bottoms down under: bing. bang. billabong.
bottoms down under will be posted by Tuesday at noon (Pacific) following the airing of each episode
What’s that? You haven’t watched the most recent episode RuPaul’s Drag Race: Down Under? Better go do that first and come right back.
Spoilers str8 ahead!
Credit: World of Wonder
Oh my good-gay-girlie-god, you guys! Our unlucky (though not undeserving) bottom this week is Coco Jumbo. She’ll put you up, put you down, and put your feet back on the ground- just like Mr. President’s Ace-of-Base-esque Euro-hit: Coco Jamboo. Did I listen to it while I wrote this to get in the jamboo for Jumbo? Yes. Yes I did.
We here in the US got to know her straight from the “idiot box” (really great Aussie slang for TV apparently) through her energetic laugh, sassy tongue pops, and ever-so-shady reads. But in Australia, Coco was a gay household name long before her brief arc on Drag Race. In 2017, she and two other queens (Ivy Leaguee and Vybe) served us up a big dose of true Glamazon realness. One night after a gig in Darlinghurst- where Oxford street, Sydney’s gay strip, is located- they came upon a straight bloke who was attacking a gay man in the street, and proceeded to kick the violently homophobic hate-crimer’s sorry ass. Now Coco didn’t quite get the Miss Congeniality edit during her short time on the show, but the queen deserves some jumbo snaps, and a whole lot of love, just for being such a bad-ass off-camera shero.
Image: Courtesy of Stan
When she’s not kicking ass and taking names, Coco is already considered a true Sydney treasure, with the accolades to prove it. She won Sydney’s Favorite Showgirl in 2019 and the sought-after Drag Industry Variety Awards (DIVA) Entertainer of the Year in 2017. Unfortunately for Coco, her community clout couldn’t save her on the runway. She’s actually the only queen on the show that stuck around longer than the first episode who was never safe or higher before being eliminated.
But winning isn’t everything on Drag Race. Coco brought a bit of entertainment, but lacked the polish and detail that her other sisters seem to have been bringing so far. Also, rumor has it that she had some issues with her dressmaker and had to totally start over from square one, with the competition just two weeks away. I will spare you all my usual rant about how drag queens should come into Drag Race knowing how to sew, and shouldn’t need to spend a zillion dollars on designer frocks- though I guess that’s pretty much the gist of it.
Image via Coco Jumbo’s Instagram: @_CocoJumbo
Regardless of her lackluster looks, Coco was clearly good TV. She owned upfront that she was the shadiest queen of the season on Stan’s Instagram. Now that she’s gone though, it looks like that title will be snatched up by Etcetera Etcetera- and I’m totally here for it. No tea, all shade- but she always gave off a filler-queen vibe, and was never even close to my number one pick for the crown. I do have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of her shady ass though- and we are glad she is back on the streets of Sydney, keeping us all safe. Soz, sis!
Image: Courtesy of Stan
Next Week’s Power Bottom:
Our girl Elektra might be a self-proclaimed lip-sync assassin, but she keeps landing herself in the bottom, which usually means she’s not far from death dropping herself right out of the competition. She’ll be back in the hot seat this week for sure.
Next Week’s Power Top:
People- or at least, the judges- are loving the mania that Anita Wigl’It brings to the competition, and I’ll admit- it’s pretty contagious. I’m gonna take a gamble and predict that her confidence from this week and her Snatch Game performance will build, and will put her once again at the top of the game next week..
Episode’s Kanga-Ru Rating:
🦘🦘🦘🦘 (4 out of 5)
I feel like the season is gaining traction, or maybe it’s just that my Drag Race-addicted heart is beginning to make room for all these ladies. The song was clearly no “UK Hun?” but the tune was still catchy. Nothing too terribly surprising about the usual drama and conflamma, and the elimination wasn’t a shocker- but it was still the most entertaining episode of the season so far.
Image: Courtesy of Stan
Where to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race: Down Under
Episodes air every Saturday. Time zones vary… like… a lot.
United States: Streaming on WOW Presents Plus
Australia: Streaming on Stan
New Zealand: Airing on NZTV
United Kingdom: BBC iPlayer
