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When I think of Vogue ball competitions, the first name that always comes to mind is Kelly Osbourne … said no one. But somehow she was ‘expert’ enough on the topic to be this week’s guest judge — making even less of an impression than Nico Tortorella did — as the two rounds of competition took the remaining Houses back to the past, and they wasted no time in getting things rolling.
Category is: March of the Mummies (Old Way Vogue Performance)
This round featured just one House member serving up mummy realness in classic vogue performance which means emulating the poses featured on Vogue magazine and inspired by martial arts with symmetry, lines, femininity, hair flips and a lot of sass. The competitors were:
- Gravity for Balmain
- Jeter for Gorgeous Gucci
- Carlos for Lanvin
- Shy for Ebony
- Yyoyo for Escada
- Sattva for Ninja
Unfortunately, both Shy and Sattva got the chop for their sloppy and unenergetic performances, pitting Gravity against Jeter and Carlos against Yyoyo in the head-to-heads, with Jeter and Carlos coming out the winners. But with the pair pitted against one another, the judges had no choice but to give the category win to Jeter in his spectacular golden mummy costume. And that put Gorgeous Gucci one step closer to being the Superior House for the night.
Category is: Warrior Guardians
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This was a House performance round and each House got to meet with the costumers to create their look. Each House chose a specific theme so there were no real crossovers of those themes. The performances, which featured some very elaborate costuming and makeup, had to include the five elements of voguing: duckwalk, catwalk, hands, floorwork, and spins and dips. Some of the Houses apparently didn’t get the memo.
Ninja chose a Roman gladiators theme and once again knocked the performance out of the park … or ballroom as the case may be with their voguing and combat skills. Jameela didn’t think they’d be able to top themselves from the last ball but they did. Kelly congratulated them for breaking down barriers, and Leiomy said the other Houses needed to watch their backs … period, praising Ninja for being ‘always right and always tight’, doing what they needed to do. It’s a safe bet Ninja will live to vogue another week.
Balmain stuck with the mummy theme from the first round as mummified pharaohs and also impressed the judges with their electrifying performance. Law called them the ‘main attraction’, and Kelly was impressed with all the attention to detail in their costumes and makeup. Megan also loved the makeup and hair and said not one person pulled focus from the others as they worked together as a House. Balmain looks to be safe as well.
Escada went with a stone Greek gods theme and had some really impressive body makeup to give them the look of living statues. Unfortunately the performance didn’t match the look as Megan told them the performance needed to be stronger. Leiomy admonished them for the weak choreography and pointed out Jazull as being off and needing to pick it up. Escada is in danger.
Gorgeous Gucci went for an Ice Age theme with the emphasis on fur for their costumes. But the performance was a bit of a mixed bag for the judges. Law thought the costumes and makeup were fab, with high and low points in the performance but Round 1 winner Jeter saved them. Leiomy also called out Jeter as the one who really delivered, as did Megan, saying she loved Jeter’s body and face. The night could go either way for the House of Gorgeous Gucci.
Ebony went for a Medieval theme but they’ve had a rough couple of weeks with Xa’Pariis serving up a bit too much attitude in rehearsals that threaten to break the House apart. But Xa’Pariis revealed that he had been disowned by his mother when he came out and has all kinds of walls up but is trying to work through those issues with the House who had no idea of his background until now. But opening up seems to have released some of the pressure everyone was feeling. Unfortunately those issues may have affected the performance. Leiomy said that while they may have missed a few parts of the choreo, they didn’t miss their moment. Law said they were incredible and that Mother is never out of character. Jameela said their elegance was wonderful, they moved as a house and as a family and they looked expensive. But was that enough to keep them out of the bottom?
Lanvin chose an African prince theme to honor their culture but they may have served up some dishonor with a lackluster performance. Megan said she was pissed off by the performance. She didn’t know what happened to them but there was no floorwork and they seemed to have forgotten some of the choreography. Kelly said they looked nervous and it showed on the runway. Law said he would have been happier had Mother — who looked stunning with a completely bald look — had just stodd in the middle of the runway looking like the goddess she is. They were also called out for not using their ‘secret weapon’ Makaylah. With critique like that Lanvin is certainly destined for the bottom two.
And that closed out the second round of competition and in very quick order the Superior House was announced. Gorgeous Gucci took the first round but their so-so performance in the second was still good enough to give them the Superior House trophy for the week. They owe it all to Jeter.
And with that, the bottom two Houses are Lanvin and Ebony in the head-to-head vogue contest. Lanvin did bring out their secret weapon for the face-off while Ebony brought out their own secret weapon Shorty, whom the judges already love as he’s been a standout in several performances already, notably as the tumbleweed in the Wild Wild West Ball. The real shocker of this moment is seeing Lanvin in the bottom after being the first House to win two balls thus far. And with both Houses’ two best voguers squaring off, it was one of the hardest hitting performances we’ve seen so far with both voguers putting it all out on the runway.
At the end, a visibly moved Leiomy thanked them both for their hard work, saying that as the one judge with a ballroom history that she knows the struggle, she knows what it takes to get to this point. She pointed out how hard the culture has fought to be loved and respected and she appreciated them for taking the time to show the world their power. And through her tears, she cast her vote for Shorty. Law also voted for Shorty, with Jameela and Kelly casting votes for Makaylah. That put Megan in the unenviable position of being the tie-breaker, not a position she wanted, but ultimately her vote went to … Makaylah, saving the House of Lanvin. I’m sure had they known last week what was coming this week, they would have saved the non-elimination round for this week because neither of the voguers deserved to be sent home. It was the most emotional elimination yet.
But that leaves five Houses left in the competition — Lanvin, Gorgeous Gucci, Balmain, Escada and Ninja. Which one has what it takes to become legendary?
Legendary streams new episodes every Thursday on HBO Max.
What did you think of this episode? Who are you rooting for? Tell us in the comments section below!
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