It’s all relative in a 'Canada's Drag Race' episode dedicated to new family

It was an emotional week for the Canada's Drag Race (Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Crave) Top 5 (already?!) as they bid adieu to Ilona Verley, who was eliminated last week and got a somewhat of a breather from the cutthroat pressure of the competition by getting to give a drag makeover to a handful of newcomers, who came to Canada through Rainbow Railroad, a charitable organization that helps LGBTQI individuals escape persecution in their home countries.But the queens did get to blow off a liiiiittle steam in the mini-challenge first, because this is still Canada's Drag Race after all.

Ain’t no strings on these queens

The mini-challenge is a Drag Race favourite and during Episode 8, "Welcome to the Family," the queens chose puppet versions of their fellow competitors and read them for filth. Jaws dropped when Rita Baga had puppet Jimbo recreate the moment where she questioned judge Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman’s understanding of the English language backstage after he said her look was unglamourous…IN FRONT OF JBC! Ça prend du culot, quand même!

And there it is! "You question my taste level, I question your knowledge of the English language." pic.twitter.com/RpooIU46DQ

— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) August 14, 2020

Jimbo himself went for it when he called out Scarlett Bobo's dedication to cheek filler (even she had to admit it wasn't not true), but, ultimately, it was Scarlett's time to shine, pulling off her first challenge win of the season thanks to a spot-on impression of Rita Baga, which included spilling some tea about the Montreal queen’s possible crush on Lemon. Awkwaaaaaard! It was, of course, a bit bittersweet seeing Bobo so excited to win a trip for two to Cuba seeing as *gestures broadly at everything*. Hopefully, that trip can be postponed indefinitely. #2020.

Drag daughters from the Rainbow Railroad

There was instantly so much love in the room when the queens met their drag daughters and learned a bit about their stories. Scarlett Bobo was crying before even choosing her drag daughter and, honestly? Same. As Lemon put it, it was touching to put faces to the numbers we often hear about regarding anti-LGBTQI violence and discrimination, and it was clear the challenge was deeply meaningful for all the queens.[video_embed id='2019591']WATCH: Can weTalk About… ‘Canada’s Drag Race’ S1E8[/video_embed]Putting someone else in drag is no easy task—what with creating a matching look, teaching them to walk in heels (maybe for the first time!) and painting an intricate look on someone else’s face that still bears some family resemblance. Bobo explained that, as a former makeup artist, she knows that doing your own makeup versus doing it on someone else’s face are very different skills, which made her choice of a drag daughter who didn't share the same skin colour all the more impressive. Violet Bobo looked fierce.As JBC explained while making the rounds in the werkroom, a drag family resemblance is about more than having a similar look, it’s about the bond and energy between the two. Rita’s newest daughter, No. 7!, Tari Baga definitely picked up some of her sass. When JBC asked her about her husband, who was Jimbo’s drag daughter, she said “Yeah, but right now he’s competition, I don’t know him.”

Under her eye

Guest judge Amanda Brugel, whom you know from The Handmaid’s Tale, was so impressed with Jimbo’s handiwork during the runway portion that she basically commissioned a latex number similar to what Jimbo and Bimbo were wearing right then and there. The other judges? Well, they weren’t so much feeling the raunchy runway.

 

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TOMORROW. When I got the offer to be a guest host on #canadasdragrace, I screamed and cried in the street. I loooooove this whole franchise. Value how much it continues to teach me about my LGBTQIA family. Value how much I’ve learned about how to apply them lace fronts. Thank you @bhytes, @jeffreybchapman and @therealstaceymckenzie for welcoming me with such kindness and love. Streaming tomorrow night at 9pm on @cravecanada. #startyourengines #jackiebrownphotography

A post shared by Amanda Brugel (@amandabrugel) on Aug 19, 2020 at 8:05am PDT

Priyanka’s vibrant look, coupled with a comedic runway presentation, won her her second maxi challenge of the season. Turns out that having a drag daughter, Elton from Jamaica, who was a fan of hers before coming on the show, was a blessing. It was great to see Priyanka regain her confidence after she was in tears last week over being in the bottom.The judges were not thrilled with Rita Baga’s efforts, however, saying the look was underwhelming and that there were too many ideas going on in the presentation. It was a little surprising to see her land in the bottom in this challenge, seeing as she's been a frontrunner from the start and already has six drag daughters back in Montreal.Lemon joined her in the bottom two, as the judges felt her paint job on drag sis Lime made her look more like a drag mother, despite enjoying the '20s-inspired outfits. It’s safe to say Lemon did not agree with the judges, saying the other queens’ looks were some of the ugliest she had seen all season. (No bitterness to that citrus fruit.)Lemon was able to channel her feelings through the ultimate breakup anthem, Alanis Morrissette’s “You Oughta Know.” Her lip sync included unexpected but amazing choices, with stunts and splits all over the place, while every inch of Rita’s body radiated Alanis’ dignified outrage as she shared the stage to try and hold onto her place on the show.While both queens gave showstopping performances, it was Lemon's turn to peel off. Though she joked that she would be bitter forever, she took comfort in the fact that she made it this far despite having the least experience of all 12 contestants.Tune in next Thursday to see Michelle Visage (the Simon to Rupaul's Paula!) judge the Top 4 in the Snow Ball.[video_embed id='2017624']RELATED: ‘Canada’s Drag Race’ is celebrating Rainbow Railroad with makeovers and the runway[/video_embed]