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I really like her, too! She gave a fantastic lip-synch performance this week, one of the best I've seen on the show. And I just love her quirky-ness and her fun spirit. One of my favorite lines from her is from "Untucked" after the judges told her she looked like a hooker "A hooker doesn't look like me, and if she does she's fierce!"Originally Posted by buttahfly
I know she has almost no chance of winning but I'm really happy she's made it this far.
(Monday night spoilers)
Yeah, Carmen was the last queen I wanted to see back -- it just goes to show how off-base Ru and the judges are when it comes to picking winners. All pretty women with no act or performance ability. Those aren't drag queens, those are female impersonators. I'm so glad Carmen ended up going right back out the door, although it felt good to see Raja finally have to sweat it out in a lip-sync. I'm not a fan of any of the Heathers except Manila.
Frankly I don't see a winner in the whole bunch. Raven, JujuBee, Pandora Boxx, and Ongina could wipe the floor with this crew. I wish Ru would just declare no winner, and start casting right away for season 4 -- and get some quality queens who know what they're doing!
I think Raja is pretty, I just don't think she is a true drag queen. I agree MFW, putting makeup, a wig and a dress does not make you a drag queen. Shangela had the worst looks but she could sing, dance and put on a performance for real.
It was a standard reality show gimmick that she threw out there at the end of last week's episode: she made a speech about being accused of sending home too many worthy competitors (meaning Shangela was perceived as her personal pet all season). Allegedly, it was the other judges who decided to bring back Carmen, not Ru, but I'm officially dubious about the way this whole season was cast, and the way it's unfolding. Maybe if there were some better queens in the running I'd be less cynical, because I've defended this show's "integrity" during its first two seasons.
I find it funny that Ru would make that speech while the season was still taping, as if she could predict the audience's reaction to how the eliminations were going. It's just odd.
I agree with the decision to resend Carmen Carerra home. She only made herself look good, not her "sister." I do agree that Manila chose well though on choosing partners.
The winning duo was well deserved - I think Alexis Mateo's? - the teammate looked elegant, was the most changed of the jocks, and they worked SO well together.
Manila's team was also very well conceived. I think what harmed her was the over the top (at least judge's eyes) cheer sketch and having the straight half wear such a "revealing" sheer top. Acting wise they could pass off as sisters though, as could Yara Sofia's duo.
But I have to say Carmen was not the person I'd returned. If they were serious in giving another queen a chance, it should've been Delta Work, who really did try her hardest to continue in this show and was eliminated in a true "lip sync for their life."
Choosing Carmen they were saying that the final four were going to pretty much stay the same and they wanted to see if it made them work harder.
Agreed with Raja being in the bottom two this go - bad costume ideas (I didn't mind the "sister's" styling mind you, but should've had a black skirt, not leopard top to bottom). She did however, play up to Carmen's shenanigans to outshine her and did improv to her benefit, so I can see why she'd stayed safe anyway. I do agree however that I do not see Raja as the whole package of what a drag queen is.
(BTW - I hate to nitpick to the contestants, but there are straight guys who also do drag in shows and the like for the money. It's not a gay-only area.)
Raja is my favorite! I've been a Sutan fan for years! I'm glad she is still in it. I'm not really a fan of the manorexia though but she is fierce and talented and beautiful!
About some of these spoilers that Ru knows one of the contestants: Duh! The drag queen circle isn't a big one. There are only so many queens and they perform at the same places. Most of the drag queens on the show know someone else competing on the show.
I'm so impressed by Alexis Mateo, too! She is definitely my favorite. I'll be so disappointed if she doesn't win. She's certainly talented, and it's interesting how she looks good as either a man or a woman! (Many of the contestants, past and present, don't look good as either men or women!) I just love her eyes, and her personality is endearing.
I guess it would be okay if Raja (the apparent front-runner) or Manila Luzon wins, but I find them to be a bit obnoxious. Their whole "heathers" vs. "boogers" thing is just too much - too "mean girls." It would be great if they could get their comeuppance from one of the so-called "boogers" like Alexis Mateo or Yara Sofia.
I happened to notice that the "heathers" and "boogers" groups unfortunately has fallen along racial lines - though hopefully that's unintended. The self-proclaimed "heathers" are all Asian, white, or white-looking Hispanics; the ones they've called "boogers" are all somewhat darker-skinned Hispanics and African-Americans. Which reminds me - I kind of miss Shangela on the show. She definitely has personality and talent.
Actually much of the mean girls "Heathers" is for tv. I have followed Raja for a couple of years and also on Twitter as Sutan and she is actually loved and admired in the business and in her personal life and she is not at all mean.
These are a few Q & A from a recent interview with Raja by Pollo Del Mar (and good friend of Shangela) in the San Francisco Bay Times:
"This season is all Raja vs. Shangela. How much of that rivalry really exists?
I’d say it’s probably 55-percent true. I don’t think it’s as crazy as people think. It’s not like we hate each other or have any kind of animosity or hatred.
It was within the confines of a contest. At least that’s how I’m looking at it. I really don’t know what it’s like on her end. If I just sat there and was so diplomatic and easy about everything… Nobody is going to want to see that."
"What are we not seeing? What have the editors left out?
(Laughing.) At the end of the day, we all went to the same place to go to sleep. We all rode together in one van. We all had our dinners after the show together. There was a camaraderie even among all the tension. It’s not like we went back to the same place and hated each other. We all kind of got along, I think. I just didn’t really buy into the anger and negativity of the competition. When the day was over, the day was over.
I don’t think people really get to see some of the poignant moments together. You know, Stacy Layne and I still text each other. People have formed this opinion I hate fat people. It’s like, “What do you mean? Delta’s my best friend.” It’s just crazy what people have to say, but they never got to see the parts where we got to know each other.
I think they should see more of that, but it is only an hour show. There’s much more fun drama to watch, so let’s watch that!"
"If you see people fighting, it’s a lot more fun to watch. I’m actually really enjoying it! I love watching the arguments between Shangela and me, because it’s fun. It’s not what I’m really like. I don’t argue with people like that! I spend a lot of time alone. The anger you see is having people piled on top of me when I’m actually a very chill person."
"Come on now, Raja! Team Heathers – the four of you – set yourselves apart as better than everyone else. Maybe for you it was just a joke, but what about all those people who remember ‘mean girls’ like that in high school?! That’s what the ‘Heathers’ thing brings up for me. It doesn’t say you’ll be warm and engaging, as you turned out to be.
Yeah, but you know what? People who become fans of the Heathers get the joke. We don’t mean it in a literal sense. You can pick apart the movie Heathers, and it doesn’t really make sense for our personalities. We’re just pretending to be like Mean Girls. C’mon, gay people love those stories.
Why can’t we add those elements to our storylines? It’s just fun. It’s interesting. People really jumped onto it. I get Tweets all the time like, “My friend and I call each other ‘Heather.’” It’s sweet. I think that’s fun. It’s a joke. The whole thing can be looked at as a joke really. We’re just dudes in women’s clothes. It’s a competition, though. It’s not meant to be taken literally."
The entire article is here San Francisco Bay Times
Since I am a Raja fan and know how kind and funny she is in real life I can enjoy the interchange in the show without taking it seriously. However, I can say if I did not know this about Raja already I might not be Team Raja at all..so I do understand how a viewer can be taken in by all the conflict and not like her so much.
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In your face TYRA!