"I'm That Bitch" is the first episode of the
twelfth season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
''. It originally aired on February 28, 2020.
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
is a guest judge.
Widow Von'Du
Ray Anthony Fry (born April 17, 1989), better known under the stage name The Widow Von'Du (or simply Widow Von Du), is an American drag performer known for competing on the twelfth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. He has since released an alb ...
wins the main challenge, and no one is eliminated from the competition.
Episode
Half of the season's contestants enter the Werk Room in the following order:
Brita,
Nicky Doll
Karl Sanchez (born 14 March 1991), known by the stage name Nicky Doll, is a French drag queen, television personality, and musician based in New York City. He is best known as the main host of ''Drag Race France'' and a competitor on the twelft ...
,
Widow Von'Du
Ray Anthony Fry (born April 17, 1989), better known under the stage name The Widow Von'Du (or simply Widow Von Du), is an American drag performer known for competing on the twelfth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. He has since released an alb ...
,
Jackie Cox,
Heidi N Closet
Heidi N Closet is the stage name of Trevien Anthonie Cheek, an American drag queen from Ramseur, North Carolina, best known for competing on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12), twelfth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', where she placed 6th and wo ...
,
Gigi Goode
Gigi Goode (born December 2, 1997) is an American drag queen, Fashion design, fashion designer, and reality television personality known for being a runner-up on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12), twelfth season of the Drag (clothing), drag com ...
, and
Crystal Methyd.
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...
greets the contestants and reveals the mini-challenge: to present springs and fall looks in a
fashion show
A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is wh ...
. Watching the fashion show are
Carson Kressley
Carson Kressley (born November 11, 1969) is an American television personality, actor, and designer. Beginning in 2003, he appeared in the Bravo series '' Queer Eye for the Straight Guy''. He was also the motivational host of the TV show '' How ...
,
Michelle Visage
Michelle Visage (born Michelle Lynn Shupack, September 20, 1968) is an American television personality, singer, broadcaster, producer, and actress. She gained recognition as a member of the dance-pop group Seduction (group), Seduction, who char ...
, RuPaul, and
Raven
A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
, as well as impersonators of
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the celebrity sex tape ...
and
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
. Heidi N Closet's headpiece falls off when she shows her spring look. The contestants re-enter the Werk Room and get out of
drag. RuPaul reveals the main challenge, which has contestants write a verse and perform
choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...
for the song "I'm That Bitch".
The contestants decide to have Heidi N Closet and Widow Von'Du co-lead on choreography and rehearse on the main stage. Back in the Werk Room, the contestants prepare for the runway and Heidi N Closet shares that she had an
allergic reaction
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include Allergic rhinitis, hay fever, Food allergy, food al ...
and had to go to the
emergency room
An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pat ...
. Jackie Cox discusses her
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
heritage, and Nicky Doll talks about her
coming out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
experience. The contestants also talk about how the rehearsal went.
On the main stage, RuPaul welcomes fellow judges Visage and Kressley, as well as guest judge
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
. The contestants perform "I'm That Bitch". The runway category is Sparkle. After the show, the judges critique the contestants. The contestants leave the main stage so the judges can deliberate. Brita, Gigi Goode, Jackie Cox, and Widow Von'Du receive positive critiques. Heidi N Closet and Nicky Doll receive negative critiques. Gigi Goode and Widow Von'Du are the top two contestants of the week and lip-sync to "
Starships
A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1882 in '' Oahspe: A ...
" (2012) by
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
for the win. Widow Von'Du wins the challenge, and RuPaul reveals that no one will be eliminated this episode.
Production
The episode originally aired on February 28, 2020.
Fashion
For the fashion show, Crystal Methyd's fall look was inspired by
Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the antagonist of the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' horror film franchise. Created by Wes Craven, he made his debut in Craven's '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit of a ...
. For the final runway, Brita wears a
jumpsuit
A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachutists.
The original skydivers' jumpsuits were ...
with mirrors. Crystal Methyd's red outfit is
devil
A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...
-inspired. Gigi Goode wears a green
glitter
Glitter is an assortment of flat, small, reflective particles that are precision cut and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles resemble confetti, sparkles and sequins, but somewhat smaller.
Since prehistoric times ...
ed suit with a black
helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...
, and Heidi N Closet has a
gown
A gown, from the Latin word, ''gunna'', is a usually loose outer garment from knee-to-full-length worn by people of both sexes in Europe from the Early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, the t ...
. Nicky Doll's outfit has metallic feathers.
Reception
Kate Kulzick of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' gave the episode a rating of 'A-'.
See also
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References
{{Portal bar, LGBTQ, Television, United States
RuPaul's Drag Race season 12 episodes