Is Quitting ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Ever Really a Good Thing?

I couldn't be the only one who was super gagged over last night's RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars episode right?  And spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't watched it yet, but then again it's been all over social media so I guess, click out of this page?  Or just read on because this is some good tea that will be spilled.

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BenDeLaCreme, who was easily the one to beat this season as she won 5 out of the 6 challenges so far, quit last night.  Just… quit.  She took her lipstick out, and wrote her name on Wite-out (did she do a special shopping trip to Michael's prior to this happening?)  I didn't have a big enough reaction.  I was also starving at that point, so my hangry levels were all sorts of fucked up, and her quitting only enraged that as I wanted to scream at her "NOOOOOOO!" while thinking about the kind of tacos I'll be eating shortly.

This was odd, very odd.  RuPaul's reactions pretty much echoed everyone else's: confusion, anger and disappointment.  It was the 2nd time in RPDR history that a queen has quit.  Adore Delano quit in season 2 of All Stars, but for much different reasons.  Everything was still too fresh for her regarding the passing of her father and other personal ordeals in her life.  Ben was LITERALLY at the finish line and decided to stop 2 feet before winning.  

She was so consistent throughout that she was never even close to being in the bottom.  She never had to explain herself, and rightfully so.  She did an amazing job and her reasons for quitting blurred the lines between cowardly and honesty in a way that still read as completely wrong.  There was an element to me that thought her ego was so big that she felt it was the right time to go home (something Darienne Lake brought up multiple times in season six). 

You knew the rules coming into this, you knew you were going to have to eliminate someone and that's the name of the game.  None of these queens should take it personally unless stated otherwise.  Now, we are in a situations where there is only one queen left really deserving of this prize, and its Shangela.  When you have 1 out of 5 girls who really deserve it, you have to wonder if this season is really worth watching anymore.

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Shangela has been nothing but consistent, minus a hiccup here and there.  Sewing is not her thing, but she still tried.  She didn't quit.  Kennedy hasn't fared well either, but the pain and emotions that ran through her on last night's episode proves how badly she wants to be there.  '

Same goes for Trixie, who has something to prove after a mediocre showing in season 7.  As much as I CANNOT STAND Morgan McMichaels, she wanted to come back in a major way and got what she wanted.  And finally, Bebe, who is playing an absurdly different game both personally and overall compared to her last time on the show, has major reasons for being there: to be remembered from a season that was incredibly forgettable.

In other words, none of them were going to quit.  Ever.  So as much as I love Ben for how well she did this season and outside of the game, her quitting doesn't look good on her.  And it won't look good on her in the future, in my honest opinion.  Her original season saw her go home against someone who wasn't really deserving of being in the top four.  It was the first time you saw a major social media meltdown about Ru's decision to send her home, and then you come back witha major opportunity to win and decide to just leave.  You should've just brought Darienne up as your replacement and walked off the stage while Expose's "Point of no Return" was playing.

If this sounds harsh, well then sorry.  But quitters, unless having a legitimate reason, never look good in my book.  Not going to bring up something corny like "you have so many people who look up to you," because its not like that, but why take a golden opportunity like All Stars 3 to really elevate your career to a whole new level and throw it away because you felt you did enough?  That makes no sense and Ru's response validates that thought process for me… and many others.

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This list was created by one of our Contributing Writers and does not reflect all of Instinct Magazine's taste.

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “Is Quitting ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Ever Really a Good Thing?”

  1. I disagree wholeheartedly. He

    I disagree wholeheartedly. He was unhappy as weeks went on and he put his mental and emotional state over money and a crown. That’s admirable and it doesn’t look bad on him. It actually helped him a bunch with fans and especially the other Queens. 

    Good for Ben for looking out for himself and going out on top. True Winner of the show 

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  2. I disagree as well. The

    I disagree as well. The format is shitty for the queens that are involved, creating drama over friendships for a crown that is worth…what? Cameos in the third season of All Stars and Finales a la Chad Michaels? First, All Stars changed format from season 1 to 2, so there was no guarantee these would be the same rules in season 3. Secondly, she has said in interviews, she came back to perform and share her drag and prove herself. She had done all of those things, bearing the weight of the format and the elimination decisions she had to make (more than ANYONE else ever has besides Ru herself) and was done. Why should she continue if she had already accomplished all she set out to do? The title wasn't her goal, and so why not make sure the others have the opportunity for it? I don't think she wasted a spot, she gave us 5 incredible performances in 6 weeks that we would have gotten from no other queen I can think of. If what she did felt right to her, that's her prerogative and at least you can't fault her for being a sore loser. 

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  3. I totally disagree with the

    I totally disagree with the writers opinion. Ben went out at the top and on her own terms with class. The way she did it made her the winner of the season, just not "officially" getting the title and prize package that goes with it.  Someone posted the theory that Ben eliminated herself so as not to be locked into a very restrictive contract…. integrity.

    Bravo BenDelaCreme, bravo!!

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