#RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 Episode 3 Review: A Pair of Balls

Get your sunglasses and fans ready: it’s time for the Ball! Why are you surprised? They bring it to you every season.

For RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 Episode 3, the Ball challenge came with a twist that doubled the fun and the fashion.

Some queens stole the show while others were out of style. Fashion is a cutthroat world; all is fair in love and designer.

Before we get to the Balls, “A Pair of Balls” dropped two huge twists that changed the name of the game.

Firstly, Orion Story and Daya Betty’s return to the competition wasn’t completely surprising. RuPaul’s Drag Race hasn’t eliminated a queen in the first round for several seasons now. The series wants to give the queens a chance to show their stuff and have the audience get to know them.

Plus, RuPaul’s goodbye message to both queens somewhat teased that more was to come. And the season typically has many episodes to fill, so bringing them back filled two rounds.

It would’ve been more shocking if the eliminations stuck or the cast had started with 16 queens to account for the two cuts. I’d be interested in having them try that in a future season.

The second big twist came in the form of the RuPaul Candy Bar.

This Willy Wonka-inspired twist solved one big issue that plagued the franchise as a whole: RuPaul having the sole power in who gets to return to the competition. Sure, there will be double shantays that might happen, but sometimes those are done to fill a week. (Looking at you, Heidi N Closet vs. Jackie Cox.)

The chocolate bar is completely by chance and leaves it up to Lady Luck. No favoritism, no pre-planning, and no lackluster lip-syncs. Anyone could be the lucky queen with the golden ticket.

We’ll have to make bets on when it might happen. The anticipation will be eating us away.

The Maxi Challenge during “A Pair of Balls” pleasantly changed the format of how the Balls were run.

We still had 42 looks walking the runway, but the categories were divided enough to feel fresh whenever a new theme category appeared. The pacing didn’t drag on by being forced to watch three sets of the same categories; the smaller groups broke things up in quicker spots.

Kornbread: Kornbread is a sweetheart, but yes, I’m a messy bitch. I’m all about fun shade.

Bosco: She bring it to you every “bowl.”

[They all laugh]

Drag Race should follow this structure again in the future.

The Ball doesn’t need to be themed around doubles, but splitting the categories made a huge positive difference. There was much more excitement and energy when the queens reached the main stage judging. And the judges had more to talk about instead of relying on the same themes.

A huge improvement from previous years.

Outside of the top queens, the looks that stood out for me included Lady Camden’s red pinup resort look, Alyssa Hunter’s evening wear, Kerri’s purple leopard business suit, Kornbread’s fitted black gown, Bosco’s Cruella de Vil bridal gown, Kerri’s golden bridal gown, and Jasmine Kennedie’s bridal star gown.

Lady Camden’s ensembles were too distracting with many additional parts, but her red pinup bathing suit exuded sexiness and style. She could’ve strutted that look on a future runway to wow the judges; it made her a good stylish match.

The evening wear looks verged on business in many cases. However, Alyssa, Kerri, and Kornbread had polished looks that meant business.

[In confessional] Now that we’re all in a group, it kinda puts into perspective how much of a fight it’s gonna be because there are so many girls. It is scary, you know. But, I am totally fine with ripping my pearls and throwing it on the stage for the girls so they can trip and fall.

Jasmine Kennedie

Alyssa’s Miranda Priestly-inspired outfit could’ve come right from a designer; she’s served many great fashionable looks so far in the competition. Kerri brought Dynasty to the runway in a look that would’ve made the Carringtons jealous.

And Kornbread once again proved why she’s giving the fashion queens a run for their money. Her fitted black leopard gown accentuated all her curves and moved with her down the runway.

On the other hand, the bridal gowns were all fashionable in their own right. Though, it got a bit crafty in places.

Bosco’s Cruella de Vil won me over due to simply the nostalgia of it all. The outfit had all the right style nods, and the piece was perfectly polished from head to toe.

While not the most elaborate, Kerri’s gown was accessorized quite well. The garment moved effortlessly with her body; the gold fabric and accessories looked amazing. Kerri can pull anything off with her supermodel confidence.

Jasmine’s Red, White, and Blue bridal gown was fitted to the heavens! I was afraid that if she breathed or tripped, the gown would come apart. It verged on pageant, but that influence worked in its favor.

For the top queens, Willow Pill knocked this out of the park. She slayed the Ball and won this Maxi Challenge with a solid week.

Seriously, we’re talking about the same queen who walked into the Werk Room on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 Episode 1 with flip flops!

Her zebra 80s lunch outfit, the fitted black leopard gown, and the gold bridal gown all highlighted her fashionability. Willow showcased style, sexiness, and blew the judges away. Specifically, her black leopard and gold bridal were polished looks with the right fitting and amount of touches, such as the gold rope on the black dress.

Willow Pill: [About Jorgeous] I wanted to be the littlest one.

June Jambalaya: Yeah, you’ve got another child here with you, baby. I’m sorry.

Willow Pill: No, it’s okay. I’m the youngest in the face.

[June Jambalaya and Kerri Colby laugh]

Angeria Paris VanMichaels and Jorgeous were tough competitors that made it a close race. Though, where I think they lost the win came from Angeria sticking to silhouettes that she’s already strong in and Jorgeous needing the finishing touches on her final bridal look.

Either queen could’ve possibly won had they varied up the looks or solved those issues.

June Jambalaya and Maddy Morphosis were the two right queens at the bottom.

June’s second and third looks had several problems. She could barely walk in the gold fabric, and when Drag Race shows a judge wince, you know that’s a bad sign for the queen’s chances. Plus, she tried too hard to cover up the design from her bridal look; the judges weren’t going to ignore the obvious.

Kornbread: Who went home?

Jasmine Kennedie: Her name was Daya Betty. Who left from your guys’ group?

Kornbread: From our group, Orion Story. Yeah.

Jorgeous: How was she?

Kornbread: It clearly was a short story, girl.

[They all laugh]
DeJa Skye: Epilogue!

In Maddy’s case, she didn’t push herself to deliver stunning looks. It all felt very basic.

Her looks could’ve worked in the early seasons, but this is RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14. Her red hot resort look was ill-fitting and too simple, while her evening wear look needed something that would pop on the main stage.

The tone fell flat across the board; at least her bridal look had some comedy to it with her performance.

“I Love It” by Kylie Minogue is the type of lip-sync song that gives queens the chance to blow the judges away. It’s upbeat, has catchy lyrics, and gives some drop notes to land tricks.

June had the energy to match the song, and her facial expressions gave life to every word. Her problem, however, came from how messy her performance became.

Why kick off the shoes? Why not do something interesting with the wig and fabric reveal? Her number felt like it was going all over the place.

Maddy wasn’t a strong lip-syncer; she did well to match the beat, and she seemed to have fun. Though, if June had reined it in a bit more, she possibly could’ve stayed over Maddy.

Sometimes all it takes is several bad decisions to lose a lip-sync. Maddy stayed consistent and worked through everything that happened around her.

Last Thoughts From The Werk Room:

• I hope the $1,000 was worth it, Daya Betty. Eating the dragonfly was cringeworthy!
  
   
• The mirror chats have been so strong and emotional so far. My heart broke for Kornbread, Kerri, and Orion Story.
  
   
• What was in RuPaul’s coffee this round? She was feeling the energy.

Now, over to you, Drag Race fans!

What did you think of “A Pair of Balls”?

Are you sad to see June Jambalaya leave? Who do you think has the lucky chocolate bar? Who will be the next to sashay away?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Justin Carreiro is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.