Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK fans ‘baffled’ by ‘absurd’ judging in series two opener

*Major Drag Race UK spoilers below*

Isobel Lewis
Friday 15 January 2021 09:22 GMT
Comments
RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 2 trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK fans have been left “baffled” by the show’s judging in the series two premiere.

BBC Three’s drag competition series returned on Thursday (14 January), with 12 new queens competing to be named the UK’s next Drag Race superstar.

*Major spoilers below*

In the series opener, the contestants took part in a Wimbledon-themed photoshoot and a double catwalk with one look dedicated to a UK gay icon and another representing their home town, with self-proclaimed “Susan Boyle of drag” Lawrence Chaney coming out on top.

In the bottom two were Joe Black and Bimini Bon Boulash, who competed in a lipsync to “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, with Joe being asked to sashay away.

The episode’s outcome ruffled feathers online, with many viewers saying that the series opener had been exceptionally strong up until the judging portion and that neither Joe nor Bimini should’ve been in the bottom two.

In particular, fans took issue with the judges’ criticism that Joe’s David Bowie and Brighton Pavilion-themed looks weren’t “commercial” and recognisable enough.

“Joe Black’s critiques are some of the most absurd I’ve ever heard in the history of Drag Race,” one fan wrote.

“I am honestly baffled at the Drag Race UK Season 2 judging. I honestly thought Joe Black was one of the best and nowhere near the bottom,” another fan commented. “That was some bulls***.”

“The way Drag Race UK’s first episode was one of the best first episodes I’d seen in a while until they started judging smh,” one fan commented, while another tweet read: “Been a while since I have seen any RPDR content at all but I can still confidently say that was the worst piece of judging in Drag Race history.”

You can read The Independent’s five-star review of the series opener here.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK returns next Thursday at 7pm on BBC iPlayer

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in