Slaysian Persuasian Ep 6

How you doing? I'm Wendy Williams and welcome to Slayshon Persuasion.

Where's my co-host? Hello, everything! How are you? To find out, did you find out? So tell me, tell me, this is my first time having a guest co-host.

Tell me, what is your name?

Yes, my name is everything.

No, don't touch the mic!

Oh, I'm sorry, because, you know, I, I am very first-timer here, and, um, I know that Slay Chan Persuasion is the situation of everything.

Yes, of course.

Do you have a question to ask me?

Yeah, do you have a question? I— well, the question is, what is 1 1?

2.

But you know, wrong, wrong. Oh my God, girl, that's it. That's it. I'm sticking. Bottom 2. I'm in the bottom. I'm in the bottom. We tried our best.

We tried our best. We tried our best.

But what a wild combination though.

Windu Williams, everything. Oh my God.

You know, that's kind of— well, I guess you can determine what episode we're doing based on our characters, but—

Anyways, hi everyone. My name is Virginia Please.

And I'm Calypso.

And welcome to Slaytion Persuasion.

And we're on episode 6, which is the Snatch— not game— Snatch Election. So last week we challenged ourselves. We said we would come in Snatch Game characters. I didn't want to like— I wanted to be very crafty. I want to be like, what do I have access to already and what can I pull out? Yeah. So I was like, I guess I can do Wendy Williams. How about you? What's the inspiration behind Miss Everything?

Yo, Miss Everything gained popularity during the pandemic. You know, everyone's inside the room and she had this video where she just, you know, just like what I did earlier, she's like, hello, everything. And it was just like, oh, It made so much sense because you want to say hi to everything in the world at that moment.

I love her. Is she still really popular in the Philippines?

Um, she— yeah, her popularity died down, but she really made it big. Like, she was in magazines and she was glamorized and all of that, everything. Like, but now, like, she's trying to come back, but it worked.

Okay, well, maybe this will be— this will— maybe she'll see this and then she'll be like, this is my inspiration to come back.

I'll try to incorporate some of her while we're critiquing.

I'll try my best. Okay, well, you know what, it's just gonna be Calypso from here on out. How you doing? How you doing? How you doing? 3, 2, 1. How you doing?

That's it.

Yeah, well, here we are.

Yes, that's it.

Fancy.

Is that one of our catchphrases?

No, but she would just learn out like random words and—

yeah, okay, work.

Yeah. You see, but I don't see. Yes, yes or no?

Oh girl, she's still in character. We trying to catch these references. References? References? Because the Bible said that the reference of a homosexual is—

this is it.

That's it.

I love how you're still in character. Let me bring it into me, Mama Pal. Let me bring it into me, Mama Pal. Miss Everything.

Yes.

Tell me, Dumb Didi is so dumb, she confused her iPhone for a blank.

Dumb Didi, dumb Didi, dum dum. I know everything. I want you to find out. Did you find out?

You know what? It's fierce. It's fierce.

It's fierce.

I live.

I live. Okay, let's get on to it. Wow. I'm having fun actually. You're having so much fun.

I live.

I live.

Something about this outfit unlocked energy in you. I'm so excited. Fabulous. Okay, well, let's get on to the episode.

That makeup is fierce on you though.

This is— this— I feel crazy.

I've never done makeup like that. When you accentuate your like deep eye, deep set eye, that's amazing. Yeah, because there's no cut crease. This is the first time I've done like no cut crease.

It looks really good.

Maybe just this looks really good. I was like trying to look at her face and I was like, how can I make my face look like her? I guess so. Maybe there's elements of this that we can keep.

Yeah. I wanna bounce.

I even made my nostrils bigger. Oh yeah, okay, well, okay, here we are in our Snatch Game characters for the Snatch Game episode of Slay Asian Persuasion. Um, how have you felt about Snatch Game? They did it a little differently, but what is your thoughts when it comes to Snatch Game overall? Is it one of your favorite challenges? What do you think?

I really fear it.

I really fear it.

And, um, but I love this format because you are able to direct yourself, and it's not as, you know, the other— the traditional Snatch Game is spontaneous, and that's why it's hard because you have to be present at the moment and you can't be in your head. But when you're directing it, you can sort of cheat it. Yeah, yeah, you know, it's all about editing.

Yeah, absolutely. And that's so true because this time it's kind of a funny joke because like all over the season, sometimes Snatch Game is when the Asian queen gets eliminated typically. Like, yeah, for a lot of queens across the board, like especially for the Asian queens across franchises, Snatch Game is always the tough challenge. So I like that.

Why?

I don't know. I think sometimes, I mean, honestly, I think it's just a coincidence sometimes. I mean, the same reason why sometimes Asian queens are the early outs or sometimes they go home a little too early than expected. I think some of it might have to do with like differences in humor, maybe, maybe that. But I think in this instance, like we think about queens like Gia Gunn, Pangina, who went home on their season, lip-synced in the bottom, even Priyanka. It's across all Asians, all Asians.

Something about Snatch Game just doesn't sit.

No, but this version is really interesting because we have a foreigner judging the Asians. And that's why I feel a little bit conflicted, although Everyone except for maybe one did not really perform well.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know, it's a dreaded challenge, but I like this twist, so it kind of makes the queens kind of stand out and think about it.

Exactly.

So, uh, we start with the episode. It comes in, we just said goodbye to— we just went home. Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh, I'm sorry.

It was the first Filipina who went home.

Oh my gosh, she died. Bernie just went home and it was very emotional. In the aftermath, in the fallout, Arizona's still crying.

Yeah, she was still destroyed.

Yes.

Oh my God.

Because even last episode she was saying like, oh, even if I go home, Bernie needs to continue, or even Bernie goes home, I need to continue. So she's feeling very sad.

Yeah.

And it's the first Filipina queen to go home, so all the other international girls are like, oh, we might have a chance. Yeah. Oh my goodness, excuse you, I'm not— I, I'm allergic to this makeup. I'm allergic to Wendy Williams. Okay, but yes. So we come back into the workroom and then we reveal that the other queen also chose Bernie to go home. So that was Suki Doll also picked Bernie to go home.

It wasn't as dramatic as the other episodes, you know, of her leaving. I think everybody sort of like agreed.

Yes.

Yeah.

So now we move on to the next group of girls.

I can't remember what Mama Pau was wearing when she entered the workroom.

She was in a lot of like a white creamy color. Do you remember?

I can't remember. You can't remember?

Oh my gosh.

Forgettable.

Well, it wasn't as exciting or extravagant as those flouncy sleeves, which I still can't seem to forget. But yeah, so we started a new day in the workroom, but before Mama Paul comes in, there's a crazy thing that happens.

Oh yeah.

I get eliminated. Oh my God. Right?

And we're going to meet her later.

I know, we're going to ask her what was the tea, girl.

So basically, all the queens come back to the workroom and they're still thinking about the elimination. Everybody's kind of on their guard. Siam kind of goes off on her own little thing and she's just like, I'm ready to really slay it and go forward. First of all, Yuhua's like, I really want to win a challenge this week. Yuhua's like kind of foreshadowing that she wants to do well. And then Siam is just like, me too, I also want to do really well. And then she goes on this like tirade. She gets up on the table, she starts screaming. She's like, I want the crown, I'm going to get the crown. And the queens have different reactions to it. Yuhua's kind of laughing and playing along. She thinks this is so funny. And then Binnias is not having it.

I would feel the same.

Really?

Honestly, I think there's a line between joking and craziness.

Okay, okay.

And I think, unfortunately, Siam exhibited some of that.

Some craziness?

I would say yes.

Okay, okay.

And that felt dangerous as well for me. Yeah, yeah.

So if you had a reaction on the table, you'd be more like Biniyas?

Yes.

I think I'd be more like Yuhua. I'd be laughing.

I'd be like, "Girl, you're so funny." The thing is, it took her a while to really stop, and her stop was also awkward. Like, she's like, I'm smiling, I'm happy. And it was such an abrupt, you know, an abrupt change.

Yes.

And so it really seemed like it was, like Vinya said, like a dark energy that just came out.

Yeah, yeah.

Did you see her explanation on Instagram?

No, I didn't.

She's like, it's like Sayang Pusri, like, coming out.

Oh, it's like Sasha Fierce. Yeah, it's a Sasha Fierce.

But I would just imagine, you know, if you're in that competition and you really pressure yourself and you're not not speaking to anyone and you're in your room and the only time you speak is in front of the camera, you would go crazy too.

No, I agree. So that's what I think. I'm just like, it's a combination of kind of wanting to do really well and putting a lot of pressure on yourself, and then also kind of the isolation of it all. Yeah, because this is—

isolation!

I love that they really did that this episode too. They were saying it all over and over again. Yes, so there was a lot of ways where she's being kind of pressured to release this, and that was her release.

Has this ever happened in any franchise at all?

—So like people are saying, was this a possession? Do you think it was a possession? I don't think it was a possession. It was a psychological thing, definitely. It's not that, it is diagnosis.

Yeah, it's the pressure that has been wanting to come out. If you pressure yourself too much and you can't really do anything about it because you only have this limit in terms of what you can do and you still want to do more. It's like a battle in yourself. That's happening, right?

Right. So some queens are like, is she joking? Is she not joking? Oh, she's being serious. And then Minyas is just not having it at all. And then luckily, as soon as they start to like debrief, boom, like it's the video message from RuPaul. So RuPaul, something comes in and she's talking about Snatch— she's saying Snatch, she's saying game, she's doing a Cher impersonation. So it's all coming together. You can kind of figure out that they're doing Snatch Game. And then Mama Pow comes in and then introduces a mini challenge, which is very interesting. It was Raid-a-Queen. Okay, what did you think about this mini challenge? I'm like, this wasn't even a challenge. I was so gagged that they gave money to the girl at the end. I'm like, why? And it was so obvious too.

Like, you already know the ranking.

Kind of, yeah, yeah. I mean, if you just go based on frontrunners, then yeah. But like, maybe I feel like if I was— I mean, that's the thing. I'm like, this didn't feel like a game. And I thought it was so funny how they gave her a prize at the end. Like, I was like, what was the prize for? That all of your teammates think that you're the best?

This was not a mini challenge.

This was not. Sorry. No, I was like, I don't know, not rigged, but like, in my mind I was like, And also, were they ranking themselves too? Because I feel like some of the queens were putting other people at the front. I'd put myself at the front if I was ranking.

I feel like the producers did it on purpose to make the obvious more obvious and pressure the queens with their rankings. And I think that's what happened as well.

Right, right, right, right, right. Okay, so I think like, so who— so if you were, if you were just watching, you get to rank them, who would be like— we don't have to go through all 7. Yeah, maybe we can. Who would you put at the top? Who would you put at the bottom?

I agree with every one of them. What they did. It was— it was Biniyas, Brigading.

Uh, okay, fine, top 3, top 3 from this cast.

Biniyas, Brigading, Ari. Okay, Biniyas, Brigading, Ari. Bottom 3: Yewa, um, Kiana.

I know, Kiana, Yewa, and then Sayang. Oh, I see. And Suki's right in the middle for you then. Okay, I would feel like unfortunately the bottom for me would also be Kiana and Sayang because they've just kind of been flying under the radar the most. And Yewa would also be there because she hasn't had the opportunity to win a challenge or to really showcase yourself. But the thing is, it's like Kiana and Siam both won the very first challenge together, and then they've just kind of been flatlining since then. Yeah, but Siam of course has had more bottom placements than Kiana did. Um, but I would say my top would of course be Vinnies because Vinnies is just like killing with competition.

Yeah, I know, she's just in a— on a different level, right? Yeah, truly. Even in her performance in this episode, the performance and the runway—

we're gonna get there, my goodness. Um, but yeah, so, so, you know, they rank each other and then Vinnies is ultimately determined the winner. She gets 20,000 pesos. I'm like, that doesn't— like, what? For what? Like, that didn't feel fair. Um, but she got the money. And then after that, Mama Pao says that it's not going to be Snatch Game, it's going to be Snatch Election. So I mean, we're kind of in our Snatch Game characters, but every queen out there has thought about who they would do for Snatch Game. So who else would you do? If you had to pick 3 people, who else would you do?

I would also do, um, you don't— doesn't— it's difficult to explain to you. Okay. Um, Anna Belrama, who is a matron, a matriarch, and who is very vile and vicious with her words and threatens everyone with a lawsuit or run them over with her car.

Is she a character on a show?

No, she's just an actual person of celebrities. Oh, really? An actual mother of celebrities. Oh, wow. And she's very overprotective of her children that who are celebrities. And so whoever, whoever go against, against them, she would be so violent then. And she would make these all these pronouncements that are very, you know, okay, okay, graphic.

So you're picking someone who has a big personality. I think it's a good choice to have on Snatch Game because you get to show all the crazy things.

Yeah, she's so over the top that it's funny. Yeah, and I'm— it's a tough act to, to portray, but Because she's Bisaya, she speaks my language, my native language, I think, and we have the same accent. When my accent comes out, I think that I can sort of wing it. Oh, I see, I see.

Annabelle Rama, hi! Don't kill me, don't run me over.

Especially after your impersonation of her.

Don't send me a lawsuit, please. How about you?

I mean, I think like the issue was like, I was like, who can we do, who can we do? I think the biggest challenge was like, who do I look like? Who can I represent? Represents. I was like, would it be some Indian actor? I don't know if that would translate.

I don't know if it'd be that funny.

I think we still have a way to go. If I ever audition for Drag Race, I don't know if that's ever going to happen, but if I do, I'll have to work on it. But I picked Wendy Williams because I grew up watching her. So I would watch her show like every single day from college onwards. And I think she has so many iconic moments because she's just like, clap if you think she should suffer. And then everybody claps. Or it's like, shout out to the people who have social anxiety. I kind of feel bad for y'all. Like, you know, yeah, yeah. And then like when she pours coffee on herself and she cries. She cries very funny. She's like, eh, eh. Like, that's how she cries. Are you going to fall to the ground as well? Oh, see, like, if I was thinking like if I had the Statue of Liberty costume, then, you know, I'd fall. But like, if not, I was like, you know, those are the things. But I just have a lot of admiration. I love Wendy Williams. I miss her. I wish she would be back on TV.

I just saw her on a fashion show.

I literally just saw that too. I was like, do I have an outfit that looks like hers? She's in this white and black. She looked a little bit normal than usual.

Girl, I felt so bad.

Watching her, like, there was like a docu-series that came out of her life now. Yeah. And I felt so sad because it felt like she wasn't all there, but I think she's— I think she's in there. Yeah, you know, you know what I'm saying?

You know what I'm saying? Hello, Brandy, are you there? Because I'm here. Hello, everything.

Exactly, exactly. So, all right, where were we? Yeah, so we've— those are our choices for Snatch Game. Let me say one more choice. If I had to pick one more choice, I was Hmm, somebody who's like— I would maybe do like, uh, if you're familiar with The Good Place, I would do Jameela Jamil's character and maybe try a British accent. Yeah, I could. I also thought— let's hear it, let's hear it.

I can't even do it.

I can do it, you can do it. Okay, let me try, let me try, let me try a British accent. Actually, no, no, let me do— okay, okay, Jameela Jamil from The Good Place. I'm Jameela Jamil and I'm from The Good Place.

That was great. I don't know if that was good. Another thought I had.

This is another thought. I was going to come in a bald cap and do Cynthia Erivo. Yeah. And then I would like every question I'd go like this. And then, oh girl. Right? But I would need more wild nails. Yes. Oh, this experience was just so incredible. And I would love to hold more space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity. Like, you know, something like, girl, we need to work on it. If you can coach me, reach out in the comments and we'll coach through.

But yeah. Yes. Coach, because the coach is something that you sit on.

It's something that you pop out.

Yes. Well, where are we?

Okay, so we— I love everything again and again and over and over and done.

Okay, so we go into picking, and then there's another moment that happens before they start filming their thing. You get to pick who gets 1 minute extra, who gets 1 minute less. So Vinyas wins, and she immediately says— immediately, Mama Pao didn't even finish answering the question, asking the question, she immediately said Siam. Siam is gonna get the disadvantage.

Why do you think she felt so threatened? That's what I know. It's like, I mean, she— I don't think Siam has intentions of hurting anyone, but I understand she had a trauma. But, you know, to take that against her, I don't I don't know if it's correct, you know.

I'm like, that's why I was curious, because I was like, is Vinnias like very, very religious or something? But she even said that she's not that— like, in the subtitles when she was talking, she was like, I'm not even that— I don't know, she said I'm not that much of a believer, I'm not that religious. But she still doesn't mess with it because she had a bad experience with a friend who did like dark— close friend.

Yeah, yeah. And my, my, um, my hair is just really stood up. Yeah. Oh my God. Oh, okay.

Wow. Do you believe in like that?

I don't. I believe in spirituality.

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I think I believe in energy, and it can be interpreted—

yeah, intention, energy. And, you know, I believe in the cross-section, not the intersection, of metaphysics and spirituality. I think there are things that we don't understand that metaphysics cannot understand it, but part of, of that. And there's just no way for us to, um, discern it, you know, their own language. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I think there's definitely—

that's definitely a mindset that people have when it comes to spirituality and religion. But I think for me it was always like, I just didn't grow up with it. I didn't grow up with any influence for it. I always just grew up with like, uh, you have to appreciate and respect it. And I think I grew up appreciating the artistic parts of religion rather than the belief part.

You know why I got a response? Because I also witnessed a neighbor of ours got possessed. She was a pretty lady, and when she was when she was struggling and a lot of people heard of her, I saw her eyebrows thicken like this. So it was such a traumatic experience for me as well. That's why I understand Venus. But still, I don't know why she took it upon Siam to make it seem like it was intentional for Siam.

I think for Siam, it was like— I think they were talking about it backstage. She was like, do you practice witchcraft? And Siam was like, So I'm trying to give like an interesting answer for it. And I think that's where my thing comes in where a lot of these practices are just demonized often. Where I think there's something like, I would respect her choice or her connection to those practices that she has. And I think when Vinyas was like, oh, well, I don't know about it. It might be like dark-sided or, you know, ill-intentioned. I think like part of me was just like thinking back to like, maybe I'm thinking about, I'm overthinking, but in my mind it goes back to like, the demonization of indigenous spiritual practices and kind of prioritizing a religion like westernized religion. And maybe I'm not biased, but maybe I'm like thinking back to like her opening outfit, Viñez's opening outfit where Jesus Christ photo came. So maybe I'm like thinking about it in a different kind of way, but it's like maybe that's why.

Well, when you grow up Catholic, you were taught to think badly of, you know, indigenous practices because the Catholic religion, right? Right, right, right. So we literally have what, uh, in, in our language here in, in the U.S., like quack doctors. But some of them were actually babaylans, and the babaylans were— some of them were the queer, pre-colonial queer identities that existed in the Philippines who practiced, you know, this indigenous healing rituals and blah blah blah.

I see. Okay, okay. And, uh, yeah, I think like, so like, for example, is, is— do people look upon those practices with skepticism, or like they look at with negativity, you'd say? Or is it also equally respected in modern, like, Filipino society? Maybe that's too much of a loaded question, but I'm curious.

So the Spaniards really tried to eradicate it, but it survived. Yeah. And so I think the general feeling, it is frowned upon by— if you're educated and you believe in it, it's like, that's— it's illogical. Like, why would you settle for something that's not scientific? It's looked upon like that. But that being said, in the provinces, you know, some people still practice it and some people still resort to it because of the lack of, for example, healthcare care services. I see, you know, I see, I see.

Okay, I think, I think the same would be said for a lot of different— I mean, like, for example, this isn't exactly a religious practice, but a lot of the times in India you could seek out traditional Western medicine, or you can seek out like natural, you know, Ayurveda, or any kind of like Siddha, like any kind of like traditional medicinal practices. And my mindset was, there's a reason that some of these things always worked, but we just need the science in my mind to back it up. So, uh, now we get into the, uh, filming process. Yes. So they all get into their characters. They picked out their characters. They go through the walkthrough, and, um, when they go through the walkthrough, Siam is still kind of like feeling emotional. She's starting to cry, and Suki Doll, the Miss Congeniality that she is, is going up to her and be like, hey girl, it's okay, it's not that— it's okay. And then immediately, as Siam starts crying again, Venus immediately walks out. Yeah, it's crazy. I'm like, Venus— this whole episode, Venus has this like vendetta against Siam. Like, that one action, it's over.

Like, it's either Venus is like thinking, oh, she just wants airtime and I will not give her that opportunity. That's why she walks out.

Yeah, yeah, I think that was the justification that she gave. Yeah. Um, but then yeah, now they go into filming. So all the characters— you have to help me a little bit with the Filipino characters. So, um, so basically all the Pinay queens pick Filipino people, right? And then Anna Delvey is Yuhua's choice, and then Siam picks Lisa. But Siam went in a different interesting way. Siam went for Lisa's character in The White Lotus. But specifically when she did the one traditional Thai dance. So it was like very, very, very specific. I am Lisa from this show, from this scene when she's doing this thing. Like very specific.

We'll get into Siam. Yes.

There's more to say. Yes, exactly. And then Yuhua picks Anna Delvey, which has been done before on Snatch Game. It was done on season 16 by Morphine Love Dion. And it was— she was in the bottom for it, unfortunately. But I think Yuhua's approach was very different. Yeah. It wasn't really exactly—

Anna Delvey, but she made it her own and it worked.

Yes, I think for the— it was like she understood the challenge. Anna Delvey was simply a choice that she made to convey what she wanted. Yes. Yeah, you know. Yeah. So it was more so— I love that about her. Yeah, it was— she was very cerebral. Cerebral. She's very cerebral with the way that she went about this challenge because she was thinking about ways that she could convey a message and convey a, a statement. Yeah, it was similar to her opening outfit where she was the wolf in the politician's clothes, you know. Yeah, it's kind of the similar theme.

The first one was Ari Arizona. Tell me about her character. I noticed that in Philippine humor, there's a lot of self-deprecation in terms of not being able to have the right English accent. And so this is that case. There is this woman in Las Vegas who's trying to promote to the Philippines that they have an opening for models, but she says, "My name is—" What's her name again? 'From Las Vegas, models instead of models,' and the Filipinos love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so that really resonated. I even have a version of that as well myself. And Ari was so good at doing that and emulating her, and even the makeup was on point.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I liked how the staging, the design, like everything in the multiple cam— the hair flips into the camera, like she made it very, very funny. Yeah. Some of the parts that I could appreciate was very physically— a lot of them relied a lot on physical comedy, which I thought was good.

Although Although I would say that I expected— because I've already seen how good Ari is. Yeah, yeah, in terms of these comedies, and I wanted more from her. It was kind of the same choice, and I just saw an Ari that I already saw. I wanted to see something more.

Yeah, I see. I love it. That's the case. Yeah, yeah, I see it. Okay, but I think she did a pretty good job. Yes, she did. She did a really good job, and I think it was like a, um, it was a very niche reference, but she built on that character, staying true to the lore or the mythos of that. Okay, very good. So up next we have Brigading.

Brigading, you Do you know Risa?

No, but I was very intrigued. This is like a serious character.

Risa had a Nobel Prize because she defied the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. She basically, at that point, the writers all over the world were doomed because there was this worldwide disbelief on journalism. And Risa became the poster for writers and journalists at that time when she defied Rodrigo Duterte and saying that we need to hold the line. For journalists, because who, who else will? And she got a Nobel Prize for that. And that's what Brigadine wanted to portray. And I was delighted with her performance, actually.

How about you? I mean, I, I, I, I did look a little bit into it after you've explained, you know, explained it. But I think it's so— how poignant that you picked this, because it's not something that we're just experiencing here in the US, but all over the world, this kind of authoritarian viewpoint of, you know, the ability to express opposing ideas or beliefs. So I think what really spoke to me was she said that she's more of a serious person. She had a negative experience on her first Snatch Game, so she's picking another serious person where she can go back into that idea of keeping it very serious.

Closer to her own personality. Yeah. And it was very effective actually, but I would say the editing also helped a lot. Yes.

She still found the humor. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Especially the camera setups where she would refer to the audience here and then there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was the angle.

Slapstick comedy. Yes, yes, yes. And that really shows her ability to really conceptualize the whole performance. Yeah. Okay, very good. And then after that, we go into Kiana. So Kiana also picked an influencer. So this is like a very big boobed, big hipped influencer.

I don't know her. I think Toni Fowler, that's her name. Okay. Yeah, and she's known for this very— she would say things that are very almost censored. And that's what Kiana was trying to do. Like she was referring to her pussy and to her boobs and, you know, yeah, very, very blue. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, I didn't—

where do you think she fell short?

She fell short because she tried to emulate her exactly, and that worked to her disadvantage. Unlike the others, they sort of like modified it and made it their own.

And then next we have Vinyas. Yes, and Vinyas is portraying a presidential candidate.

Yes. She did it to the T. To the T?

Okay.

I could compare this to Marina Summer's performance in Season 1. Really? Okay. You could see even the tongue, that little detail of her saying, "Ah." The heart coming out? Yeah, yeah. Exactly. And then how she wrote the script was really, really genius. Like how she took advantage of all these little details that this character in real person has said or has done in terms of physical gesture. You know, even, even the statement at the end, am I impeached? Because she was going through— this is the vice president of the Philippines going through an impeachment trial, you know, because of the confidential funds. She has confidential funds of 500 million which she will not divulge how she used. And that's what Biniaz was trying to do.

Oh, so, so lots of layers to it. Yes, I I read somewhere that that was like a double entendre. Yeah. Because she was saying, I'm like, say it again, I'm impeached, or I'm impeached.

Am I impeached? Yeah. And then she was, she's still in underwear.

Yeah. So she was in peach underwear. She was also talking about being impeached. And then did she also make it like a pitch thing? Was that the third? Okay. Maybe I'm looking into it too much. I saw a Reddit comment that said it was a triple entendre with the peach underwear, with the impeached, because she's a person.

Oh, I get that.

And then she was, am I impeached?

Oh, because she's trying to say that she's not impeached. 3 layers!

Isn't that crazy? Give her the crown just for that. Oh my God, yeah. That's so— like, the levels of humor, and even where I had to do the research to figure that out.

Yeah, just the way she like stitched all of these words and made it make all sense. Oh my God, great. Well, great job. Great job. Amazing. Amazing. Yeah.

And then we go into Sukidoll. Yeah, Sukidoll picked a very— I'm actually familiar with this because I've seen the TikToks of this woman. I thought it was so interesting how she spoke in Spanish for like almost the whole time. I know, I didn't know that she could speak I mean, I think in the Meet the Queen, she said that she was fluent in several different languages, which I like. But like, also she lives in Canada, so I'm sure that she also knows a little bit of French, she also knows English, she also knows Spanish. So good. I thought it was funny, just from like an overall perspective, it was funny and it was safe. I think it was very safe and it was funny. She did a lot of physical— again, back with the physical comedy, getting slung around, picked up, all over. Yeah, exactly. And then doing a lot of like things in Spanish, just being very sexy.

I didn't understand anything, but I appreciated the physical comedy. But were there subtitles?

There were subtitles. I had to rely on subtitles too, but I get even then I was like, what's going on? Yeah, I know. Yeah, it was just a lot of craziness, right? Yeah. And then we have Siam, who did Lisa from White Lotus. Very interesting choice. She was in this ridiculous costume, just—

yeah, and the boobs.

Yes, which I love to see on Siam, but I'm like, I feel like if— I think it would have been so interesting for us to see a subdued Siam who came out just looking very soft, very like painted just like Lisa. Lisa has such unique features. Like if we just did the small eye and just like if she came out looking soft because Siam has the bones to give like soft. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. She has the facial structure to just give soft. So I think now would have been the time for us as the audience and for them to see this side of Siam. And I think it would have been—

I could have imagined her doing some, you know, BLACKPINK steps as well. That would have been funny.

Like, maybe she did Blackpink, but she was still trying to be a hotel worker.

Like, she would just do it like out of the blue when she's subdued. Yeah, I could imagine her doing that.

I think the angle—

yeah, indeed, the boobs at all.

She replies too much on that. Yeah, yeah. Which, which is like, she got— yeah, it's like she's— she wants the, the pussy to come out where I'm like, girl, give us Lisa.

Sometimes for you— for something to come out, you need to actually get in. Because when you get in, you get into the meaning of the world. And the world is like this, all these heavenly features, just like P'Ying.

Oh, she's back in character. Oh, she's back in character. See, I clocked it.

I clocked it. I was like, where are we going with this word?

It's funny that you're really trying to follow me. Yes. I'm just like, what is she trying to say?

I'm like, oh, I see. Okay. Okay. What? Well, I hope the viewers will enjoy this one because you're on your energy today. Yes, and I'm the one going, yeah, yeah, yeah. Next we have Yoo Ah as Anna Delvey. Very smart choice. Yeah, again, not— it wasn't like a visual component, there wasn't really an accent component. Yeah, it was more so just conveying the ideas. Yeah, and comparing a con artist to a politician. Yes, which is a very political message that she shared.

It was good. Yeah, it wasn't so much— she didn't get for me, it wasn't an actual Anna Devli impersonation. It was a Yua actually. It was a Yua in Anna Devli and just like a blonde wig.

Yeah, that's how I feel right now. I'm just Calypso in different makeup holding a mic with the W necklace. Like, that's how I feel with this. So, uh, we ended the challenge. I thought there would be more actually. I was expecting like, are they going to interact at all? I kind of wish we got a little bit of interaction.

I still love the original version.

Yeah, I think it would have been— and now I'm just like, I wish we saw all these people originally. Yeah, I think it would have played out differently.

I think Vinya still would have probably come out on top, but yeah, it would be interesting to have these characters interplay when the references are not necessarily original, you know what I mean? Yeah, just like how we relate today, you know? I mean, if this is—

if this is how the interactions would have gone, that would have been very entertaining. I don't know if it would have made any sense, but actually, now that I think about it, this was probably the best way to do it because all these queens are coming from different cultural representations and backgrounds where it would have been hard to volley. Like, maybe it would have been easier for your character and the Filipina characters to interact with each other.

Because even if you don't get the reference of the other girl, as long as you know how to play, then that shows your skill, right? To be spontaneous and irreverent.

And it's not even about like— there have been non-Filipina characters in Snatch Game Philippines before. Like, you know, Didi did Miranda Priestly and Jennifer Coolidge. Arizona did Adele. So there is a possibility to have the interaction, but I think the funny thing is it's all one language and it's like, that's the commonality.

And the one thing that's strange also in this segment is the judge who is Alyssa Edwards. And she would just say things that are very safe because she didn't know the reference.

Yes. You know, that's how I feel. Okay. I wouldn't— Alyssa Edwards is giving her commentary. I'm like, yes, I agree. I agree. Cause I'm like, girl, I don't know what's going on, but I live. Yeah.

So, uh, Was it safe? Oh, was it unfair that she was a judge? What do you think?

I think it was just timing. I mean, who would you have picked instead? I mean, that seat would have been a non-Filipino person anyways, right? Yeah, that person would have had to have been international. Maybe the difference of it being a white American person versus Pangina Heels or, um, Nymphia or Sasha, like, I think still there would have been a— there was the barriers still would have been there for whoever was in that judging seat. It just happened to be Alyssa.

I guess you could still judge on basic things like performance level, were they really into it, you know. And I think you can still be entertained by it.

That's why I enjoy the international franchises so much. You don't need to always understand the language. Yes, it gives you an extra enjoyment, but drag is for everybody. The language of drag is universal.

Universal, because the universe is within you and within me and all within.

Thank you, thank you, Miss Everything. Thank you, Miss Everything. Um, it's like what Jada said.

Hi, sister of a different mother.

Yes, I am you and father, you are me and we are one. And I eliminate myself. And then I just back away into the curtain. So we get to the runway. Mama Pau's look, love it. Very Chrysalis because it was like dragonfly wings. I remember. Yeah, you're like, now I remember.

I remember, but I was like, mm, same, same.

But I loved the way that she— the fabric was asymmetrical. The pieces were all kind of overlapping.

Girl, I really want to see another silhouette from Paulo. Give us something else. Yeah, don't be so dependent on that silhouette, Mama Paulo.

You can do better.

No, no, I just want to see it.

Yeah, she can do it.

Yeah, yeah, she can do it, she can do it. But I live, I live. And then we have Alyssa in a beautiful pink, very traditional Alyssa Edwards. This is like go-to Alyssa. If you think about Alyssa, this is Alyssa. And Kat Kat is looking very angelic and beautiful as well. And then we go into the runway category, which is Asian mythological beast or mythological creature? Yes, yes, yeah. What would you— what came to mind?

Almost the same as myths and legends. Yes, right?

Oh my goodness, so close. So okay, mythological creature, what comes to mind for you first?

Um, in fact, I already had one prepared. Um, in the Philippines, I had a gown. Oh, maybe I should not—

okay, you'll see it on season Uh, but yes, yeah, okay, then a different one. What would you— what comes to mind? Like, what creature comes to mind?

Um, not necessarily a creature, but, um, we have, we have an entity called Inca Encantada, and, um, these are like spirits, um, or ethereal beings that live, uh, in a different dimension, and they will lure you in into their dimension and you will not be able to come back.

Yeah, interesting. Oh, so there's lots of different ways that you can go with it because it's like open to interpretation. Yeah, right, almost like an elf from The Lord of the Rings. Okay, I see, I see, very ethereal, very mythological.

We have one whose name is Mariam Makili. So you have names specifically? Yes, yeah, we have names specifically for these entities, so to speak.

My mind immediately goes back to who did Tita Baby and Maxi play last season for Snatch Game? Didn't they both do like mythological creatures?

Yeah, Maxi did Babay sa Balete Drive.

Okay, so it's like a ghost that haunts a specific—

Same concept, but she haunts— the Balete Drive is a street called Balete, and she would appear on that street, and then people would have trouble driving because she would be on the side or crossing the street. I see.

And then who did Tita Baby play?

Tita Baby She played, uh, Death.

Oh, she played Death itself. Oh, okay, got it. I just remember seeing the— seeing them go like, boo boo, like on a TikTok or an Instagram once, and I was like, that's so funny. I remember that Snatch Game was really—

that was a riot. No, that was a crazy—

that was an amazing Snatch Game between Angel.

I was so into it.

Oh my God, John too. Oh my God, everybody was so good. But see, I wish— I want that.

I want— I want chaos.

Yeah, I miss it, but this is We'll have to wait till Season 4 to see how funny Satchink can be. But then, so it's Mythological Creatures runway. I think the first creature that came to mind was the Garuda, which is like this winged beast from one of the Hindu epics out there. I don't know specifically which one, but I think it would have been fun to be like a winged creature. So that's what I would have done probably. Just have the big pair of wings and like the— You like wings, huh? I love— if there's something growing out of my back, I live. Whether those are arms Wings, anything, I'll do it. I just think it's so cool.

But India has a lot of these creatures, right?

Yeah, absolutely. And I think like even you can even interpret it in a lot of like the deities have their own spirit animals kind of. Yeah, like they have their own like mascots.

So that's the word I was looking for. Ikantade is almost like deity. Deity, okay, I see. A lot of our mythical identities are influenced or came from India because India in the history of the Astra Nations Indians also came to the Philippines and did trade and did business and brought all the culture to the Philippines.

Actually, there's this little experiment I looked into this because there are some in Tamil and Tagalog, there are some overlapping loanwords. I know one of them. You say it first, then I'll say it.

Mustache. Tagalog, oh my God, do you know? Okay, maybe I'll say it. Balbas.

Like right here? No, no, like mustache here.

I don't like Filipino.

Okay, maybe, okay, well then maybe I'm just looking at some other random worksheet. But one thing that I saw was like, it's mise. Mise is what we call like mustache. But I, I, we'll have to double check and fact-check that. But anyways, I just remember being like, yes, exactly, there is trade all through Southeast Asia because a lot of the kingdoms that are in South Asia were Thalassocratic kingdoms. So they really were focused on seafare thalassocratic. That just means that they were seafaring, right? So they went to—

wait, wait, I don't even understand thalassocratic.

Thalassocratic literally just means that they were— they would cross oceans. Oh, got it. For their kingdoms and empires. So their empires were not just in parts of South Asia. They went to places like modern-day Burma. They went to places like Thailand. They went to places like Cambodia. So their reach of their kingdoms and empires were very wide. And thalassocratic just means that it was across the seas. Yes, or the oceans.

So, um, so it's not true that civilization did not exist before the Spanish or the Americans came.

No, no, because trade was happening, loanwords, things were being exchanged, all that stuff was happening all throughout Southeast Asia. And that is why in Thai, uh, Southeast Asian— Cambodia has the biggest Hindu temple complex in the world because of those influences. And to this day, a lot of the culture in Southeast Asia is influenced by, yeah, um, the same legends.

In the Philippines, it's really sad because they really tried to destroy our culture, destroyed all of the documentation that we had in the Sanskrit. What do you call that?

Sanskrit? Yeah, Sanskrit.

All those things.

Yeah, but you know, that's why we picked that theme for Gappa because it's so encompassing. There's so many things that you can pull from. And if you watched Gappa runway, or if you weren't there, you really missed it because it was so beautiful to see. When Ari and I turned around and we saw all the contestants in their outfits, It's like I got goosebumps. Me too. Me too. It was so powerful to see the way that everybody interpreted it in their own way. Like it felt like we were on like a celestial plane and all these deities from different places were just meeting. Or it could be myths and legends forever. Oh, well, well, I would, I would tell, I'd be mad. I'd be like, no, do something else. Use your creativity. But yes. Okay. That being said, now that we have all of our myths and legends out of the way, what creature? So you, you, you explained that creature, this celestial deity. I probably would be some winged thing. Now we can see. So Arizona comes to the runway first, and she's a Tik Tik, which is a—

A Tik Tik is an evil human-eating entity that eats babies. We have different names in different regions. In my island, Cebu, we call them wak wak. And I actually heard one when my mom was pregnant. Yeah, it sounded like this, like a wing that's flapping. Ah, okay. Yeah, and they would go to the ceiling and then drop their tongue into the mother's womb to eat the baby. Wow. That's what she was— that was a tunnel that was circling her. Oh, I see.

Got it, got it. They kind of critiqued it saying that it was a little underwhelming, but now that you've given me that image, it felt like she was demonstrating that. Like she was walking and the tuk-tuk was like—

yeah, it's just the shoes that killed it. The shoes killed it. Yeah. Sorry, Ari.

Up next we have Brigadine. Yeah, I love this look. It was so beautiful, so intricate. The beadwork here reminded me of like Isabella Rossellini's look. I was actually Disappointed, really? Okay, well, tell us about the reference.

Yeah, she was supposed to be another quadruped, right? And I, you know, because we've seen that in like fantasy movies, you know, and usually they have large, very big, big, big, or big legs. She tried to emulate that, but it didn't happen for me. Did you see that?

No, I, I actually, I'm like thinking back on it. What I just remember seeing was like the, the beadwork and the hair and the headpiece. The— yeah, but oh, I'll have to take a closer look then. Yeah. Um, but you say it kind of fell a little short for you? For me, it was beautiful. Yeah. Yes, from an outside perspective. Um, and the next we have Kiana. This is kind of similar to her, uh, yeah, um, her mascot— or not mascot, the animal, wasn't it? Carabao? Yeah, carabao look. Because I thought it was very similar to like the, the big liony kind of like animal.

But girl, if you see it backstage that it's not working, you should just cut it off, you know?

You can see it. Yeah, it was so obvious.

Like, you could decide one last minute, like, to just cut it off, or, you know.

So if there's a piece that's like malfunctioning or like not doing what you expect it to, just admit it. Sometimes it's better to not have it.

Yeah, I know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Uh, I mean, that's unfortunate. I just feel like she's had a really rough week because it's like, if that— like, what if it was a different runway and her runway was sickening?

I think that at that point she had to already give it up.

Um, and then up next, Imbinyas comes out. Oh my God, optical illusion. Crazy, just looking insane. I was like, how is she doing this? I think she was like laying down on the floor or crawling like this, crawling like this so she could be as short as possible. Like the whole costume was like this big. Yeah, insane. But this was— I read this, this is a specific reference from a movie, like an elf from a movie. Feng shui.

Nono sapunso. Yeah, so feng shui, she has so many references in there, but the major one is Nono sapunso. It's like in the mountains you have like mini miniature mountains this small, and the belief is that there is an entity living in there like a dwarf, and it's guarding that, and there's treasure inside. It's almost like a leprechaun.

Oh, I see. It's so incredible to see how much, like when you were explaining, like a lot of that culture was trying to be eradicated by the Spanish or like everything, but like it's kind of interesting how it kind of bounced back in a way where these lore, this folklore and this mythology continues to exist. And the fact that there's so many examples to derive from is incredible.

My great-great-great-grandmother told me a story during the Japanese occupation that they had a guide in the forest that whenever the Japanese soldiers would pass by, that guide, Nanong Sapunsok, would open up his mouth and cover everyone, and they would disappear, and they will not be seen by— so for me, Um, have you seen the, the, uh, the movie Labyrinth? It was kind of like that. It was kind of like that. It was kind of like a survival mechanism for people during that time to believe in these entities that could save them. It's like, that's how I interpreted it.

I love how, I love how these mythological creatures served as an act of resistance. Yes, exactly. The belief in them and the, the keeping these stories alive was an act of resistance because it was like, they will help us overcome this situation.

I think it's also oral history, you know, these belief systems that are passed on through oral method through time.

Yeah, because a lot of it, you're right, was erased. There is no depiction, there is no archaeology, you can't just go back and take a look. I think one of the, like, for example, in Hindu mythology, so much of that is preserved, like from the temples to the carvings to the drawings, everything is still around. But it's different when you have to rely on— because like when Ari and I were talking, we were creating the mood board for Gappa, she would be sending me these photos and images, but like they were all very recent. Yeah, so they were like recent interpretations of what those stories are, like maybe made in the last like 5 or 10 years.

Yes, yes, because we have no reference. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you're right, a lot of these identities— I would say identities because at some point maybe they were real— they were just, um, demonized by the colonizers, you know. The babaylas before, they were so powerful, the communities that they demonized them, and there was this There's one character named Yawa in my island. She was a woman who had shamanic powers, and now the equivalent of Yawa in my dialect is now the devil. Yeah, so it was really demonized by the colonizers.

That's why we have this podcast, to talk about the implications of these stories that are being shared and told. And that's beautiful. So we had 4 very different viewpoints just from the Philippines and Indonesia on this runway. Now we can get to the international girls. So we have Siam, who's in a very new look for Siam. This is very new for her. Like, she's in a white face, which we've kind of seen before, but she's kind of very— I love the silhouette, very new for her. She was representing a horse, and the story was something related to the Buddha, and this is the horse that told the Buddha to become the Buddha. I'm like kind of familiar with the story of it, but like I knew that he was a prince and then he had to reach enlightenment, and then after he reached enlightenment, he became the Buddha.

You could really see her struggle, and I feel for her for that, but at the same time I also like, oh, she's really trying to fight, like she's really trying to make something out of what she has at the moment, and what she has is just that, you know?

And I think she performed it on the runway. She was like really trying to lean into the horse thing and like really tell that story, which I think she did a good job with. But yeah, maybe the look itself compared to everybody on the runway was a little subdued. Yeah. But yes, and then next we go on to Yuhua, who is head to toe white. She's a lion? I didn't get that. I didn't get it either. She just said she was a white lion, but I was like, what's— I mean, I'm sure she probably said it like it was cut or something, but I didn't know what the lore was beyond just, oh, she's just a white lion. Yeah. But it was cool. It looked interesting and it took space. And I think the biggest thing about Drag Race runway sometimes is just taking up the physical space. Yeah.

Did you think she deserved to be in the top 3?

We'll get there. We'll get there. And then we have last but not least, we have Suki Doll who looks incredible. She was inspired by this Thai legend of this like insecty kind of creature. So beautifully done. So incredible. Like I lived for how—

You wouldn't expect less from her.

I know, of course, this is exactly what we would expect. And for me, it met the expectation. But I think they were like, maybe because they've seen everything that she's kind of showed. Yes. I agree. Maybe it was something that was to be desired. With that, we were done with the runway. And then now we go into the critiques. Critique everybody. The Drag Race Philippines rules are still suspended, so they're doing Salazian Royale rules. Now, who has the best two? Like, combine everything. Who had— who is your top two? If you're doing just two like we've been doing in the past, the top one was obvious.

It was Venus. I mean, I agree, it was Venus, um, Brigading. I would have picked Ari still.

Really? Outside of you, do you think if we looked at Ari's runway and we looked at Yuhua's runway side by side, I understood Ari's.

All right, but do you—

which one do you think was better? Because they said that the shoes kind of did it for them. There's a little more to be desired. Now, if you had to put those two together, I just didn't understand Yuhua.

So sorry.

We're like, it's cool, but like, what is it? Right? I, I feel like I get it. And I think, I think from a storytelling perspective, giving a win to Yuhua would have made the most sense. Like, we need that story to be told because I don't think Siam or Suki's performances were strong enough to justify a top placement. But to shake things up, I don't think it would have been good storytelling if it was just two Pinay queens at the top.

Yeah, so you're right, you're right. This is what— this was very intentional. Yeah, I mean, it's—

you have to make a TV show, right? And so here there's a top 3 for the first time, so all 3 of them have the chance to win a Ru badge. Yes. And to pick one of the bottom 2 and go home. This week the bottom 2 is Kiana.

It was actually really good because you wouldn't expect Yua to win this That's what I was like.

Well, the thing is, I think hers resonated in a way where it was to an international audience rather than the Philippines girls, I think were maybe a little too local. Yeah. I mean, that would be the only perspective that I can take a look at because at the end of the day, this is Slay Asian Royale. Yeah. And while it's not like— it is Drag Race Philippines at the end of the day, but I think the perspective is Yuhua's story was more global. Yeah. Rather than Britney's and Vina's.

No, no, I mean the performance itself. I didn't think that she could slay both of them.

Oh, well, that's where I was just like, this is a tricky song. Yeah, I think, yeah. So they go backstage, bottom 2 is Kiana and, uh, Siam.

And then we have to talk about Kiana. Yes, sorry, go ahead.

No, no, yeah, that's what we're going back. Yeah, it's so sad and emotional.

I know, she wanted to leave, she wanted to go home. And what do you think made her go back? I have a theory.

Okay, well, let me tell you from my perspective, it's —It's like when you were one of the superstars of your original season, it is so hard to come back and to know that you're not the star of the season. Because anything that she did here, I think was just as good, if not better, than what she did on her original season. But clearly in the original season, there was a storyline for her, for Maxi, for Angel, for Tita Baby, all of them to make it to the end. Because it was just like, these are the heavy hitters this competition. They're gonna make it to the end. And it really was like a Maxi versus Kiana thing. All the way to the end of The Crown. This time it felt like Kiana, you get your moment, but this is not your season. And I think it's so hard to realize that when you're there in person. I think Bernie also kind of realizes because she was also one of the stars of her season, even though both of their seasons had stacked casts. It was clear that they were some of the favorites. Right. So in order to not be the favorite all of a sudden, it's like, I think it's so hard. Like, I can't even imagine what that situation would be like. It's like, I am doing everything I can. It's just not reading. And it's just like a situation of circumstance.

I would be disappointed too at myself.

So why do you think she came back? What was your— what's your theory? Tell me.

Because the producer may have told her that it's Lana Parrusa next week.

Oh, oh, and she can slay.

She's like, okay, that's my theory.

Okay, that is your theory. Well, we'll have to see what happens next week then to see how it shakes down. Um, so Siam immediately starts singing. She's like, I'm safe, I'm safe, save me. And Minus is like, girl, shut up, stop chanting.

No, but yeah, she's giving— I was kind of worried at that point already because for you to just burst into singing, you know, that's not usual. You know what I mean? I would be scared.

Mama, this is drag. None of this is usual. Yes, go off. If I was going to start singing, start singing, start bursting into song. This is so I'm like, that's where I'm just like, drag to me is always so unserious, which is why when I was painting my face today, I was like, half of me, maybe 10% of my mind was like, maybe we should— because you even messaged me today. You're like, should we just do normal glam? Yeah. And I was like, no, we need to do this because this is the challenge. We need to be silly. I think about that all the time when it comes to drag, and I think that's what Sam is doing, and I live for it. So when Venus was just like, stop chanting, stop chanting. I'm like, girl, Venus, it's not that serious. I promise you it's not that serious. She's just having a good time.

It didn't translate like that for me. Okay. Especially that something already happened probably. And for me, it just pushed the narrative of her probably in a state of neurosis at that point. Neurosis! Neurosis!

It's the stosis of the mosis and the mostis.

Exactly. Mrs. So they picked the lipsticks. This was so funny to me. Venus opens the thing, grabs Sam's lipstick right away. Damn! Okay.

They didn't even hide it. I know.

She's like, I'm not gonna give y'all anything. I think that was where it was like, you have to play the game. Again, this is still part of the drag. So you have to go like, oh, this lipstick, this lipstick, oh, I don't know which one. And then, you know, you're supposed to give all that, but Venus was like, there was no point hiding it.

It was too obvious.

Yeah, she's like, go get— go home. And then, uh, so the lip sync happens. This is a tricky song. Have you heard this song before? No, I've never heard the song before either, but it's a Filipino song.

Filipino song, um, by Beanie. Beanie. Yeah, which is a girl group.

Yeah, girl group. What did you think of this lip sync? How would you have attacked this lip sync?

I mean, I really didn't expect Yua to prevail because these are two powerhouses. And indeed, they were like doing everything, and Yua was just like storytelling the whole time and being just Yua. And that, I think, what made her stood out amongst the two.

I agree. And I think like clearly none of the queens knew all the words. So how are you going to address the fact that you don't know the words? Are you gonna be like reading and just do stunts so that they can't see your lips moving? Are you going to be like Venus and joke about it and literally make a joke about it? Or are you going to be like, you, huh? I can read it. Mog them. That's incredible to me. Literally like, girl, none of us know the words. At least I'm going to do the thing. And I'm like, there's no way that she was able to write everything. That's why I'm like, it's brilliant. It's so beautiful storytelling. We don't know if the words are actually there or not. It's just the fact that she was like, I know the words. These bitches don't know the words. I'm going to read it off of here. And I was like, that's beautiful. That was incredible. So that was my favorite part of the whole thing.

Props to you, ah.

No, literally. So I'm like, well-deserved win. So yeah, so then she has to pick who to send home. Now, here's where she could have been very strategic. Yeah. I feel like you know that you now have a target on your back, right? Because you now have a Ru badge while other queens may or may not. Kiana has a Ru badge. Sam doesn't have a Ru badge. Kiana already kind of expressed that she would want to go home. She doesn't want to be here anymore. Siam is still fighting. She still is like, yes, I might be down, but I still want to fight. I feel like if I was being very strategic at this point, I'm like, Kiana, clearly I don't think you're gonna make it to the end. Would you take Kiana out? Would you take Kiana out, or would you keep Siam? Or would you take—

I think that Qiwah was, um, encouraged by the producers because it would be more interesting to have Kiana in the next episode, Lala Perusa.

Oh, I see. I said, well, you don't— well, you're right. The queens don't know that the episode's gonna be Lala. Yes. Next. But if it's in the back of your mind or like you're thinking that it could happen. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I feel like, okay, but even then, if I knew that next week would be a Lala Perusa, I would take Kiana out now. Because I'd be like, girl, you're gonna slay me. Right? But I think that's easier said than done. Because you're thinking about track record, you think about both of them being in the top.

Sayyam was in the bottom more. Part of me was thinking that she would keep Sayyam because they're best friends.

Right, right, right. Yeah, and clearly they had some kind of resonance— resonance, yes, they had some kind of like— they were resonating with each other more, I feel. Yeah, um, but okay, well, she picks Siam to go home. Siam bids farewell, and then it is announced.

I really feel for Siam in this episode, and you know, kudos to her. You know, I— you see here her desperation, but you could really see that she was really, really trying hard. Yes. Yeah, but you could also see that this was just the end of her.

Yeah, her run. I think it was like, it was like, your story has been told. Yeah, time to move on. Yeah, which is unfortunate, but you know, because that's our girl. Yeah, but, um, you know, great run. Yeah, 6 episodes is no joke, and she made an impact. Yes, I still think about her answer on that very first episode now. Like, it was so impactful and meaningful. What a kooky crazy gal. We live, we live. The internet's loving her.

I think that she's just begun. I think there's more to come for Siam, I don't think that she's in her full form yet.

To be fair, she's been doing drag for not that long. This is only like her third or fourth year doing drag. Imagine what she can do with like another 3 years of growth.

There's definitely a lot of potential in there, I can see. And I'm speaking as if, you know, I'm an expert already.

Oh no, no, no, but like, you know, like I think it's one thing to see someone come into their own as an artist. And that's what we've seen her for a while out here in San Francisco. And I'm so excited to see what she does next. Yeah, well, we made it.

This was a really good episode.

What did you think? Great episode. I love that. I love it. So fun. Lots of great references for us to dissect and analyze. Yeah, and you got us in these crazy costumes just looking and feeling insane. Um, but with one last— how you doing?

And hello, everything!

See you next time and next week and forevermore.

Thank you. Bye-bye.

See you next time on Slaytion. Persuasion! Bye!