge takes place, a pretty straightforward take on the quintessential fiesta game palo sebo. Spicing things up is the Pit Crews’ debut (add all to cart). If you asked us, they should have placed a dildo instead of a flag on top of that bamboo pole. Charot! Palong-palo Sebo was a laugh riot.
Here is where you get a real sense of Filipino’s bardagulan. Everyone goes into quick sports drag and acts like a complete fool to snatch ₱20,000 (these prices are huge, come through budget!). Shoutout to Viñas, Morgana, Precious, and especially Xilhouete who dressed as an aging Korean kimchi seller according to Marina.
Corazon emerges the winner – much to the chagrin of Turing – and aside from the cash prize, she gets a 15-minute head start to gather as much material as she can for this week’s maxi challenge: Designing a frock inspired by Flores de Mayo drag-dubbed Sagalamazon.
Unfortunately, Corazon doesn’t utilize the time well and was only able to get her hands on a few flowers before the other queens ransack the loot.
The walk-in with Mama Pao and Rajo Laurel
Everyone starts designing their sagala looks when this week’s guest judge, Rajo Laurel, walks in with Mama Pao. The designer to the stars offers some sage advice: If time is limited, hot glue is your friend (Jiggly approves). While most of the queens take this by heart and start gluing sh*t on bras, panties, and corsets, Turing was feeling extra ambitious and decides to sew a garment.
Corazon, a prolific designer herself, starts tinkering on some wire mesh after realizing the crepe paper she was initially working with kept falling apart. On the other side of the Werk Room, Viñas gets flustered as her garment starts looking more like a funeral wreath than floral couture, while Minty Fresh is feeling the pressure after bagging last week’s win.
Viñas and Gigi’s Unfortunate Pasts
As the queens prepare for the runway a few of them start sharing their coming-out stories. This is one of the few instances where Drag Race breaks free from the fun and silly and shows the human side of the queens beneath the perfectly coiffed hair and fabulous makeup.
Viñas reveals that she used to study in a Christian school and that she was constantly shamed for being gay and effeminate. On top of that, she decided to bury her true self just to conform with her heteronormative peers and even had a girlfriend. Gigi overhears this and starts bawling her eyes out, revealing that she had a very traumatic childhood where she was continuously beaten up for being gay.
It’s stories like this that make Drag Race truly remarkable: Our community’s unending fight to be accepted, to be seen, and simply be happy. Hearing Viñas’ and especially Gigi’s hardships prove that we still have a long way to go in order to attain true equality and acceptance in society.
The Sagalamazon Runway
It’s runway time and joining the panel of judges this week is comedienne Pokwang. Mama Pao perfectly complements the flower girls by wearing a stunning structural mariposa gown by Ehrran Montoya.
As Brigiding, Morgana, Eva, Xilhouete, and Marina are declared safe (Brigiding was particularly salty about this), Minty, Viñas, and Precious emerge on top, while Gigi, Turing, and Corazon land at the bottom.
Minty’s fresh take on the theme was a striking mix of edgy and feminine. The use of the baskets for sleeves and hips created a very unique and bold silhouette. Equally as good was Precious, looking ethereal in her Tinkerbelle-inspired garment with zero chismis at the back.
Not to be outdone, Viñas’ Poison Ivy-meets-Vegas showgirl couture was sheer perfection. Her falling on the runway didn’t ruin her performance at all and she even made fun of her mishap.
Surprisingly on the chopping block were those who took a risk to create actual garments. Time really is the enemy in this sort of challenge. Gigi’s rose petal gown looked pretty onscreen but clearly needed more embellishments.
Turing’s was just, I hate to say this, sloppy. Finally, Corazon’s concept was ambitious and it could have totally worked if only she used more flowers and less random sewing materials (Mama Pao’s hilariously unimpressed reaction to it will go down in Drag Race herstory).
Paolo eventually declares Viñas the winner (dasurv). The queen takes home not just ₱80,000 but also a custom couture gown courtesy of Rajo Laurel. Alas, Gigi is declared safe and flees to the back of the stage in tears.
In the confessionals, Turing and Corazon trade barbs. You can see the hunger in their eyes even before Chona Cruz’s “I’m Feeling Sexy Tonight” starts playing, especially Turing. Corazon gives a sultry, slightly subdued performance, while Turing waacked, twirled, and gyrated to her heart’s desire. To quote Jinkx Monsoon, “the lip-sync is jaw-dropping”. In the end Turing perseveres, sending Corazon home. Even though she was only in a couple episodes, Corazon was able to make a huge impression. She is unafraid to be messy and unapologetically loud and goofy. We’ll miss you, Cora. Cheche ng ina mo!
Tune in next week for episode 3’s RuCap. In the meantime, everybody say eme!
