RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10 Review: Superfan Makeover

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Drag makeovers are a staple on RuPaul's Drag Race. If you can't deliver a family resemblance, the judges will send you out the door! (Unless its a non-elimination week, of course.)

On RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10, it's the superfans' turn to get the drag treatment.

The energy was high, the looks were doubled, and excitement was in the air. "Superfan Makeover" was a fun and upbeat episode! But did it shine as bright as previous weeks?

Superfan Challenge - RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10

Much of the focus of "Superfan Makeover" was on the superfans themselves. We had tidbits about the competing queens peppered in too, but the round was structured mostly on training and getting the fans ready to compete.

You could see this directly in the editing.

Chatting with the fans, getting their hair/makeup done, teaching them to lipsync ... it fit the typical format of a makeover episode. However, there was more footage of these moments included giving the fans the bigger spotlight. (It's a shame that they didn't get confessionals too for the complete Drag Race experience.)

RuPaul: Are you ready to give them the Drag Race fantasy of their lives?
Queens: Yes!!
RuPaul: Here they come. Just act natural, act natural.
[All the queens do dramatic poses]

Plus, with this being a non-elimination round, the game felt like it was taking a breather. This hour was a pause to just enjoy the fun of Drag Race and give a nod to the fans who have followed along over the years.

Granted, the shocking eliminations and shady drama pull us into the competition, but a calm refresher reminds us of the core reasons of why we love RuPaul's Drag Race.

We got to live vicariously through the superfans for this round.

Drag Race Superfans - RuPaul's Drag Race

Though, "Superfan Makeover" was still a competitive round, so there was a game to be had.

Jaida Essence Hall surprisingly made fair and even choices when pairing the queens with their superfans. She could've tried to hinder her competition by giving a tougher challenge, but she gave each queen a fighting chance to create a family resemblance.

Luckily, Jaida (and her daughter, Jazz Essence Hall) dominated the round with their performance. If this were an elimination leg, RuPaul would've reminded her to play the game and be competitive, a la the makeover rounds of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 7 and RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10.

Giving a queen a great partner is almost giving them an advantage for winning the challenge. With only six competitors left, now is not the time to hand out free rides.

Jaida Essence Hall & Jazz Essence Hall - RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10

At first, Jaida's fate seemed up in the air when Bethany didn't know how to walk in heels. And, their practice run during the lipsync had many bumps along the way, but this was another case of the red-herring editing. (I fell for it again!)

The editing initially made it seem like Jaida would stumble due to a bad pick. However, the narrative moved upward throughout the round as more scenes showed Jaida's work ethic to train Bethany and them bonding over their lives.

Jaida's episode arc had the classic trope tale of a phoenix rising to new heights. The editing wanted us to be blown away once the pair hit the runway.

Plus, it's Jaida Essence Hall! She is a professional with great sewing and makeup abilities. There was no way Jaida and Jazz/Bethany were hitting that runway without looking beat to the Gods.

Jaida cleaned house with a flawless performance. And their runway outfits ... perfection!

Crystal Methyd's Superfan Partner - RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10

Crystal's performance and edit placed her in second place. Out of all the queens, she bonded with her superfan the most and made an equally great family resemblance.

Grace could've been Crystal's sister based on appearance and personality alone. Both in and out of drag!

The pair were on the same page, and they were having so much fun laughing. You could tell that Grace was having an amazing time every step of the way.

Crystal Methyd: Before I can bring you into the House of Methyd, I need to ask you one very important question: How do you feel about glitter?
Grace: I love glitter!

And let's not forget that Opal Methyd was serving looks and fierceness during her lipsync on the main stage. She pulled off Crystal's outlandish drag-style; their outfits were amazing!

I wouldn't have been surprised if Crystal had secured the win due to the personality of her partner, like how Miz Cracker's win went over the top on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Episode 10.

Crystal Methyd & Opal Methyd - RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10

Heidi N Closet and Jackie Cox, on the other hand, had the red-herring edits of the fake rise that led them to the bottom.

Nicole's (aka. Honey Almighty) story about anxiety and bullying touched my heart. She dealt with a lot in her past, and now Drag Race was her opportunity to let her confidence out to do something for her. RuPaul felt connected to it and so did the queens.

After Heidi's win during RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 9, her momentum seemed like it was on the rise, but it only takes one bad round to end up back in the bottom.

Heidi N Closet: [In confessional] Top 6! Lord have mercy. All these bitches thought I was gonna be one of the first whores out this door, but baby look at me. Top 6!
[Heidi shows six fingers]
Heidi N Closet: And that was the right numbers of fingers, honey.

The resemblance between her and her drag daughter on the main stage just didn't match.

With one wearing shiny fabric and the other in a plain dress, they had completely different looks. The makeover episode has been done more than 10 times; the queens need to remember to match to their drag daughter.

Heidi's inability to create a matching look forced her into the bottom two.

Heidi N Closet & Honey Almighty - RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10

Jackie Cox, just like Gigi Goode and Sherry Pie, played it safe.

Don't get me wrong, they created beautiful outfits and shined with their makeup application, but it fell within the middle area of the round. They stuck to their wheelhouse or made choices that wouldn't rock the boat too much; essentially, beautiful and safe enough to survive.

Sherry Pie and Tara Misu's outfits were more elaborate that felt true to Sherry's aesthetic, so they pushed themselves higher. (It's obvious that Sherry created a double ensemble pre-series to have something ready for this challenge. The monogrammed outfits gave it away.)

Ross Mathews: I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: “Two Cox is always better than one.”
Michelle Visage: I agree.
RuPaul: That’s true. Bam!

Where Jackie fell, however, is not wowing the judges with an elaborate glamorous look. Jackie and Lil' Snacky Cox had a good fashionable resemblance, but when paired next to Gigi Goode and Bebe Bad who looked identical with the same makeup and outfit, they just couldn't push themselves over.

Gigi's wheelhouse is fashion, so even though the look was safe and simple, they met the challenge requirement and exuded the trademark Goode style of fashionista.

Jackie Cox & Lil' Snacky Cox - RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10

The lipsync of "Kill The Lights" by Alex Newell was upbeat, energetic, and surprisingly comedic.

Both Jackie Cox and Heidi N Closet went for two different approaches: Jackie used energy to create a funny number while Heidi utilized the length of her fabric for a fast-moving, high-energy performance.

This round deserved to be a double shantay because the queens killed it! Both lipsyncs fit perfectly to the song and the queens gave it all they had. It was a very tight race before RuPaul delivered the results.

Though, if this were an elimination round and someone had to be picked, Jackie Cox won that lipsync. Her comedic performance grows on you, and when the judges are laughing at it and reference a famous comedian, you've got the win in the bag,

But, for another week, we're still at the Top 6. Overall, a nice refreshing round to take a breather and enjoy the energy of the superfans.

Heidi N Closet vs. Jackie Cox Lipsync - RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10

Last Thoughts From The Werk Room:

  • Look at Jackie Cox trying to throw some light-hearted shade. She got shut down so hard by Heidi N Closet and Jaida Essence Hall.
     
  • Should Heidi take on the new name of Heidi Afrodite? It's pretty good.
     
  • Gigi Goode mentioned in confessional that Sherry Pie was her biggest threat in the competition. Was this an editing relic kept in before Sherry Pie was disqualified?
     
  • If Jaida Essence Hall and her boyfriend get engaged on finale night, there will be lots of tears of happiness.
     
  • Opal Methyd was lipsyncing for her life! She would've sashay'ed her way into the competition to compete for the crown if given the chance.
     
  • The remaining queens are racking up the wins. Jaida is now tied for the lead with the amount of her Maxi Challenge victories.
Gigi Goode & Bebe Bad - RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10

Now, over to you, Drag Race fans!

What did you think of "Superfan Makeover"?

Will Jackie and Heidi end up in the bottom again? Is Jaida now the frontrunner to win? Will more footage be shown of Gigi competing against Sherry?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Superfan Makeover Review

Editor Rating: 4.1 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.3 / 5.0 (8 Votes)

Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.

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RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 10 Quotes

Crystal Methyd: Before I can bring you into the House of Methyd, I need to ask you one very important question: How do you feel about glitter?
Grace: I love glitter!

Heidi N Closet: [In confessional] Top 6! Lord have mercy. All these bitches thought I was gonna be one of the first whores out this door, but baby look at me. Top 6!
[Heidi shows six fingers]
Heidi N Closet: And that was the right numbers of fingers, honey.