RPDR 18: Episode 9 Rucap
- Faiz Faisal
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
FANNIE: The Hard Knock Ball Rusical
This week on RuPaul’s Drag Race, the queens had to sing, dance, and act in a full-scale rusical inspired by Annie with a ballroom culture twist. And honestly? The premise alone sounded like a win.
But before we hit the mainstage…
Mini Challenge: “Grindr? I Hardly Even Know Her”
Sponsored by Grindr, the queens played a shady little game where they had to assign castmates to different prompts RuPaul read aloud.
It was messy. It was petty. It was correct.
🏆 Discord Addams and Kenya Pleaser won the mini challenge and split a $2,500 cash tip.
Maxi Challenge: FANNIE – The Hard Knock Ball Rusical
Ru announced the queens would star in FANNIE: The Hard Knock Ball, blending Annie references with ballroom culture storytelling.
As usual, the queens cast the roles themselves. And in true Drag Race fashion… drama.
The Casting Chaos
Both Nini Coco and Myki Meeks wanted the lead role of Fannie.
They auditioned.
The group voted.
Myki won the role.
Nini was not pleased.
She briefly set her sights on Athena’s role, then refused to accept any alternative casting. Eventually, Myki offered to switch — but then Nini changed her mind and decided to stick with a role she didn’t even want.
Messy. Theatrical. Exactly what we needed.
Rusical Cast List
Fannie – Myki Meeks
Brandy – Darlene Mitchell
Mother Big Bux – Athena Dion
Cecile Cartier – Juicy Love Dion
Grace Guiltier – Kenya Pleaser
Big Peppa – Nini Coco
Lil Salty – Discord Addams
Miss Shenanigans – Jane Don’t
Rusical Performance Thoughts
Here’s the thing: nobody flopped.
The judges even said it themselves — everyone did well. So critiques came down to nitpicking technicalities.
I agree. There wasn’t a single disaster. But some queens were sharper vocally and more confident in choreography than others.
Standouts for me? Jane and Myki. They felt the most locked in.
Runway: “Beige Against the Machine”
I’m still not entirely sure what the reference is here (Rage Against the Machine parody? Probably), but the runway delivered strong fashion moments.
My Top 3 Looks
🥇 Darlene Mitchell
Big shoulders. Strong silhouette. Fashion-forward and undeniably Darlene.
🥈 Juicy Love Dion
The drama of those exaggerated sleeves? Extra in the best way.
🥉 Jane Don’t
Old Hollywood glamour done right. Polished and timeless.
Results
🏆 Winner: Jane Don’t
Her second win! And honestly? It could’ve gone to either Jane or Myki.
Bottom Two:
Athena Dion
Juicy Love Dion
Yes. The mother-daughter lip sync.
I’m going to be honest… this “close relationship forced to lip sync” storyline is getting tired. Last season we had Lydia vs. Kori, and now this. It’s predictable at this point.
They lip synced (very dramatically), clearly trying to recreate the emotional intensity of **RuPaul’s Drag Race icons Raven vs. Jujubee — but it didn’t quite hit that level.
Ultimately, Athena Dion sashayed away.
We’re now down to seven queens heading into Episode 10.
Next Week Preview
From the teaser, it looks like a design + makeover challenge? Possibly with eliminated queens returning — but that’s still unclear.
Either way, I’m excited.
Top 4 After Episode 9 (No Change)
Darlene Mitchell
Jane Don’t
Myki Meeks
Nini Coco
They’re still the strongest overall package for me.
Now tell me —
Did Jane deserve the win over Myki?
And are we done with the emotional lip sync storylines yet? 👀
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