Reality TV Warriors

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Throw some socks in a Five Guys bin, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, and for the first time Logan Saunders! Each week, two guys who are sometimes boring and sensible – Bindles & I – have been attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, concluding with the reunion episode!

In this episode:

Is Bindles all packed?
Where in the world is Logan Saunders?
We touch upon Eurovision.
Papa Bear has been talking about us!
Did Sarah lose out in the end?
Is Vilvoorde Flemish Hilversum?
Did Pedro prove our point about disadvantageous advantages?
Would the Mole briefcase have entered the game regardless?
Is there an intentional consequence to the Mole Briefcase?
Was Sarah the first choice?
Are there too many quiz sub-challenges?
Did Sarah play it a bit too safe?
We run through the clues.
Are we being pandered to?
Does everyone in this cast feel like our sort of people?
Who would have won if Alexy went home?
How do we feel about the season as a whole?
What’s next?
We get a little assist from Production for one of our Historians clues.
There are so many clues to get through.
And how did Fuzzy do overall on bingo this season?

Thank you for listening all season long – we’ll be back on July 2nd for Historians!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zwgbdt6fujnwngya/bmole1309.mp3

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Don’t give me all this smug shit, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, and for once Logan Saunders! Each week, two guys who have no clue what’s going on when it gets too Belgian – Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, continuing with the eighth episode and reveal of Sarah as the Mole!

In this episode:

Bindles channels his inner Gilles.
Where in the World is Logan Saunders?
I’ve had a busy week.
There’s a comedy handbrake involving an Eastern European stranger and some lube.
Is it possible to have a normal journey through Schiphol?
What souvenirs did I acquire?
We take a bit of a Switch in conversation topics.
The lack of reaction is confusing.
Why didn’t Alexy’s personality really come across till this episode?
Can advantages be disadvantages?
Was the first challenge built on the idea of the California Funk Rock Band The Red Hot Chili Peppers reference?
Should we donate our worthless pieces of wood?
Do we like the pot drain gamble?
Was the €6000 gamble a deliberate course correction?
Does a lesser Mole matter as much in België?
Was the last challenge a bit hard to follow without subtitles?
Did they get a SCUBA lesson before the final challenge?
Nimrod provides us with a first.
What was the missing option?
How did Sarah explain away being at the dancing?
Fuzzy loses another bingo square.
Were the video messages all done in Thailand?
Did Alexy’s winning reaction give away who the Mole was?
Did Alexy get a bit of a raw deal?
Were we mean about Jan?
Who would we sacrifice for more Alexy & Michèle content?
I shot my shot.
We decide to void the Pool results because Logan couldn’t be bothered showing his face.
The winners of First Suspicions and Suspect List are revealed.
And Bindles has an announcement.

For the first time in years, Logan wins the pool and completes a Harmstone Sweep by having Sarah & Alexy as his remaining two! I finish in second and Bindles has already been eliminated.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next Thursday to conclude the season and maybe reveal what’s next!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zdg6hbxk3mruxrwt/bmole1308.mp3

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Back despite everyone’s best efforts, Michael & Logan return to Kinepolis for another De Mol België finale event, giving you a peek behind the curtain of what goes into a finale – as well as chatting to Best Friend of the Podcast Gilles de Coster, the winner and the runner-up!

In this episode:

Papa Bear gets a clean sweep.
Is Alexy the new Lloyd?
Logan learns about Gilles-y Wonka.
Microphones haven’t reached Canada yet.
Gilles provides a service.
Is our four-year quest over?
What influenced the location choices?
Is it difficult to theme Thailand?
When do we know anything about football?
Does a Mole always have a set scenario they want to be in?
Where did they find Hilde?
How was the Thai government?
I tell a joke.
The biggest clue hasn’t been found.
Why did Gilles have a child?
Michèle can’t understand why we suspected her.
How early was Sarah suspected?
We find a kindred spirit in Michèle.
Will België ever go to Canada?
Is Alexy just an unsuspicious person?
What was Alexy’s favourite challenge?
Logan learns how to pronounce Kinepolis.
Who did we see?
And we have a bit of a debrief on the finale back at the hotel.

Thank you to Gilles, Isabelle & all at Play4 for inviting us, and thank you for listening – we’ll see you on Thursday for the Finale recap!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hnxaczjz3wbwnibf/bmole1307diary.mp3

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Remove an MP’s dick pics from your camera roll, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but probably not Logan Saunders – as is now traditional! Each week, two guys who have all their dumb jokes prepared – Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, continuing with the seventh episode and elimination of Nimrod!

In this episode:

Where in the world is Logan Saunders?
Bindles has a very interesting Australian election connection.
I’ve had a house guest.
We do our civic duty.
Was the final four narration a bit of a letdown?
Where are the episode titles?
Nimrod reveals the difference between 24 and 25.
What was in the briefcase?
Did the ping pong balls have a clue?
Are we being pandered to?
How would we have done with the ping pong obstacle course?
Bindles gets some new soundboard clips.
Was Michèle right to be scared of decapitation?
I have a money-saving tip (take that, Jordon Cox!)
Could anyone have really sabotaged with the name tags?
What is the benefit of Logan not being here?
Was there another bus mini-challenge we didn’t see?
I go down a rabbit hole looking at Pattaya’s attractions.
Bindles tells us about the time he had croc in his mouth.
How did Nimrod make his double-decker toast?
There’s a bizarre music choice.
Does Bindles want to win ten Harmstone Points?
Was Nimrod a very dumb choice to play Last One Laughing against?
Bindles talks about his little project.
Why did they give Nimrod an instant red screen?
What lie would we have told Saunders if Nimrod was in the finale?
Nimrod gets a eulogy.
We obviously talk about the two most important non-Mole reality TV shows of the moment.
There are the latest updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
How is the pre-season bingo board looking?
Have we used our jokers?
We lock in our final set of suspects.
Are the final three slightly less interesting than normal?
Does it really matter if the middle of a show is a bit ropey?
There is the usual pre-finale plea for questions.
And has Logan sent us any voice notes?

After starting so strong, Bindles falls at the pre-finale hurdle as Nimrod’s departure eliminates his team altogether. Logan goes into the finale in the strongest position – with Sarah & Alexy, while my hopes all rest on Michèle.

You can also take part in the final week of the Bother’s Bar Suspect List this season here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you on Tuesday for Diary of a Mole (Finale) IV and next Thursday to recap the finale!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2cfxu75bh9kjq5mc/bmole1307.mp3

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Learn how to say “bitch” in American Sign Language, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but probably not Logan Saunders – as is now traditional! Each week, three guys who are not jealous of the steering wheel – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, continuing with the sixth episode and elimination of Pedro!

In this episode:

Bindles has been out shopping.
Logan had a very Messi weekend in Vancouver.
I forget about something we talked about years ago.
Will the handwriting have been useful?
Is this the awkward bit of the season?
Bindles asks for something that already exists.
How do you remove a wax strip?
Does Belgium have back, sack & cracks?
Could you puzzle out the most painful place to wax?
Why haven’t we mentioned how badly Fuzzy’s doing?
Which wax didn’t exist?
Tui get a new slogan.
Did Production get an idea from an early 2010s gameshow?
What was hidden in the Mole’s briefcase for the golf challenge?
Was Pedro suspicious this episode?
Should we co-ordinate our suspicions next week?
Why did they fall for the same trick of letting Pedro get a special role again?
Which dish would we have wanted?
Did the Mole want to win the advantage?
Which advantage was more helpful?
Did the Mole practice their handwriting?
Have we heard of any of Nimrod’s favourite waterparks?
Why do I never tag any days on for the finale trips?
There’s another edition of “Bindles confuses Saunders”.
What would have happened if Pedro wasn’t rescued?
Is everyone on the same Mole now?
Do horses need windscreen wipers?
Is there any permutation of people where someone wouldn’t have taken the pasvragen?
What is the Mole’s best tactic in the heist mission?
When will everyone get excited about reaching the Paintball Game?
How did we react to Pedro going?
Did Pedro whiff the biggest advantage ever?
What is Pattaya’s reputation?
There are the latest updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
Bindles forgets to use his power.
And we lock in our penultimate set of suspects.

It’s all staying very even on the Pool, as Bindles loses his second team member with Pedro going home – leaving him with just Nimrod. Logan has a guaranteed finalist now, as he still has Sarah & Alexy, while I have Michèle.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/22zwrkfhdxh9n6u5/bmole1306.mp3

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3D print a horse, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but probably not Logan Saunders – as is now traditional! Each week, three guys who often get asked why they do this – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, continuing with the fifth episode and elimination of literal icon Hilde!

In this episode:

I try and cause some trouble in Logan’s family.
My nephew has been framed.
What is the measure of a celebrity?
Where is Grimbergen?
Can Fuzzy get the banner this week?
Should Logan try and get on Survivor?
Bindles is on the D-list.
We spot some deeply subtle sponsorship.
Will there be a 3D printer at the finale?
Has Gilles been rounded up to the conclave?
Have we finally had a “This fucking show” moment?
Is this the best one-episode performance of anyone ever?
We spot the Wilhelm Scream for once.
Where was the beachiness?
I remember that Bindles has a story to tell.
What question should Pedro have been asked?
Have we had a normal family visit?
There is some very clever foreshadowing.
Is this season a Greatest Hits?
BMW gets a new slogan.
Where do Clouseau sit?
Why didn’t Pedro & Michèle go straight for the lyrics?
Could they not just have held the horn down?
We reach that point where we discuss our favourite crisp flavours.
Is Si Racha where sriracha comes from?
Do durians always smell terrible?
Could Hilde & Michele have thrown their challenge any worse?
Why do they love Giorgia Meloni?
Why haven’t they put Gilles in a celebrity challenge yet?
Is Alexy’s advantage actually an advantage?
Did I know Hilde was going?
Can we find a way to still meet Hilde?
Can you read into the earpiece reveal?
Has the briefcase been a good twist?
Where was Gilles this episode?
Hilde gets the eulogy she’s earned.
There are the latest updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
Will anyone switch?
We lock in our final pair of suspicions for the season.
And who will be our final three?

Unfortunately I’m on the back foot going into final five, as Hilde’s elimination leaves me clinging on with just Michèle! Bindles still has Pedro & Nimrod, while Logan has Sarah & Alexy. This is also the final week where Switches can be used on the Pool – whoever is left on our teams on Sunday will be our permanent team.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hchqwasrwrbakq8f/bmole1305.mp3

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Scroll to the top of your legs, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but probably not Logan Saunders – as is now traditional! Each week, three guys whose judgement doesn’t matter at all – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, continuing with the fourth episode and elimination of Els!

In this episode:

Are we finally being pandered to?
We weirdly have similar stories from our weeks.
Logistics for Antwerp get sorted.
What is Pedro’s defining trait, four episodes in?
Do we have to ask Nimrod if he still believes in Father Christmas?
I decide upon a very sigh-worthy episode title.
Was the metronome challenge too tough?
Is the Willy Sommers joke getting a bit old?
We spot a missing nickname from last year.
Who would know the beat of a Willy Sommers song?
There’s a Fawlty Towers reference.
Should more older women be encouraged to cartwheel on Mole?
Would Hilde have been caught without the label?
Was the briefcase a bit too mean this week?
Where would the Mole want to be?
Could the Mole have sabotaged the dragon boat?
I actively avoid a bingo square.
We sing the praises of Ayutthaya.
There’s some smack talk from an elephant.
How did we go with the cities?
Where was the Atomium?
Nimrod is lucky we don’t do Amazing Race anymore.
What cities were missing from the challenge?
Have we finally had a “This Fucking Show” moment?
Where did the Mole want to be in Ayutthaya?
How low is the pot?
There is the latest update to the Pool.
The Suspect List question is deliberately antagonistic.
We have a slight confession to make.
First Suspicions is a bloodbath.
We lock in our first pair of suspicions for the season.
And was the briefcase created just to help out an older Mole?

After a perfect start to his first Pool, Bindles loses his first team member – leaving him with just Pedro & Nimrod (his ideal situation). Logan still has Sarah & Alexy and I have Michele & Hilde.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

[AUDIO=https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4kfyhydtjuz5aans/bmole1304.mp3]

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Complain about how bad a theme park was, even a year after going, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but probably not Logan Saunders – as is now traditional! Each week, three guys who can never use the balcony because it’s not structurally sound – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, continuing with the third episode and elimination of Jan!

In this episode:

Is Hilde the first old woman since Annelies to make episode four?
Bindles has been off identifying Taskmaster locations.
Is Logan still not the favourite child?
One of our favourite Americans gets a shoutout.
Is Mario Kart enough to make me get a Switch 2?
Jeff Bezos asks us for a video.
I’ve found something incredibly rare.
What else did the Mole put in the watermelon?
Was Alexy an alternate for Sicily?
When did it become strongly discouraged to touch elephants in Thailand?
I try not to get cancelled.
Logan makes a big donation.
What was the most exciting thing at Movie World?
I reveal the shirt I’m wearing to this year’s finale.
Fuzzy’s Historians clues are teased.
Why did Jan & Pedro do anything with the melons?
Are watermelons always hilarious?
What was missing from the tools?
Hilde asks for a special tool of her own for the season.
Why did Jan & Pedro decide to destroy the melons?
Has this season felt light on the “This fucking show” moments?
Gillian Larson makes a cameo.
Why was the banner chosen?
Would Pedro have had to do the test naked?
The Radio DJ is wonderfully passive-aggressive.
Was the radio challenge reveal the best sabotage we’ve ever seen?
We solve a problem from Sicily.
Did the Mole need to do anything in the Lottery challenge?
Do we need an “Old Man Yells at Pot Drain” moment?
Logan fails to add up.
Did the masseurs go far enough?
Why does Flanders hate Hilde?
How did we go at picking out the pasvragen winners?
Who had the best tactics in the lottery challenge?
Bindles spots an unflattering angle.
I raise some things that could be clues.
Are we relieved to lose Jan here?
Jan forms an Only Connect sequence.
What was missing from the montage?
There are the latest updates to First Suspicions and the Pool.
We lock in our final trio of suspicions.
And will there be a twist after the next execution?

Shocking absolutely no-one, Logan loses his second team member on the Pool – meaning he’s just down to Sarah & Alexy. Bindles still has his full team of Pedro, Nimrod & Els and I have Michele & Hilde.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qpnwwt33j3jkt8by/bmole1303.mp3

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Code everyone as Muppets, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but probably not Logan Saunders – as is now traditional! Each week, three guys who can only improve from here – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, continuing with the second episode and elimination of both Rusiana & Pasquino!

In this episode:

Logan has had some hate mail.
I apply the comedy handbrake.
My brother is a bit of a curse.
Will Room 504 be a clue?
Is the Mole still Welsh?
Are Pedro’s feet actually big?
Did they manage to avoid the stereotype of a Thai massage?
Where would we want to be in the Zodiac challenge?
Do we believe in conspiracy theories?
Logan starts a feud with an old man in a camper van.
What zodiac animals are we?
Does Logan regret telling us about his evening activities?
Am I scared of any of Logan’s friends?
What was Alexy thinking whipping the big red button?
Did Pasquino acquire a big neon exit sign?
Why did they not just randomly place the leftover animals?
Is a peacock a zodiac animal?
How many countries end in “-land”?
Did Hilde earn herself a second banner?
How bad was Hilde’s acting?
I have to put a pound in the swear jar.
What would have happened if Nimrod won the train race?
Was Nimrod a distraction?
Is everyone overlooking how the Mole could swap their case value?
Have we ever done a sleeper train?
Gilles makes them own up.
Would anyone not have looked in their briefcase?
Where will they be going next?
Did someone save themselves?
There are the first updates on the Pool and First Suspicions.
We lock in our second set of suspects.
And Bindles gloats.

In the predictions pool, our teams have finally been drawn!

However, there was an execution…

Both Logan & I lose our first team members but as Rusiana was executed first, Logan replaces her with Jan. Bindles’ team is still intact with Pedro, Nimrod & Els, Logan now has Sarah, Alexy & Jan and I have Michèle & Hilde.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/meds963mmupgu38u/bmole1302.mp3

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Do some really goofy sneaky shit, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster celebrates his tenth season of hosting, by inviting another ten candidates to join him for the best Thai-me of their lives in the Land of Smiles – Thailand! As always, one of them has a second motive – to spread misfortune while sabotaging and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but probably not Logan Saunders – as is now traditional! Each week, three guys who would never dump truck it straight onto your drive, loose – Logan, Bindles & I – will be attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be trying to find out the hand action to offer us a quickie, beginning with the first episode and elimination of absolutely no-one!

In this episode:

Logan surprises us all.
Fuzzy gets a bingo square straight away.
I’ve been trying to improve community relations.
Are we being pandered to by another show?
We touch upon Jeopardy! UK.
What do we think of Thailand as a location choice?
Do we feel old?
Could we have had another Canary Islands situation?
We improve the Muay Thai challenge.
Do we like the Briefcase concept?
Can we tell everyone apart?
Logan’s mildly-offensive descriptions return.
Jan has a very stereotypical introduction.
Did we spot a clue?
Papa Bear’s been watching Taskmaster.
Did the Nose group know what their challenge was before it aired?
Was Hilde’s introduction a repeat?
Is The Bible a Tolkein epic?
Bindles goes down a rabbit hole.
Has Napoleon Dynamite been referenced before?
Have the Papa Bear nicknames been put to bed?
Are any of Els’ tricks that impressive?
Should the courier have had to earn his journey to the rooftop?
How tall was the building for the helicopter?
Have we been to Bangkok?
Why did they need drivers in Thailand and not Vietnam?
Would we have let the briefcase in?
Gilles shows off.
We spoil next season’s location.
Did we get tricked on the location?
Which task would we have chosen?
What was the unaired fourth item on the pad thai challenge?
Did the kickboxer deliberately avoid their heads?
What was nearly the banner?
What are Belgium’s two most famous things?
Is Els a little too competitive to be a Mole?
Medical emergencies are sexy.
We sing Hilde’s praises.
Would they do a proverb joke?
Our history comes back to bite us in the form of our very first fake podcast.
How good was the first sabotage?
Why did no-one remove the fake sign?
Why was Rusiana in the vent?
Are we counting this as an episode 1 cliffhanger?
We’ve got a little addition to First Suspicions.
And we lock in our first set of suspects.

A new season also means a new predictions pool for me to win! For the first time ever though – there will be three of us participating! In our België one, Logan, Bindles & I will each draft three candidates following this week’s episode. As I won last year’s Flemish pool, I get first draft. As the only person to be right in the end, Logan gets second draft and as Bindles led us all astray, he gets last draft. Our fan-favourite Switches also return and can – as always – be used until final five becomes final four. Whoever is left over will join the team who loses someone next week – in the event of a double execution, that will be the team who loses someone first next week.

The teams will be revealed on next week’s episode!

You can also join us in the First Suspicions game by filling in this form. The form will be live until Episode 2 airs on Sunday! You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/n82brrdqbd9tdxys/bmole1301.mp3

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Ask if they serve Butterbeer here, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2025’s visit to Cambodia and our twenty-third Mole season! Over these ten episodes, three guys who are in their Jeff Probst Era – Logan, Bindles & I – are trying to unmask the latest Mole in this 25th anniversary season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the sixth episode and elimination of Sam.

In this week’s recap:

We wait for our call from Gilles.
Did the trivia challenge have a clue?
Why did we find out about Renaissance II halfway through this season?
There’s a new rule coming for Bingo.
Can the Trust Nobody people help Fuzzy with her banner choices?
Just how bad was Michelle’s Pool team?
Logan’s had a bit of a quizhap.
The Challenge has a Phil Keoghan x Switzerland moment.
Has anyone done an entirely Brass version of Oratio?
Who else should have wished Roos a Happy Birthday?
How visibly hot was the first challenge?
Is this season being edited like it’s Oman, but with twenty extra minutes?
Can this season reach the heights of Georgia?
Was Mexico II catered to the ancient cast?
One part of the first challenge really dates this season.
Which team was most suspicious at Angkor Wat?
Have we been overlooking Stijn?
I’ve got a WhatsApp story.
Did Roos have a sash?
Does Stijn have rizz?
Where is Purple Nora?
Who will Logan suspect at final three?
Did Sam outsmart the Producers with the photographer challenge?
Is Rik more confident in speaking English than we’ve been led to believe?
How did we do with the quiz questions?
Who would know what language they speak in China?
Was there something to the phrase “King of Deception”?
Rik boards a cruise.
Was the Quiz a good challenge?
Bindles is a pedant.
Logan calls Bullshit.
Will Sam’s Dad be proud of him?
Was the information always going to be the prize?
When did they last wait this long to introduce exemptions?
Is there a twist coming to the pot drain next week?
There’s a delightful bit of schadenfreude in the big setpiece of the season being cursed.
Were there advantages hidden in the market?
How did they pick their own Mole?
I have a bit of a revelation.
Sixth proves to be a cursed placement.
Does Sam need a eulogy?
We have the latest updates to First Suspicions and the Pool.
We lock in our sixth set of suspects.
And there’s a genuinely controversial ending to the episode.

In addition to breaking our hearts, Sam being executed also means Michelle is completely eliminated from the Pool – the earliest she’s ever been eliminated! I still have Maaike, Sophie & Roos – and am now guaranteed a finalist – while Logan has Nora & Stijn.

Spoilers for the ending!However, there were two switches used during the episode…

For the first time ever, Logan chose to switch – swapping Maaike from my team for Nora on his. In return, I swapped Nora back, but in exchange for Stijn – as under the rules of the Pool, a switch cannot be reversed. This leaves the final teams for the season (at least pending a Michelle Chaos Switch!) as Nora & Maaike for Logan and Stijn, Sophie & Roos for me.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hze3g4jkpda857m5/widm2506.mp3

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Show up early in the morning and start sweating immediately, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2025’s visit to Cambodia and our twenty-third Mole season! Over these ten episodes, three guys who may as well just suspect Linda from the Traitors at this point – Logan, Bindles & I – are trying to unmask the latest Mole in this 25th anniversary season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the fifth episode and elimination of Bridget.

In this week’s recap:

Logan debuts a new impression.
A call at my work reminded me of the podcast.
There’s been some communication.
Was Fuzzy the victim of an “accidental” blocking?
Michelle has a bad week.
Logan is cursed.
Rik gets a new career.
Did the contestants sweat?
Logan doesn’t hear any laughter.
Was it the same challenge no matter which envelope they chose?
Have I been mean on the Suspect List again?
Why did Nora decide to not do the Apsara challenge?
Was this week’s challenges good ones?
Did they fail the face counting challenge?
One of the eliminated players could have been very helpful.
Bindles spots some foreshadowing.
A perfectly innocent question is misinterpreted.
Would the Mole want to publicly sabotage?
What was the logic behind the banner this week?
Did they fail the Tomb Raider challenge?
Would they be gutsy enough to make Nora the Mole?
Prior Preparation Prevents Particular Pedantry.
Was the hand actions challenge unnecessarily mean?
Could the dance names be a clue?
Is this a nightmare episode for me?
Who will be the final three?
I have an oddly specific prediction for the next execution.
What will the reunion banner be?
Is putting the maximum values on the screen becoming a negative?
How would the Mole have played the sculpture challenge?
Logan picks a fight with Buddhists.
Is WIDM done with copious amounts of advantages now?
We take the opportunity to mock German Mole again.
Which temple is Redemple Temple?
Did we need to see Roos’ bug eyes?
Does Bridget deserve a eulogy?
There are the latest updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
And we lock in our fifth set of suspicions.

In our Pool, it’s another bad week for Michelle – leaving all her hopes resting on the draft she didn’t want: Sam! Logan still has Nora & Stijn and I still have all of my team – Maaike, Sophie & Roos.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ja4nmhnhs4cds7ir/widm2505.mp3

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Give them a really passive-aggressive goodbye, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2025’s visit to Cambodia and our twenty-third Mole season! Over these ten episodes, three guys who are very good boys trying their hardest – be quiet, you monster – Logan, Bindles & I – are trying to unmask the latest Mole in this 25th anniversary season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the fourth episode and elimination of Ray.

In this week’s recap:

We set ourselves a goal.
Logan breaks a promise.
Who is the Australian James Duthie?
There are some terrible Traitors opinions.
It’s the week that I teased!
Is Mexican food too exotic for Vernon?
Will Fuzzy ever get a runtime?
Are the briefings related to what the Mole has done?
Bindles makes a very correct prediction.
We try and remember both Claes and his shirt.
Is Sam the problem at this point?
Was it even a real lie detector?
Is the Interrogator the best play for Ray?
Was the Mole in the cave?
Do we need more of Nora?
Did Ray & Sophie run out of questions?
Was Roos’ behaviour in the lie detector suspicious?
What is my surprising major complaint about the first challenge?
Did we recognise the Haunted Cave sub-challenge?
Was anyone satisfied with the first challenge?
Logan challenges me on the English language.
Rik gets interrogated.
Do we need the slightly patronising set of confessionals before the second challenge?
Have Production got a bit lucky so far?
Is Sam already the highlight of the season?
I spot something about the snakes and ladders questions.
Were Sophie’s questions much easier?
Could they just have made more cups of ice when they were waiting for syrup?
What is the point of an ambiguous maximum if the amount earned is pitiful?
Is the joker enough of an incentive to not make you stop at every syrup bottle?
What game will be played for the final exemption of the season?
I realise a pun.
Why are they messing with the test so much?
Should there have been a penalty for failing the test challenge?
Did they give up at the Execution?
Logan gets banned from suspicions.
Will Ray get a eulogy?
There are the latest updates to First Suspicions and the Pool.
What did Sophie do to go up 6%?
And we lock in our fourth set of suspicions for who the Mole is and who’s going home.

In our Pool, Michelle has another bad week – leaving her with just Bridget & Sam. Logan is clinging on with Nora & Stijn and I still have my full team – Maaike, Sophie & Roos.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fn92jw6xxeg47fhc/widm2504.mp3

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Fumble it in the most Fuzzy way possible, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2025’s visit to Cambodia and our twenty-third Mole season! Over these ten episodes, three guys who are somehow not the most unsubtle people this week, despite our best efforts – Logan, Bindles & I – are trying to unmask the latest Mole in this 25th anniversary season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the third episode and elimination of Gabriël.

In this week’s recap:

Logan is feeling very relaxed after his trip.
Where in the world was Logan Saunders?
We swap SFO stories.
I’ve been breaking rules.
We celebrate January by talking about Christmas.
I’ve had a bit of an infestation, and my mother’s a comedian about it.
It’s finally time for some more offensive descriptions!
KLM are in my bad books.
We talk about the most important news of the last week.
There’s been a Pieter Jan-ker’s Samble!
Can Canucks cluck?
Who did Logan suspect last week?
Why was my brilliant joke not acknowledged?
This is still not a Traitors podcast.
Does Logan want to eulogise Teun?
We reveal some tech issues.
Is Maaike’s the least sanitary joker in WIDM history?
Gabriël reveals his favourite Amazing Race contestant.
Sam gets his very own dick moment.
Bridget has some very interesting stories.
Rik gets more praise!
We have a brand new sound effect for when Logan tells a bad joke.
I try and subvert a bingo square.
They’re very generous to Ray.
How did Sophie & Sam think they would get away with such blatant cheating efforts?
Why did they already leave Phnom Penh?
Logan brings the mood down.
Bridget goes on Traitors.
What was the first reaction to Sam, Sophie & Stijn disappearing?
We reveal why “execution” became “elimination”.
The schedule seems very relaxed.
This podcast has ruined my autocorrect.
Did we work out that Ray was telling the truth?
How did the Mole know who was telling the truth?
Is being able to see everyone else’s reactions an advantage?
What must board games at the Hagens House be like?
Would we run for the money?
Should there have been more ridiculousness at the test?
Everything comes back to one thing in Cambodia.
Will we get a pot drain?
We finally acknowledge one of our favourite Logan mess-ups from last year.
Does Gabriël need eulogising?
We look forward to ripping apart lie detector tests next week.
There are the latest updates to First Suspicions and the Pool.
There is a lot of bum jokes in this episode.
Who do the Netherlands suspect?
We lock in our third set of suspects.
And can we separate the cast entertainment-wise?

It’s the worst possible start for both Michelle and Logan in our Pool as they’ve both lost their first suspects in the first two eliminations! With Gabriël’s departure, Logan is now left with Nora & Stijn, I still have my team of Maaike, Sophie & Roos and Michelle has Bridget, Ray & Sam.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/9tjztr62wgffytna/widm2503.mp3

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Say yes to dumb ideas, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2025’s visit to Cambodia and our twenty-third Mole season! Over these ten episodes, two guys who are already grinning at Logan’s misfortune – Bindles & I – are trying to unmask the latest Mole in this 25th anniversary season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the second episode and elimination of Teun.

In this week’s recap:

When did we last podcast without Logan?
I spotted an error.
Where actually in the world is Logan Saunders?
How close to bingo did Fuzzy get?
Something’s getting a rebrand!
Do we need to talk about Traitors?
There’s been some feedback about last week’s Mole Briefing.
Have we ever taken a panoramic photo?
Does this show need more of the body spelling challenge?
Who did the Netherlands suspect last week?
Why did they film the posing challenge so late in the day?
Were they actually in the vault overnight?
How did the Mole sabotage the posing challenge?
Did everyone get a First Suspicion?
Is this a dumb cast?
How good is the second challenge?
Was Mexico II a good season?
Will the Heist replace the laser game this season?
I extol the virtues of good Mole money (again!)
Roos shows her age.
Are they finally working out what to do with Rik?
Is this cast a bit bitchier than normal?
Was Gabriël’s live camera feed useful?
Did the Heist have a sabotage?
What will the banner be?
The Suspect List question is a bit nicer this week.
Is Teun a disappointing first boot?
Where was all the money hidden in the market?
There is a distinct lack of “etherdiscipline”.
Were the vault challenges difficult?
Could this season actually not be cheap?
Could Million-dollar Traitors ever exist?
I tell a group of strangers to STFU.
Did the Paleis have a hidden clue?
How would we play it if we were the Mole?
Did Roos need to stop them earning the jokers?
How did the gramophone work?
Have trains reached Vernon?
Why did Stijn react to Roos’ attempt at sabotage in that way?
Should the successful people at the market have had a hand in the vault challenge?
Will people now think twice at getting caught in a laser game?
Bridget makes us break with convention.
Can Dame Joanna Lumley bleat?
Is Teun a typical first boot?
Bindles spots a Valentines’ Day poster.
We want more Pieter Jan cameos.
There is the first update to the Pool and First Suspicions.
Who do we suspect?
Who’s going home next?
And are we justified in joking about how many WIDM alumni go on other shows?

In the predictions pool, our teams have finally been drawn!

However, there was an elimination…

For the first time since China, Michelle loses the first person – meaning her team now becomes Bridget, Ray and Sam. I still have Maaike, Sophie & Roos and Logan has Gabriël, Nora & Stijn.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dhq4vdmxdd36b229/widm2502.mp3

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Fill in the blanks Only Connect-style, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2025’s visit to Cambodia and our twenty-third Mole season! Over the next ten episodes, three guys who are on a little tiny teeny trampoline that they’re pushing from person to person – Logan, Bindles & I – will be trying to unmask the latest Mole in this 25th anniversary season of Wie is de Mol – beginning with the premiere and surprise selection of the Mole!

In this week’s recap:

Bindles forgets that he chose his own intro.
Is this the longest we’ve gone without speaking?
Do we have any clue who the Mole is yet?
Can Bridget bleat?
We help Fuzzy get an inevitable bingo square.
Why did I give up on Traitors US?
Are we more excited for Cambodia or Thailand as a location?
Logan refuses to finish an anecdote.
I’ve been off discovering Dutch TV.
The podcast continues to follow me around.
Bindles has held an iconic trophy.
Logan gets a new segment.
We finally find a use for AI.
A choice is offered.
I finally reveal what I’ve been lying about.
An opportunity is missed.
I’ve been off writing quiz rounds to annoy my colleagues.
We make maybe the most important announcement we’ve ever had.
There’s a bit of preunion content.
Did we guess the twist?
Logan discovers the new intro.
Are we fans of Kristof the new showrunner?
Have the fan reactions to WIDM changed?
There’s a België motif missing.
Logan finds out a bit about Oman.
Were we due a change of showrunner?
Bindles loves maps.
Have they focused on the casting?
Who are apple crates named after?
Is the first half of the episode a bit of a waste?
Does the Netherlands have Millionaire?
How did Jeroen win his place on Renaissance?
Do we like them picking a Mole on-location?
We finally get some dissent after the last few years.
Did Pieter Jan have a feud with Sophie?
There’s a surprising Simpsons reference.
Did they learn from Papa Bear’s mistake?
There’ve been some WIDM crossovers.
Why was the Suspect List question chosen?
Should they have expected tarantulas?
Why is there never a gross food challenge in India?
How difficult was the money exchange challenge?
Is Phnom Penh a tourist-friendly city?
They check off all the Southeast Asia stereotypes.
One of our favourites has reappeared.
Has Ray ever melted a block of ice before?
Was the last challenge a good one?
Why did they make them stand there with the balloons and ice?
How excited were we to see a Briefing of the Mole appear in WIDM?
Where does this Mole rank already?
Can they afford a cameo?
The Pool reveal might have a small delay.
We (hesitantly) lock in our first suspicions.
Logan gets a personal challenge.
Who’s going home next week?
And we praise the lack of convoluted non-elimination episode (so far).

We’re also pleased to announce that back for its eighth WIDM season is our predictions pool! Now that the first episode has aired, Michelle, Logan & I will each be drafting three people for our teams. As winner of the last pool, I get first pick, then Logan, then Michelle and so on until nine people have been assigned a team. The rules are as follows:

Following the premiere, we will all order the cast from most to least suspicious. I was guaranteed to get my first pick, Logan would get his first unless it matches mine… and so on, until we each have three people on our team.
In the event that more than nine people are left after a premiere, then whoever is left over will not be assigned a team until the next episode – when they will replace the next person to leave the show. If there are two left over, then whoever loses someone first will get first choice of those remaining without a team.
The person whose team contains the Mole on the finale night will be crowned the winner. In the event that I win again, I will also gloat incessantly until I lose the Belgian one later in the year.
During the season, each person has the use of a Switch. The Switch gives you the power to trade someone from one team with someone from another. There is no requirement for this to be your own team, and does not expire in the event that all of your team are eliminated.
Only one Switch can be used per week and all Switches expire on the episode in which the Final Five becomes the Final Four airs. If there is a Final Five non-elimination episode, Switches are still valid until that Final Five is no more.
In the event that there is a Final Four in the end and the two losers are spread over two separate teams (with the Winner & Mole on the third one), the tiebreaker is that the first person to lose someone out of those teams with the losers on it will be third place.

Teams will be revealed during next week’s episode!

Also, if you’re reading this in the Premiere Week, you too can fill in our First Suspicions form – I’ll be keeping an eye on everyone’s list during the season to see who has the best instincts! You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/z6r4t3kcnagrrk2e/widm2501.mp3

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Run over all the equipment for a drone show, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over these nine episodes, three guys who would never jump out of bushes at an all-inclusive – Logan, Bindles & I – have been going back through the archives to discuss a season with a huge reputation – concluding with the final two episodes and reveal of Klaas as the Mole!

In this week’s recap:

Did we have a fun Canada Day?
We date ourselves (unsurprisingly).
I’ve been accidentally winning more things.
There are the first reviews of NetMol, WIDM: Oman and Traitors New Zealand.
Logan’s had his own version of Restaurant Wars.
Did Annemieke’s exemption save her?
Americans learn about fake moling.
Would we ever do Germany 5 as a Historians?
Was the first challenge impossible?
Logan tries not to make a Coldplay reference.
Does Annemieke actually speak Spanish?
Why are they still pretending the Follow the Money clue hasn’t been solved?
Annemieke goes all Tracy Jordan.
Why would a Mole hate an all-inclusive resort?
What would have happened if someone on a negative note got to Final Three?
Could Tim & Annemieke have blocked the camera?
A years-long secret is revealed.
We try and break a great challenge.
What were the cultural touchstones of 2015?
Is Klaas really Usain Bolt?
Logan is tickled by an Annemieke quote.
Is it actually quite difficult to get 23 out of 40?
Did the editors give up on subtlety?
The final set of suspicions are locked in.
Art tells a blatant lie.
Was Vivienne a first choice?
We discuss this season’s extracurriculars.
Does Mole need showmances?
There’s an opportunity for one final way to tease Taeke.
What is their fascination with Rop?
No-one could have predicted the Mole.
Why do people watch Wie is de Mol?
Are there any Mole actions worth talking about?
Is withholding money a sabotage?
We finally discuss the big clue of the season.
How did Logan figure it out?
Was Klaas a good Mole?
Do they need to get rid of the live reunions?
Does this season deserve its reputation?
Were the clues a bit too coincidental?
What clues didn’t we see?
We thank everything for Tim Hofman.
How would the Suspect List have ended?
Annemieke gets a eulogy.
And the season ends how it should.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you in January for Wie is de Mol 2025!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/t9quq75t3ceeh3qu/widm1609.mp3

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Sit there, dying of heatstroke in a Caribbean summer, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over these nine episodes, three guys who have been practicing their catchphrases – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a season with a huge reputation – continuing with the eighth episode and execution of Double Taeke.

In this week’s recap:

We brainstorm some catchphrases for NetMol.
There’s a rumour about WIDM: Oman (from five months ago)
We have a brief foray into quiz show chat.
How cheap is the cinema in the UK?
Logan picks a popcorn bucket.
Bindles creates a new feature for next season.
Annemieke is a bit mean about Taeke (and that’s our job!)
There’s a surprisingly accurate bit of maths.
Taeke learns about thermodynamics.
Was making people run around a metal shed in the height of Caribbean summer a safe thing to do?
Where did Klaas disappear to?
I prevent a fact checking.
Do the challenges blend into one a bit?
How lucrative is the second challenge?
Would they have let there be another pot drain?
Did Tim get a safety briefing?
We talk about a brilliant prank.
Did they overthink the cash clocks?
Could we have spun Taeke being suspicious?
Did they break records with their earnings this episode?
Why was the concept of make-up so funny?
What is our favourite bit of the Dominican home?
Did Annemieke let the side down in the apartment?
Who could we afford to lose from the season?
Is the Variety Show challenge a bit disappointing?
How would België have done the Variety Show?
Did Annemieke get any words right?
Was the Follow the Money twist a flop?
We were misled last week.
Did Taeke mess up at his final test?
Was Taeke well-liked at the time?
Taeke gets a eulogy.
Logan looks forward to finding out the answer to his perennial question.
The penultimate set of suspicions are locked in.
And Bindles struggles with the internet.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/f9yxzkaik2y4awe8/widm1608.mp3

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Respect the eater discipline, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over these nine episodes, three guys who would probably do it for one one-thousandth of an Ellie Lust – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a season with a huge reputation – continuing with the seventh episode and execution of Rop (off of popcasts).

In this week’s recap:

Logan has an important update after last week.
How many questions should you be getting wrong?
Where was the Ellie Lust content?
Has Phil Collins reached Canada?
Does anyone get excited for a Control Room challenge?
How cheap is this season?
Would Sri Lanka have been that expensive?
Did they know about the pig sty?
We test our Caribbean geography knowledge.
Bindles goes hotel hunting.
Was the Sandcastle challenge dangerous?
When did this season film?
Is Cécile anywhere near the Baaf Brandt Corstius Line?
Does Puerto Plata have any inhabited buildings?
Why are there very few personal advantages?
Does anyone remember Sigrid?
Have the exemption rules changed?
How many Black Exemptions were offered?
Is this the exception to the rule that all challenges involving members of the public are awkward?
WIDM invents a British TV show.
Why did no-one complain about the service?
Is “Island Time” a real thing?
What’s the maximum for the restaurant challenge?
Did Annemieke play Klaas correctly?
Logan tries to guess a sabotage.
Art gives the game away.
Is this the most jokers that have been wiped out?
Can we remember who tied?
Is this the last we see of Rop?
Do we need to eulogise Rop?
Logan locks in his seventh set of suspicions.
And would we rather go to a Dominican or Haitian restaurant?

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8u3pv5w4ceiznsua/widm1607.mp3

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Just look in the back, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over these nine episodes, three guys who have just got really cheap and annoying overall – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a season with a huge reputation – continuing with the sixth episode and execution of literal icon Cécile Narinx.

In this week’s recap:

One of our favourite shows has a surprise second series!
Has anyone watched Traitors Québec yet?
There’s some trivia drama.
I’ve been out there winning things (from the comfort of Harmstone Heights).
We say our favourite C-word.
There was an opportunity for some revenge taken.
I come clean about an accidental spoiler.
Why is the pot so low?
Art is obsessed with gender.
Why do we love Tim?
The white room visual is difficult.
This is the era of Fort Boyard getting into trouble.
We try and loophole hunt.
Did the White Room need to be identical or mirror image?
Do we approve of them sneaking jokers into the White Room?
Cécile gets her own room.
Logan expects more.
What is the exact opposite of this season?
The lack of dictionary comes back to bite them.
How do we feel about cable cars?
How does Annemieke know Papiamento?
Why did no-one reverse engineer the dictionaries?
Could they have used Google Translate?
No-one wants to be Treasurer.
Should Cécile’s New Fancy Wallet have been a recurring item?
We finally love a challenge.
How could Taeke reach the pedals?
We try and send them to Recoleta.
How close were they on the family photo?
What do they do with the België cutouts?
What is a good summary of the season?
Cécile gets the eulogy she deserves.
Is Four in a Row the same as Connect Four?
Logan locks in his sixth set of suspicions.
And how do you stop the Mole sabotaging the White Room?

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ipizqq9ax8fhn3p6/widm1606.mp3

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Insist upon a complete downgrade, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over these nine episodes, three guys who do not yet have an achievement star unlocked – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a season with a huge reputation – continuing with the fifth episode and execution of Marjolein.

In this week’s recap:

We’ve had a midseason break!
Where in the world was Logan Saunders?
Venice has a lot of scams.
A restraining order is nearly used.
Where in the world was David Bindley?
Papa Bear has been spotted at a theme park.
Logan reveals his logic.
We give some travel tips.
I really want to get Logan on a rollercoaster.
There are the first whispers of a second NetMol.
An old segment returns (sorry Fuzzy)!
There’s an update on our favourite hot dog eater.
Bindles has been waiting six weeks to do a joke.
The episode title is terrible.
Why did they celebrate still having seven people?
Someone gets forgotten.
We look for more sponsors.
Was it the right move to send Taeke ahead?
How come nobody told Taeke an answer early?
Logan earns a time out.
Bright ideas come from a very unlikely place.
Someone gets an invitation to a new show.
Logan tries to guess what the Mole did.
Was the final challenge a bridge too far?
What went wrong for Marjolein?
Do we want to eulogise Marjolein?
And Logan locks in his fifth set of suspicions.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/bcw2fqk7qdtk9jua/widm1605.mp3

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Add an extra zero on that they missed off, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over these nine episodes, three guys who are always in danger of giving you a black eye – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a season with a huge reputation – continuing with the fourth episode and execution of Ellie.

In this week’s recap:

Had we forgotten this was a good episode?
How did Cecile get a majority vote?
Logan & I match references.
When was our last good impression?
The podcast has infiltrated a puzzle magazine.
How tall is Taeke Taekema?
Why did they repeat a Sri Lanka challenge?
Does Logan love Cecile yet?
Did Tim’s kayaking adventure come with a warning?
Are people missing our Amazing Race podcasts?
How deep was the water?
Marjolein gets a good line.
Is this a good twist on the Path of Temptation?
I have a grumble.
Taeke sabotages.
How would we play the Duel of Temptation?
What was the most valuable thing?
We briefly become a Survivor podcast.
Is it a blessing Americans haven’t discovered this show?
Who is the goofiest Newfie of this cast?
Is there anyone from this cast who should have done a podcast?
Annemieke earns some praise.
Logan reveals a campaign.
Would Annemieke have got away with her ruse if she wasn’t paired with Taeke?
I debut an impression.
Should they have known there was more to the dictionary?
Does Ellie’s frisking defy the point of the Kennis is Macht power?
A familial connection is revealed.
Why do we never hear what the information for the fourth test was?
Annemieke defies edgic.
I spot something about the notes again.
Why do they keep the minus money?
Logan solves the Haiti problem…with violence!
Was it that difficult a climb?
Watching people do logic puzzles is never interesting.
Are there any redeeming qualities to the final challenge?
Does the rock climbing money seem a bit low?
Ellie forgets to say goodbye.
We give the first eulogy of the season.
Logan locks in some suspicions.
Does our favourite new feature have a shelf life?
Who will be next to go?
And who the hell is Larry?

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zri5kcvqa8jihp7g/widm1604.mp3

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Just live in the moment and lose all control, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over these nine episodes, three guys who are all cursed with video game brains – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a season with a huge reputation – continuing with the third episode and execution of Remy.

In this week’s recap:

Would it be relaxing to be woken up to a harp?
Logan gives us a timestamp.
Is “social experiment” just as much of a meaningless buzzword in Dutch?
Bindles gets a pole joke in.
I break some news about one of our friends.
What’s the circle of life for being on television?
We find out what Logan’s been googling (God help us all).
Anthony makes a cameo in text form.
Logan summons a Domino’s.
We find some more Eminem hints (not letting this go, Papa Bear!)
Bindles teaches us about *NSYNC.
Why does the first challenge have a confusing maximum?
How would the Mole play the note swapping challenge?
Was the “Follow the Money” clue as good as Production claimed?
I get a bit pernickety about drones.
Is Ellie really that well-suited to a laser game?
Why was Tim the sacrificial lamb?
Did they have a time limit for the laser game?
How old do you have to be to hear quadcopters?
Has Taeke had any concussions?
Taeke gets himself a new nickname.
WIDM goes into full-on blooper mode.
Was Ellie being mocked?
Should they have bet the house on Cecile?
What was the bare minimum that could be carried in the laser game?
Does Cecile plugging an MP3 Player into the bus date the episode?
Logan ranks his favourite horses.
Should we have known a pot drain was coming?
Have they ever done anything like the “power over the test” again?
We date the podcast as the stars align slightly.
How much of a failure is the “power over the test” twist?
Was this episode re-edited after the backlash from episode 2?
Does no-one want to leave after execution this season?
Why has WIDM never cast a trombone player?
I reveal my First Suspicion.
Logan locks in his third set of suspects.
Does Remy get a eulogy?
And is Remy still plucking?

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/z4kmgrmb3g4uvs5d/widm1603.mp3

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Reach your full Pieter Jan potential, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over these nine episodes, three guys whose priorities are to keep their dignity, keep their hair neat and keep their clothes wrinkle-free – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a season (and episode!) with a huge reputation – continuing with the second episode and execution of Airen.

In this week’s recap:

There’s a small spoiler for next week.
How infamous is the final challenge of this episode?
We tie up some loose ends from last week.
There’s some El Salvador/Nicaragua information.
Logan names some more salts.
Who really coined “etherdiscipline”?
How impossible was the salt mine challenge?
Would the salt mine have been all or nothing if Episode 1 hadn’t gone so well?
How badly did they all do in the salt mine?
What is the legacy of Ellie Lust?
Was anyone receptive to the etherdiscipline lecture?
Does anyone speak Spanish?
Logan’s been missing the wooing lady.
I put a stop to one of the suggestions before it even happens.
Are the vibes different, even though it’s only eight years ago?
Why was Remy put in charge?
There’s a new way to tell if someone’s old.
What would the Mole do in the photo challenge?
Is Art finally contemptuous?
Have we ever been to a pep rally?
I’m surprisingly not annoyed yet.
There’s the return of everyone’s favourite new segment, as we ask Who’s Fuckin’.
We try not to spoil anything from the most infamous challenge in WIDM history.
Would we go into the monastery?
How oblivious was Ellie Lust?
Why is this era of WIDM so obsessed with modern art museums?
Bindles gets some homework.
Airen has an awkward goodbye.
Do we know who the Episode 1 exemption saved?
There’s some refreshing honesty.
Bindles goes for subtlety.
Logan locks in his suspicions.
Our hit new feature hits a bit of a landmine.
And Airen gets eulogised.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hbbd59a2vxqi2vaj/widm1602.mp3

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Imagine Andre Rieu doing laser tag, because we are back for our sixth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2016 with Dominican Republic! Over the next nine episodes, three guys who are absolutely not going to Google that – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a season with a huge reputation – beginning with the first episode and execution of no-one.

In this week’s recap:

We revel in the borderline fuckery we’ve got away with.
Why did we pick this season?
How are we going to deal with that challenge next week?
This season is very ambitious with the travel.
Why didn’t we cover this season live?
Why did they spend so long explaining the concept of the show?
Is there a forgotten element to this season?
Do we consider this season a failure?
Logan is introduced to an icon.
Bindles has been falling down rabbit holes.
Why are they hiding Annemieke?
Who was the Dutch Banksy?
Is Marjolein above the Baaf Brandt Corstius Line?
We do some deep diving into the archive.
Is Remy a bit uncomfortable?
Why has Brazil never been visited?
A new segment is launched (and will genuinely come back!)
The Mole regrets calling Hugo.
Were we surprised Annemieke was so close to the Aaf Brandt Corstius Line?
There’s a question for the geography nerds.
Everyone says Hola.
Is the first challenge ever winnable?
Bindles tries out some pun work.
Who is the third-funniest person this season?
Tim Hofman killed The Voice.
Is beauty subjective?
Do I actually like the Mole Money twist?
What was the point of giving Klaas someone to find?
How was Klaas picked to have the dilemma?
Do we like the Giant Topito challenge?
Is there a positive to this episode?
There are some Survivor: Guatemala flashbacks.
Did the Mole have to do much in the second challenge?
Were Production being a bit cheap?
Another one of Logan’s favourite movies is revealed.
Ellie’s detection skills are put to the test.
Who dodged a bullet?
How far have we gone to keep the podcast spoiler-free?
And Logan locks in his first suspicions.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/trdvwcufycrpc8gn/widm1601.mp3

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Moles stick together, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role… Each week, two guys who just love that bewilderment – Logan & I, alongside Bindles – have been attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, concluding with the reunion episode!

In this episode:

Logan sticks with his usual lines.
Are we over the finale yet?
Where in the world is Logan Saunders?
Gilles answers our question.
We have a new standard question for interviews.
Do we ask different questions?
How did I respond to Michiel last week?
Was everyone warned about us?
Could there have been something missing from the reunion?
Senne lied to our faces.
Could we have got away with lying to our mothers?
We touch upon NetMol’s impending return.
I have a TV recommendation.
There are some Amazing Race updates.
We officially grade the WIDM Reunion bingo board.
Logan contemplates a pilgrimage.
Someone takes a trip.
Gillian is refreshingly honest.
Why are there never any leaks?
Where did the title quote come from?
Would you ever hesitate to say yes to becoming the Mole?
Is this reunion frustrating?
Was I hampered by Senne & Michaël being paired so much?
Is it a bit nasty to secretly film your mother?
Logan talks about an obscure Canadian commercial.
Should we have spotted a movie music clue?
How essential is authenticity?
Is it ever a good idea to leave the Mole alone?
How many times did they watch the finale?
There’s time for one final Bad Romance.
We look at the wrong coordinates.
Do we have a new favourite finale moment?
Where would we rank Sicily?
Is there an obvious place for next year?
Moles get ranked (sort of).
There’s one final bingo card to score.
And was a clue actually spotted?

Thank you for listening all season long – we’ll be back later in the year for more Historians episodes!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hknz99n5hm8bmqpd/bmole1209.mp3

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Focus for far too long on the crotch, as Best Friend of the Podcast Papa Bear Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role… Each week, three guys who are always on their second-best behaviour – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, continuing with the eighth episode and reveal of Senne as the Mole!

In this episode:

Did Logan get me a late checkout fee?
Someone is thrown out of a casino.
We run through bingo from the diary episode.
Our Mole host bingo board gets more complete.
Did we get any hints about next year?
Were there any souvenirs?
Did I ask about the Eminem “clue”?
Who was the most casual person at the finale?
How did our airport trips go?
Logan’s been to see some Pole dancers.
We had a three-way chat with a parent.
Will we be covering WIDM: Oman?
How do we think the finale event went for us?
Bindles comes up a bit short.
There’s some joke overlap.
What is my one major regret about the finale?
Logan exposes my notes.
Senne does the exact tactic I would do as Mole.
Was Gloria a clue?
Would we do the crane challenge?
How did the press room react?
The Mole has a connection to one of us.
We spot a pun.
One of these statues is not like the other.
Animal Crossing is educational.
I own up to being a bully.
Will Gilles sing Private Dancer?
Daniel Peake gets his mandatory shoutout.
Could Bernard have just run back downstairs instead of miming “olive plucking”?
Were the chains impossible to do quietly?
Why are we glad the statue poses didn’t appear in UK Mole?
Is there an official figure for the maximum pot this season?
How low is the pot?
I spotted a major clue at the public screening.
Were the Test suspicions deliberately shorter?
How did we react to the reveal?
We reveal the results to the Pool and First Suspicions.
Logan has Five Guys in Antwerp.
A new Suspect List champion is crowned.
And how long has this week been?

In the predictions pool, for the second season in a row I had the Mole in my team (and as first draft!), so I reign victorious. Due to his incorrect suspicion last week, Bindles will join next year’s België Pool with last draft.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next Thursday to conclude the season and maybe reveal what’s next!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rerj65s5abqzth7t/bmole1208.mp3

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For the first time together since 2019, Michael & Logan return to Kinepolis (well, the parking lot nearby) for another De Mol België finale event, giving you a peek behind the curtain of what goes into a finale – as well as chatting to Best Friend of the Podcast Gilles de Coster, the winner and the Mole themselves!

In this episode:

How did we react to the reveal?
There’s a quick preview for First Suspicions.
How did Senne react to being suspected?
What was the bath like?
Did Senne pick which mother he visited?
Is gnocchi a pasta?
How will Senne’s mother react to knowing she was an accomplice?
Will Gilles laugh at me?
The nicknames may come up.
What was the B task for the hand signal mini challenge?
Does Gilles make his own spaghetti bolognaise?
Which came first – the idea of filming in Centuripe or a body-shaped challenge?
Was a doubler really found on a beach?
Which task would Gilles have wanted to do?
Gilles gets surprised by us reading other things he’s said.
Do the girls need to step their game up?
Is fearlessness a common trait for a Mole?
What was the most high-pressure moment of the season?
Have we finally forced Gilles to accept Papa Bear?
We get a question from a surprising source.
How did Bernard feel about winning?
Was Lynn not wanting to be the Mole suspicious?
Did it amuse Bernard to know Flanders suspected him?
What was Bernard’s favourite challenge?
Who would Bernard have been sent to see?
What else can Philippe do?
Logan gets kettled.
Antwerp gonna Antwerp.
And we say thank you to those involved in the show.

Thank you to Gilles, Isabelle & all at Play4 for inviting us, and thank you for listening – we’ll see you on Thursday for the Finale recap!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/emcusit4kivnjuvm/bmole1208diary.mp3

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Achieve the impossible (well, almost), as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Stookie Gilles~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role… Each week, three guys who do everything perfectly until they get to the performance – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, continuing with the seventh episode and elimination of Charlotte!

In this episode:

Where in the World is Logan Saunders?
There’s been the reunion we’ve all been waiting for.
My parents had some unexpected visitors.
There’s been an update on the “Cruise of Deception”!
Bindles has been causing trouble with Bingo.
How can Dan stop the Groundhog Day jokes?
We ask for your questions for the finalists and Gilles.
There has been some very fun fan mail sent in.
Sicily’s capital gets another rename.
Would we have picked drama or exploring the world?
Do we actually consider the maximum for the “no steps” challenge to be €6000?
I may have spotted another clue.
Is this our Roman Empire?
How can you describe this season to friends?
Some of the flowchart questions are a bit sneaky.
Where would we have stopped with the dice throw?
Did they get a bit lucky that Senne was right on the step counting?
Will someone get a puppet at the reunion?
Are Bindles & I in too much of a tunnel?
What’s a Neil Patrick Harris?
What does BMW stand for?
Is there an obvious first choice for which task we’d want to do?
We flash back to Czechia.
The three tribes on the next Survivor season are exclusively revealed.
Romelu Lukaku tells a lie.
How did we react to the Senne reveal?
When did they tell Bernard’s mum the plan?
Did the Mole have it a bit easy in the bluffing game?
Has Logan done his homework?
When was the last time the Mole didn’t see a screen?
Logan spots a streak.
I have a particularly understated reaction to the execution.
There are the final updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
A Pieter Jan-ker’s Gamble is revealed for the Finale.
We blame Fuzzy for the Suspect List question.
And we lock in our final suspicions of the season.

In the predictions pool, Logan has lost his third team member, leaving him to go to Antwerp with Bernard. For the first time in weeks, I’m ahead with Senne & Michaël.

You can also take part in the final week of this season’s Bother’s Bar Suspect List here – the results will be revealed LIVE on the recap next week!

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you on Tuesday for Diary of a Mol (Finale) III and on Thursday to recap the finale!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/39hsm5iy9teh9h2v/bmole1207.mp3

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Crash the funeral mid-Our Father, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papandle in the Wind~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role… Each week, three guys who are easy to read, but lose a lot of money – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, continuing with the sixth episode and elimination of Stéphanie!

In this episode:

We celebrate the return of an old favourite segment.
Has Logan seen any dogs yet?
We remember to wish Daniel Peake a Happy Groundhog Day.
How would we do with Hot Ones?
Bingo was not Fuzzy’s finest hour.
Bindles is on a watchlist.
Was the Mario Kart challenge relocated?
Did we struggle to not spoil this week for Logan?
The real voice of the Mole is revealed.
No-one goes for the obvious karaoke song.
Gilles describes every Italian town.
How big a laugh did the coffin reveal get?
Did we recognise any Dutch songs?
What’s with all the Eurovision references?
Logan tries out some nicknames.
We tease the imminent return of an Amazing Race favourite joke.
Was it a good idea to give these people knives?
Did Senne & Stéphanie completely overcomplicate the Murderer coffee break?
Stéphanie’s name almost goes on the murder board.
Logan gets some homework.
I have a plan for when we see Gilles.
Where was the Wilhelm Scream?
Would we have taken the Church Gamble?
Another addition to the murder board is made.
Does Charlotte’s ageism actually make us understand her a bit more?
Is it nice to have an auction that isn’t detrimental to the pot?
Who actually bid sensibly?
Has Charlotte seen this show before?
Did they wash the BMW?
Where was the Mole’s voice?
Is there ever a situation where you don’t listen again to the AI montage?
Are Production copying off us again?
Why didn’t Michaël use the car speakers?
We (briefly) think about NetMol.
A rather interesting idea on Reddit has come to our attention.
What code names did Stéphanie use?
Did the real Mole books get burned?
Were some familiar faces back as assailants?
Was there a clue with the Mole book codes?
Should there have been more paintball rounds?
How did Logan react to the execution?
I resist gloating.
The eulogies have one clear standout.
One prediction is particularly spiteful.
The history of our finale visits looms overhead.
There are the penultimate updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
We try and predict the Final Three.
This week’s Gilles’ nicknames go a little bit old-school.
And we praise our mystery subtitler.

In the predictions pool, Logan has lost his second team member – guaranteeing me a finalist, leaving him with Charlotte & Bernard. I still have the perennially suspicious Senne & Michaël.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rufwj8qkveyc94de/bmole1206.mp3

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Jump 6’5 to give us a kiss, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Su Papa Madre~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role… Each week, three guys who have been stuck in a rut for ten seasons – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, continuing with the fifth episode and elimination of Lynn!

In this episode:

Mothers’ Week continues.
Bindles reveals a fear for his holiday.
I’ve been seeing a little slobber monster.
There’s a diversion into Hunted chat.
We do everything to stop another bingo.
Did Michaël have anything to worry about with his mother?
Where do we recognise Segesta from?
Was the Segesta challenge discarded from Greece?
I spot a potential clue.
How would we have done with the Sisyphean questions?
Logan surprises us with a clean joke.
Lynn almost gets a hat trick.
Was there anything useful in the briefing?
The Mole gets another new voice.
Logan walks into a (Papa) bear trap.
There is some terrible wordplay.
We reveal some unheard bits of the Mole’s briefing.
Some of our jokes are aligned.
Gilles gets a new nickname (or five).
They finally acknowledge Stéphanie’s allergies.
There’s some really subtle sponsorship.
Bindles makes us wait for a joke.
What should be in next week’s credits?
Is it possible to lie to your mother?
Will tradition be subverted?
One of Logan & Bindles has to act as the mother.
Is Stéphanie’s tattoo too obvious?
Who would we bring on a loved ones’ visit?
Why did the loved ones overpack?
Is this the year of 1968?
What would WIDM have done with doublers?
No-one can build.
Would you ever steal a lemon?
Have we ever stolen anything (that we’re willing to admit)?
Would we pick the pasvraag?
Has the hacking dilemma now come into play?
Should this fucking show appear?
Were the Doublers a failure?
Logan talks about running ORGs.
Why is this show so good?
What does the Wilhelm Scream mean?
Is anyone not suspicious?
There are the latest updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
I avoid my usual level of fuck-up.
We lock in our final pair of suspects for the season.
Logan is surprised by the existence of a question we’ve asked for six years at this point.
Who’s going home?
What is the optimum place for a Mole to be?
And we break all the rules for the first time in 521 episodes.

In the predictions pool, I’m on a bit of a losing streak as I now only have Senne & Michaël. Logan is now guaranteed a finalist, with Stéphanie, Charlotte & Bernard. This is the last week for a switch to be used.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fqpgiptz8ptz2ej6/bmole1205.mp3

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Twelve new fugitives are on the run all across the UK, and three people who are being undermined for one last time – Anthony, Michelle & I – are back for our much-delayed seventh series to talk about them! Over these six episodes, regardless of how Channel 4 want to release them, we have been diving into everything to do with the seventh UK Hunt, concluding with the finale, capture of Cameron and escape of Jaxon, Nicola & Sade.

In our recap:

Will this be the end of civilian Hunted?
I break a promise to myself and tie up a loose end.
We discuss Race Across the World (briefly).
Hunter Jordan is doing something a bit insane.
We have another Alex Ayling message!
Where were the motorbikes?
Is it better to send fugitives to London rather than just giving HQ their location?
Doug gets one final undermining.
Has Ray run out of cliches?
When did they get the information on actually where extraction was?
Was just making the extraction information “LAKE DISTRICT” to make it harder for the Hunters?
Why couldn’t Kirsty just capture Jaxon & Nicola on her own?
Some local knowledge helps us counter the claim that Hunters were monitoring “all” the exits of Manchester Piccadilly.
We issue an apology (well, two of us do).
I start a war with the town of Burnley.
Did Sade & Cameron have an agreement?
Where was the crying scene?
How is the money split?
Michelle googles “Stipples Town”.
Was Stickle Tarn an obvious extraction point?
What would they have done if the helicopter couldn’t have landed?
How did we react to the final ascent?
Why did Jaxon & Nicola go into a pub?
How did we know it wouldn’t be a clean sweep?
Could Sade see the Hunters?
Who confirmed the loss last time?
How wrong were we?
Mothers’ Week begins on the podcast.
We predict if this is the end.
We say our (potential) goodbyes.
We go back into the vault to see if there’s any stories we never told.
And will we get any backlash for the banner?

You can join Logan, Bindles & I for De Mol België every Thursday and we will be back later in the year for more episodes!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6rrq5dwpzifp8inu/hunted0706.mp3

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The logic is sound but the tactics aren’t necessarily, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Koopapa Troopapa~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role… Each week, three guys who always try and avoid committing food sins – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, continuing with the fourth episode and elimination of Coco!

In this episode:

Logan has some intro options.
Last week had some ironic news.
Have we been doing our homework?
Our reaction to the bingo controversy last week is revealed.
We have a small announcement.
Was the episode title a bit spoilery?
What is the sound of Mallorca?
Charlotte plans a trip to South America.
I’ve met Mario.
Coco understands the show.
Would we rather be plumbers or drivers?
Bindles’ buses are straight outta the Mushroom Kingdom.
Was there a Wilhelm Scream?
Logan tries to do a Seal joke.
Was it a bad tactic to let Charlotte go out with three bananas?
Where was the Mole?
Someone forgot to submit a Suspect List.
Will anyone be duped by Charlotte?
Gilles gets a new nickname.
Should we trust any finale pizzas?
Do we approve of pineapple on pizza?
British supermarkets have an advantage.
There’s just the hint of some sponsorship.
Was there some logic in not making too many boxes early on?
Which mini-challenge would we want to do?
Is there an argument for the Mole not wanting to mess up a mini-challenge?
Should there have been more pizza dough flying?
Did we appreciate the pineapple reveal?
Bindles has too much fun to make notes.
When is a cat not a cat?
The challenge gets broken.
Gilles relocates.
How can you tell this isn’t WIDM?
What is the tactic for the hacking dilemma?
Did the Mole know who was going?
Who does Gilles hate really?
Was the execution a surprise?
Did we see some obvious attention-seeking in the discussion?
Does anyone have a bondje?
We make one joke about Michelle hating her family.
Coco gets eulogised.
There are the latest updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
We lock in our first duo of suspicions for the season.
Who’s going home next?
And Bindles threatens to be unbearable.

In the predictions pool, I’ve lost my second team member, leaving me with Senne, Michaël & Lynn. Logan still has Stéphanie, Charlotte & Bernard.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hhej2vq753ay74iz/bmole1204.mp3

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Twelve new fugitives are on the run all across the UK, and three people who are notably much beardier as the series goes on – Anthony, Michelle & I – are back for our much-delayed seventh series to talk about them! Over these six episodes, regardless of how Channel 4 want to release them, we will be diving into everything to do with the seventh UK Hunt, continuing with the fifth episode and capture of Cathy, Annida and Alex.

In our recap:

I turn the subtitles on.
Michelle updates us on Sydney.
One of the fugitives has popped up elsewhere.
An old friend has got in touch.
What ever happened to the motorbikes?
We’ve been offered an interview.
The edit is so damn weird.
Are we being disrespected?
Why is there just no cliffhanger?
Are Cathy & Annida still vibrant?
I had an ironic trip last week.
Are we being trolled?
Did the Hunters get much of a lead from Sade & Cameron?
What is the theme of this episode?
How can shouting be inaudible?
There is a really bad edit.
Is it much of a surprise to see someone after a week?
Doug is undermined again.
Should HQ be monitoring parks?
Cameron’s growth arc doesn’t extend to directions.
We get a new hero.
Michelle’s on sock watch.
Were we misled by Alex’s backstory?
What is the main problem with the edit?
Michelle hurries things along.
There is the most egregious monkeying with the timeline maybe ever.
What is Stoke famous for?
Everyone’s been doing their homework.
Was it stupid to use Mick again?
Are the trailers too honest?
Did Charles get multiple visits?
Was Alex forced to move?
Are ghillie suits ridiculous?
Anthony spots a reshoot.
Where has the missing week gone?
I refuse to do the traditional rant.
Could it be a clean sweep?
How come they could get more money out than normal?
We try and guess who will win.
And Anthony learns how odds work.

We will be back next week as the Hunt concludes with the final episode!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/r69v5ng37a447g88/hunted0705.mp3

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Read out the lyrics to Careless Whisper, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~The Godpapa~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role… Each week, three guys who are forever distracted by Bernard’s sweating – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, continuing with the third episode and elimination of Philippe!

In this episode:

Are we being baited?
Logan’s had an interesting week.
There’s been some contentious judging on the Bingo cards.
Is this a stupid TV show?
Are the Mafia aware of Belgian Mole?
What are Maremmas?
Is there an age at which you can bleat?
Logan is broken.
Are we going to re-nickname Gilles every week?
Were we in-sync with Production last week?
They cross the line with pandering to us.
We get homework.
Logan’s been out meeting his fans.
Would we get tattoos for the Mole?
Is Stéphanie banned from going in an onsen?
What should the tattoo have been?
Did we recognise any of the hand signals?
What was the Plan B?
We reveal the consequences of a Doubler on the Mafia challenge.
Is it the Year of Despacito?
Where did the ringtones come from?
Is there an easy way to identify the accomplice?
Should they have got more than one bag?
Did the Mole take a backseat?
We discover something about Sicilian culture.
The Mole gets a new voice.
Was the Omertá challenge a last-minute replacement?
Could Lynn have used a Doubler?
How did they come up with making Philippe 75.4kg?
Logan forgets about imperial measurements.
Should they have been meaner with the Omertá?
Bindles finds another Romanian car company.
How did I confuse Thomas on the Suspect List?
A rumour is finally confirmed.
How would Don Salvatore have dealt with them getting nothing?
Is gnocchi a type of pasta?
We finally answer the question – Who do you think you are?
What is the upper limit of the pasta challenge?
Will the negative pasvragen return?
Did the Mole have to work hard in the pasta challenge?
Logan spots a massive clue.
Did we expect a pasta bomb?
How did they verify the pasta?
Why does no-one trust Bernard anymore?
How did Philippe do so badly?
Are we heading towards a NetMol situation?
Does it matter what the Mole would have done in the first challenge?
Philippe reveals a surprising Mole connection.
Was the next time trailer just for us?
There are the latest updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
We lock in our final trio of suspects.
And we differ on who’s going home next.

In the predictions pool, Logan’s lost his first team member, leaving him with just Stéphanie, Charlotte & Bernard. I still have my full contingent – Senne, Michaël, Coco & Lynn.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/sutf6ykksb54k5hx/bmole1203.mp3

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Twelve new fugitives are on the run all across the UK, and three people who squeal whenever anyone says Bexhill – Anthony, Michelle & I – are back for our much-delayed seventh series to talk about them! Over these six episodes, regardless of how Channel 4 want to release them, we will be diving into everything to do with the seventh UK Hunt, continuing with the fourth episode and capture of Jack.

In our recap:

Will Civilian Hunted return?
Anthony’s been keeping secrets.
We’ve found a new fugitive friend.
How soon did we realise Jack was done for?
I almost gave a very good prediction last week.
Michelle goes on charity watch.
When is a moor not a field?
Why is everything still so early?
How big is a sausage roll?
A new standard measurement is launched.
Anthony pre-empts a complaint.
Someone gets a (small) apology.
Have we seen something we shouldn’t?
Why did Jack sit atop the moor?
Did the camera crew give it away?
Was Jack ever cut out to be a fugitive?
Lisa’s edit has definitely softened.
Who’s getting caught next week?
I’m being targeted.
Is Joshua a champion runner too?
Did Alex know what he was signing up for?
Daisy earns her salary.
Are sausage rolls aphrodisiacs?
Doug has an unironic breakout.
Michelle tries to rewrite history.
Have Cathy & Annida travelled the least of any fugitives?
We have some connections to one of the locations.
Is Bexhill God’s Waiting Room?
Anthony & I tag team a joke.
Did Cathy & Annida nearly get a third banner?
Would we be up for doing some interviews?
We teach everyone about continuity.
Are we due for some rushed days?
I tell a very old joke.
Rosalind loses a new friend.
Michelle reveals an ambition.
We have an epiphany about the timeline.
How did the Hunters not find out the timing of the regatta?
Cathy & Annida have expensive tastes.
What would our priorities be on the run?
Canned foods get ranked.
Anthony gives us a life lesson.
Did anyone have a hangover on the run?
Do Cigars and Croissants really go together?
Where was the Next Time?
Who will get caught next week?
And we tout for new sponsors.

We will be back next week as the Hunt continues with Episode 5!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/v6qimy/hunted0704.mp3

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Keep the Poop Deck clean, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Pasta Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role… Each week, three guys who refuse to talk about House of Wax, no matter how many times you ask – Logan, Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, continuing with the second episode and elimination of Karolien!

In this episode:

How has Bindles not been cancelled yet?
Logan’s got himself into some hot water.
Due to a small administrative error, we talk birthdays a few weeks late.
I face the consequences overlooking the existence of blended families.
Someone gets burned by Reddit.
I’ve been receiving mystery packages.
Is everyone the Mole?
How long have they been planning the return of Pandora’s Box?
Will the blacklight show the real Mole’s name?
What is the theme of our jokes this episode?
How COVID-safe was the ice cream task?
What would have happened if the ice cream challenge was a Note Diabolique challenge?
Coco brings the fire.
How would we have done with car logos?
Why did everyone lick so slowly?
Is a stepfather a father?
Why was Michaël looking directly at the camera when licking the ice pop?
Did we need the slow motion?
Where is Dacia from?
Someone Bruce Bogtrotters themself.
Stéphanie has a bad hair day.
Logan has a strange law all of his own.
Did Michael Jackson ever play Rome?
Is it only kissing that is illegal in a car?
How ludicrous is it to think you can’t reverse a car on a Sunday in Venice?
Would we have known the famous fugitives?
I promote a tour.
Will they go full Mafia next week?
Do we remember the story of Paris Hilton’s prison sentence?
Could Lynn be sabotaging?
Michaël gets an invitation to a party.
What would be in a Canadian Pandora’s Box?
Would Pandora’s Box’s consequences have been the same in Greece?
Logan forgets a white woman.
Did Senne & Michaël hesitate even for a second?
Was the Mole going to be open to opening Pandora’s Box?
I predict a reunion scene.
Should anyone expect a pot drain rant?
Who is responsible for the pot drain?
Is the Mole Bane or Darth Vader?
Could the Mole intimidate Gilles?
How was Lynn picked as the Keeper of the Doublers?
Is there a curse for older women?
What was the funniest eulogy?
How will the Pandora’s Box clue be revealed?
Is the Wilhelm Scream a clue?
Will Bindles join the Pool next year?
There are the first updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
And we lock in our second set of suspects.

In the predictions pool, our teams have finally been drawn!

However, there was an execution…

I’ve lost my first team member, meaning Lynn joins my team who are now Senne, Michaël, Coco & Lynn. Logan still has his full team of Stéphanie, Charlotte, Philippe & Bernard.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/pu4ipb/bmole1202.mp3

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Twelve new fugitives are on the run all across the UK, and three people who try not to get by with any help from their friends – Anthony, Michelle & I – are back for our much-delayed seventh series to talk about them! Over these six episodes, regardless of how Channel 4 want to release them, we will be diving into everything to do with the seventh UK Hunt, continuing with the third episode and capture of Beth.

In our recap:

Are we still being misled?
Is Michelle’s loyalty being tested?
Do we talk about the podcast at work?
How did James miss Beth?
Did we believe Beth would win?
Are Cathy & Annida skirting the rules?
Was the banner obvious this week?
Will Jaxon & Nicola make it to the end?
Are Jordan & James going to be allowed any more captures?
Was Steph on the list?
Why did Beth visit a friend again?
How many recorders are there?
What have we learned already?
Did we have some Monkeying with the Timeline?
What is a “Pleasure Park” in Australia?
Does Doug swear?
Did they need to google Barry Island?
Is it a rule that Jaxon had to send the picture from the Pleasure Park?
Lisa’s edit is definitely softening.
Were the Hunters at the Pleasure Park when Jaxon & Nicola were?
Is Jack dead?
We spot a really bad frankenedit.
Who would we put money on right now?
Anthony is glad for subtitles.
Thady is a big deal.
Michelle picks a side.
Someone utters one of my least favourite phrases.
What is the first rule of Reality TV?
Beth wears the second worst disguise we’ve seen.
Why did it take so long for Doug to crack Beth’s phone?
We try not to have another Elissa Slater incident.
“Literally” gets misused.
Why didn’t the Hunters bug Thady?
Can Jack get away even with the Hunters tracking his flight?
Have we seen all of Jack’s preview scenes?
Are we due a bloodbath episode?
Where was Little Louis?
Will there be any context to Cathy & Annida dressing as nuns?
There are some rare predictions.
And I have some more thoughts on the glimpse at the briefcase of cash.

We will be back next week as the Hunt continues with Episode 4!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fe45v3/hunted0703.mp3

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Get yourself a sudoku subscription for when people really bore you, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papá Orso~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately famiglia, this time in Sicily! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public, but this time someone has a second role – the Keeper of the Doublers! Each week, three guys who always check under their beds for any missing cats – Logan, Bindles & I – will be attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be squirting us with condiments, beginning with the first episode and elimination of Gillian!

In this episode:

Is Logan going to continue with his mildly-offensive descriptions?
A traditional question returns.
The Mole has infiltrated my life.
Will new nicknames be handed out?
How close is this season to the Aaf Brandt Corstius line?
Everyone’s favourite impression returns.
Who has been lined up to dub for Gilles?
Did they expect only one person to not want to be the Mole?
Is there a subtle theme to this episode?
How would Lynn have been freed?
Would the Mole want to introduce themselves?
Is a pot drain coming?
How many countries border Italy?
Was there an audible reaction to the Real Madrid faux pas?
Why is Gillian so obsessed with his hometown?
Was there an obvious missing answer to the Coastal Towns question?
The cast photos are already iconic.
What did Michaël teach us?
Does Charlotte deserve the backlash?
Did Philippe forget his reading glasses?
Is Bernard a swimmer?
Could someone be officially full of shit already?
Does everyone have odd backstories?
Bindles panders to the bingo people.
I wonder about the logistics of attaching everyone to a boat.
What prank should Production have played?
Is the next boot obvious?
Who is the Jackie Stallone of this season?
The hexagons get rebranded.
Were we misled in the trailers?
Philippe needs to find a niche.
Bindles & I get in sync, while Logan just sees a fifth of them.
Was the dance done separately to the olive picking?
I love visible mechanisms.
We find the perfect jokes to make on Holy Week.
Have our friends at The Podcast Nobody Asked For taken over the editing?
The Last Dance has some unintentional consequences.
Is Papa Bear a big fan of Julia Stiles?
Bindles spots a way to win the Million Olive Drop easily.
Would the Mole want to dance or pluck?
I try and work out the maximum amount of olives.
What is the benefit of eighty-minute episodes?
We put Senne’s weight loss into context.
Does it matter if Coco looks like a pigeon?
Logan’s met the guy who created Big Brother.
Did the Mole take the windchime doubler?
My joke was pre-emptively stolen.
Where else was a doubler hidden?
Is Lynn the least-moliest candidate they’ve ever had?
Would the Mole want to be in the three fastest button pushers?
Was there a nuclear option if no button pushers got found out?
This season is already more lucrative than WIDM.
Is this the first time the first screen has ever been red?
Our first boot gets a special eulogy (or should that be gullegy?).
The sponsors will be happy.
What will the impact of Pandora’s Box be?
Did Gilles hint at the return of Pandora’s Box?
Who do we suspect?
Logan reveals his descriptions.
And are we being pandered to again?

A new season also means a new predictions pool for me to lose at! In our België one, Logan & I will each draft four candidates following this week’s episode. As I won last year’s Belgian pool, I get first draft. Our fan-favourite Switches also return and can – as always – be used until final five becomes final four. Whoever is left over will join the team who loses someone next week – in the event of a double execution, that will be the team who loses someone first next week.

The teams will be revealed on next week’s episode!

You can also join us in the First Suspicions game by filling in this form. The form will be live until Episode 2 airs on Sunday! You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zddkzd/bmole1201.mp3

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Twelve new fugitives are on the run all across the UK, and three people who are trying to discuss this whole nightmare of an episode – Anthony, Michelle & I – are back for our much-delayed seventh series to talk about them! Over these six episodes, regardless of how Channel 4 want to release them, continuing with the second episode and capture of Steve.

In our recap:

My own jokes come back to bite me.
Michelle’s been out socialising.
Anthony’s had a fifty percent success rate.
We have some big Australian news.
The “Could you fly?” question gets a semi-definitive answer.
Someone is already dead to us.
Was I just a bit delirious watching this episode?
Where did Alex’s £200 come from?
Are buses that bad?
Did we see any posters during filming?
Do we appreciate spoilers?
Were we misled by the edit?
Anthony comes for Michelle’s job.
I have a winner prediction.
Are the Hunters getting a clean sweep?
How did Jack & Alex get split up?
Was there some monkeying with the timeline again?
Is “posh little rich boys” that bad an insult?
How much input did Jaxon have into his introduction scene?
Michelle interrupts.
What is with all the notebook shenanigans?
Do Cathy & Annida have a chance?
Who will chase Cameron?
How did Steve & Beth get into the apartment?
Was Anthony Satisfied when he stayed at the Hilton?
Someone goes a step further than monkeying with the timeline.
Were the subtitles wrong?
Our ire turns to the Hunters.
Can Beth win?
Is there ever a case where Jordan can blend in?
How big a gap is ten seconds?
My predictions already come home to roost.
Does Beth have an advantage?
And is this the only episode ever with no redeeming features?

We will be back next week as the Hunt continues with Episode 3!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/d83j9d/hunted0702.mp3

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Avoid crossing Honduras, because we are back for our fifth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2011's offering in El Salvador & Nicaragua! Over these ten weeks, your three favourite unused Jokers - Logan, Michael & Bindles - are recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries that we still can't quite believe they visited, continuing with the fifth episode and elimination of Jan.

In this episode - Bindles gets told off, we have an update on what Pieter Jan is now doing, there's a horrible suspicion Eureka could have been involved, we doubt that Jan has never ridden a horse before, Michael gets to ask a new question, Karin teaches us what it means to be "hangry", we wonder why we needed to see a calf get Mufasa'd, we try and quantify the size of a ping pong ball, next week's banner gets teased, our plan to befriend Pieter Jan gains steam, there is a rare suspicion scene, the execution gets relocated, we wonder if Jan deserves to be talked about more, Logan locks in his fifth set of suspicions and we tease a very unique challenge next week.

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Strike one off the list in about six weeks’ time, because we are back for our fifth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2011 with El Salvador & Nicaragua! Over these ten episodes, three guys who are optimistic but always overestimate their abilities – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss the big Pieter Jan departure season – continuing with the fourth episode and execution of Miryanna.

In this week’s recap:

Is this the weakest episode of the season?
Have we already forgotten Miryanna?
Are the health & safety laws in El Salvador a bit lax?
Why has Amazing Race never been to El Salvador or Nicaragua (as of 2022)?
What was the first sign of Miryanna’s impending elimination?
Is there a reason why Art has already got so much airtime?
Were we blessed to have both Soundos and Karin on the same season?
Did we forget about the Bus challenge?
Who was responsible for the bus crash?
Bindles tells a joke that’ll age horribly.
How old is Karin?
Why is the bus challenge so interesting?
Pieter Jan warms up for next week.
There’s a tantrum about the checkered flag.
How long did they get to try and restart the buses?
We look ahead to the people smuggling next week.
I recommend an Australian documentary series.
Were they forced to answer in the Molebook challenge?
What was Karin writing in her molebook?
How would the Mole play the Molebook challenge?
What would have happened if Episode 1 wasn’t a group exemption?
Is anyone going all-in yet?
Did Patrick really only do eight metres on the wire?
Bindles is on harness watch.
Art didn’t come prepared for a wire walk.
How would we have done on the wire?
What did we think about the location for the test & execution?
Is it All or Nothing now?
How did they clear the fog?
Do we need to eulogise Miryanna?
Logan reveals his suspicions.
And did the bus challenge backfire on Production?

We’ll see you next week for Episode 5!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qajecr/widm1104.mp3

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Grab a couple of Brita water filter jugs, because we are back for our fifth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2011's offering in El Salvador & Nicaragua! Over these ten weeks, three guys who all turned up cosplaying as Jan - Logan, Michael & Bindles - are recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries that we still can't quite believe they visited, continuing with the third episode and elimination of Horace.

In this episode - we wonder if this is a contender for the title of messiest episode ever, Logan forgets who goes, Pieter Jan no-sells the first execution, we wonder how tall Pepijn is, Chain Gang gets a Salvadorean adaptation, we try not to give Papa Bear any ideas, Pieter Jan asks to be a picture, Art has potentially been getting tips from Michelle, Logan spots an error, we try and work out how the Mole would sabotage the Hotel challenge, Production seems to be misleading us, Pieter Jan gets excited about sacrifice, we wonder if the public were clamouring for the return of this episode's eliminated player, Logan reveals his suspicions and Bindles admits muting himself.

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Start swiping on Pepijndr, because we are back for our fifth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2011's offering in El Salvador & Nicaragua! Over these ten weeks, three guys who are constantly amazed by gherkins - Logan, Michael & Bindles - are recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries that we still can't quite believe they visited, continuing with the second episode and elimination of Hanna.

In this episode - we issue a minor correction about cannibalism, Logan's forced to prove how observant he is, a WIDM trivia question is answered, the Dating Bio challenge proves fruitful to write introductions, we channel someone who enjoys topography, we learn some new things about Horace Cohen (known by the family name Horace Cohen), there's a dive into WIDM History as we try and remember when "LASER GAME!" became a thing, Miryanna gets the credit she deserves, Jan ruins haybales, Bindles is distracted by music, Horace's altruism is called into question, Pieter Jan channels his inner Probst, we wonder how anyone can hate Art, Michael starts running a joke into the ground, Logan calls for a murder, the Living Picture challenge is a bit too easy to sabotage, there's another wonderful bit of Pieter Jan dickery, Horace says the line, we explain what makes a good Mole host, we still hate superfans, no-one cares that Hanna goes home, Logan reveals his suspects and Bindles has a weird thing about Hanna.

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Keep It Simple, Stupid, because we are back for our fifth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2011's offering in El Salvador & Nicaragua! Over these ten weeks, three guys who often wonder what the heck kind of nonsense they've gotten themselves into by covering Mole seasons - Logan, Michael & Bindles - will be recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries that we still can't quite believe they visited, beginning with the premiere episode and elimination of no-one.

In this episode - we explain why we made the extra effort to do this season, warzones make Michael laugh, Bindles has a Salvadorean friend, we look ahead to some people trafficking, we explain why Dutch people don't tend to speak Spanish, the bus ride threatens to give Papa Bear Gilles de Coster some ideas, Jan doesn't know what a goat is, we discuss the weird claims to fame that this cast have, Pieter Jan doesn't care anymore, Logan gets a new opinion, Michael finds common ground with Art, there are flashbacks to Hong Kong, Horace tempts fate, we finally discuss the first iteration of the Path of Temptation, Australia 6 gets (a small amount of) praise, we wonder who would have gone home, the production team changes, Logan locks in his first set of suspicions (with some exclusions), Bindles teases some hidden clues and accusations are thrown about errors that have already been made.

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Compliment anyone who hates your guts, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who are flattered by your hostility - Logan, Michael & Michelle - have been recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), concluding with the final episode and reveal of Shane & Andrew as our winners.

In this episode - Michelle's been chatting to the cast, someone else gets undermined, the editors may have gone back and changed some things, the reason that Michelle & Jo lost is revealed, the teachers pick a Detour, Michael tries to defend Shane & Andrew, Logan talks about how he teaches, we wonder if it's frowned upon to swear in front of children, Paul may be an only child, NetMol is brought up (hopefully unnecessarily), Stealth Mode is entered, we try and game theory the challenge at the jail, Jo ventilates, there's the final instalment of Rashie Watch, Pirate Master gets a look-in, Grant has an unfair reputation, Michael delves into the logistics of the treasure chests, we exclusively reveal an unaired incident at the Finish Line, we perform a New Year's (Eve [Eve]) Miracle and Logan tries to spoil next year's Amazing Race Historians.

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Watch the Sun rising from the south, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who ensure they get some sugar along with the protein - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the eleventh episode and elimination of Joseph & Grace.

In this episode - Michael's still hurting, Logan loses it, we wonder if there was some monkeying with the timeline, one team was spoiled to make it this far, Beijing was (and is) an experience, China isn't the place known for negotiation, we fall down a rabbit hole and wonder what happens if a bird drinks Coke, Shane does a Christmas Carol, Grant lies to us, the massage reminds Michael of his dogson, we reveal the real hero of the episode, Michelle's husband had an experience with Chinese cuisine, we notice something about the locations that were chosen, Joseph & Grace go way off the map, the greeter is unique, we wonder if Grace learned anything and just how close were we to a two-team finale?

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Go Full-on Veruca Salt, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who are Finance Professionals, Dog Lovers, Reality TV Stars, Paperless Accountants and Optimists - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the tenth episode and elimination of People's Sweethearts, Lucy & Emilia.

In this episode - Michael answers a question eight weeks too late, Paul & Steve seem to be deteriorating, the final five gets spoiled, we explain our respective histories with Banff, Michelle learns about toques, there's a Big Brother crossover, the mandatory costumes have an interesting component, we rattle through the Roadblock, Jo's laughin' at her (and it's rude), the editors undermine Grace again, we reveal the unintentional consequence of zombification, someone breaks the Michelle Pearce-Denovan rules, Shane & Andrew break the streak, Lucy & Emilia almost make history, reputations are upheld and we wonder if the "Finals Week" scheduling was entirely because of this episode.

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Be suspicious of anything made in Sri Lanka, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who know where Anne of Green Gables and Bryan Adams are from - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the ninth episode and elimination of James & Sarah.

In this episode - we celebrate Logan & Michelle's birthdays, RFF caused Amazing Race Canada, Michael explains why the Winter Olympics got mentioned, there's something we missed from last week, Logan clarifies what $10 can buy you in Vancouver, Emilia gets corrected, Joseph & Grace try and turn over a new leaf, the art studio has changed, there's a De Mol België crossover, we're back on Rashie Watch, Grant fact-checks himself, we're introduced to "The Bear Guy", Grace mispronounces more things, the Dogson gets another shoutout, we question if James & Sarah could have survived, the Olympics Break gets clarified and Michelle is a bleeding martyr.

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Talk about doing things with one hand, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who have a listening impairment, but what can you do? - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the eighth episode and second half of the double-length leg - eliminating Sticky & Sam.

In this episode - Michelle goes on hunger strike, we explain the difference between Keep on Racing and Double-Length Legs, last week's cliffhanger proves very misleading, Paul stops reacting, eleven-year old rumours get debunked, no-one does a good job on the Roadblock, Logan drops some Che facts, the cast clearly divides, Michael's family changed in lockdown, RFF get corrected, Grace does nothing, the crocodile farm is run by Mennonites, a non-trick question is asked, Production fudges the real reason for the elimination, there's a very insincere apology, Sticky & Sam disappear and we look ahead to the beginning of the Canada legs.

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Strike outside the Happiest Place in Europe, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who are sufficiently ploomphed - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the seventh episode and first half of the double-length leg.

In this episode - Michelle deals with Grace, we rank French laughs, Joseph forgets Grace, we learn things about Steve, the editors make Grace look shallow, we wonder if egg whites are liquid, Grant gets fact checked, James should have done the Roadblock, Paul is a braggart, we wonder if it's "perfectly fine" to steal a taxi, James & Sarah reveal a shocking piece of behind the scenes information, the painter becomes a national stereotype, there's an unaired Detour, the Paris portion of the leg gets timed, we wonder if it's understandable that everyone had trouble with cars, Logan worries his family, there's a theme to the back half of the season's locations, we wonder if this leg is the toughest in Amazing Race history, Shane & Andrew go a bit Grand Theft Auto, Michael struggles with muscle cars, everyone bends the rules, Production underestimates everyone, Logan explains why you need to be careful in Cuba and we look ahead to next week's slightly controversial episode.

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Capitulate to their coldness, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who will always offer you an inauthentic high-five - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the sixth leg and inevitable elimination of Ross & Tarryn.

In this episode - Michelle thinks Logan has game, everyone gets free clothing, we try and fix the Intersection, Sarah forgets she's in a race, this season is far twistier than we remember, there's a Turkish carpet story, Michael saves the internet, Die Hard still isn't a Christmas film (topical!), the Paul impressions return much to Michelle's delight, Shane & Andrew go looking for some carpet, we go to our Australian Teaching Correspondent for a fact check, Paul gets humbled, Jo refuses to have five minutes of torture, Michael spots some camera trickery, an encounter with a shoe shiner leaves trainers unbuffed, we wonder what the point of the leg was, Ross & Tarryn get ranked and we explain why Grant cried.

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Get really enthusiastic about pronouns, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who sit there and say "awkward!" from the sidelines - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the fifth leg and second non-elimination leg.

In this episode - Michelle gets a very Michelle intro, Paul doesn't understand collusion, James & Sarah's fight continues, Paul gets credit for staying calm, we wonder if anyone comes out of the marina argument looking good, Michael introduces everyone to Taskmaster, we explain why Sticky & Sam have exes, the meaning of cowardice is explained after the U-Turn, Michelle & Jo prove to be very successful, Logan learns something new, Michelle's daughters are allowed out of the oubliette to roll their eyes, the Istanbul Incident is told from a very interesting perspective, we go through the history of the Hagia Sophia, Logan makes a dumb joke, Michelle reaches her limit, Lucy & Emilia nearly break their streak, we wonder if it was the right call to take the penalty and next week's not-so-great episode is foreshadowed.

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Make momentum angels, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who are riddled with neither prostitues nor cockroaches - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the iconic fourth leg and elimination of Kym & Donna!

In this episode - Michelle drops a bombshell, we discuss the legacy of this episode, the ethics of the Must-Vote U-Turn come up, Michael debuts an impression that definitely won't become tedious, we explain the difference in urinals, Grace can't even be relied upon anymore, Logan's jokes come back to bite him, Michael spots something no-one else has ever spotted, a surprise Stowaway team is introduced, there's an update on Grace eleven years later, Rochdale is finally brought to the forefront, we have some history with Four Points by Sheraton, Michelle reaches her limit, we deal with the arrested development, Tarryn shows emotion, Logan tells a decent joke and we wonder if it was a blessing for Kym & Donna that they only lasted four episodes.

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Grease up your favourite Olympians, as we are back for our second season of old Amazing Race recaps - Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve weeks, three people who would never deliberately arm children with cricket bats - Logan, Michael & Michelle - are recapping a season that has an insane reputation amongst fans (which is completely justified), continuing with the third leg and elimination of Sue & Teresa!

In this episode - we explain why we never do video podcasts, Logan goes through the pink cities, there's another unaired task, we wonder whether Paul thinks that he's subtle, a villain emerges as Grace gets needlessly personal, Seven are very optimistic, the first Roadblock proves impossible to fail, Sticky's real name is reveal, Logan debuts an impression, we wonder if you ever want your sibling calling you hot, we decide who was in the right between Paul and Kym & Donna, Michael rehashes old ground, the teams get sorted, Michelle has a slight reaction to the episode title, Teresa gets a new look, the editors give us a huge neon sign, the second Roadblock proves very interesting, we explain how well Sue & Teresa did and next week's infamous episode is previewed.

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Pull out the Aura Spray to slow someone down, as we are back to cover a very special second old season of Amazing Race – and it’s Amazing Race Australia 2! Over these twelve episodes, three people who never do anything based off of horniness – Logan, Michelle & I – are going back through the archives to discuss what many people (ourselves included) consider the best international season of Amazing Race, continuing with the second episode and elimination of Adam & Dane.

In this episode:

Who was in the wrong in the James & Sarah fight?
Is this the first ever eleven-team India leg?
We discuss a Reddit post from six months ago.
Logan starts a running joke.
We tease a running theme with this year’s Historians episodes.
Were the editors deliberately making Grace look dumb?
Do we think we’d have a turban search task today?
Did Production make the first leg a pretty much guaranteed Non-Elimination just to make sure Sue & Teresa got to India?
How did everyone get back to Manila?
Was Sarah right to want a drink?
How long was the argument?
Was it worth hiring a hotel room?
Everyone laughs at Poo.
I bring up Norway.
What actually is in the “aura spray”?
Sam gets hit on.
Were there any attack ads in Launceston?
Michelle says something about Paul.
Why does Steve get barely any airtime?
Where has Paul disappeared to?
Logan does a pitch perfect impression.
Michelle almost says something filthy.
I spot a continuity error.
Did Sarah choose to wear trainers for the Detour?
Sticky & Sam get new nicknames.
Which Detour would we have picked?
Sue & Teresa do an accidental spoonerism.
Is this the most leniently-judged dance task in Amazing Race history?
Someone channels Batman.
Logan learns about the Nutbush.
Was there an unaired Roadblock?
We play a little game.
How do you spice up the Detour?
Why was the Express Pass unaired?
How did they make sure Qutub Minar was so empty?
Logan talks about not being allowed to explore.
How spoiled was this leg?
Lucy & Emilia channel Khaleesi.
Were Adam & Dane ever getting away with selling their stuff?
One of Logan’s rules is broken.
The editors fail to sneak something past us.
Is the leg prize a particular highlight?
Are sponsors being sneaky?
We talk tax.
What happened between Paul & Steve and Kym & Donna?
Was a 30-minute penalty fair?
Grant gets a bit pass-agg.
Do we want to eulogise Adam & Dane?
Michelle pulls a classic Saunders move.
And should Adam & Dane have regrets?

Thank you for listening – we will be back next week for Episode 3!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rgg5u8/tarau0202.mp3

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Eleven years to the week of its premiere, we are back to cover a very special second old season of Amazing Race – and it’s Amazing Race Australia 2! Over the next twelve episodes, three people who it’s very difficult to be mean about (but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try!) – Logan, Michelle & I – will be going back through the archives to discuss what many people (ourselves included) consider the best international season of Amazing Race, beginning with the premiere and Salvage of Lucy & Emilia.

In this episode:

We date the podcast almost immediately.
Logan has a VPN.
What do we remember from this season?
There’s a story about Grace already.
Who was the real villain of the season?
Why did we pick this season?
Is there a chance of people getting confused with us covering this season?
How intense is this season?
We talk culture shock.
The Ten seasons get a small amount of praise.
Had Adam & Dane ever seen this show before?
What lesson should newer seasons be learning from this season?
Logan complains about the lack of moustache.
Would the Salvage Pass have always been used?
Is Paul a time traveller?
Why are Lucy & Emilia so beloved?
How can you be competitive in your dating life?
Michelle was at the starting line (sort of)!
What is the point of this entire leg?
What was the focus of the advertising of this season?
Is “boofheads” a uniquely Aussie thing?
What is in the aura spray?
Have we ever tried to get a taxi in Manila?
How would we have done with Balut?
Kym has a Bruce Bogtrotter moment.
How long was the bus ride really?
Is it ever a good idea to ride a jeepney?
How do you join an alliance on Amazing Race?
Is Kym a human pillow?
Did Paul need to cut off Adam & Dane?
Are the editors already foreshadowing the theme of the season with the Pig Detour?
Production try to evolve the Detour for its second outing.
How badly would the Pig Detour have smelt?
We finally tackle the infamous dive.
The confetti cannon finally gets a mention.
Was Paul on the money with his impression of Kym & Donna?
Did Sue & Teresa deserve to pass Jig?
Why did Adam & Dane allow themselves to sink?
How old is Ross?
Was there a penalty for getting locals’ help?
Liam Neeson stars in a reboot.
Did Lucy & Emilia think that Ross & Tarryn were quitting?
What would have happened if the Salvage Pass wasn’t used?
And we look ahead to next week’s episode.

Thank you for listening – we will be back next week for Episode 2!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/v57xp2/tarau0201.mp3

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Sneak lots of references past everyone who listens to you, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, three guys who are already wearing hats with corks on in anticipation of next season – Logan, Bindles & I – have been attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, concluding with the reunion!

In this episode:

How successful was our cameo?
Why is Bindles here?
Is there any glory to be salvaged?
We blame the “Bloody DeLorean”
There is some gloaty housekeeping.
Why don’t they all find out the Mole together anymore?
Is it refreshing to have a Mole be honest when they weren’t able to sabotage?
The egg sabotage earns its rightful plaudits.
Why didn’t WIDM show sabotages?
There’s a brief bit of Finale Fashion.
What happens if contestants bump into each other?
I drop an unexpected reference.
How impressive was her Zoo memorisation?
How would she have sabotaged the World-Famous Actor Matteo Simoni twist?
Would she have recognised Matteo’s clip in the plane challenge?
What is the tough thing about Comfort as Mole?
How does Bindles feel about the Back to the Future elimination?
What did Gilles swear me to secrecy on?
Could people have come back from excluding Comfort?
How do you suspect Lieselot in Week 4?
We critique our cameo.
Another Mole franchise spoils its third Mole.
How good were the clues?
We love the “wie verdacht wie” segment.
Did the finalists both get the same question wrong?
We think back to the Vietnam finale.
How do we feel about the Mole?
Did Comfort really not know Gilles?
What will this season’s legacy be?
Is there a better potential ending to the season?
We take the opportunity to dump on NetMol.
Where will they be going next season?
The Historians season is spelt out for you.
Bindles has been sneaky.
And credit is given to those we deem worthy.

Thank you for listening all season long – we’ll be back on May 28th for The Amazing Race Australia 2!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5yadcj/bmole1109.mp3

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Interrupt a selfie session, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, two guys who have never been failed for swearing in public – Logan & I – have been attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, continuing with the eighth episode and reveal of Comfort as Mole!

In this episode:

Have we had busy weeks?
How did Logan react to the winner reveal?
Someone earns some praise.
What should we be looking for next season in a Mole?
Should you always go into a finale with an open mind?
I note a particularly awkward record.
Do you need a bit of time to decompress after this finale?
We swap airline opinions.
I run through all the stories that I couldn’t really tell on the Diary episode.
Logan has a Twitter notification.
Was I comfortable doing the finale solo?
Do I still hate the DeLorean twist?
Who was at the Finale?
Did World-Famous Actor Matteo Simoni have an entourage?
We’ve had our first Listener Correction of the Week in years (sort of…) which could lead to some interesting repercussions.
Have we done anything right this season?
We run through the bonus bingo card.
I don’t remember someone.
Logan tries to set himself a challenge that could backfire.
Who’s taken over the comedy of the show?
What happened to Larry?
Was the news report real?
Did the Mole place themselves in key positions?
Were we familiar with the news clips?
Someone (allegedly) sounds like Conor McGregor.
Is it obvious who the Mole is from this episode?
Was Toos the biggest team player in years?
We look at the history of Biosphere 2.
Is it worth it to get the information for the final test?
How uncomfortable would it have been for Commy & Toos to be stood there watching Lancelot fishing?
What is the most important piece of information on offer?
Is it nice to end the season with a win?
What score should the Mole have got?
Do we have an answer to why the cactus fell as Thomas left?
Who was the one Mole I didn’t see?
How did we react to the winner reveal?
What is Lancelot going to do with the money?
Is there a way to be okay with the DeLorean challenge?
Did Comfort getting the red screen make her not suspicious anymore?
Why was there no reunion trailer?
Is Season 12 officially happening?
There are the official results of the Pool, First Impressions and Suspicions (where someone does a Michael Harmstone Classic), our Suspicions and the Suspect List.
How low was the pot?
And where does this season rank?

In the predictions pool, my team had all of the final three in it, while Logan’s was eliminated last week.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week to conclude the season!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5d7hhb/bmole1108.mp3

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Back to shame himself once more, Michael returns to Kinepolis for another De Mol België finale event, giving you a peek behind the curtain of what goes into a finale – as well as chatting to Best Friend of the Podcast, Gilles de Coster and the Mole themselves!

In this episode:

I right a wrong from last time we visited Antwerp.
There is a bit of a realisation about the downside of Historians.
Gilles compliments my setup.
Was België ever going to Russia?
How do we get away with telling some of our jokes?
What is the secret of producing such a good version of Mole?
Gilles has been talking about us again.
Is Season 12 a go?
Was this Comfort’s first application?
What was her favourite assignment?
Who was she most worried about?
How did she react to the Matteo news?
What was the closest she came to being discovered?
And I walk around hiding a secret.

Thank you to Gilles, Lies & all at Play4 for inviting us, and thank you for listening – we’ll see you on Thursday for the Finale recap!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/feu3km/bmole1108diary.mp3

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Engage in a sexy pillow fight, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, two guys who act basically as Mole therapists at this point – Logan & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, continuing with the seventh episode and elimination of Ruben.

In this episode:

We find a positive spin to put on Logan not coming to the finale.
What was my first reaction to finding out the boot?
Have we ever both been wrong for België?
Do we know if anyone’s been listening?
I apologise to YouTube.
We’ve been trolled!
Why would anyone watch Amazing Race Canada?
I’ve been vindicated.
Logan’s been attempting solo trivia.
We take advantage of the English.
Are we being pandered to?
Is the Mario Movie better than The Quick and the Dead?
We try and get a sponsorship from Vanilla Sprite.
The sleeping arrangements are strange.
Why didn’t they play any Will Smith?
Logan tries to make a naughty reference.
How did we know who was going home?
There’s an actual genuine sort of announcement about Historians.
Was it obvious which pair would make money?
Which side of the post challenge would we want to do?
How would American contestants do with identifying Belgian provinces?
Did Production pick easy states?
How did we do with tongue twisters?
Is there an easy sabotage on the stagecoach side?
What was the almost banner?
Was this actually a Roadblock?
Did anyone kiss Lancelot’s balls?
Are pancakes more important than money?
How do you repel a bandit?
Why did they need letters from home?
Did we know Ruben had rocks in his shoes?
Was Ruben suspicious?
Did the Mole know who did worst?
Logan makes a joke that is still too soon.
Would we have the dexterity to light matches?
Could they make an entire set of België playing cards?
How good is the way they do the Group Exemption twist?
What was the voiceover brief?
There are the latest updates to our Pool and First Suspicions.
Is someone hate-playing?
We lock in our Final Suspicions.
Who will win?
And has België Lore been broken?

In the predictions pool, I reign victorious, as Logan loses his last team member in Ruben – leaving me with all of the final three: Lancelot, Comfort & Toos.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/v4wskr/bmole1107.mp3

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It’s Sleepover Time, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, two guys who skirt around what crime people have been accused of – Logan & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, continuing with the sixth episode and elimination of Thomas.

In this episode:

Logan’s predictions start coming true.
Are we being pandered to?
There’s the latest update on the Saga of Harmstone Heights.
We talk about another amazing show.
Where will Race Across the World go next?
We analyse a bingo card.
There’s a clap clap takeover.
We commend the puppet’s Dutch.
Suspicions get spoiled.
When is a lunchbox just a lunchbox?
There’s a lot of praise for the PowerPoint.
What were the students told?
Is clapping a sabotage?
Does anyone understand the Dewey Decimal System?
Would the Mole rather be a bookworm or prankster?
We return to our favourite topic – Belgian copyright laws.
Are Production now trying to help the clueless candidates?
Were we expecting an old Mole appearance?
Is this going to be the last Belgian season for a little while?
How would the Mole play the card game?
Could the card game have raided the pot?
What were the odds of pulling a zero?
Logan asks for an Arrested Development reference.
Did April double up her roles?
How did we do on the covers?
Was Comfort unlucky?
Did Gilles have a point at the execution?
What were the fake tells?
We reveal the missing fun fact.
How much do we love the final challenge?
Where did we laugh?
Logan wants you to say Dennis Hopper.
What is the best trivia moment in Belgian Mole history?
There’s another review for the Mario Movie.
We try not to encourage the listeners.
Was the car crushing inevitable?
Should they auction the broken GoPro?
Would you ever trust Ruben?
Was Yakima just for us?
Did anyone split on the test?
There’s an editor’s sight gag.
Did Gilles kiss the group?
There are the latest updates to our Pool and First Suspicions.
Our sixth set of suspicions are locked in.
And I’ve been spotting some potential clues.

In the predictions pool, Logan only has Ruben left, leaving me with the other three – Lancelot, Comfort & Toos.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rdyvrq/bmole1106.mp3

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That’s not Lucy Liu, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, two guys who would always tell you about movies that actually exist – Logan & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, continuing with the fifth episode and elimination of Lieselot.

In this episode:

Logan does lunch.
Is there a problem with loved ones?
We have an announcement about the end of the season.
There’s the latest update on Harmstone Heights.
Does anyone now suspect Comfort?
Would we have wanted to cook or shop?
Why were they singing Africa?
Does Ruben know what he’s doing?
Who would you bring on a loved ones visit?
Why didn’t Comfort change her loved one?
I go down a rabbit hole.
Have we run out of questions?
Is it tough for us to cover the shopping challenge?
Was Lancelot in danger of expulsion way earlier?
How do you deal with sneaky shoplifters?
Our shows cross over.
How can you prepare for De Mol België?
Why didn’t we see many of the hot dog questions?
How many hot dogs were available?
There’s a Breaking Bad moment.
Is there an easier strategy to the shopping challenge?
Did Production have to intervene?
Was it even possible to grab the red pack?
Logan is reminded of US Mole.
We try and work out the logistics of filming with loved ones.
How much do we love the “could your loved one be the Mole?” question?
Is Sigourney Weaver in Inglorious Basterds?
Which challenge is most likely to have contained a clue?
Was Hook a gimme?
I have an epiphany.
We fast forward to suspicions briefly.
Would we have boarded the plane?
Did we know Comfort wasn’t on the plane?
What was the almost banner this week?
How would we have dealt with the propeller stopping?
There are the latest updates to our Pool & First Suspicions games, but will there be any switches?
Who do we suspect?
The second challenge has an interesting dilemma attached.
And are we looking at an all-male Final Four?

In the predictions pool, I have lost my second person, meaning I now have Lancelot, Comfort & Toos. Logan’s team is still Ruben & Thomas.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/w6m4fu/bmole1105.mp3

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Depress your sister, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, two guys who have already forgotten what ‘goed gedaan’ means – Logan & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, continuing with the fourth episode and elimination of Leïla.

In this episode:

How are Production feeling halfway through?
There are some parish notices!
What’s happened at Harmstone Heights this week?
Logan gets interrogated.
We slightly narrow down this year’s Mole Historians.
Scotland gets an apology.
How old is Thomas?
Did everyone get the Back to the Future reference?
I cling onto my youth.
Are people being miserable about Mario?
There’s some trivia shame.
We read the newspaper.
Have Production been pandering to us again?
Would we have known the elements?
Did the Mole enter the bunker?
Should the group of five have expected a twist?
Logan has some experience with the bunker challenge.
Did Ruben stick out in the bunker?
Could the Mole have done anything in the Bunker?
Is Lieselot a bit of an advantage block?
Were Thomas & Toos allowed to guess?
De Mol gets a new title.
We bring back a fan-favourite joke.
There’s a question for Gilles.
Is tiramisu a pastry?
Logan makes a good save.
What was missing from the GERT?
Would we have wanted to play Bingo?
How come Lancelot didn’t introduce himself properly?
Would the Mole want to play Bingo?
Is Lancelot having fun?
Ruben has some more awkward interactions.
Who from this cast would you want to hit you in the face?
Were some of the zoo questions a callback?
Is it easy to explain België to people?
How do we feel about the twist?
Does the twist improve because everyone knew beforehand?
Is getting the red screen an advantage?
How do you turn back time in style?
Why did Comfort only travel back six questions?
Would we have helped Comfort?
Is there a scenario in which Leïla wouldn’t have helped?
Would they ever give the Mole a red screen?
Could Comfort have done more with her power?
There are the latest updates to Pool and First Suspicions.
Who do we suspect?
Is the Mole going to be male?
And who’s leaving next week?

In the predictions pool, Logan has lost his second person, meaning he now only has Ruben & Thomas. I still have Lancelot, Comfort, Toos & Lieselot.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3xrkad/bmole1104.mp3

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Give them the one-star review that they deserve, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, two guys who don’t have stable hands – Logan & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, continuing with the third episode and elimination of Conny.

In this episode:

When did Logan last bother to speak to me?
Do Dutch Backpackers steer clear of Logan now?
We’re prone to hyperbole.
I drop a bombshell.
We realise how old we’ve become.
Logan makes a perfect segway.
We catch up on all the admin Logan’s missed.
Is the Drill Sergeant on Discord?
What’s the cool thing about De Mol België?
Was this episode deliberately scheduled?
Do we like horses?
Did Production listen to Oregon Historians?
Imanuelle Grives isn’t dead.
Was Ruben testing Thomas?
Did Logan have any standout characters in the first two episodes?
Was Conny suspicious?
What’s a “gandalf”?
Toos runs weird.
There is very nearly a medevac.
We suggest some office equipment.
Logan laments the lack of Whip It.
How would we have done with identifying the matches?
What do we think about Lancelot?
Logan misses an opportunity to learn about Cathy.
What will the twist be next season?
An Arrested Development reference is made.
I gloat a bit.
No-one expects a French joke.
Was the second challenge impossible to win?
How would we have wanted to collect eggs?
The Cost of Living crisis starts biting.
Logan’s legacy of unintentional smut returns.
Why did they have to wear overalls?
How did Lancelot’s egg break?
Was everyone trying to sabotage?
Why did Lieselot try and break the car?
Logan is predictable.
Should there have been more risk to the motel challenge?
Are we surprised the least push metric was so close?
The motel challenge ends in sliding doors.
Was all what it seemed in Room 110?
Would anyone have worked with Toos if he’d taken the exemption?
Conny gets eulogised.
We run through First Suspicions and Impressions.
I manage to simultaneously win and lose.
Who do we suspect?
Logan is the status quo.
And who’s going home next?

In the predictions pool, Logan has lost his first person, leaving him with Ruben, Leïla & Thomas. I still have Lancelot, Comfort, Toos & Lieselot.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2866ct/bmole1103.mp3

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Unpack for fun, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, two guys who always do good things (but not great) – Bindles & I – are attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, continuing with the second episode and elimination of Samya.

In this episode:

We realise Bindles didn’t share his news.
I’ve aged.
Who did Logan suspect last week?
Where in the World is Logan Saunders?
There has been a successful prediction!
How did they come up with the train game?
Were the layers to the first challenge a touch unnecessary?
Which group would we have wanted to be in?
Did we know the times?
The worst quiz show of last year gets a mention.
Everything gets destroyed.
Logan gets channelled.
Bindles issues a PSA.
Is there an upside to the bad start to the season pot-wise?
Lieselot gets her moment in the sun.
What is the best tactic for the video choices?
Is Sergeant Floyd a real Drill Sergeant?
Does Sergeant Floyd double as a singing comedian?
There’s some confusing admin to pick up from last week.
How good is this cast?
Was the second challenge set up for a big win?
An old challenge returns!
Sgt. Floyd dishes out an empty compliment.
We improves the weaponry.
When did execution become elimination?
Did anyone think Samya was the Mole?
We can finally talk about the Pool!
There are the first updates on First Impressions and Suspicions.
Who do we suspect?
Who’s going home next?
And Bindles bids farewell (for now)

In the predictions pool, our teams have finally been drawn!

However, there was an elimination…

In the predictions pool, I have lost my first person, meaning I’m now stuck with Lieselot, alongside my existing Lancelot, Comfort and Toos. Logan still has Ruben, Leïla, Thomas & Conny.

You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

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Put a cotton ball behind your lip, as Best Friend of the Podcast ~~Papa Bear~~ Gilles de Coster invites another ten candidates to join him in some challenges, deception and ultimately friendship, this time in Arizona! As always, one of them has a second motive – to sabotage and restrict the pot as much as possible, whilst avoiding the searching gaze of both their fellow players and the public. Each week, two guys who hate it when a twist comes together – ~~Logan~~ Bindles & I – will be attempting to uncover the truth behind the lies and who will be replacing us halfway through the season, beginning with the first episode and elimination of world-famous actor Matteo Simoni!

In this episode:

We begin by moaning about the website we record on.
Are we glad to have België back?
How do we feel about the celebrity twist?
I take a little bit of credit.
We try and guess next week’s title quote source.
A clue gets spotted.
Where in the wereld is Logan Saunders?
Have we seen Twin Peaks?
Is there a chance we’ve heard of Matteo Simoni?
When was the first challenge filmed?
Is there a tool you shouldn’t use?
Are we getting Argentina flashbacks?
How would we have done with the statements?
Did they try to disguise Matteo?
What would have happened if the duel had ended with no hits?
We pre-empt each other’s questioning.
Does Ruben have the best intro in Mole history?
Is the Matteo twist a bit superficial?
How famous is Matteo really?
Bindles wasn’t looking.
Which line would we have chosen?
Australia 6 has a go at one of these challenges.
How fast was the money clock?
Do they have a standing deal with the hiding shit in clocks industry?
Why did everyone trust Lieselot’s timing?
How would they have handled Matteo being in the caravan?
Is the execution a shame?
How did the public react to the twist?
Next week could have a new favourite sound clip.
Who do we suspect?
And who’s going home next?

A new season also means a new predictions pool for me to lose at! In our België one, Logan & I will each draft four candidates following this week’s episode. As Logan won last year’s Belgian pool, he gets first draft. Our fan-favourite Switches also return and can – as with WIDM – be used until final five becomes final four. Whoever is left over will join the team who loses someone next week – in the event of a double execution, that will be the team who loses someone first next week.

The teams will be revealed on next week’s episode!

You can also join us in the First Suspicions game by filling in this form. The form will be live until Episode 2 airs on Sunday! You can also take part in the Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

See you next week!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/q8988a/bmole1101.mp3

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Get a barcode neck tattoo, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who don’t need any rehearsal to be bad – Bindles & I – have been putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – concluding with the reunion and shock reveal of Jurre as the Mole!

In this week’s recap:

Bindles has got cocky.
There was a pretty poo-poo birthday celebration.
We have Big België news – including the reveal of who the mystery tenth candidate is!
Is William Shatner on death’s door?
I’ve already been cockblocked by België.
There’s going to be a België Baby!
Where is Logan hiding?
We talk Finale Fashion.
Did everyone say they wanted to be the Mole?
Was Jurre a bad Mole?
How the hell is three correct answers a passing grade in episode seven?
Rik states the obvious.
We’re in sync on what Jurre came dressed as.
How slow was this episode?
Did I mention that I went to the Colombia finale?
Were the pre-reveal speeches the most disingenuous ever?
Did Daniël have a good poker face?
What made the reveal so awkward?
How would we describe this season?
Why do we need live finales?
The tables turn for Bindles.
Did Daniël try and retcon the season?
Was Jurre that cunning?
Who is our favourite person this season?
Is it worth looking at hidden clues?
There are the final updates to our Pool and First Suspicions.
Who won the Suspect List?
When did Ranomi get married?
How would we change the editing of this season?
And we exclusively reveal the season we’re doing for Mole Historians next.

In the predictions pool, my team had the Mole AND winner in it, so I easily win the Pool! Logan’s team came second with Michelle’s team already eliminated last week in a distant third.

You can see the results of the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here – thank you to Thomas for all his hard work building the Suspect List this season! If you’re joining us for De Mol België, you can also take part in our new First Impressions game here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you on March 23rd for De Mol België Season 11!

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Shave off your stupid beard, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who regularly shed all of their bonus clothing – Bindles & I – are putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the ninth episode and elimination of Soy.

In this week’s recap:

Did we enjoy the finale?
There’s a fair bit of housekeeping to get to – including updates on België, scheduling confusion and more proof that Canada is backwards.
A casting agent has got into some trouble.
Where in the world is Logan Saunders?
Logan’s updated his (real) suspicions.
How did Anke go home when she was in a bond with the eventual winner of the season?
Who else has been to Tsitsikamma?
Where was the paragliding?
Bindles gets quizzed on South Africa.
The abseiling cameras are odd.
We both would have hated the abseil.
Was Rik’s speech at the execution hinting at challenges?
A mystery is finally solved.
Did Soy hedge his bets?
A Switch finally paid off!
Did the last challenge work?
What is the only way to mole the final challenge?
Jurre gets caught out.
How well did the team do this season?
Did Rik just not bother this season?
Was the final test filmed a week later?
Does the €11650 include Jurre’s smuggled €600?
Who is the new treasurer?
Jurre’s comments come back to bite him.
Did they forget to end the episode?
There are the usual non-smug updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
How will the Suspect List winner be announced?
We lock in our final suspicions.
And we get a bit desperate.

In the predictions pool, Michelle’s team is no more – putting her in last place for the first time since WIDM: Renaissance! Logan’s hopes all rest on Ranomi and I still have Daniël and Jurre.

You can also take part in the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for the reunion and reveal!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/j7bg92/widm2309.mp3

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We can’t all be winners, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who are better in concept than execution – Bindles & I – are putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the eighth episode and cliffhanger elimination.

In this week’s recap:

How do we even cover this week’s episode?
Papa Bear has already shamed us.
Is anyone not on Jurre?
Why isn’t the reunion in Amsterdam?
I genuinely forget where Logan is.
Safari Stories!
Daniël speaks for us all.
Why does Soy have an edit again?
Is history repeating itself?
What is the legacy of holding over the last execution until the finale?
Is there anything redeeming about the photography challenge?
Why are Soy’s photography skills so well known?
Had we heard of the world-famous photographer?
What is the obsession with the word “triptych”?
Production were potentially a bit reckless.
Bindles has another tough question to ask.
Rik gets cast in more seasons.
Where were the elephants?
Have we solved the episode title?
Why did Jurre go for a butt theme?
What is the main positive of this season?
Has the experimentation paid off?
Why has the season felt a bit flat?
Will history look kindly on this season?
I pre-empt a criticism.
What is the main issue with the photography challenge?
Have they had to take tests after one assignment before?
Is this the first usage of the full test music this season?
Did they pad this episode a little?
There’s another unnecessary journey.
We’ve been having map problems (I feel bad for you son!)
How long has Daniël not been spreading for?
Is the laser game a bit tough to follow?
Did losing Jurre’s tag rule Code 3 out?
How many options for tags were there?
We rattle through the Pool, First Suspicions and our own suspicions.
And what is the only reason Bindles is here?

In the predictions pool, nothing has changed – leaving my team as Jurre & Daniël, Logan’s as Ranomi and Michelle’s as Soy.

You can also take part in the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vg8pqz/widm2308.mp3

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Use your power as the editor to help your friends, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who do need the occasional “DIG WOMAN!” – Bindles & I – are putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the seventh episode and elimination of Anke.

In this week’s recap:

There’s a bit of housekeeping to deal with.
Are we surprised that Netflix Mole was recommissioned?
Logan’s updated his suspicions.
What has Logan been up to?
We’re big in the Dutch backpacking community.
Anke tries to put the fear of sharks into everyone.
Where was the weekly pot drain challenge?
How do we feel about the paragliding challenge?
Did Jurre do the right thing?
Is the final three in the elimination challenge the worst possible combination?
I’ve done a bit of digging on the phone number, appropriately.
What is the best thing to do with the money dilemma?
How low is the pot still?
Why didn’t we see Ranomi suggest a bond with Soy?
How do we feel about the twist to the Test?
Did anyone use the tunnel?
Should people be allowed to just skip questions if they’re confident?
Bindles has some potential clues.
Michelle is going to kill me.
Is South Africa Lore returning?
Where are the exemptions?
Are they hiding something for next week?
There are this week’s updates to the Pool and First Suspicions.
Who do we suspect?
Who’s going home next week?
And will both finalists identify the Mole?

In the predictions pool, Michelle has lost her second person, meaning she now only has Soy. Logan still has Ranomi and I still have Daniël & Jurre. With two team members left, I am now guaranteed to have at least one of the finalists.

You can also take part in the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/a6g78j/widm2307.mp3

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Tell everyone how you stayed near a campsite, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who are very very boring people most of the time – Bindles & I – are putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the sixth episode and elimination of Nabil.

In this week’s recap:

Logan’s been on a big adventure.
Who does Logan suspect this week?
How bad was this episode?
When did the Nabil & Ranomi conversation happen?
The editors are quite passive-aggressive.
Was the episode title just a reference to the execution?
There’s a lot of really good foreshadowing.
What even were the rules on the walking on eggshells challenge?
How long is the road trip?
I repeat some stories.
Was throwing arrows through the air unwise?
Is someone from this season listening to the podcast?
Can you even follow the money this season?
We get another “Niets is wat het lijkt” moment.
Why didn’t we see Soy’s screen?
There’s a genuine bit of controversy with the official pool.
Bindles notices a book end.
Have the producers changed?
There are the latest updates to our Pool and First Suspicions.
Bindles tries to get me to throw someone under the bus.
Who do we suspect?
Netflix Mole gets (a small amount of) praise.
Nabil spilled some information.
Is Daniël being Silke’d?
Did the Mole want to avoid the execution?
And who’s going home next week?

In the predictions pool, inexplicably I’ve lost my first person, meaning I now only have Daniël & Anke. Logan still has just Ranomi and Michelle has Soy & Jurre.

However, this is also the last week for a Switch, and in the spirit of shaking things up a bit, I have decided to swap Anke from my team with Jurre on Michelle’s!

You can also take part in the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/s6eg8v/widm2306.mp3

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Accidentally summon a choir, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who always try to ask the exact questions that you’re looking for – Bindles & I – are putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the fifth episode and cliffhanger elimination.

In this week’s recap:

Bindles gets an obvious intro.
Where is Logan this week?
Who has Logan suspected so far?
I brave googling someone’s name.
Soy is a trailblazer.
Did they need to take that long to place money?
Would the Mole want to be sidelined?
Is Jurre too obvious?
Why didn’t we know Daniël & Nabil are close?
I spot something very interesting about the music they chose to introduce a challenge.
Why were some of the descriptions a bit passive-aggressive?
Production get a small amount of credit for their pun work.
How would they have dealt with Sarah’s return?
What is the best tactic for the church challenge?
Was there a time limit for the church challenge?
Did the congregation know their own facts?
Is “bear” a universal word?
We try and not laugh about Anke’s introduction to a deaf woman.
Who was meant to leave early?
Bindles earns his keep.
WIDM is compared to Limitless Win.
Would anyone be a satisfying winner at this point?
Have we got an El Salvador/Nicaragua situation on our hands?
Where is the pay-off for the fuck bond?
There’s a quiz!
Jurre writes too much.
We celebrate the return of split challenges.
There’s a brief tour through history.
Is “Katie” malevolent?
Could the Josh Train Game have a new contender for the crown?
Is there some more bullshit coming?
Was there a clue in the Haunted Hotel?
Where was the jumpscare?
How interesting was the second challenge?
There’s a minor caveat to the season maximums.
The mystery of the non-red screen continues.
Did anyone get what they wanted out of the Haunted Hotel challenge?
We praise the non-elimination.
There’s a warning for next week.
Will Ranomi be the runner-up?
Is Logan seeing something we’re not about Jurre?
The remaining boot order gets predicted.
Who do we suspect?
I face a dilemma.
Did we see a rubber duck?
There’s a pie in the sky theory.
And Logan’s suspicions take a bit of a turn.

In the predictions pool, literally nothing happened – Logan still has Ranomi, Michelle has Soy & Jurre and I have Daniël, Anke & Nabil.

You can also take part in the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/msiwfc/widm2305.mp3

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Let your children draw something, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who don’t feel like exerting themselves today – Bindles & I – are putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the fourth episode and elimination of Annick.

In this week’s recap:

Bindles quacks.
I’ve had a busy week.
Why hasn’t Logan sent last week’s suspicions yet?
Do we like the Mole money?
Was the Maze challenge slightly too complicated?
How would the Mole sabotage the Maze challenge?
Annick monopolises the banners.
Does the Maze challenge actually work?
Nabil is a shady bitch.
Who is the oldest person left?
Has the episode order been confirmed?
When were they last allowed to drive?
What’s with all the rubber ducks?
Did someone pull a Philippe?
Are there reservations about Jurre being a bit too blatant?
Why is everyone suddenly being really passive-aggressive?
What would the Mole want in their suitcase?
Did the Mole get a tip-off?
Who got the red screen?
Are the editors just pandering to us now?
There are the latest updates to our Pool and First Suspicions.
Who do we suspect?
Who’s going home next week?
And Bindles becomes basically me in every other season.

In the predictions pool, Michelle has lost her first person, meaning she now has just Soy & Jurre. Logan’s team is only Ranomi and my team is still complete, with Daniël, Anke & Nabil.

You can also take part in the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

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Make sand dunes interesting, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who try not to have unique suspicions – Bindles & I – are putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the third episode and elimination of Sander.

In this week’s recap:

Where in the world is Logan Saunders?
There is no delight taken in the execution this week.
There’s a dogson update (sorry cat lovers!)
We have a bit of housekeeping for next week potentially.
How many times will they show Sarah looking cross-eyed?
What is with the poker face references?
Did everyone keep their phones this season?
Why are we focusing on Daniël so much?
How could the dune challenge be livened up?
Are we finally getting Mole quotes?
Did the Mole know the definitions?
Why didn’t Rik give out the jokers on his podium?
Are the editors playing with the fuck bond joke?
We ask for more ice.
Have Production gone back to basics a bit this season?
How quickly did we solve the code word?
We actually start talking about Mole Historians.
Is Annick the new Aaf?
There’s a very easy way to tell that Logan’s not on the podcast.
Would we take the money or jokers?
Does the Mole need to sabotage the ship challenge?
We find it interesting that the lack of physical money has come into play.
Bindles spots a clue.
There’s another round of FMK.
What did the episode title mean?
We’re still very confused.
Should people still be spreading so much?
There is perhaps a slight bit of gloating at the result of the episode.
Everyone roots against Logan.
Have we reached the end of Cape Town?
There are the latest Pool and First Suspicions updates.
Who do we suspect?
We try and guess Logan’s suspicions.
Who’s going home next week?
And are we ever going to get a non-elimination episode?

In the predictions pool, Logan has lost his second person, meaning his entire hopes rest on Ranomi. Michelle’s team is still Soy, Jurre & Annick and mine is Daniël, Anke & Nabil.

You can also take part in the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/aa4gby/widm2303.mp3

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Win by the most bullshit rule possible, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over these ten episodes, two guys who are always looking for the right blue man – Bindles & I – are putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the second episode and elimination of Froukje (and technically Sarah as well).

In this week’s recap:

We’re worryingly invested in this season.
There’s a bit of a catch-up on something we should have done last week.
I made a fool of myself in a pub.
Where in the world is Logan Saunders?
Did the Mole actually ring Sarah?
We wonder if anything changed in the intro.
Is Daniël letting the side down a bit?
We’re still completely at sea with suspects.
How do we feel about the return challenge?
Where were the shock pads?
Did Sarah care about returning?
We issue a rare double shoutout.
How would the Mole play the first challenge?
Was it a good tactic to not care about the drone?
Is Rik the best host for a second exit interview?
Could there be a budding romance?
Was it nice to bitch about Ranomi’s running skills?
When did people last wear neckerchiefs?
Is there an optimum place for the Mole to be in the mural challenge?
Bindles gets quizzed.
Did we spot a clue?
Was the rebus puzzle a bit of a lost cause?
Who does Daniël actually suspect?
Bindles gloats.
Froukje gets (briefly) eulogised.
There is the first update to our Pool.
A record continues.
I make a prediction.
We talk First Suspicions.
Who do we suspect?
Bindles really wants it to be a woman.
And who was suspicious pre-season?

In the predictions pool, our teams have finally been drawn!

However, there was an elimination…

Logan has – for the fourth time running – become the first person to lose a team member, meaning he now has just Ranomi & Sander. My team is still Daniël, Anke & Nabil and Michelle’s team is Soy, Jurre & Annick.

You can also take part in the all-new Bother’s Bar Suspect List here.

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/znx36k/widm2302.mp3

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Count the number of Moles you’ve got right on one hand, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2023’s return visit to South Africa! Over the next ten episodes, two guys who are very much in favour of more sarcastic teenagers – Bindles & I – will be putting everything on the Table (Mountain) in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-third season of Wie is de Mol – beginning with the premiere and potential elimination of Sarah.

In this week’s recap:

Where in the world is Logan Saunders?
Bindles is a jinx.
How good is Bindles at guessing the Mole?
Does WIDM do good premieres?
We briefly deal with Netflix Mole.
It all goes a bit international.
Did the Mole find out more than two weeks before they left?
Was Glenn Hugill sending us a sign?
Why did they use Everon?
How were the boxes not spotted (appropriately)?
I get tested.
Was Rik that good in Sri Lanka?
Do we like the Box challenge?
Did they give us a clue with the Box locations?
How much of a superfan is Ranomi?
Is this the year of an athlete as Mole?
How would a Mole sabotage the Box challenge?
Who is the best NPC of the episode?
Did the vegetable gardens stand out?
I potentially retell a story from the South Africa Historians episodes.
Do we mind that there is no Treasurer or physical money this season?
How good is the choir challenge?
Did Netflix Mole actually do some good?
Our YouTube recommendations are rather eye-opening.
Is the choir challenge actually better than Shosholoza?
What was Nelson Mandela’s greatest achievement?
Do we like one group assigning the values for the other?
Has a new favourite already been crowned?
Was 12 seconds that bad?
Bindles almost gives himself a shoutout.
Does no-one know their Mole music?
Would the Mole want to be in the choir?
Was Jurre too obvious?
Someone gets a birthday shoutout.
We give the people what they want.
Did we need to see that much of the music director?
Are Production being generous with the prizes in this episode?
Why is it now Test & Elimination?
Did we like Sarah?
Is Sarah going to return?
Who do we suspect?
Would Producers really cast someone in a friendship group as a Mole?
Aside from Sarah, who’s going home?
What would happen if Australian Mole got rebooted?
And Bindles tries to foreshadow something already.

We’re also pleased to announce that back for its sixth WIDM season in a row is our predictions pool! Now that the first episode has aired, Michelle, Logan & I will each be drafting three people for our teams. As winner of the last pool, Logan gets first pick, then Michelle, then me and so on until nine people have been assigned a team. The rules are as follows:

Following the premiere, we will all order the cast from most to least suspicious. Logan was guaranteed to get his first pick, Michelle would get her first unless it matches Logan’s… and so on, until we each have three people on our team.
In the event that more than nine people are left after a premiere, then whoever is left over will not be assigned a team until the next episode – when they will replace the next person to leave the show. If there are two left over, then whoever loses someone first will get first choice of those remaining without a team.
The person whose team contains the Mole on the finale night will be crowned the winner. In the event that I win again, I will also gloat incessantly until I lose the Belgian one later in the year.
During the season, each person has the use of a Switch. The Switch gives you the power to trade someone from one team with someone from another. There is no requirement for this to be your own team, and does not expire in the event that all of your team are eliminated.
Only one Switch can be used per week and all Switches expire one the episode in which the Final Five becomes the Final Four airs. If there is a Final Five non-elimination episode, Switches are still valid until that Final Five is no more.
In the event that there is a Final Four in the end and the two losers are spread over two separate teams (with the Winner & Mole on the third one), the tiebreaker is that the first person to lose someone out of those teams with the losers on it will be third place.

Teams will be revealed during next week’s episode!

Thank you for listening – we’ll see you next week for more Mole Hunting!

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10. Raja (All Stars 7)

If you would have told me last year that Raja would be in my top 10 Queens of the year, I would not believe you. There was a lot of shit working against Raja: a contestant I didn’t like during her initial season, coming back on a season as bullshit as US Season 3, in a year this damn stacked with good contestants. Raja should not be in my top ten, and yet here she is.

How did we get here?

First, we have to sorta establish who Raja was in US Season 3. Early Drag Race is often called a parody of reality TV, which it is but that’s not going far enough; early Drag Race is a mean-spirited parody, a lampoon of talent shows, specifically America’s Next Top Model, done just to take the piss. And Raja, herself a make-up artist from Top Model and a friend of RuPaul, was seemingly cast to come in and be the winner by default. Everyone saw her win coming, especially Mariah, so even when the season generates good TV with the Boogers, it ultimately feels hollow because we all know Raja is winning. And because of this hateful stance against Reality TV, Raja’s character was that of an unfun overdog who you were supposed to not want to see win, but does anyway because the show has nothing but contempt for the fans who care. Raja is not the most heinous abuser of this power, that’s Raven, but it’s clear her time in US Season 3 was shaped by wanting to fulfill her role in the cast first.

It’s funny, then, to see Raja come back on the show a decade later, now that Drag Race is waist deep in the bullshit and is even more a reality show than Top Model could ever dream. And this shapes an older, calmer Raja into, ironically, the underdog who doesn’t fit it.

So here we find Raja, now closing in on 50 and seeing the likes of Shea and Monet and Trinity try way to hard to do good to the Drag Race name, and she responds with blithe confusion. Raja, who comes from a time where no one cared because Drag Race was only watched by forty desperate gays, goes against grain and just does whatever she wants, expecting the season to let her do well because they did last time. And because this is All Stars 7, they do. Raja does not give a single shit trying to impress or mold herself to the monolith that is the modern Drag Race metagame, but because everyone has to be given a positive spin and look good by the edit, she ends up being the more fun alternate winner choice to counter the Tryhard Trio who are getting the same respect despite their hard work. This is not to say Raja doesn’t care, her meltdown in front of hapless guest judge Nikki Glaser over not getting any wins is as notable as it is iconic, but the difference is intent. Raja is an artist who demands respect, and her not getting any from judging reads as much more sincere and understandable compared to Shea pouting because she was supposed to get five wins by episode 4. As unintentional as it is, Raja endears herself by staring Drag Race down at its most maudlin, and forcing it to reward her as she continues being the wine-chugging, weed-smoking Fun Aunt of the franchise.

Raja’s return was a pleasant surprise, and in the grand storytelling of 2022, an open letter to the fans that the third era of Drag Race is over. You can be the Kya of Drag Race all you want, so long as you’re honest to yourself, you will succeed.

9. Jasmine Kennedie (US Season 14)

And speaking of being wholly honest.

Jasmine continues the trend of stellar 2022 characters by being as open and honest as humanly possible, this time to her own detriment. Jasmine is loud, verbose, and opinionated, which all ends up biting her in the ass because she gets into fights with damn near everyone. From here first episode, it’s clear there’s a demon rat side to Jasmine, and it comes out in full force against Kornbread of all people. And while that fight is fun, nothing better speaks to Jasmine’s spiky nature than her fight with Maddy, a fight Maddy was absolutely not ready for. You can tell Maddy was trying it, trying to have the Drag Race experience with starting her own fight, but she chose the wrong person and was nuked from orbit by Jasmine, who could not be more righteous or fuming than she was then.

And the beauty about Jasmine is, despite everything, you get it. Jasmine is not trying to start weird shit, she’s just insanely honest and wears every single feeling on her sleeve. Her coming out as Trans and her aspiration to look like Kerri is telling of someone who just yearns to be seen as is, to be taken seriously. Jasmine is a kid, but you whose baggage feels real and deep. Her reunion fight with Daya Betty shows that. She has to put everything out on the table because it’s the only way she has found that people will listen to her. Immature, sure, but haven’t we all been there. Jasmine is very much your kid sister, who you know is going to tear shit up, but only because it’s that effective.

8. Dakota Schiffer (UK Season 4)

And speaking of your kid sister.

I don’t know a soul who doesn’t love Dakota Schiffer. It feels almost insulting to even write a long paragraph about what makes her awesome, because it’s so apparent. I mean, look at that confessional look, dressed as a haunted Victorian doll. Dakota is just a pure contestant, someone you love because she’s just so who she is and knows exactly her power.

I think that’s honestly why Dakota works so well: the self-confidence. The Trans experience on Drag Race has always been complicated and filled with the feeling of needing to please, but Dakota isn’t like that at all. She very much harnesses her own power, having a distinct cool, alternative girl vibe to her (Dakota and Yuri would have sat at the same lunch table). Her not liking musicals is a fun sub-plot, but it hints at the overall confidence that Dakota emanates. She never feels the need to please anyone, and never tries to. Not that she doesn’t fit in with the cast and extend friendships, in fact her best moments are stuff like her adorable friendship with Baby and her playing the young queer listening to Cheddar talk about the AIDS epidemic. It’s just there’s no desperation to Dakota’s actions. It’s obvious everyone in the cast fucking loved Dakota, and that warmness pours out of the screen.

If you ever wondered why I don’t look at the share for “fairness,” it’s because of how Dakota left. But it turned out, Dakota didn’t need the show to tell her she was awesome. Dakota might be the first Trans girl on UK Drag Race, but she almost doesn’t feel that way, because she’s so herself. More than being Trans, more than even being a girl, she’s Dakota, and the feeling is effortless.

7. Kimmy Couture (Canada Season 3)

And speaking of Trans women who buck the trend.Like Dakota, it would be wrong to only describe Kimmy as just the Trans woman contestant, not just because it’s gauche, but because it’s actually pretty wrong. Kimmy may have a lot of identity labels on her, but the one that symbolizes who she is most is being a Couture. If you ever wanted to have the Icesis experience in a tiny, angry woman package, than your prayers have been answered. Kimmy is very much who she is and responds to things in her own, unique way. Of course being an immigrant, being a POC, and being a Trans woman impact her personality, but they don’t define it.

Kimmy never tries to be inspirational, which is obvious given her knack of voicing her disapproval of everyone else. It’s hard to remember, given a certain other Canada Season 3 Queen who loved to be the villain, but Kimmy is vicious in confessionals. She has no problems calling out everyone else for looking busted or failing a challenge, and then goes on to fail her own challenges and have very questionable runways. It’s a fun dichotomy that explains who Kimmy is: a young woman trying to be more advanced than she is.

And I think that’s why Kimmy is so good: her honesty. The moment I always think of with Kimmy was her talking about being sexually assaulted, which she says has happened more times than she can count. And what’s so heinous about the moment is how nonchalant Kimmy is explaining it, meaning she’s “used” to it and expects it as the norm for dating as a Trans woman. It’s a moment that is on surface about violence against Trans people, but also explains the hurt Kimmy has gone through, and how she got here. Kimmy is herself, both an example of and subverting the labels given to her.

6. Jinkx Monsoon (All Stars 7)

And speaking of being so herself it fucking hurts.

We, as a fandom, take Jinkx for granted. There’s a lot you can say about Jinkx in US Season 5, but let’s not try to act like we’re above loving Jinkx. Jinkx may have had good timing and a great knack of playing the underdog, but don’t pretend you didn’t fall in love with her Little Edie. US Season 5 isn’t a perfect season, but it’s disingenuous to act like loving Jinkx is basic, get over yourselves.

And if you need proof, look at All Stars 7.

The thing is, I don’t even think Jinkx is trying to win. At least not really. What work she did to make herself the lovable kook in her first season is just missing here. Jinkx is just being Jinkx, trading jokes with Jaida Essence Hall and bonding with Raja over being wine-chugging Weed Aunts who would rather be taking a nap. The dichotomy with Raja is especially fun, because while Raja is traditionally cool, attractive, and poised, Jinkx shuffles around the werk room dressed as the fourth Sanderson, with skin paper white and hair looking both wet and dry. All of this to say, Jinkx isn’t trying to impress you, and certainly isn’t trying to impress the judges.

Which is why she’s the perfect winner.

Like I said with Raja, the magic with Jinkx is that she doesn’t conform to what the show wants. While most of the cast is used bending over backwards and kissing ass to get ahead, Jinkx just does her usual Jinkx stuff, and it endears herself to the judges. I mentioned before that the fun irony of All Stars 7 was watching Queens who had the least interest vibing with Drag Race’s modern bullshit be the ones rewarded, and nothing is more satisfying than the show going out of its way to make sure Jinkx wins. Of course it ended up pissing Monet off, but tell me if anyone has ever benefitted from the bullshit as much as Monet. It’s such a fun cap to not just the legacy of Jinkx, but of the the third era of Drag Race: Jinkx being lovably herself.

5. Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Canada vs the World)

And speaking of being lovably herself.

The change and growth in the power of Silky Nutmeg Ganache is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Like with Ra’jah, I was there at day 1, the first episode of US Season 11, where I confidently called Silky the best character of the premiere. From there, I continued the hard work of convincing everyone the worth of Silky, and how she was one of the most important things Drag Race had had in years. And sadly, no one listened. Silky would go down as one of the most hated contestants of all time, with spittle-covered insults and death threats thrown at her, often shaming her for being Black and heavy. So, forgive me for being self-indulgent here, but I would just like to say that I always said Silky was amazing and you all need to beg for her forgiveness before you can call her one of your favorites.

Because as much as the framing around her is more positive, this is still Silky. This is still that quotable, boisterous bitch who attacks every single occasion like a bull in a china shop. This is still the stunt Queen that does goofy shit like have a pointless reveal every lip sync and have a lesbian tryst with Victoria Scone. This is still the Queen whose drag is, as Hollywood Jade said, very Black. These are things that make her amazing, whether you appreciate them or not. Nothing about Silky has changed, just her circumstances. Silky is one of the best, most consistent Queens to ever grace this franchise. And whether she’s framed as an alienating contestant in US Season 11 or a ray of positivity that is too bright to properly behold like Canada vs the World, she’ll always give you everything she has.

Silky is everything great about Drag.

4. Minnie Cooper (Down Under Season 2)

And speaking of alienating death machines.

There are no words to describe Minnie Cooper that are not descriptions of folklore monsters. She is what children fear are under their beds. She is what they speak of when timid voices whisper of the boogieman. She will kidnap your child on the night of the harvest moon and torture them for eternity. No one is safe from the reach of Minnie Cooper, and you best pray that she will show an ounce of compassion and just kill you on sight.

Anyone who remembers my writings last year will remember my love for Tamisha Iman, a love that has only gotten stronger since she outted herself a scam Queen. Minnie Cooper is basically the second coming of Tamisha: an established, legendary Queen who spends her time tormenting everyone around her. There’s very little more entertaining than the show framing Minnie as a Creepypasta monster and then revere here as an important Queen of Australia, all in the same breath. Minnie’s knack of flying in whenever another contestant is vulnerable and picking at their liver is the stuff I can rewatch forever, especially because it puts the entire production on hold until Minnie is finished thoroughly scrapping every ounce of flesh she can from her poor victim. Don’t worry, it’s as gruesome as I’m describing.

By far, her best moment was in episode 4, the Snatch Game. After Beverly told everyone else in confidence that she still wasn’t fond of Pomara after eliminating her, Minnie did the only sensible thing and brought it up to RuPaul, completely out of pocket! It was a moment that left me speechless, with Beverly being understandably horrified and upset that Minnie would tattle on her. Minnie, being the unfeeling demon from hell that represents Spite, doesn’t understand her problem, and goes on with her day like nothing had happened. It’s a staggering display of unfeeling ruthlessness that could only be achieved by the most sadistic of people.

I meant it when I said Minnie can only be described in hyperbole. A demonic monster set upon the unsuspecting cast of Down Under Season 2 to troll the hell out of them. A Queen who I adore, and only partly because I’m terrified of her.

3. Jimbo (UK vs the World)

And speaking of off-beat trolls.

If any season benefitted from a contestant turning up to flip every table she could, it was UK vs the World. A season that took itself so seriously, with an earnestly heinous attempt at trying to justify the cast, needed a Jimbo to come in and troll everyone. Those first three episode are made by Jimbo setting the set on fire for her own amusement, and it’s a sight to behold.

I know what you’re thinking, “But Spencer, Jimbo is just weird, she wasn’t trying to undermine the season.” And to that I say, did you not watch Canada Season 1? Of course Jimbo is a weird person, but that’s not the point: Jimbo uses her weirdness as a trojan horse to say the most vile shit she can muster to people around her. Maybe you could have dismissed her early on as just kooky, but after her fight with Ilona where she calls her out for bitching every five seconds, it should be clear Jimbo has her finger on the pulse of the season. There’s no innocence to her reading Rita Baga for filth over her awful wigs, come on guys. Jimbo knows what she’s doing and knows the fights she’s fighting, and has no qualms doing just that in UK vs the World.

Think about all the motions Jimbo makes: Jimbo picks the opposite lip stick as everyone else, she tells Jujubee that they should form an alliance and then immediately breaks it, she openly says she’ll eliminate the bigger threat just to make everyone uneasy, and she insults the cast to their face in the episode she’s most vulnerable. Jimbo is trolling the fucking season, from the premiere to her elimination. And she knows that Drag Race, especially Drag Race UK, will take itself so seriously as to treat her as earnestly as possible. And lo and behold, it does. And of course, no one falls for it harder than RuPaul, who clearly adores her and will no doubt utilize her in forth coming seasons.

Jimbo is not the contestant UK vs the World needed, but it’s the one it deserves. Jimbo is an expert at playing the antagonist, and it’s always a delight to watch.

2. Daya Betty (US Season 14)

And speaking of shit-stirring antagonists.

Daya Betty is a fucking star. There’s a lot of things that make US Season 14 a great season, but at the heart of it all is Daya Betty, a true reality show villain and one of the best happy accidents to ever happen on Drag Race. As much as we lament the horrid pacing and the cockshy eliminations, Daya was the best case scenario of that, and she absolutely capitalized on her second chance.

I’m sure this pick comes at the shock to… well, no one, because of my tastes, but is still going to be seen as contentious. Daya Betty was a very unpopular Queen during her season, with the typical horrible fan bullshit like people sending her death threats. Not that I think any Queen deserves to have death threats sent to them, but it’s particularly frustrating with Daya Betty because she, undeniably, makes the season. After Kornbread leaves, the show is in desperate need of a pulse to make the cast tick, and Daya Betty fills that role in the best way possible. You may say she’s being a bitch and obnoxious, but you can’t deny that it brought out the best of everyone else. I mean, good lord, her forcing the tie over Saltine was exactly the shot in the arm both Camden and Bosco needed, and forced Willow to not just play the innocent.

And the thing is, while she was vocally opinionated and clearly meant to hurt people to make TV, it worked. US Season 14 has an amazing amount of chemistry, and I mean when I say that Daya is the heartbeat that makes it all happen. She prods at everyone, not just because it’s fun, but because she knows it will make good TV. And like she said, since when are Drag Queens supposed to be nice? This article sums her up nicely, and while I think it’s more than a bit of a reach to say she’s the best villain ever, the sentiment that villains make this genre is real and correct.

Daya knows good reality TV, you guys are all just mean.

1. Miss Fiercalicious (Canada Season 3)

And speaking of bitches who know good reality TV.

Anyone who knows me knows I fucking love Miss Fiercalicious, a Queen who could only exist in the year of terrible Drag names. As soon as she materialized on Canada Season 3, I knew she was going to be someone I would love. And even with my high expectations, Fierce surpassed them, becoming not only the greatest contestant of her season, not only becoming the greatest contestant of the year, but making her mark as one of the best reality show characters, period. Indeed, one of the absolute greatest personalities I have ever had to pleasure to watch.

Oh, god, where to even begin?

I guess we have to start with her premiere, where Miss Fiercalicious endears herself to everyone by being a snotty, egotistical, needy brat that alienates the entire cast. The comedic beats of watching Fierce trying to get Lady Boom Boom to help her with her garment are amazing, and illustrate how much of a disconnect there is between her and the rest of the cast. No moment better symbolized it than her fake crying at being safe, unwittingly looking insensitive to Halal and Moço, and not reading how unhappy the rest of the cast was. From there, Fierce shows off the true nature of her brand: being an awful teammate. The amount of time the show cuts back to her seething with anger at the heinous, evil Vivian Vanderpuss and Chelazon Leroux, much to the exhaustion of Kimmy and Bombae, gives me life, Fiercalicious choosing to be petty so hard it nearly sends her home. It’s so bad that the Previously On for episode five is not about Kaos leaving, but how everyone is fucking sick of Fiercalicious. Truly, a fucking icon.

But then, and this is where she really shines, Fierce starts to become an actual contender. It sounds insane, given her awful edit the first four episodes, but starting with Snatch Game she becomes the lovable underdog you hope wins. And while Snatch Game started it in earnest, the branding challenge the following week was when Fierce really set herself in as one of the big stars of the season, someone who could be both so ratchet but also so good at what she did. Suddenly, this stank gremlin who had no business making it to Snatch Game is now one of the finalists, and a popular fan favorite. That’s the fucking power of Miss Fiercalicious.

And speaking of that branding challenge, it really does illustrate the secret behind Fierce: she knows her reality TV. I’m guessing that 90% of Drag Race contestants watch reality TV, but Fiercalicious is clearly a connoisseur, that fact made obvious by quoting Aviva Drescher’s leg throw from Real Housewives of New York. Fierce knows her shit, knows how to make herself a character, knows how to cut a confessional, and most importantly knows how to make it work. Like, I want to stress, Fierce is a fan of reality TV, but in the same way, say, Tatianna is, where she loves to be knee deep in the chaos and dreams of shit-stirring to make it happen. Fierce isn’t just a stellar character, she knows how to bring the best out of everyone else, and does so with the precision of a surgeon.

I really can’t stop gushing about Fierce, I could go all day. I could talk about her fights, her proud stance of a hot glue girl, her ability to shape a season around her, everything. I truly fell for this lovable bitch, so much so I needed Sminty Drop to microdose me to normal. I say this with certainty and conviction, Miss Fiercalicious is the greatest contestant in the history of Drag Race.

Year-End Look: Drag Race 2022

2022 was a massive return de force of Drag Race, not just being better than 2021 but being a strong year for Drag Race, period. Most of the seasons were at least above average, the casts were all strong and defining, but most importantly everything pointed to a promising future. If 2021 was Drag Race stuck in the past, ignoring the changing tides, then 2022 was Drag Race forced out of its chair, trying to keep pace. It was a franchise clearly trying to keep the status quo, ignoring the changing tastes of the fandom. And while not everything went as planned, the failed attempts were at least a welcome change of pace, a sign that the show was at least now trying, even if at gunpoint.

To understand why most of 2022 works, you have to look at what little failed. Specifically, you have to look at UK vs the World. I’ve said my piece about it…. multiple times, but specifically what a lot of problems stem from is a lack of forward momentum. It’s appropriate the season happened at the start of the year, because it’s a season that feels very 2021. The specific details may make it more heinous than US Season 13 or UK Season 3, but the broad strokes of a show refusing to adapt and realize what it has reads very much of 2021 Drag Race. If Drag Race was going to stay relevant, it had to change.

Whether it liked it or not.

This is what really defines most of 2022 Drag Race: trying new things, with reservations. UK finally cast its first Trans woman, but forced a repeat of Vivienne vs Divina. US still has a hint of forced production, but is ultimately salvaged by the bitches who keep it real. Down Under features contestants trying to be normal, with the cast as a whole wanting to do their own thing. Truly, nothing better symbolized what Drag Race wants to be versus what fans want than Hannah Conda being a diligent teacher’s pet and getting overlooked by the messier, more lovable Spankie. To bring back the likes of Shea, Trinity, and Monet to go out of their way to be winners, only to get overlooked in favor of Jinkx and Raja, is the narrative, no matter how unintentional. And the year ending with Canada vs the World, an All Stars of the last breathes of the third era of Drag Race, a season that rewards one of its biggest stars, hosted by one of its biggest stars, is a telling message of the future: we’re in the fourth era.

It’s hard to say what the fourth era of Drag Race will look like. As amazing as Daya and Fierce and Minnie were, they were one-shot characters who you aren’t solid enough frameworks for archetypes. One thing is for certain: Drag Race has to keep adapting. If Drag Race falls back into old tropes and tired clichés of the third era, it will only lose the respect and excitement it generated this year. 2022 was a burst of energy for Drag Race, a franchise throwing off its shackles and going to the unknown. Here’s hoping it keeps that momentum.

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Time to see who just missed the cut.

20. Spankie Jackzon (Down Under Season 2)

Now, I’ve pitched Down Under Season 2 as a giant clusterfuck where everyone is angry with each other and intentionally being messy. This is mostly true, but I think the main reason why this all comes together, despite no one else willing to cooperate, is that at the center of everything is the Spankie Jackzon win. I can not think of any other winner, Drag Race or otherwise, with this persistently positive of an edit. This isn’t an overdog edit, because not even the two meter tall Spankie can outrun her horrid runways, but early on Spankie becomes the heart of the season, the one you want to see win. If it wasn’t clear by the fact that she’s the only one who doesn’t end up in a fight, then the fact that both Yuri and Beverly directly pick her as their winner makes it obvious.

Now, I would normally be hesitant about someone with such positive of an edit, but I’m not for a few reasons. First of all, it keeps the season feeling real. Yesterday I mentioned that Dragula as a franchise is losing its way, and a big reason for that is that everything now feels rehearsed to be as mean as possible. I’m all for bitchery, but Dragula now lacks the levity, both in the lack of characters who aren’t totally hateful and that no one even seems to take joy in meanness. Down Under Season 2 has all that drama but also knows how to balance it, and Spankie is the perfect counterweight. Secondly, she just pulls it off extremely well. Spankie is a tall, hot slab of Kiwi meat with massive Dad energy. Being the shoulder for Beverly to cry on or telling Yuri that he is always welcome at his home if he needed a place to stay isn’t the most gripping of TV, but it’s a nice touch when it’s sandwiched between Kween Kong pointlessly being defensive and Minnie twirling her moustache at her latest scheme. Spankie is an off-beat winner, and I don’t usually endorse winners with this clean an edit, but she worked for it.

Side note, I will always endorse anyone who wins with runways that bad, like holy shit.

19. Jada Shada Hudson (Canada Season 3)

Much like Spankie, Jada’s time on the show is mostly light and airy, with not a lot of points of drama. Yeah, she tussles with Fierce, but everyone fucking does. But like Spankie, you can get by with being light if you come packing something else. And Jada does, by which I mean she’s possibly insane.

I wasn’t that on board with Jada early in the season, although I did still like her a lot. I thought she had good confessionals and a really good story, and was clearly someone who could shoulder the amount of screen time given to her. Jada’s beginning in the season was good, but unoriginal, and I mostly dismissed her contributions as just the canned loveable underdog edit Drag Race loves giving Black and heavy contestants. However, as time went on and the cast dwindled, Jada was relied more and more to give television, which she did in, shall we say, unexpected ways. Her obsession with being the ultimate Baby Momma started out as seemingly weird grabs at attention, but soon reveal itself to be her actual life goal. It was around the time where she recounted her harrowing tale of being buttfucked by a ghost that it hit me: Jada is kinda nuts. Like not 100% nuts, but kinda nuts. Jada has an underlying sense of weird priorities that are just bizarre enough to be noticeable but not distracting.

Jada Shada Hudson might have started off as a bog standard front runner, but the amount of her concerning beliefs helps color her as a much more intriguing contestant. It’s Canada’s Drag Race doing what it does best: taking Drag Race and making it just that extra bit more special.

18. Sminty Drop (UK Season 4)

I won’t lie, Sminty Drop hit me when I was at peak Fiercalicious withdrawals, and she was the perfect microdose I needed to ween myself from that addiction.

Sminty Drop is a perfect early boot, truly the best Gremlin in a year with many of them. All the things I said before about what makes early boots important, that they’re simple and fun explosions of character that entertain you while the rest of the cast sets up, are exemplified by Sminty. Coming out of the gate and admitting she’s a friend of Gothy Kendoll illustrates to the audience both her short time on the season and her lack of shame. Sure enough, she endears herself to everyone by throwing tantrums in every group challenge, being the albatross of all of her teams, and then by dismissing everyone else’s drag as “Old Maiden,” a phrase that haunts her all four episodes. Her final episode is a banger of failure, as her inability to twerk sent her to the bottom where she would be assassinated by Baby at the lip sync. Sminty parts, but not before giving that stunning exit moment, proving that despite being a thorn in everyone’s side, you can’t hate Sminty Drop.

Sminty would not, could not, benefit from a fifth episode, but that’s okay. Drag Race needs its important characters, but it needs its less important ones as well. And Sminty is a top tier early boot.

17. Ra’jah O’Hara (Canada vs the World)

It has been a long, eventful four years with Ra’jah O’Hara. I can say that I was with her from the start, US Season 11 being one of the first seasons I completely covered and unquestionably being my favorite season I covered up to that point. And a key reason for that was Ra’jah, who I called during her first season an unstoppable element of rage who is passionate to the point of bullheadedness. That is probably… unfair, but I don’t blame myself for describing her that way because that’s how she was treated. Ra’jah was nothing more than a mid-boot in Season 11, more a dynamic counterpoint to Scarlet Envy, and while she was amazing I wouldn’t call her iconic to the franchise.

My how times have have changed.

Ra’jah is now everywhere, not just one of the most popular winners but one of the most popular Queens, period. There’s a billion reasons for that, some amazing and some silly, but I think the reason she has achieved this fame is that Ra’jah always had it in her. Going back to her first season, yeah she’s rough around the edges, but she has passion and a drive. She gets in drama, but it’s with the likes of Yvie and Scarlet. Ra’jah is insistent, and sadly that can be framed as a villain, a fate extremely common for Black contestants. So seeing all of that power, drive, passion, and art finally give her a win (that she should have had in All Stars 6, but I digress) is heartwarming. It’s a nice, satisfying end to not just Ra’jah, but one of the defining Queens of the third era of Drag Race. In a lot of ways, she closes that book.

The impact of US Season 11 was vast, including spawning an actual host, and that importance includes Ra’jah.

16. Kween Kong (Down Under Season 2)

In a season where no one really acted like a real Drag Race contestant, Kween Kong was the most non-contestant ever.

On paper, Kween does a lot of the same kind of stuff that other Down Under Season 2 contestants do: she can’t communicate to the camera well, her runways leave something to be desire, and her biggest contribution ends up being her impact on the drama. In theory, there’s no difference between her and Beverly, but the devil is in the details. Straight up, I don’t believe Kween Kong has ever seen Drag Race, or perhaps any reality show. This isn’t a negative, but what’s so damn striking is that her flaws in execution are completely different than her contemporaries.

When Beverly can’t deliver in a challenge, it’s because she overthought it and set herself expectations connected to what she has seen before; when Kween Kong can’t deliver in a challenge, it’s feels like she has no clue challenges were coming and has no idea the criteria. Kween’s personal drama content, about her dead sister and her struggles as POC in Australia, is compelling, but her delivery is so dry and guarded, unable to talk to the camera and give them what they want. Kween’s fights with people, especially Beverly, are so strange because she keeps arguing pass people. As upset as the other person is, they’re still putting on a bit of a show, but Kween never compromises her ability to fight for TV. It’s most striking with Hannah, the most contestant-y contestant, talking about her racist pass, which Kween answers in the most un-Drag Race way possible. I actually quite like it, but it’s something you’d never expect in 2022 Drag Race.

I mentioned earlier that Down Under Season 2 doesn’t feel like a Drag Race season, and the reason is Kween Kong. She’s such an obvious, non-conforming element who didn’t realize she was on a TV show. It’s a unique experience, and one of the stand-outs of the season.

15. Jaida Essence Hall (All Stars 7)

The theme of All Stars 7 is Harnessing Your Power. I was perhaps a bit blithe when I said that All Stars 7 was about not giving a shit, but I think it’s true in so far that the real personalities of the show didn’t care what the season itself said. What let Jinkx and Raja thrive was the ability to feel comfortable with who they are, and Jaida is right there next to them.

Jaida is in an interesting position because, for a multitude of reasons, US Season 12 didn’t really treat her as the main character. She was a main character, but her impact wasn’t as noticeable as, say, the impact of removing a whole contestant. This is all to say that Jaida was used to working in an ensemble cast, be in a cast where she wasn’t the biggest star, and that mindset greatly helped her prepare for All Stars 7. Like the rest of the cast, Jaida quickly clocks that this is a season for Jinkx to win and everyone is getting even billing, but unlike Shea or Trinity, Jaida doesn’t respond with contempt but a shrug. Jaida susses out her place as Jinkx’s friend and lines up, always willing to play the sidekick to the rest of the cast. It keeps Jaida top of mind without forcing her to claw for attention. Not that Jaida can’t deliver when the show spontaneously decides she’s in the lead for a givwn episode, but the point is Jaida knows how to deliver regardless of her place. She’s surprisingly meta-aware, by far the most of the winners of the season, and it’s her greatest weapon to come out of the season flawless.

Jaida emerges more or less the same as she did her first season. And since she was amazing there, it goes without saying.

14. Jonbers Blonde (UK Season 4)

Jonbers is the best sitcom character to ever compete on Drag Race.

If you ever wanted proof that sometimes Drag Race is scripted, look no further than Jonbers Blonde. It is quite literally impossible for someone to end up in the final 4 with no badges. In a season where two-thirds of the cast got wins, one of the few who didn’t was a finalist, a fact made funnier by them gifting badges to the makeover partners. And it clearly eats at her soul. The show is mostly preoccupied with watching Pixie get frustrated with getting no recognition, but the internal screaming in Jonbers’s eyes is as apparent as is haunting. This season nearly fucking broke her, mentally, and by the end she’s going stir crazy. Despite everything Jonbers did to win, nothing measured up.

And it would be tragic if it wasn’t Jonbers Blonde. An awkward Irish loon who sounds exactly like Ed Byrne, who calls herself a fashion Queen despite her tasteless runways. Someone whose ideas in the challenges are so off-the-cuff and random that the show has no idea how to process her. A contestant that RuPaul insisted should do St. Patrick for Snatch Game, and she did!!! I appreciate the hustle, but it is so god damn misplaced. This lovable, awkward weirdo making the worst choices she can, and getting in her own way. Frankly, it’s crueler they didn’t cut her earlier.

Jonbers is a tragedy too hilarious to take seriously. And that’s what makes her so great.

13. Mo Heart (UK vs the World)

UK vs the World is a bad season, that is a known fact. It’s an extremely flawed showcase of the Queens, with awful implications and a horrid elimination order. Everyone feels mismanaged and unfairly used. That being said, sometimes two wrongs can make a right. Sometimes a bad season treating a contestant a bad way can lead to one of the most interesting dynamics of the year.

And thus, we come to UK vs the World’s Mo Heart.

It’s fascinating to watch what can only be called Mo’s Heel turn. Anyone who saw US Season 10 or All Stars 4 would probably be shocked of Mo getting a villain edit, but that’s just one of the odd fucking choices only allowed in a season this careless. Mo’s time in the season is vicious, from the start undermining Cheryl Hole and just continues delivering mean side-eyes the entire season. I’d already appreciate her for being the only one to call out Baga at all, but she kinda just starts rubbing everyone the wrong way. And like, I get it, UK vs the World was clearly not the season she expected and is clearly tuned out for it. But she’s also still Mo, so while she spends the entire time over the season, she does it in ways only Mo can, in an affect only she has. It’s a bizarre character, to see one of Drag Race’s biggest angels be so frustrated at the season she’s in and she won’t hide it. Speaking for us all, as only she can.

12. Kornbread “the Snack” Jete (US Season 14)

This show has a god damn Emmy! Multiple!!!

A small part of me wants to view Kornbread more cynically.

Like I said last time with Willow, it’s hard not to read Kornbread’s brief time on the show as heavily produced. She comes in with catchphrases, iconic lines, and is, most importantly, dead set on making herself the star of the season. It’s one thing to loop her sisters June and Kerri into the mix, but her unlikely friendship with Willow was really where things start to germinate. Kornbread’s premiere can be said to be obvious, someone playing to the camera.

But you know what? That’s okay. Because Kornbread does all these things extremely well.

Like with Willow, you can argue cynicism all you want, but Kornbread delivers. She’s effortlessly entertaining. She gets into stupid fights with Jasmine. She helps Willow sew her outfit. She gives every single bit of herself to this season. The issue with so, so many Queens being television personalities first is that it reeks of insincerity, of trying to put on a front. Kornbread always feels real, there’s nothing jive about her motives or her actions. They’re for TV, but only because the format demands it. Hell, Kornbread gives so much to the show that she breaks her ankle (WHAT IS IT WITH THIS FRANCHISE AND ANKLES!!!) So while I get the hesitation early on, I experienced it as well, we have to face the fact that Kornbread is a stellar character, and an integral part of the season.

US Season 14 may have only started in earnest once she left, but that speaks of her power that she had to leave to let anyone else shine. Kornbread is the real deal.

11. Victoria Scone (Canada vs the World)

Now this placement might seem a bit odd, given my bias against this particular type of Queen. If this countdown has revealed anything about me, it’s that I am fucking over “man impersonating Woman In Farside Comic for a gag.” I find it a very cheap, non-nuanced form of Drag that banks a lot of humor off of the idea of a woman being brawny, loud, and opinionated. At best, it’s old hat, but at worst it plays into weird gender stereotypes, of “unfeminine” women being secretly men, and that there’s something funny about a man just wearing women’s clothing. It’s the kind of Drag that I think is secretly very affirming of old timey gender roles (thus why Baga does it), and isn’t transgressive enough, often enough, to work for me.

Victoria is the exception, and for more reasons than the obvious.

Victoria can get away with it not just because she is a Cis woman, but because she’s actually that brawny bitch. She’s a tall, curvy amazon with both the voice and vocabulary to narrate Mother Goose fairy tales. She always delivers confessionals in such a theatric, passionate way that evokes the camp of old Hollywood. You would never think that she was in her twenties, because she has the disposition and personality of a magical, sassy nanny. There’s no way to describe Victoria’s vibe that doesn’t imply she’s a witch, and that’s part of why she gets away with it.

But there’s more, and really what makes Victoria special: she’s damn smart with it. I don’t think anyone fucks around with gender presentation more than Victoria. We see a lot of Queens like Violet Chachki get called androgynous, but that’s just how they look out of drag, and they are able to toe the line of gender just by being thin; Victoria’s gender fuckery is both always intentional and always thoughtful. Her Drag King Fabio look is the pinnacle of this, a look that is both extremely masculine but also extremely literal and well thought-out. She engages in “Lesbian” behavior with Silky, herself someone who has no qualms wearing women’s clothing out of Drag despite going by male pronouns. To Victoria, it’s all about it’s all about fucking around with the system and having fun breaking the status quo. And that’s what makes her so powerful.

The irony is amazing,: after so many Queens present the same antiquated Brawny Woman drag, it takes an actual Brawny Woman to flip the table over and force people to think. I don’t think Victoria can change everything overnight, but she is the important next step to, if anything, less homogenous Drag,

Year-End Look: Canada Season 3

Canada’s Drag Race is back, bitches! I was worried we lost the show after the ho-hum second season, but Season 3 came in guns blazing, making sure you know why it’s the best Drag Race franchise. I’m not going to bother burying the lede, not only is Canada Season 3 the best season of the year, it’s one of the best seasons period. A dynamic, fun ride with some of the best characters to ever grace this franchise. While it lacks the both broader appeal and more nuanced storytelling of last year’s best season, UK Season 2, it makes up for it with splashier, messier moments and, most importantly, how to utilize its cast.

Probably the only negative to the season that I think holds water is that the cast is very top-heavy, but I actually think that’s a bit misleading. While Canada Season 3 puts a lot of eggs into a few baskets, making the final four predictable and seemingly cutting the rest of the cast short, I don’t think it’s from an inherently imbalanced cast like US Season 5; rather, I think this season quickly clocked the magic they had on hand and devoted as much time as those contestants needed. From what we saw, it wasn’t like there was nothing to Halal Bae or Lady Boom Boom of Kaos, but, frankly, the show didn’t need them. The show latched itself on to Fiercalicious, Kimmy, Gisèle, and Jada, and made sure it gave them as much time and energy as they needed. And while I concede that’s not exactly “fair,” it’s what made Canada Season 3 as good as it was.

It’s actually quite difficult to talk about the season because the main draw of it is this insanely good final 4, half of which I’ve gone over and the over half are being saved for my top 10. But if there’s anything great to say about Canada Season 3 that isn’t about them specifically, it’s that the season lets them thrive. The issue of Drag Race has always been the specific vision it has and the desire to produce, which can often cripple great casts. As good as US Season 14 and UK Season 4 were, they would be even better if production had never got in the way. All Stars 7 thrived at being overproduced, but that was only because they had produced themselves into a corner. Canada’s Drag Race lacks a lot of those inhibitions. There’s no central figure demanding the season meet certain criteria with the cast, and so the show is better able to find itself. When Canada tried to produce some canned personality, we got Season 2, and it realized it was never cut out for it. Canada’s Drag Race isn’t perfect, but it’s the sector of the franchise that most knows what it is. It knows that as long as the cast is good and everything is solid, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Canada Season 3 is one of the best seasons of the show, but there’s nothing spectacular about it. US and UK could have had season on the same level as Canada’s, and the makeup of my top 10 generally shows they all had potential. But Canada was the only one who knows how to work with what it has. Like last year, it’s a sign of the potential of Drag Race’s future.

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This is when the choices start to really hurt.

29. Black Peppa (UK Season 4)

Early on, Black Peppa is one of the defining stars of UK Season 4. She’s insanely likable, the show giving her more than ample time to show who she is and let her personality run wild. She’s smart and articulate, and she really helps carry the season pass the starting gate. While much of early UK Season 4 is watching everyone slowly set up, Black Peppa comes in guns blazing. You remember her way more than you remember everyone else, even Danny, and she deserves the sheer amount of positive buzz she achieved early on.

But then things start to slow down, and Black Peppa kinda fades into the background.

Much like Angeria yesterday, Black Peppa sadly drops from the season the longer it goes on. The filming is clearly getting to her, not at all helped by the fact that the show forces her to lip sync four times. By around the final five, it’s clear Black Peppa has checked out, and her last few episodes are her accepting her fate as a doomed finalist who never had a real shot to win from the beginning.

Originally I had Black Peppa much lower, but this is a placement made in protest. Much like Le Fil, we all know exactly why Black Peppa was given this specific edit. She’s the Tayce. The Vanity. And what’s worse is that I’m dead certain Black Peppa realized it herself. Black Peppa is acutely media aware, given her apparent awareness about Le Fil’s doomed status at Snatch Game. Post-show, Black Peppa has shown how in tune she is with being a part of a reality show, and the logistics therein. Black Peppa clocked at that second lip sync her role in the season, and it’s heartbreaking. I’ve seen plenty of people point out how low energy Black Peppa is at the end, but God can you blame her?

28. Beverly Kills (Down Under Season 2)

There’s never been anyone this snotty. And it works.

I’ll get to this later, but Down Under Season 2 has a wonderfully chaotic cast, and no one spreads the chaos more than Beverly. While she isn’t the most dangerous shit-stirrer of the season (oh, she’s coming), no one interferes with more people or rubs more people the wrong way. Pretty much every from final 8 onwards, aside for Spankie, directly calls Beverly out at some point as an annoying, untalented drain and she always fires right back, winning my heart. I was initially hesitant with Beverly because she seemed like the type of drama-starter who was all bark and would cower at the first sign of danger, but God bless her for sticking up for herself as obnoxiously as possible.

Obviously the defining Beverly moment is with Minnie, but I want to give a particular shout-out to her drama with Kween, because it is truly two people who do not understand each other. Beverly vs Kween is an endless string of comments and expressions of frustration that never resolves because both end up talking passed one another the whole time. They’re clearly not on the same page, thus stopping any chance they could have at talking about whatever the fuck started the fight. It’s drama that is pointless on face value, but explains so much about who both Kween and Beverly are, so major props.

Beverly is my exact kind of stank kid contestant, and while she’s not the best, she’s definitely the grimiest.

27. Gisèle Lullaby (Canada Season 3)

This glorious himbo.

I love that this is a winner of Drag Race. Gisèle. This is our winner. A slightly confused French-Canadian who could not be less the French-Canadian stereotype. A put-upon front-runner who realized that while she may be the winner, she’d also have to be nice one and help everyone compete their damn outfits. An insanely lovable, awkward man who becomes the sunshine of a season with this many rough edges.

Gisèle is far from an exciting winner, having the dubious honor of being Canada’s least great winner, but she serves her function as the only god damn adult of the season well. It’s so Canadian for the season to devolve into a bunch of immature weirdos doing weird stuff and for the closest thing to a sane man be the guy cosplaying as Jeremiah from 80’s Degrassi. And it works! It works because, despite all I’ve said, you get why Gisèle wins. She’s not just talented and compelling, but damn good at being a TV character. I think a lot of obvious winners play too close to the chest, not let themselves be vulnerable, but Gisèle knows that’s the secret to being a winner people would love. She engages with the cast and the camera, and does it in a way that never feels disingenuous; I don’t think she even could!

Gisèle might not quite live up to Priyanka and Icesis, but she’s also the closest thing Canada has had to a normal winner. Which… says a lot about Canada’s Drag Race.

26. Cheddar Gorgeous (UK Season 4)

When I started this project, I was warned about Cheddar from outside sources. I heard her compared to Sasha Velour, another bald, pretentious Queen, and I was instantly on the defense. If my writings haven’t made it clear, I don’t much like Sasha, finding her an annoying, cynically produced example of Neo-Liberalism. If Cheddar had any of the classism of Sasha, I wasn’t looking forward to the season.

Instead, I quite like Cheddar a lot. And I think the differences are what make this important.

First of all, while Cheddar is undeniably pretty pretentious, she doesn’t use this to downplay other’s Drag. Cheddar has a specific eye and style, but she makes it a point to say it’s her thing, and not to expect it from anyone else. It makes Cheddar more likable, but also makes her more secure. A lot of the vibe you get from your usual “Art” Queens like Sasha is of uncertainty, that they say something is artful without explaining why and that they all feel like they’re talking out of their ass. Cheddar knows what she’s doing, and it makes her Drag that much smarter.

But I think most important to Cheddar is the message she wants to deliver. Cheddar doesn’t hide being the oldest Queen of the season, and while age plays a factor in many Drag Race contestants, Cheddar is the only one who uses it to talk about queer liberation. Cheddar’s best moment of the entire season was her conversation with Dakota and Pixie about the AIDS pandemic, a moment that is appropriately uncomfortable and gripping. Cheddar forces the show at gunpoint to stop talking about the bright future of queer culture and to remember the tragedies of the past, and it’s so righteous and moving. It’s a perfect scene, because Cheddar doesn’t remotely try to make it easy, wanting to make sure the moment lands with as much weight as possible.

If you ever wondered why I hate Sasha taking Peppermint’s moment about being a Black Trans woman and co-opting it to talk about herself not being able to be out in Russia, this is fucking why.

Cheddar Gorgeous is the real deal. She may not be the snappiest or funniest Queen, but no one this year has kept it this fucking real.

25. Yuri Guaii (Down Under Season 2)

So, full disclosure, this will be a shorter section, as I can’t really verbalize why I love Yuri so much outside of pure vibes.

First of all, it needs be remarked, Yuri is hot as hell. Every single gay kid fell in love with a Yuri in high school: an alternative twink with hooded eyes, painted nails, and gauges. Yuri Guaii’s out of drag aesthetic is tailor made to appeal to that young emo teenager in all of us.

But even ignoring that, Yuri is just insanely likable. From episode 2 on, where he has a breakdown about losing his family and Spankie swoops in to help him, you want to see Yuri succeed. She’s clearly young and inexperienced, but she puts everything into what she does and even risks worsening an eye infection in episode 3. That might seem counter to the narrative that Down Under Season 2 is just insanity, but the difference is that Yuri isn’t weak, just vulnerable. She still has all the alternative and grungy side of her, and it’s far from polished and pristine. The difference is that Yuri may be open and honest about what she’s going through, but she’s not looking to be a pity case. She’ll fight back whenever she’s being undermined, like she did with Beverly. What this adds up to is a very sweet secondary character who adds a surprising amount of flavor to the season.

24. Vanity Milan (Canada vs the World)

Put this Dionne Davenport look in the Smithsonian where it belongs!

It was really nice to see Vanity come back and get a chance on a season that would actually take her seriously. UK Season 3 was a fucking shambles of a season, and no one suffered harder than Vanity Milan. The season never gave Vanity the space to breathe and to develop into her own character; you think the treatment of Black Peppa was bad, wait until you see the treatment of Vanity. So to see Vanity on a much better produced, much less racist, franchise was a great thing for her.

And she really excelled during it. By far the biggest storyline of Vanity was the racist treatment she felt during her first season, and so it’s wonderful to see her come back on a season with Ra’jah and Silky, the three forming a tight unity that clearly meant a lot to Vanity. It’s not just a great way to show the growth of Silky and Ra’jah, but this friendship really lets Vanity come into her own, with a better ability to define her own brand and taste. Vanity isn’t the most compelling Queen on the planet, but she’s still very personable and sweet, and she’s able to get almost an entire season to spread her wings and be her own person.

If you ever wondered what my favorite sector of Drag Race was, it’s the Canadian side, and it’s because it lets people like Vanity be who they are. Canada let Vanity define herself, and it’s a real damn treat.

23. Kerri Colby (US Season 14)

The rise of Tranos.

Much like Yuri, Kerri is someone who excels because of what she represents; unlike Yuri, Kerri is a celestial being from on high, with a divine power to crack every egg in sight. It really can’t be understated the power Kerri’s Trans-ness has. Not to put too much weight into “passing,” but there really is something to be said about a Trans woman serving so much cunt that attempting to socialize her as a man would make you look like an idiot. In fact, as much as we meme about it, Kerri serving this much as a woman is actually what drove Jasmine, and implicitly Bosco and Willow, to come to terms with their own genders. She’s really that powerful, that “manipulative Trans menace” Fox News warned you would turn all of your children Trans.

If that was just it, Kerri Colby as Tranos who with one snap cracks half the eggs in the universe, that would be one thing. But she’s also just insanely lovable and powerful. It’s odd to call a twenty-four year old “maternal,” but she gives that strong, supportive force to Kornbread and Jasmine. Even at the reunion, she unleashes her full abilities and is able to Mom the shit out of the entire cast and show support to Daya at her lowest. Kerri isn’t the kind of drama-inducing contestant that I’d personally rank high, but she’s the glue that holds the cast together. It really can’t be said enough the insane chemistry of US Season 14, and Kerri is in the middle of it.

22. Baby (UK Season 4)

First of all, how amazing is it that Drag Race no longer shames the absolute shit out of people quitting? We’ve come a long way from Adore Delano!

Baby is another icon whose character is just too self-evident to write. I just want to list off the million little things she does that I love. I love her drag aesthetic. I love her attitude. I love her adorable friendship with Dakota. I love that she fucking kills a lip sync harder than anyone else this season. There’s a small things about Baby that are easy to love.

But honestly, I think her best moment is her quit. I’m serious above, after spending nearly me entire life watching people quit reality shows and being shamed about it by everyone, including the host, the way Baby’s quit is handled is beautiful. Obviously, we’re already on a high after the amazing lip sync to No Way from Six, but the sheer amount of dignity that Baby is given when she says she’s leaving? That she’s looking to take care of herself and not get burned out? It touches my heart every single time I watch it. The swell of music as Dakota runs over and hugs her, and we hear Baby tell her how much she loves Dakota, enforces that this isn’t Baby quitting because it’s hard, but to seize her own agency. And as much as I side-eye Drag Race UK for its production, it’s probably the best quit I’ve ever seen in any reality show.

There’s just so much positive to the Baby experience. Just a perfect experience.

21. Chelazon Leroux (Canada Season 3)

Didn’t think an early game gremlin would end up this high, now did ya? Chelazon isn’t even the highest one.

The unintended theme of this section of the list are contestants who are pure vibes, but that has usually still meant evoking something far more concrete than whatever Chelazon has going on. As much as Yuri or Kerri are defined less by what they do and more by who they are, you can at least sum them up easily: Emo Guy Who Made You Gay for the former and Epitome Of Serving Cunt Who Made You Trans for the latter. Chelazon is… not that. You can’t describe her with just adjectives, but nothing fits. She’s Squirrely Dan’s Women Studies teacher from Letterkenny, as played by Janeane Garofalo. That’s the closest I can get to summarizing her weird, oft-putting demeanor, and it still doesn’t feel weird enough.

From the minute she opens her mouth and you hear the accent that’s so thick it sounds fake, you just know Chelazon will go down as one of the great weirdos of the franchise. From even her entrance look, which was a fucking hoodie (!!!), Chelazon clearly does drag by the beat of her own drum. You can tell the judges are perplexed by what to even say to her in terms of her runways, which always include two of the three following: garish words written last minute on the garment itself, flowing Black fabric to completely hide her body, and straps. The choices made by Chelazon are not mistakes, they are clearly intentional, and I can’t even call them bad. What I can do, however, is question what she’s going for, because I’m always perplexed.

Although I do think she needs to have better judgement in general. She was, after all, the first person to start a fight with Fiercalicious.

Chelazon is not a contestant of Drag Race. She’s not even really a vibe. She’s just a weird concept that would occasionally run across my screen for three episodes. She baffles me, and in all the best ways.

Year-End Look: Down Under Season 2

I was absolutely dreading watching Down Under Season 2: it was the only season on this list I didn’t even attempt to watch live, and it was the last season I watched aside for Canada vs the World. The fact that the insult to humanity that was the first season of Down Under got a sequel is mind-boggling, and I will admit I went into this season with the lowest expectations. I had my mind made up from the start, I wanted to hate Down Under Season 2.

And then it had to ruin my fun and be an amazing season.

Before I begin in earnest, it’s important to note that Down Under Season 2 suffers from the same low budget problems of the first season. The set is still clearly a three-wall set, not a closed sound stage, and you can really tell when the Queens have to be repositioned to film around the lack of a fourth wall. The audio is still wonky, although not nearly as atrocious as the first season. The resolution isn’t great, compounded by lighting that is either blown out or too dark. Down Under may lack the fundamentally awful choices of the first season like Scarlet’s fake redemption arc or bringing back Art Simone, but it’s still a low budget affair that lacks the production push of the other English-speaking seasons.

But what makes it work, especially compared to the first season, is that it’s honest with what it is. It doesn’t try to hide its lack of money with pointless Taika Waititi pre-filmed cameos. It embraces its shoe-string look, including with the cast. The cast of the first season were always going to be terrible, but what made the entire experience fall flat on its ass was when it tried to present them like they’re normal Drag Race contestants. You can’t have a Scarlet and an Art and a Karan and then pretend that your top four is on the same plane as Lawrence, Bimini, and Tayce. Down Under Season 1 reads as desperate, wanting to be taken seriously without putting in the effort. Down Under Season 2 doesn’t care about being taken seriously, and lets the cast run wild. Honestly, I don’t know of any Drag Race season that had this chaotic, messy, and unfiltered a cast, and considering how overly branded the main franchises are, it’s so damn refreshing. Down Under Season 1 was ashamed of its cast; Down Under Season 2 features Beverly vs Pomara as a feature, not a flaw. The only thing Down under really changed was its priorities, and it completely changed the experience.

What this has made is a season of Drag Race that feels less like Drag Race and more like Dragula. Like that show, the Drag may not be stellar, but the drama is rough, personal, and fun. And considering how much of a shit show recent Dragula has been, Down Under might have found its niche as a more palatable alternative. If you were iffy about watching this after the first season, please watch Down Under Season 2. As long as you can handle the low budget, you’ll find the most honest, insane season of the year.

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Apologise to everyone watching this, because we are back for our fourth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2014 with Hong Kong & Philippines! Over these nine episodes, three guys who inspire greatness in each other – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a very important season in WIDM canon – and one that gave also us Tygo – concluding with the final two episodes and reveal of Susan as the Mole!

In this week’s recap:

Bindles & I rejoice in Logan’s misfortune.
Did we actually enjoy the last two episodes?
How did Sofie nearly go home?
Entire episodes get ignored.
A title mystery is solved.
Was I being a little too unsubtle?
We can finally talk about suspicions.
Bindles was waiting for Tygo to skinny dip.
Logan talks about his retirement plans.
There’s an observation test.
Did Susan know about Tygo’s envelope heist?
Was it in Susan’s interest to force a non-elimination at Final Five?
I have a renewed love of Sofie.
We wonder why Art picked on Freek so much.
Do Production want all the finalists to find the Mole?
Was this the first season with everyone together for the reveal?
The womens’ alliance rears its ugly head again.
Has anyone ever played like Sofie does?
Did Sofie & Susan need each other?
We examine Tygo as a two-season character.
Logan learns something about Nikkie.
Tygo’s montage is a thing of beauty.
Do we like the final challenge?
Logan accidentally tries to stump us.
Why was the Final Test only twenty questions long?
The Final Test has zero suspense.
Did Sofie lie more than the Mole did?
How was it so difficult to pick Susan?
We pitch another all-star season.
Everybody’s aging.
We praise the Vondelkerk.
Has Freek broken my love of Finale Fashion?
We try and work out the various dating timelines of WIDM contestants.
Art gets a large amount of praise.
Why did we only see basic sabotages?
We talk about Aaf being awesome again.
How did Susan stay undetected?
Is it tough to be the Mole?
Does accusing someone right back make you instantly sus?
Why did people hate Jan-Willem?
How did I know it was Susan?
Where did Susan place on the Mole poll?
Susan has a connection with another Mole we’ve talked about.
Logan gets caught out not paying enough attention to me having gone to the Mole finale once upon a time.
We finally talk suspicions.
Are we paid to praise Mole seasons?
And what’s next?

We’ll see you on January 11th for Wie is de Mol 2023!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hkpasf/widm1409.mp3

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Ooooof, I feel like this part is when I start getting some flack.

38. Lady Camden (US Season 14)

Like I said with Bosco yesterday, Camden is someone I don’t think I would care that much about if she were on any other season. The “type” Lady Camden fits in is of the professional who is amazing at everything and doesn’t need to engage in the drama. Not that these are faults of Lady Camden, that she’s just that bitch who is actually good at everything, but that it’s a role that frequently doesn’t go anywhere and doesn’t contribute much to the screen. I wasn’t ready to hate Camden, more dismiss her as another front runner the show would focus on because they had to.

Thank fuck she’s on US Season 14, because Lady Camden truly gets to shine here.

Lady Camden never commands the story, at least not until the Saltine fight, but she’s always around, in the background, doing goofy shit. Minor moments like making fun of Angeria’s accent or her coyness about being gay when going to ballet boarding school really make her more approachable and fun. Even her stunts, like the Freddie Mercury reveal, are objectively silly. And I think being in this season really opened her up. Compare her to Symone from last year, whose cast never engaged with each other; while Symone is most exciting as a Queen in concept, she’s much less a personality.

Lady Camden benefits from being in a better season, but still deserves props for meeting the show where it’s at.

37. Pangina Heals (UK vs the World)

Controversial opinion?

Here’s the thing, I love that Pangina became the unquestionable break out star of UK vs the World. There’s the obvious reasons to love Pangina’s success, it giving validity to non-English speaking Drag Race, in fact Drag Race of developing countries. But there’s also the amazing metanarrative: that UK vs the World tried so hard to push a Tory and the audience, the world at large, rejected her for this Thailand princess. And she totally deserves it, because Pangina does deliver the goods, in both the challenges and on screen. She’s really likable and really sincere, someone who sharply contrasts the rigid British-ness of her surroundings.

The only thing really stopping me from being as on board with Pangina as everyone else is how unintentional it was. Pangina wasn’t supposed to be a breakout star, and to be frank that’s obvious from her edit. When you actually sit down and rewatch UK vs the World, there’s really not a lot to Pangina. You can follow her, specifically watch for her moments, but only if you do so intentionally, and frankly watching it that way is a fool’s errand. Once Pangina is gone, you have no reason to keep watching. And, yeah, it’s UK vs the World, you shouldn’t be watching anyway, but the point is Pangina doesn’t penetrate the cast and the show never treats her with respect. I do not think it’s a case of her being ESL, rather I think BBC just didn’t see worth in her and strung her along until it was time for her to leave.

Remember what I said about Le Fil’s elimination? And what challenge did Pangina leave?

UK vs the World didn’t deserve Pangina. If given a proper season, a season where she could show her strengths and be taken seriously, she could easily make the teens of my list, if not top 10. Pangina is great, her season let her down.

36. Yvie Oddly (All Stars 7)

So, what happens when you take Yvie Oddly, an obnoxious powder keg ready to explode all over the werk room, and remove any and all agents of chaos? Whatever the fuck Yvie in All Stars 7 was.

Like a lot of All Stars 7, much of the enjoyment you can get from Yvie is contrasting her with what we know about her. By itself, Yvie in All Winners is probably the least impactful you can be while getting a positive edit. The show does remind us that Yvie exists, but only just long enough for her to say something “alternative” or for the cast to mention her huge dick. Otherwise, she leaves little to chew on, just sitting around as a winner in a room full of other winners.

And that’s weird right?!

This is Yvie Fucking Oddly. This is the same opinionated, unflinching bitch who fought every single episode of US Season 11 with none other than Silky Nutmeg Ganache. This scab-picking, drama-attracting bridge troll, who had no right winning in her first season because the cast fucking hated her (Bless ), is now on a season with less drama than any given Top Chef. It’s staggering how miscast Yvie Oddly is. The show somehow took this demon from hell and defanged her so much she’s unrecognizable.

The fun of All Winners Yvie is that the concept is inherently ridiculous. This might me too high, but I get such a joy out of seeing Drag Race shove its problem child in their Sunday best to attend the reunion where they know nobody. It’s such a bad use of talent, it loops back on itself to being transcendent.

35. Icesis Couture (Canada vs the World)

It’s hard to know what to say about Icesis’s time on Canada vs the World. Part of me feels like I should base her off of the first three episodes, but another part of me finds that dishonest because her character is defined by how she left. Icesis is perhaps the most unique experiences to ever be on Drag Race, and it’s mostly due to timing and environment. Quitting is always going to be a noteworthy moment in Drag Race, and her doing it on a season this earnest and heartfelt really lets the moment sit with the audience. While this year’s other quit was framed as triumphant and as a moment of gaining agency, this one is somber and becomes the only thing the cast talks about for the last half hour.

I guess what I can say about Icesis’s quit is that no one is immune to mental struggles. This is still Icesis Couture: the proud, talented, dancing Bad Bitch of Canada Season 2. The one who stole the win from Pythia’s grasp and never looked back. The one who came back in Canada Season 3 to congratulate the final four and be something inspirational. And even with all of that, Icesis’s demons still got the best of her. She was not ready to compete again, a fact that had to just take everything out of her both because she was a winner and she was doing so well so far. And what’s so heartwarming was that everyone else completely understood. It’s uncomfortable because it feels so real, and you feel for Icesis even as she informs everyone she’s leaving. Quitting is not easy, and even though it was the right call, it will likely be something Icesis will always regret to a small degree. Not because she should regret it, but because out demons always know how to fuck with us.

It was fun to see Icesis again. And I sincerely hope nothing but the best for her.

34. Rita Baga (Canada vs the World)

Despite being in the public consciousness for only 2 years, Rita Baga has developed into an institution of Drag Race. Part of it is being so French-Canadian is hurts, part of it is her Drag being what your single aunt wears at the wedding reception. But I think the main reason Rita commands so much respect is that she’s great at delivering when it counts. Rita knows how to meet a season where it’s at, knows what hat to put on to make for the best TV. And much like how she meets Canada Season 1 in its insanity, she meets Canada vs the World is its sincerity.

This is still very much Rita Baga, just without the hard edges. Rita is much calmer here than she was in Canada Season 1, which I think it’s easy to blame her for becoming boring, but I chalk it up to not having to deal with Ilona Verley. Rita is in a much more stable, much less chaotic, season, and so her softer side comes out. Granted, it’s still Rita Baga, someone with some questionable runways and even more questionable wigs. There’s some things Rita just can not change, and her taste in hair will follow her to the grave. But it’s still a nicer edit for Rita, who clearly got burnt by the fan response to Canada Season 1. I personally don’t think she reaches the same heights as she did before, but I’ll never turn her down from my television.

33. Willow Pill (US Season 14)

First things first, props to Willow Pill for somehow rolling with RuPaul’s obsession early in the season with saying “It’s not a Big Pill, it’s a WILLOW PWILL!” Truly, I am shocked Willow didn’t at some point question the Wow Presents staff if RuPaul was senile.

I think a lot of people are quick to call Willow Pill transparent and fake, and I understand why. Willow Pill seamlessly integrates herself with who would end up being the most important characters of her season: Kornbread, Kerri, Angeria, etc. From just the premiere, she goes from the mockery of the cast, with her 00’s Angle outfit and terrible shoes, to the little sister of Kornbread, the start of their friendship in earnest. From there, Willow starts to expand her reach to the rest of the cast, becoming friendly with everyone and being someone no one else wants to see leave. And again, I get it. There’s an aspect of Willow that feels insincere, especially off the heels of Jaida and Yvie. I don’t know if I complete buy it.

However, I have few counter arguments that what Willow is doing is heinous. First of all, Drag Race has had many of friendships that were mutually beneficial. From Bianca and Adore to Shea and Sasha, we’ve spent more years in the age of Queens partnering up for business reasons than not. And speaking of Shea and Sasha, what Willow was doing wasn’t directly in contention with the rest of the cast. I’m much more cynical of Queens elevating themselves when it’s accompanied by them kicking everyone else down so that they become the only final two. Willow’s friendship with Angie wasn’t some awkward classist move against someone else. And lastly, it was mutual. To me it’s disingenuous to say Willow was the only one who benefitted from the agreement; hell I’d put money Kornreab approached her first. So look, as much as you may scoff at Willow is doing, this shit has been happening for years now, it’s time to wake up.

And I think we should give Willow credit because she’s a damn good winner. Willow has a clear vision and reference points, and uses them excellently. She’s funny and charming, and a good performer. Willow Pill seemingly has this cloud of cynicism and it frustrates me because it’s the kind of thing that should be over, say, half the damn cast of All Winners. As basic as her appeal is, I really like Willow Pill. She makes for a great first winner of the fourth arc of Drag Race, and I hope the others after her take notes.

32. Cheryl Hole (UK vs the World)

Oh my god, this lovable basic bitch!

In the dark times that was UK Season 1, Cheryl Hole was unquestionably the brightest star. Already iconic from the start of the season, Cheryl’s real claim to fame was becoming the Elissa Slatter of Drag: a vapid, clueless bimbo who, via everyone around her being hateful assholes, becomes the unintended hero and sole source of good of the season. It is both delightful and legendary, as Cheryl flounders in the endgame, a lovable presence that may not have deserved the shit from the judges she got, but it undoubtedly brought out the best in her.

And this is all to say that she was dead meat on UK vs the World.

My cynical nature about UK vs the World always crowning a British Queen had the caveat that, we all knew, it wouldn’t be Cheryl. As much as the show screwed Cheryl over her first season, I knew it would pull similar shit this time around. And everyone knew it. Cheryl knew it! Her constantly making mediocre jokes wasn’t just her running the meme into the ground, it was staring Drag Race directly in the eyes and dared them to prove she was right. And sure enough, they gave her the obvious BTM-OUT edit she knew she’d get. Cheryl went down, not as one of the season’s many victims, but as someone who knew exactly what it was going to pull, and beat them to the punch.

What I’m saying is Cheryl outfoxed production. Make of that what you will.

31. Jujubee (UK vs the World)

Jujubee has been a fixture of our lives for well over a decade. The importance of Jujubee really can not be overstated; while far from splashy and exciting, Jujubee is a consistent, well-drawn part of early Drag Race, and was instrumental in it becoming the institution it is today. Even in modern times, during All Stars 5, Jujubee could still rub elbows with the more obvious pets like Shea and Cracker and make a valiant attempt at that season’s crown. The power of Jujubee is such that she can materialize on All Stars 5, know nothing of the current Drag Race metagame, and still dominate the season via force of will. Jujubee is consistent and evergreen, both her appeal and her power.

Her time on UK vs the World is very odd, but that’s not really Jujubee’s fault.

It’s clear from the season that, at this point, Jujubee is just exhausted. They dragged her out to the other side of the world, tired and unprepared, and propped her up on stage, just for the name recognition. If Pangina shows how disrespectful UK vs the World was to people looking for their break, Jujubee shows how disrespectful it is to those who came before. And like with Pangina, Jujubee really does try to make good TV, even in this shit season. Chercutiree has absolutely entered my vocabulary. But at the end of the day, it’s still UK vs the World, still a season where Jujubee could have been replaced with a scarecrow and the results would have been the same.

UK vs the World wasted Jujubee, in fact the greatest sin of all.

30. Angeria (US Season 14)

The unintended theme of this section of the list is untouchably great contestants that we take for granted. As much as drama fiends thirsty for chaos, like me, may be dismissive of the Queens with a more “basic” appeal, they’re very necessary. They’re the ones who help keep the season grounded to some sort of normalcy, who make sure the show is still approachable. They might not be the splashiest contestants, but they’re the workhorses, and any proper season needs them somewhere to give the season a backbone. And Angeria is a perfect example.

Angeria comes alive as soon as you meet her, by far the biggest breakout star of the second half of the premiere. She’s open and lovely, someone who clearly wants to make good TV without feeling grating. Every moment with Angeria sparks a bit of joy, and even when she has to play a secondary part (which, sadly, becomes frequent as the season moves forward), you still have positive feelings about her.

Really, there’s not much else to add about why Angeria works so well: she’s very much what she presents on screen, a positive aura that may not be distinct but is always appreciated. She has fun little moments, like the aforementioned one with Lady Camden, but nothing specific that you can point out. Angie might peter our before the end, but that has more to do with the hellish filming schedule than her. Still, she does her job really well.

Year-End Look: UK Season 4

UK Season 4 is a massive step up compared to both UK Season 3 and UK vs the World. Everything those two seasons tried to do was done so much better this time around, a fact I largely credit to the cast. This season’s cast, much like US Season 14, feels like a natural progression and important next step for the franchise. And while they’re still noticeably more “tropey,” as is the way with UK Drag Race, no one feels played out.

Much like the crown jewel of the UK brand, Season 2, it’s easy to divide the season into three acts: the Sminty Drop era, the Dakota Schiffer era, and the Jonbers Blonde era. Unlike Season 2, these acts that don’t build on one another but instead recontextualize the cast and add new layers to the remaining contestants. Once the season starts to feel like it has found its groove and settled in after the first four episodes, there’s a paradigm shift after Sminty leaves and the new main character effectively becomes Dakota. And once you get comfortable with Dakota, she’s gone and Jonbers ascends, ruling the endgame narrative with an iron fist. These changes each affect the rest of the cast as well: Dakota really emerges as the dominate narrator after Sminty goes, Black Peppa gets increasingly frustrated as she watches her star fall, Pixie Polite emerges more and more from the shadows, etc. The season does still feel gradual, but these changes in pacing do help entertain the audience and keep them on their toes.

It probably looks odd to frame the season around these three people, who basically don’t play any role in the main plot (Danny vs Cheddar), but the reality is Drag Race is not about the destination. Drag Race, especially the UK sector, wears proudly on its sleeve who it plans of winning the show. And because of that, there’s actually not a lot of excitement possible with that drama, and especially not with the completely off-the-wall chance Black Peppa or Jonbers Blonde could win. So instead of trying to make Danny vs Cheddar exciting, the editors did the smart thing and frame the season around the supporting cast. Those two are always present, but they’re rarely notable, and it makes for a more dynamic viewing if you accept that the win is a foregone conclusion.

Which brings me to the season’s only problem: it’s based in the UK. I’ve said this many times, but the BBC’s strict, rigid view of what makes a winner has caused the franchise to already feel stifling and predictable. It would be one thing if this just affected who won, but given the suspicious paths Le Fil and Black Peppa went down, it’s obvious there’s much more production intervention than even on US Drag Race. Not only does it sell those contestants short, it frankly sells Danny and Cheddar short, to say nothing of the other questionable boots of the season like Dakota’s. It makes the season feel like a pointless, scripted drama, and while it can still be a lot of fun, it lacks emotional weight.

Drag Race UK has a lot of potential for true greatness, it just needs to get out of its own way. Once it does, it’s unstoppable.

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Sadly, we must now start to part with one of my favorite Drag Race archetypes: the gremlins.

47. Halal Bae (Canada Season 3)

How high can you justify ranking someone just because you think they’re hotter than the sun? Turns out, it’s number 47.

I can’t confidently say how screwed Halal was by being a first boot, but she seemed to have promise. I think there was more to her than Miss Moço, at least. It’s hard to really say how much Halal could have done in the season, however, given the trajectory it was going. Hell, as I pointed out yesterday, they were already dropping Chelazon and Kaos to devote more time to Fiercalicious, I don’t think they could have possibly made much room for Halal Bae to really thrive.

Okay first boot. Nothing much more.

46. Copper Topp (UK Season 4)

Now we are getting into one of my favorite Drag Race archetypes, the early game gremlin. About once or twice a season, Drag Race decides to cast someone who you’re more likely to spot digging through your dumpsters than performing. A true trash goblin who alienates the rest of the cast and are typically the first to throw stones. Not every gremlin will appear in this part (some are much higher!), but considering how strong this year of Drag Race has been, I can’t justify ranking someone like Copper Topp any higher.

And what a fucking legend to introduce the concept. Copper Topp isn’t the best early game gremlin, but she’s probably the one whose appeal is easiest to understand. She’s a vocal, oft-putting, opinionating asshole, and you totally get why no one else is willing to cut her some slack, as she does nothing but hurt her own case. Copper is both understandable but still unlikable, a being of pure spite who rubs everyone the wrong way. This is the baseline appeal of a lot of early game gremlins, because while you get why Copper leaves and in as much disgrace as she does, you can’t objectively deny what she adds to the season. She’s understandably upset, but goes about it the worst way possible and spells her own doom. It’s a winning combination that helps early episodes of any reality show, giving the show the first notes of drama as everyone lays roots and establishes their own brand.

Copper Topp is far from a complex character, but who needs complexity when you have terrible runways.

45. Stephanie Prince (Canada vs the World)

Ugh, this hellish angel.

Like I said last year, I adore Stephanie as this whiny-voiced little bridge troll who has no awareness of how annoying she is. She perfectly encapsulates everything that makes the Drag Race Gremlin trope so fantastic, and while her edit was much flatter here than in her first season, we still have moments of that little demon coming out. The premiere of Canada vs the World is just a vicious smack down on Stephanie as an unaware know-it-all who alienates Kendall and Icesis and is the direct cause of their team doing the worst at the challenge. The fact that she isn’t eliminated, somehow, in the premiere and is forced to flounder on the season’s Snatch Game is just the icing on the cake.

Stephanie Prince fills her role nicely. She’s always someone you can trust to turn up the stank.

44. Orion Story (US Season 14)

Out of every single Queen who has ever competed on Drag Race, Orion Story is the one most likely to own a long Furby. I have zero proof but I am steadfast in my conviction.

Orion Story has dead meat written all over it, and it’s easy to see why. While most of gremlins of Drag Race get there ironically, via missing the mark so hard they loop back around to being iconic, Orion’s drag is intentionally meant to be low rent. She’s like Katya, in that her reference pool is very much trailerpark, chain-smoking, trashy elements of White culture. Orion is very intentional when she mocks the depraved aspects of what little we White Americans can call culture, and I appreciate the angle. The problem is that Orion lacks the wisdom of how to execute it. Her first challenge, the talent show where she does a fake exercise tape made by the heavy drinking manager at your local 7/11, is the most indicative of what Orion is trying to do and her flaws in doing it. She’s too one note, and while the ideas are there, she can’t connect them in a way that feels original. Thus, even though she’s an intentional Drag Race gremlin, her failure of execution kinda makes her a Drag Race gremlin in two ways.

We stan a versatile Queen.

Orion pops off better on Twitter, as seen by my choice of representative image, but at the end of the day she’s just too inexperienced to really capture the high-concept idea she’s aiming. She’ll get there, but she was too overshadowed by the rest of Season 14 to really stand a chance.

43. Faúx Fúr (Down Under Season 2)

Congrats to Faux for being the best first boot of the year! I knew she could do it.

It’s only fitting that Down Under, itself the low budget Gremlin sector of Drag Race, would have such an iconic gremlin itself. The first half of the premiere seems innocent enough, Faux coming is as a young twink without a single idea how to construct an outfit. But suddenly, out of a fit of being unable to pull her outfit together, Faux screeches at the top of her lungs, scarring the absolute hell out of the rest of the cast. And keep in mind, this is Down Under, whose set is a family sitcom set that is attempting (and failing) to look like a proper sound stage. I’m pretty sure it’s not even soundproofed; lord knows she probably scared the shit out of the news anchors in the set next door just trying to talk about the damn weather. And if that first scream didn’t cause them to wonder the hell happened, her subsequent two right after sure did!

After that stunning display of sense, naturally Faux lands in the bottom with Spankie, as one could see Faux’s black underwear from space. And given Spankie would end up winning the season, you see where this is going. I give all the credit in the world to Faux, however, because she takes it with immense stride and candor. You know, before giving one last piercing scream to scare craft service people. Truly a fun, unique oddball, and one of the best of the year.

42. Bosco (US Season 14)

Seen here: half of Bosco’s runways.

I was extremely hesitant to let Bosco in my heart. Early on, much of Bosco feels very rehearsed and overplayed, like she’s trying to associate herself with the cast by force. Moments like the budding friendship of Kornbread and Willow are interjected with Bosco confessionals, which always feel artificial, as if the show is forcing her into the main narrative to tell you that she’s a finalist. I think Bosco catches a lot of the lazier parts of Drag Race production, and it really rubbed me the wrong way.

However, although Bosco still has these issues, I still come out of Season 14 liking her. Much more than I usually do of her general type. Why is that?

First of all, over time Bosco actually does start to integrate herself to the cast, becoming a much warmer character. She’s still the season’s main narrator, but given how many pies she ends up sticking her fingers in, it plays more naturally than other Drag Race narrators. Her relationship with Lady Camden especially is notable because I find they bring out the best in each other, with Camden’s flowery way of speaking just being completely blanked by Bosco’s vocal fry. A relationship that reaches it’s amazing apex when they fight over who will play Saltine. They work well with each other, creating two finalists who would not be nearly as entertaining solo.

Secondly, Bosco has a very similar thing to Deja and Jorgeous in that she feels like a call back to past Drag Race. Unlike them, Bosco’s reference is seemingly much less specific, mostly approaching the dry streak we saw in the second era of Drag Race. The comparison to Bendelacreme is the most obvious, as both are snarky Seattle Queens, but if any past contestant reminds me of Bosco, it’s Season 5 Alaska. There’s a lot of young Alaska in Bosco, but not in a way that feels distracting; it only occurred to me after finishing the season. I’m not trying to say Bosco is ripping people off, she’s still able to establish herself as her own thing. Still, Bosco’s unintentional evoking of the past plays a lot better for her, and I think it adds to her charm.

Really, if there’s anything to be said about Bosco, it’s how promising her type of Queen is. I’m not ignorant, pre-determined finalists are always going to be a thing and will continue to be a thing, Bosco was always going to get the Golden Chocolate Bar. And typically I’m much more cynical of these types of Queens, seeing them as sanded down personalities putting on a front to be a breakout star. With Bosco, God help me, I buy it. Bosco was never going to be one of my favorites, but if finalists are going to be closer to her than Kameron Michaels or Gigi Goode or Gottmik, I’m much more optimistic about Drag Race’s future.

41. Molly Poppinz (Down Under Season 2)

Give it up to any contestant who serves a look that is unanimously called by the judges as “trashy.” Massive amounts of respect for someone who is always serving the put-together hooker.

Molly is a decent late game contestant made better by being on Down Under Season 2. Like Hannah Conda, she’s someone I’d totally expect to see and thrive on a “normal” season of Drag Race; unlike Hannah, Molly responds to the season with appropriate amounts of terror. Down Under Season 2 verges on Dragula levels of cast dysfunction, and Molly being forced to endure Minnie Cooper and Beverly Kills and Kween Kong nearly drives her fucking mad. It’s one of the most fun subplots of the season, Molly attempting to get everyone together and act like a proper cast, but with zero power to do so. She clearly expected Down Under Season 2 to be more in line with, you know, actual Drag Race, but Down Under has chosen violence and it clearly threw Molly off completely.

Molly is a fascinating look at what would happen if a Drag Race contestant ever ended up on Dragula (you know, besides Jade Jolie). She’s a pretty bog standard late game threat who gets swallowed whole by the chaos around her, making her a unique Drag Race experience.

40. Maddy Morphosis (US Season 14)

Oh, god, where to fucking begin.

First things first, the casting of Maddy as the show’s first straight man is 100% a gimmick. Make no mistake, from what we saw Maddy is baseline not talented nor diverse in skillset enough to do well on Drag Race. And it’s not because Maddy is straight, but because they haven’t been doing Drag for very long. They were clearly found by production on Instagram, and recruited as a stunt. That’s why Maddy is here; that’s why Season 14 has a straight man in cast. It is both unfair and frankly idiotic to say Maddy didn’t belong because they’re a straight man, because you know who agrees with you? Maddy Morphosis. They knew why they were here, and chose to play their part.

And God, did Maddy ever. If you wanted a straight man, someone so straight it physically hurts, there’s no one on the planet straighter than Maddy. They are the only contestant I’ve seen on the show answer one of RuPaul’s rhetorical questions with a “yup.” Their awkward disposition at the endless double entendres, the weird turns of phrases like if “her pussy is on fire” (breaking news, it’s warm), and the emotional moments of the cast coming together in the name of queer liberation is the best cringe comedy Drag Race has ever produced. That last part is especially noteworthy, because this is US Season fucking 14! The first Untucked Maddy is a part of has endless moments of the cast feeling kinship with each other because of their shared experience as queer people, and every fucking time it cuts back to Maddy looking increasingly out of touch. This is the season with Tranos Colby cracking everyone’s eggs, and they decided to include a straight man. Maddy’s inclusion is always funny, the perfect comic relief.

I’ve seen people complain that a straight man has no place on Drag Race, which is ludicrous because it still implies Drag Race has an ounce of credibility. Of course Maddy doesn’t fit in with the season, that was the entire fucking point. Maddy was a fun experiment, and I am praying to God Drag Race never tries to replicate it.

39. Le Fil (UK Season 4)

Was anyone going to tell me Le Fil is somehow 36 year old? How?!

So I’ve mentioned my personal annoyance with how UK Drag Race handles its winners, casting Queens specifically to win and thus undermining their worth. The biggest negative of Lawrence and Danny is that they end up winners covered in cynicism. This is a big problem with UK Drag Race, but it’s not the main issue. No, sadly, that’s the show’s implicit racism, and Le Fil was a big victim of that. Fun fact, did you know that Drag Race UK has had a total of three contestants of East Asian descent? Did you also know that all three were eliminated at 7th place during Snatch Game?

Le Fil as a Queen is a pretty good contestant. They look amazing and have a good eye for fashion; they are the reason them and Sminty Drop did so well at the design challenge. But every week, we got the same critique about Le Fil that really rubs me the wrong way: that they don’t deliver in the challenge like they do on the runway. Granted, I think Le Fil deserved to be bottom 2 during Snatch Game, but they didn’t deserve their low placements for the Improv challenge or Rusical. To be blunt, it does feel like the show put them in the Bottom Three twice in a row as a precursor to Snatch Game, so that they could seamlessly eliminate them without raising too many eyebrows.

Because look, I 100% believe Le Fil was meant to go at seventh. The fact that it’s the exact placement of Sum Ting Wong and River Medway can not be a coincidence. Part of my annoyance with the aforementioned Broad Bitch archetype that wins so often is that it’s one that’s very White. Drag Race has always had problems with representation and race, but racism feels particularly hard-coded into UK’s sector. There’s nothing connecting those three contestants outside of race, but Drag Race was the one to group them together. And if you think I’m just seeing patterns where there aren’t any, a reminder than Black Peppa was the third Black Queen in a row unfairly maligned by the judges and barely achieved final 4 status via being a lip sync assassin. This is a structural problem, one that makes me most pessimistic about UK Drag Race. Le Fil is a good contestant who deserved a better franchise.

Year-End Look: US Season 14

A lot of ink has been spilled about the main flaw of US Season 14: the length. Season 14 lasted a full sixteen weeks of television, just as long as the seemingly endless Season 13. By itself, sixteen episodes is much too long for a season with only fourteen contestants, but the real kicker is the pacing. Between the first two episodes being rendered null and void, the random choice to have a non-elimination three out of four episodes in a row, and the ever-lingering threat of the Golden Chocolate Bar (itself a twist everyone saw cynically), Season 14 did itself zero favors by dragging the audience along by the dick. If Season 14 could be said to have a meme, it’s the horrid pacing and the unwillingness to get the fuck on.

Which is a shame, because the secret is that this cast fucking slaps.

Season 14 is on par with Seasons 6 and 11 in terms of top tier casts. Even with the terrible pacing, even with the early exit of Kornbread, the cast of Season 14 delivers constantly. This cast checks every single box a Drag Race fan could want, and then some. Whether you’re here for the talent, for the personality, or for the drama, you can find something to love about Season 14. Not only is the cast strong individually, with certain Queens reaching God-tier levels, but they intermingle flawlessly. As oppose to Season 13, where everyone was an island and it took divine intervention for them to talk to one another, everyone in Season 14 feels like a part of the cast. Even weaker characters like Deja and Jorgeous have their place.

And it’s not just drama, although the presence of Daya Betty for the whole season promises that drama is always on the table. There’s a lot of friendships and fun little character moments shared with the whole cast. As much as Bosco doesn’t excite me like she does other people, she’s a good supporting character, especially with Lady Camden. Kerri Colby would just be another mid-season boot if she wasn’t also the catalyst that turned everyone this season Trans. Willow and Angeria are likable enough late-game characters who pop even more by being on good terms with the everyone. It’s clear from the post-show interviews and discourse around the season that nearly everyone enjoyed their time on the season, and developed really solid chemistry. In spite of everything, the season works because the cast worked their ass off to make it work.

The cast of Season 14 deserved a better season. They deserved a season that was two-thirds the length and with less contrived twists. US Season 14 proves that the most important thing to a season is the cast, both individually and collectively. If this season had the care and attention that the cast deserved, it might be heralded the best season ever. Which, on the other hand, does ultimately shows how much a good cast can not save a horrendous filming schedule. Season 14 was a high after Season 13, and a promising start to the fourth era of Drag Race.

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Honestly I’m shocked Danny Beard made it this long.

56. Starlet (UK Season 4)

Starlet is an actual pod person. The countless jokes I made about Krystal Versace last year, that she was incubated in a futuristic egg-shaped chamber over the span of six weeks and fled her confines only a few days ago, applies doubly so for Starlet. Starlet’s entire presentation makes me uneasy. I have a hard time saying she’s beautiful, even though she objectively is, because there’s something so alien and oft-putting about her Drag. Not just her looks and how she paints, but her demeanor, personality, and way of responding to people. If her age didn’t inform you that she was a bedroom Queen who never performed on stage, her inability to speak in contractions would.

Obviously her most famous moment was her stonewalling the show and leaving without any send-off zinger, which falls in sharp contrast with her tearful good-bye and mirror message. And as much as I adore that moment as further confirmation of Starlet’s status as a fey creature impersonating a human, for me her best moment was her entrance where she dropped the gem of wisdom that, “Drag is all about the look for me, if you do drag and dance, but remove the drag, you’re just a dancer.” Which… yeah, Starlet. You’re right. You have a reason of saying that? And if we remove you’re drag, you’re just Jamiroquai. What logic are you trying for here, alien baby?

55. Pixie Polite (UK Season 4)

I’m a little shocked I vibe with Pixie as much as I do.

I think what makes Pixie work compared to similar contestants of her peer group is, ironically, that there’s two of them between her and Danny. I think UK Drag Race is too overly keen on having their broad bitch Queen also serve as someone frustrated at the show for presumably not taking them seriously. When you have actual winner The Vivienne spending her press time for All Stars 7 insecurely insisting she should have won so-and-so challenge, it gives this impression of a conceded, spoiled brat who is impossible to satisfy. In UK Season 4, the arc is much more tolerable, both because Danny and Cheddar never attack and undermine one another, but also because the victim of the season is Pixie. Granted, she’s not the biggest victim (that’s Jonbers), but you more feel for Pixie because the show is clearly in love with Danny far more than her, despite the textual similarities.

I still don’t think Pixie is that compelling, especially compared to both her ex Tia Kofi and the person she eliminates, Dakota Schiffer. I think we could have used one less episode of Pixie, as by the time her arc starts in earnest the final two of Cheddar and Danny can be seen from space, making Pixie feel redundant. Still, there’s nothing that bad about Pixie. As a reminder, last year’s chubby comedy Queen who was frustrated she was overlooked for wins used Kate Bush as a pejorative, so Pixie is an improvement over that.

54. Danny Beard (UK Season 4)

And speaking of Queens who surprised me by not being wholly terrible.

I want to be cynical of Danny Beard, because lord knows the show is. UK Drag Race has found itself in a hole where who they crown is determined at casting, and it’s near unanimously the same type of Queen. Like I said before, Drag Queens in the UK can seemingly get away with simply evoking brassy women, delivering the broadest, most pedestrian comedy possible, comedy that would have felt at home on a 1960’s variety show. It’s not that these Queens lack talent, some are very talented and have a variety of abilities, but the vast skillset of a Lawrence Cheney is undermined by both a senile host cackling at her Shrek-adjacent accent and the BBC implicitly lumping her in the same category as the terminally talentless Baga Chipz. Danny Beard falls directly in that category, someone who was always going to win and who the show made sure you knew was going to win by contrasting her with Cheddar Gorgeous in the most overt redux of Vivienne vs Divina. Like I said, it’s hard not to be cynical of Danny Beard because her role in the show didn’t challenge her to tap into her skills.

Which is a shame, because Danny Beard is a fine winner. Danny Beard’s drag is some of the best and smartest of the season. She’s surprisingly versatile in looks, going from Audrey II to a genuine glam look in the course of a single week. She’s funny and quick, her quips not rehearsed and obvious like others in her field. She can act and perform and even dance. There’s a lot that Danny Beard can do. But god damn it, it doesn’t matter, because those all feel like bonus features. Danny may be talented, but the cynical part of UK Drag Race means they feel wasted and unnecessary. She feels like someone who had a real shot of genially winning learning that it was rigged for her from the start, thus putting her abilities into question. Danny would be a better winner if the show just let her stand alone. As is, she’ll always, for me anyway, be overshadowed by the rigged nature of her season.

One final note in Danny Beard: this has nothing to do with her as a contestant, I just think I’d find Danny hot if he didn’t paint himself Trump Orange. Nothing has ever killed my interest in a man faster, holy shit.

53. Alyssa Hunter (US Season 14)

We talk a lot about the reoccurring lovable goofballs who were obvious early outs, but not enough love is given to the boring early boots cast specifically because they’re insanely hot out of Drag. Kahanna Montrese finally has a proper successor.

I think Alyssa Hunter’s elimination, and the apparent controversial there from, is a good barometer about how much Drag Race is a television show. Apparently, there are people upset that she went instead of Kerri Colby, despite clearly winning the lip sync, which just baffles me because why do these people not want more of Kerri Colby? First of all, Kerri had only just started her role as Tranos, this was before Jasmine tearfully came out and I do not think moment would work without Kerri there as the patron saint of Trans women. Secondly, Kerri Colby is just better television. By episode four, it’s pretty obvious there’s not a lot to get from Alyssa Hunter, other than being a hot man out of Drag. It’s not “fair,” but Jesus Christ guys this is Season 14. How tight is your grip on sanity if you still think this show is a sincere talent show? You can say Alyssa was robbed, but I don’t think it’s right to say keeping her around would make Season 14 better.

Alyssa Hunter seems nice, the cast all seemingly like her, but this is a TV show. Alyssa just never delivered the goods to really justify keeping her around longer than four episodes. It’s not fair, but I can’t imagine even Alyssa arguing she should have stayed given what Kerri gave the season.

52. Kaos (Canada Season 3)

Poor Kaos. Canada Season 3 really did not give her the time she needed.

More so than even Irma, I read Kaos as someone just not that secure with who she is. Kaos spends her entire time making unsure baby steps forward, seemingly eternally asking other people if what she’s doing is okay. The same kind of insecurity that has Irma Gerd over rely of hackneyed material is featured tenfold in Kaos, her response instead being uncomfortableness in if what she’s doing is valid. I think Canada Season 3, structurally, has the bones to give Kaos an amazing underdog edit, especially with pairing her up with Chelazon. There’s a potential arc, where Kaos gets the growth arc over Fiercalicious, and she becomes the star of the season. But then Canada Season 3 realizes what they have with Fierce, and cuts Chelazon at Episode 3, leaving Kaos rudderless for her own boot the following week.

Hell, if you want an example about how much Fiercalicious complete undermined Kaos, remember that the Previously On of Episode 5, which was about how Kaos leaves, is heavily abridged so that instead they can show an extended montage of everyone complaining about how awful it is to deal with Fierce. The tear Fiercalicious made through the season was vast and wide, and Kaos was the main casualty.

51. June Jambalaya (US Season 14)

First things first, big praise to June for the perfect execution of the very first It’s Chocolate. The truly endless montage of her ripping it open, the music swelling to imply they’d actually keep the first boot, ending with a nonchalant “it’s chocolate,” the heavy thud of her delivery compounded by the sad trombones. It is the funniest fucking meme Drag Race has had in years, and it was all started by June.

June is unlike pretty much every other first boot of Drag Race, but I can’t verbalize what makes her distinct. Part of it is that, for all the sins of the third arc of Drag Race, they made sure the first boots were always iconic and notable. You can say Jaymes, Vanjie, Soju, Dahlia, and Kahmora all left some piece of themselves behind when they were pushed out the door, but the same can’t be said for June. That, in fact, might end up being the calling card of future first boots: being unnoticeable. I think Drag Race has realized the mistake of getting rid of too much personality early on, the weird appeal of the Porkchop Queens, and potentially chose this season to demonstrate who future first boots look like. It’s understandable, because while June is okay, she feels redundant and doesn’t translate to TV like the rest of the LA Queens of the season. Really being the first Queen given the fake out with the chocolate is a blessing in disguised, because that will always be something notable about June.

Centuries from now, even as Drag Race enters its two hundredth season and RuPaul is wheeled out looking like Cassandra from Doctor Who, we will always remember It’s Chocolate.

50. Vivian Vanderpuss (Canada Season 3)

As you can tell, a majority of part 3 is made up of people who have clear fanbases and whose appeal I get, but were Queens who were never going to be my particular favorites. The fandom is large and varied, with different people coming in with different views and expectations, and who seek out different types of contestants. And I don’t think any contestant shows the distance between what other people want vs what I want more than Vivian.

I will grant this, Vivian is an important part of Canada Season 3, underrated even. In a season as chaotic and messy as this, having a grounding agent who doesn’t get exhausting or hog the spotlight is crucial. Despite her cat mom schtick, Vivian is the most normal, down-to-Earth contestant after episode 2, someone who is responsible and sane enough to ground a season that featured Jada, Kimmy, and Fiercalicious. I know that sounds ludicrous considering she’s implicitly from the same convent as Utica Queen, where she learned how to churn butter and make soap with her sisterwives Mary Sue Ellen and Sue Ellen Mary, but it’s a fact that Vivian ends up the one keeping Canada Season 3 from feeling too insane.

I attribute her popularity, and her winning Miss Congeniality, to this fact, but what stops me from going completely on board is that she’s never able to successfully marry her two halves. Like as much as the show treats Jada Shada Hudson as a fun underdog, they still knew how to drop the bombshell of her recounting her experience getting fucked by a ghost. And as small of a moment as that was, it will always color any discussing of Jada. Vivian tries, but she never achieves that level of insanity. Likable, but nothing too outrageous.

49. Anita Wigl’it (Canada vs the World)

Another year, another four episodes of Anita.

I said before when I covered Down Under Season 1 that I didn’t particularly jive with Anita. I think her elimination was a bad choice, and was one of the most defining moments of that season’s lack of proper judgement, but Down Under Season 1 had far bigger issues than eliminating Anita. In a way, Anita was redundant to the season, someone who came on as Kita Mean’s plus one and whose elimination was an integral part of her win, but never stood out by herself outside of the amazing piece of slander that was her Queen Elizabeth Snatch Game.

So how is she in Canada vs the World? She’s Rita Baga’s friend. And that’s about it.

Truly, Anita could never catch a break, now appearing on a season where her role was filled better by Rita Baga, someone who has a better history of producing amazing, snotty television. If one were going to be excited for a mature Drag Queen in the cast of Canada vs the World, it was going to be the one who made smartass, rude comments every fifteen minutes and got into vicious fights with Jimbo. And while Rita never reached the amazing peak of her first season (which, to be fair, was a struggle for most of Canada vs the World), her story still had better legs and potential than Anita’s.

Maybe one day Anita would be given the chance on a season where there was no one else who did her thing, but I don’t see that happening. Anita is eternally doomed to being the second banana to a better version of herself.

48. Lady Boom Boom (Canada Season 3)

Lady Boom Boom is perhaps the most non-human contestant of the year, and while Starlet felt non-human because she’s an alien, Lady Boom Boom feels like they’re from the heavens.

There’s really not a lot to say about Lady Boom Boom because there’s not much to them outside of their weird aura. They feel less like a contestant and more like a divine being from a 90’s comedy who has to impersonate a human to settle a bet with God. Every single one of their looks, whether on the runway, in the werk room, or even in confessionals, feel like a distinct non-corporeal entity forced to take a form you would fine comforting. It’s not like Lady Boom Boom is a drag on the season or negatively effects the cast, they have funny moments and have a sweet relationship with Gisèle that helps inform Gisèle’s win, but none of their moments are impactful. They sorta come in and out through the æther, never really leaving an impression other than a vague hint of a memory. They’re a being who could have only fully materialized with a Carly Rae Jepsen song, but would vanish forever upon its conclusion.

Lady Boom Boom is an enigma, and I’m fairly certain after this article is released this entry will vanish from history.

Year-End Look: All Stars 7

All Starts 7 is perhaps the biggest mess of the entire franchise. Some seasons might have been less entertaining, some seasons might have been grosser, but no season has ever been as obnoxiously messy and contrived. No season has been as blatant about favoritism. No season has ever felt less authentic. Every single aspect about All Stars 7 is shameless in its intentions. I can not even fathom a season of Drag Race that is less about talent and more about people who know how to buy shoes. It’s brazen and glaring, the reality show editor fingerprints are all over the final product, and I can’t think of any other season, Drag Race or otherwise, as shameless in its bullshit as All Stars 7.

I kinda fucking love it.

There’s really two angles to analyze All Stars 7, and the first is as a straight-forward season of Drag Race. Under that light, it’s the lamest and most nonessential season of Drag Race, even in theory. None of the episodes really pop by themselves, and the cast as a whole are pretty one-note, a note you get bored of because they never change. Which I think is what makes the season so often a frustrating watch: it doesn’t go anywhere. The lack of any eliminations, the embellished edits, the suppression of any kind of drama, and even the finale set-up make this have more in common with that cringy Drag Race Christmas special than an actual season of Drag Race. I get they had to do it like this, but it makes me question why they would even do an All Winners season if it had this many stipulations. It’s a bad idea and, at first blush, it doesn’t really do anything for the franchise.

But once you dig a bit deeper, you start to see the true value of the season: being the capper to eight arcs of Drag Race, and being ironically the show at its most pure.

As ironic as it sounds, All Stars 7 is so full of bullshit that it loops back around to being honest. It is Drag Race without any hidden agenda, a season so proud and naked in its Reality Show First nature that I have to respect it. It has no qualms being heartless, corporate, and manipulative. Even better, it uses this unashamed nature to give fitting ends to its cast. It looks at Shea, Trinity, and Monét, three of the most diligent whipping boys of the past half decade, and casts them aside, having now drained them of everything they’re worth. It presents Vivienne, Yvie, and Jaida as they are, stark contrasts to their first seasons but only because of the lack of their first season’s cast minutia, these edits feeling both more honest and more human. And it takes Jinkx and Raja, the two most seasoned winners who had the least interest kissing ass and just wanted to have fun, and calls them the true winners. The first three of decried the entire season bullshit, but to their dismay the story is too perfect to be completely unintentional: after spending years answering how high when Drag Race commanded them to jump, after years of benefitting from that same bullshit that undermined their peers, All Stars 7 looked at those three directly in the eyes, called them posers, and crowned a swamp witch from the woods of Portland. All Stars 7 may not have had eliminations, but it absolutely had winners and loser, and the choices for those roles almost makes up for that half a decade of choices.

This isn’t to say I think All Stars 7 is a good season, it’s too flighty for its own good, but this ending and the metanarrative it presents stops me from saying it’s a bad season. It’s a season that was frustrating at the time, but I appreciate it having happened as a part of the show’s history. It’s an important next step for Drag Race, a signal of it casting aside that third arc and transitioning into the fourth. Whether that makes it better or worse than Canada vs the World, I’m not sure, but it’s the season with much more to discuss. If nothing else, it’s a season that shows that Drag Race, even now, knows that it should always crown the wine-chugging Weed Aunts whenever it has the opportunity.

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Merry Christmas! Let’s celebrate by looking at some of the more mediocre side of 2022.

65. Miss Moço (Canada Season 3)

Much like Just May, Moçois just kind of dour and not that interesting. After her pretty good look in the runway mini-challenge, she retreats inside her shell for her last episode and a half, only coming out to show support for Jada Shada Hudson at the finale. I think Moço is a better iteration on Just May, in that I more see where her talent likely lies and I think she just suffers from not being that telegenic. But judging the difference between the two is splitting hairs, as they’re both just unimpactful early boots who were always going to go early.

64. Hannah Conda (Down Under Season 2)

This is probably a bit lower than she deserves, but Hannah just never really clicked for me.

Hannah is a textbook Frontrunner, to the point of unintended parody. You can see Hannah’s arc coming a mile away, and it plays out as generically as it is predictable. That’s not to say Hannah doesn’t deserve her spot at the finals, she’s basically the only one who’s able to keep up at Final 5 when RuPaul completely changes the challenge on a whim, but more to say that she doesn’t go threatened, at least not in any substantial way. Hannah doesn’t win a challenge until after Spankie wins twice, but Hannah is never not treated as a bigger threat than her. It’s the by-the-numbers arc of someone who everyone else sees as a major threat but also gets mad at the judges for a seemingly delayed win. It’s a lot of telling not showing, but it’s a common enough plot among Drag Race that I don’t find it that egregious.

If anything, I find that a plotline this generic in a season this chaotic to be the egregious part. Hannah sticks out, ironically, because she’s too much a clone of recent Drag Race finalists, completely different from the rest of the grimy, low-budget, off-the-cuff Down Under Season 2. It wouldn’t be fair to say she’s inauthentic, but that’s the vibes you get with a season also featuring Kween Kong. As weird as it is to say, Hannah feels the most robotic of the season, a contestant on auto-pilot while everyone else gets into bitter fights and writes mirror messages about how the only one they liked was Spankie. Hannah not participating in the drama but still not getting warm regards like Spankie I think is telling of her business-first mindset, and while I get where she’s coming from, it was deployed on the worst possible season.

63. Bombae (Canada Season 3)

Before anything, I do want to give credit to Bombae for being the main person in Miss Fiercalicious’s corner the whole season. Truly a Herculean task.

Now that I’ve said her one positive, I think we should admit that Bombae just kinda sucks. The show gives her a lot of screen time early on, but she can’t deliver anything substantial back. She never finds her place in the machinations, and as the show develops and it becomes clear who the final four are going to be, Bombae gets left out. Even her role as the one to stick up for Fierce becomes unneeded once Fierce starts securing wins. By the halfway point of the season it’s shocking Bombae is still around.

I think her final episode, the eye shadow palette challenge, ultimately shows the biggest fault of Bombae as a character. Full disclosure, I think this is one of the best episodes of Drag Race ever, certainly one of the best episodes that doesn’t feature a Yara Sofia or Lawrence Cheney having a full-blown mental breakdown. And one of the reasons I think it works so well is that it’s a good read on who everyone is, their brand, and their place in the season. You get to see Fierce fully emerge into herself via her unflinching brand, you get Gisèle’s confused commercial based on the random thoughts in her head, and you get Vivian’s pride in being the mother of ten cats. Bombae’s commercial, and really her brand, begins and ends with butter chicken. I know that sounds dismissive, but Bombae really doesn’t explain who she is outside of being an immigrant. The same can be said about her drag as a whole, and as much as that’s a part of her, that immigrant status didn’t stop Jada or even Halal from showing more sides.

Bombae is clearly still a young Queen finding herself. I get why she’s like this, but in a series like Canada where you need at least seven personalities, she just doesn’t stick.

62. Janey Jacké (UK vs the World)

AKA, Grass-Type Jan.

Blu might be the most Brantsteele winner ever, but Janey is the most Brantsteele contestant ever. Really, there’s no other way to describe Janey other than “runner-up from non-English speaking season put in a reality show simulator.” Her inclusion feels like someone doing a particular gimmick cast on Brantsteele and seeking out international contestants they know nothing about just to fill out numbers. It can’t be stressed enough how incongruous she feels, her appearance in any werk room scene evoking the uncanny valley.

Because the show clearly doesn’t have any idea what to do with her, Janey falls into the default trap any somewhat basic White Queen finds themselves in the 2020’s: the Jan. Janey’s arc, and by that I mean her boot episode, is basically the Jan experience crunched into a single hour of television. Her frustration about now being overlooked and finding herself unfairly in the bottom is the limpest, most overdone elimination storyline they could have given her, but it’s also all she really has. Even going BTM2-WIN-WIN-BTM2 her first four episodes does nothing to really elevate her as a central character, because the season is too preoccupied dealing with both the characters the audience cares about (Pangina, Jimbo, Mo) and the characters the season is forcing down our throats (Blu, Baga). By episode 5, it’s shocking Janey is still around, and even by that penultimate episode we still lack a firm understanding of who she is.

Part of Janey’s problem is being on UK vs the World, a season that had no qualms saying a UK Queen was winning and foreigners were on short notice. Certainly, that’s what impeded Pangina at the end. But Pangina was still able to capture the hearts of everyone. Janey couldn’t, and I just think she never had it in her from the start.

61. Jorgeous (US Season 14)

Gee, I wonder who the show saw when they cast Jorgeous. Whoever could they have seen in her when they decided to put her in Season 14?

If Deja Skye was a callback to the second era of Drag Race, Jorgeous was a callback to the third era. US Seasons 9-12 are mixed in terms of quality, but the consistent theme of all four is the emergence of viewing Drag Race as a branding opportunity. It became far more important to be a defining character first, winning being a secondary bonus. You could go on Drag Race and not have the most talent or best track record but still come out on top if you made it a decent way through and branded yourself extremely well. Jorgeous fits that role like a glove, prioritizing what she is to the audience above all else and taking every opportunity to be defined by her own gimmick. I meant it at the start that it’s obvious Jorgeous is attempting to be the next Valentina, not just because she’s a Latine Queen but also because she exists in her own world and has her own priorities that define her separate from the cast.

The issue comes in the fact that being the next Valentina was a mistake from the start because no one can be the next Valentina. Part of the charm of Valentina was that she was truly an original, an oddball with such ostentatious pridefulness that it wasn’t clear where the person stopped and the character began. There’s a level of irony to appreciating Valentina, a person who clearly rubbed the other contestants the wrong way but was impossible to hate because of that sincerity. And this idea, that it’s unclear where the person stopped and the character began, would be the main appeal of subsequent oddballs of the era: Season 10’s Yuhua, Season 11’s Scarlet and Silky, and Season 12’s Heidi and Crystal. Jorgeous never hits that level because it’s always clear what was Jorgeous and what was Jorge. She tries to play herself as delusional and out of depth, but it never clicks because it’s obvious when Jorgeous is trying to produce herself, seemingly lacking the baseline crazy needed to blur the line. And most damning of all, because of the sheer length of the season and the number of times Jorgeous is in the bottom, her eventual elimination is not the shocking paradigm shift that post-show Valentina endured. By the end, Jorgeous is obviously exhausted and is barely trying in the competition, which I don’t blame her given the unreal length of the season, but it does mean her arc ends like a wet fart.

Like Deja Skye, I get where the show is coming from with the casting with Jorgeous. But like Deja Skye, the magic just isn’t there. Jorgeous stands out amongst her Season 14 peers, but for all the wrong reasons.

60. Pomara Fifth (Down Under Season 2)

So apparently Pomara Fifth is named after the address where she grew up. Which, I mean, way to dox yourself, ma’am.

Pomara is a big bunch of Fine, someone who pretty effortlessly slots into the chaos and drama of Down Under Season 2, but doesn’t offer anything unique. Not that she doesn’t deliver when it comes to the drama, with her getting into blood-spitting brawls with both Beverly Kills and Minnie Cooper, but her role isn’t anything someone else couldn’t have done. She’s mostly there to be a back-talking punching bag to Beverly and to be another victim of Minnie’s unyielding attacks. In fact the best moment involving her was after she left, but… we will get to that.

So yeah, not much to say about Pomara. Like… her red runway was a hideous shade of Roseanne-era couch, but this is Down Under, none of the runways are amazing.

59. Kendall Gender (Canada vs the World)

Canada vs the World just ended and I still had to remind myself that Kendall Gender was in the season.

I mean, I don’t know exactly what to say? This isn’t a read, did she even have a confessional? Like, did she accomplish anything in the season? I know first boots are often given the short end of the stick, especially on All Stars seasons, but God I can’t think of anything Kendall did other than team up with Icesis and Stephanie for the challenge. I guess uh… that’s it? Kendall is still fine, I like more or less the same as I did during her first season. Wow…

58. The Vivienne (All Stars 7)

It’s difficult to really assess All Stars 7 Vivienne because she is the Queen who the season treats the most as a new contestant. Between being an outsider as a UK winner and her completely new look in confessionals, Vivienne has the closest thing to a normal arc in All Stars 7, although it’s not anything ground breaking. Vivienne spends a majority of her time being jealous of Jinkx Monsoon, being two contestants of the same general archetype and skillset. And while everyone in All Stars 7 is envious of Jinkx, it reads closer to a normal Drag Race storyline with Vivienne, as oppose to the weird meta-dependent jealousy of everyone else.

Does that make Vivienne a good character? Hard to say. She’s certainly better this season than she was in UK Season 1, or at least more tolerable. As oppose to her first season where she’s a big fish teaming up with the awful Baga and punching down at the hapless Cheryl, here’s she’s on the same level as the rest of the cast, and is thus far less grating and mean-spirited. Everyone emerges from All Stars 7 with a pretty clean edit, but Vivienne is the one who feels the most natural.

Still not really a fan of Vivienne, but All Stars 7 has bigger issues, and Vivienne is absolutely not one of them.

57. Irma Gerd (Canada Season 3)

First things first: in a year of awful Drag Names, Irma Gerd is by far the worst. Naming yourself off a fifteen year old meme that wasn’t that clever in the first place says everything about who Irma Gerd is.

And who is Irma? A by-the-numbers “alternative” Queen; a Queen whose entire gimmick is being that alternative Queen. Irma is the type of Drag Queen whose aesthetic is shallow and one-note, but that shallowness implies far more underneath the surface. For example, Sasha Velour’s brand was “Art,” which is wholly generic name on surface but implied, unintentionally or not, that she was the kind of Art scene that undermined the work of PoC while thinking something like Turtle Dreams is innovative. Very Tampon in a Teacup, if you catch my drift. Irma is similar, in that she’s just alternative for the sake of being alternative, which signals that she’s being alternative to beat you at the punch of making fun of her. Irma’s drag is based in, fittingly, Goosebumps-level gross out humor, evident by such genius moves like naming her makeup palette Snot Rocket. It’s very sophomoric and lowbrow, and the vibe is always that she’s being this immature out of fear of being vulnerable. Between this and her overly immature confessional jokes, that range from dumb puns to pointing out the obvious double entendre-filled Drag Race vocabulary, and it leaves the impression that Irma wants you to think she’s smarter than she actually is.

Which is a shame because, when actually forced to play off the cuff and be spontaneous, Irma is funny. Irma’s best moment of the season was the improv mini-challenge in episode 3, where she’s able to bounce off Brooke Lynn Heights extremely well and always had a great answer to her questions that help build the narrative. Irma can Yes, And with the best of them, so it’s frustrating to see her do everyone so meticulously planned out. Despite the few moments of smart comedy, Irma does herself in with her canned, dumb jokes that she has clearly been spitting out for the last decade. Irma desperately needs to grow up, because once she does I think she has potential.

Year-End Look: Canada vs the World

I feel like I should like this season more than I do.

On paper, Canada vs the World sounds like a stellar proposition: an All Stars season with an actual All Star cast, Queens who all feel much more in vogue with each other than on UK vs the World, competing on the much more consistent and fun Canadian sector. Canada vs the World has a lot of things going for it, a season that from announcement seemed to be a satisfying, stellar end to this year of Drag Race. But even after just ending Friday, it still doesn’t feel like it left anything substantial. It’s a season that seemingly stuck the landing so hard, it made nary a splash. How did this happen?

Part of this is outside the season itself. Being the seventh English-speaking season of the year, especially coming off the heels of the popular UK Season 4, meant Canada vs the World met its audience at their most exhausted. And while this season doesn’t really have anything to do with UK vs the World aside for its gimmick, it’s undoubtedly linked branding-wise, and UK vs the World basically killed the “vs the World” subseries before it even started. Anyone interested in the season would have to have stock in the idea of an international All Stars, and thus would be likely turned after the unwatchable UK vs the World. The only thing UK vs the World has different from Canada vs the World is the inherent prestige RuPaul and Visage bring as proper judges, and while I think their absence is a key reason the Canadian sector is better, I concede that it makes Canadian seasons feel less “real.” From just an outsider angle, Canada vs the World feels like a regression and intentional downplaying of the brand after the “pilot season” bombed so spectacularly.

But even ignoring that, Canada vs the World suffers from an tone problem. The contestants of Canada vs the World take the entire season extremely earnestly, by far the most earnest season of the year. The cast, Vanity and Victoria especially, are featured many times talking about heavy subjects like racism, representation, and mental health. Hell, the moment Icesis quits is much more somber than Baby’s quit on UK Season 4, and the entire cast takes a time-out to reflect on their own mental struggles. And as much as I think this is compelling in a vacuum, I find myself unable to fully invest in the narrative because… well, it’s Canada vs the World. As much as it may try, I can not take the season with the seriousness it needs. Not a season with only six episodes, not a season where nearly everyone appeared just last year, and especially not a season that’s the follow-up to Baga Chipz vs Good Taste.

Canada vs the World has a lot of interesting pieces and developments, but they don’t coalesce into anything. It’s a season where the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Everything the season attempts to do is done well, but the lack of impact makes them feel insubstantial. It’s a season that reaches far beyond its potential, and while I appreciate the effort, the effort doesn’t translate to a complete package.

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Another year, another twenty-seven seasons of Drag Race.

To say Drag Race is massive would be an understatement: at any given time, there’s at least one, most often two, seasons of Drag Race airing. My worries about a bloated infrastructure have been confirmed by not only the sheer amount of Drag Race that happened this year, but the news of a Mexican and German editions landing just around the corner, to say nothing of Spain already looking into doing its first All Stars. The size of Drag Race is nearing critical mass, an expanding bubble of both Queens on television and budgets they need to have a chance on the show. The diminishing returns, caused by the sheer number of Queens and the likelihood of not making your money back, will cause the bubble to burst, sooner rather than later.

But hey, that’s Future Drag Race’s problem. What’s important now is the present; specifically, was 2022 a good year for Drag Race? Or at least better than 2021…

Like last year, we’re counting down every single contestant who appeared on one of the seven (Seven!) English-speaking seasons of Drag Race: UK vs the World, US Season 14, All Stars Season 7, Canada Season 3, Down Under Season 2, UK Season 4, and Canada vs the World. All seventy-four (SEVENTY-FOUR!!!) contestants will be ranked from worst to best, as well as give a brief overview of them, the seasons they appeared on, and Drag Race as a whole in 2022. Without further ado, let’s start with who is quite possibly the worst Drag Race contestant ever.

74. Baga Chipz (UK vs. the World)

Who the fuck else could it be?

Look, UK vs the World was already a shaky prospect. A season seemingly rushed by production after the already rushed UK Season 3, featuring the oddest assortment of Queens imaginable (including a host, which… we’ll get to that). The premise and title is oft-putting at best, implicitly xenophobic and racist at worst, It’s a bad idea done without a single ounce of awareness, and it had little chance of succeeding.

And those small chances were dashed by casting Baga fucking Chipz.

I feel frustrated trying to describe why Baga sucks because it feels so self-evident. She’s a vocal conservative, whose political beliefs clearly come from a lack of wisdom of the world outside her limited sphere. She’s immensely untalented, someone who can’t sew, act, dance, apply makeup, lip sync, or even pretend like she embarrassed about these lack of skills. She gets by solely because, in the UK, one can still get a lot of mileage out of just being a broad, brassy woman who is actually a man in a wig. UK Drag Race is infamous for its continued push of this very specific type of Drag Queen, and while I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss Lawrence Cheney or Danny Beard as untalented, this kind of mindset has let Baga thrive. Someone who is this complicit in their job, whose drag lacks any kind of thought, can still be a finalist on two seasons of UK Drag Race.

By herself, Baga Chipz is awful. But UK vs the World had to make it just that much worse by letting Baga run wild. A season of six episodes should not be this hard to finish, but Baga makes them agonizing with her petulant, immature attitude that goes fucking nowhere. No one ever chucks Baga off the cliff like she deserves, instead talking around her and enabling her shitty behavior. Even good characters like Jimbo and Mo are stuck having to deal with this sinkhole of charisma, including having Pangina, a fucking HOST, be the one to actually finish Baga’s design challenge dress so she doesn’t end up in the bottom. The show actively enables Baga, and while it also did this in UK Season 1, it’s even more egregious here.

But what else would I expect? After all, Baga is the perfect representative of the season. It’s a regressive, condescending mess that rewards the most basic of performances in lieu of the talented. It’s a season so up its own ass to ensure Baga comes out a finalist that it let go of the Queens people cared about. It’s a season based in fear of change, a season based in enabling the contrived, the mediocre, the safe. It’s the opposite of innovation, it’s digging out outdated, poorly aged ideas and sensibilities from the closet and putting them on for TV, and blasting the fans as envious haters when they point out the laziness.

Baga has bristled at being called a Tory by her critics, but how else do you describe this mindset? Baga is The Establishment. The Privileged. The clip of Katie Hopkins not knowing India is the name of a country. And most importantly, she’ll never have to change. Not with everyone excusing her toxicity, her complacency, and her stupidity. UK vs the World was the UK sector of Drag Race proudly showing the world its talents, what it deems to be the height of Drag. And with that in mind, more or less, it succeeded.

73. Trinity “SHEdevilBYnight” the Tuck (All Stars 7)

If you’re wondering why I’m cynical about Baga ever facing comeuppance for her behavior, here’s exhibit A.

It would take a lifetime to lay out the negative transgressions Trinity has committed, both on the show and under the SHEdevilBYnight guise. Trinity has manipulated and gaslit an entire fandom into believing she’s a redeemed innocent and not a toxic idiot, someone who got her hand caught in the cookie jar. Even during the airing of All Stars 4, I found her awful and mean-spirited, long before we all discovered she tried to be a Black Trans woman on Reddit just to say heinous shit (we all know the only true Black Women of Drag Race are Eureka and Raven). Naturally, all of these terrible things would not be addressed during All Stars 7 (although apparently everyone knew about it), allowing Trinity to be her best self to an audience of fleeting memories. Trinity gets to come back to the third time, unprompted and unwanted, in a season where no one was the villain.

So with that all in mind, it is plain as day that All Stars 7 is Trinity at her very best. Which is still an uncultured moron.

There’s nothing really to Trinity in All Stars 7. She gets the exact same generous edit everyone else got, she doesn’t face any major adversary, nothing in the season really challenges her. As much as All Stars 7 is an equal experience where everyone is on nearly the same playing field, the other seven contestants at least feel distinct. You can pick out specific moments for Vivienne or Jaida or even Yvie. That is not at all the case with Trinity, as her entire character is generic and unassuming. The only flavor you can project onto Trinity is from knowing her in the past, but that’s the past the show is indignant on not bringing up because then it would raise the question on why they even cast her in the first place. You have this odd, likely illiterate Queen who newcomers are not going to buy and who veteran fans are going to hate from the jump. What was the point here?

Trinity was a bad idea done badly, a redemption for a Queen who had never worked for one. But I guess sometimes, you get al the chances in the world.

72. Monét X Change (All Stars 7)

If Trinity shows how far one can go despite a lack of talent, Monét shows how far one can go despite a lack of charisma.

I can’t really pinpoint what exactly Monét is missing that just doesn’t allow me to connect with her. If I had to say anything, I’ve always found Monét to be a bit phony. Much like a certain other winner who will appear down this list, there’s a disingenuous element of Monét’s character, an element that’s omnipresent and persistent. Monét is rather two-faced in her approach, acting like she’s both above the bullshit of Drag Race but will also kiss RuPaul’s ass at the reunion. She’s inconsistent with her actions, and occam’s razor is telling me she’s just making sure she says the right things for just one more minute of fame.

And this wishy-washy approach dictates her time on All Stars 7 as well, someone who pretends she’s a game player that will undermine everyone and manically laugh in confessionals. It comes off as contrived, someone who is choosing the bullshit, no drama season to play up some dark arc when you damn well she’s all bark and no bite. Monét tried to project this power and influence, but she just doesn’t have it. She’s too much of a brownnoser to do anything with actual weight and impact. Even now, as pissed as she was about Jinkx winning and how the season shook out, that didn’t stop her from going on Secret Celebrity Drag Race and certainly won’t stop the countless projects Wow Presents has lined up for her. Monét is not my least favorite winner, but she’s the winner who leaves me with the least to say. She’s all fluff, someone whose armor is so easy to pierce it’s a reoccurring bit between her and Bob.

It’s obvious Monét will try anything to make sure she gets love on Drag Race. That is, anything but sincerity.

71. Blu Hydrangea (UK vs the World)

Blu Hydrangea does not feel like a Drag Race winner. At all.

It’s a textual fact that Blu has won a season of Drag Race, but did she? How? What exactly did Blu do during UK vs the World to cause the producers to go, “Yes, that’s our winner.” Because I, and many other people, didn’t see it. The crowning of Blu feels like something done under mandate, like BBC told the Drag Race production that she had to win no matter what, and they had to sell her as hard as they could. Because if we’re talking about character, the intangible essence that makes a winner stand out, Blu doesn’t have it.

I think the most obvious point of disconnect was her eliminating Pangina, seemingly biggest shake-up of the season and, presumably, when Blu comes into her own. The framing is obvious: Blu eliminated the biggest threat of the season, thereby making herself more likely to win Drag Race. Clearly the story they wanted was Blu ascending to a higher power to be able to kill Pangina, but the plot doesn’t work because, frankly, UK vs the World could never sell it. The devil is in the details: the fact that Pangina got rid of Jimbo last week being the real shake-up, the fact that Blu’s job was beating fucking Baga Chipz at a lip sync, and even the fact that BBC’s xenophobic ass was never crowning a foreigner anyway, especially one from a developing nation. So while the plot is supposed to be Blu becoming the front runner by knocking Pangina out, it actually becomes the BBC letting their pet favorite get rid of the outsider so that they can start the season in earnest. Blu wins UK vs the World not because she’s the most talented or most likable, but because of production mandate, and while that’s true for basically all winners it’s gallingly obvious for Blu.

Blu is a Brantsteele simulator winner, someone who got to the end and won via sheer luck and weird circumstances. There’s no other way to describe this win than artificial.

70. Lemon (UK vs the World)

AKA, Electric Type Jan.

Here’s the rub about Lemon: she was a Queen who could have only existed in the year 2020. Right after the unexpected popularity of Jan, every single series needed to have their own, and Lemon was the first pretender to the throne. And while Jan definitely helped established the aesthetics of the Jans to come in 2021, Lemon established the trajectory: late game contestants, embracing a theater kid sensibility, who were classified as robbed by only the most basic of fans. Truly, we would not have Ella Vaday if not for Lemon (a sin God won’t forgive).

So with that in mind, and considering that UK vs the World was the both the first season of 2022 and the first season after the backlash to Jan, Lemon feels so out of place. Not that anyone feels “in place” on this fucking season, but Lemon doesn’t feel like she’d fit in on any season of Drag Race, present or future. If Lemon’s first appearance was a tell about the meteoric rise of Jans, with desperation for love from the judges and a specific to-do list of Drag Race clichés to accomplish, then her second appearance is the franchise rejecting them after sucking every single bit of nutritional value they had, chucking them to the dumpster. Not that I think Jans will ever fully go away (looking at you, Marsha!), but Lemon’s second time shows how exhausted the archetype has become.

69. Deja Skye (US Season 14)

One of the best parts about US Season 14, and Drag Race in 2022 as a whole, is how new and fresh nearly everyone feels. There’s definitely a feeling of progression, of attempting new things to meet audiences where they are at. And while not every experiment worked out, I’d take failed attempts over trying the same tired thing over and over again. Drag Race is moving forward, which is a thing after the tepid nature of 2021. And all of this to say that Deja Skye is absolutely not of this forward-thinking mindset.

There’s something very Ginger Minj about Deja Skye, and not just because of their size and comedy. Deja evokes a very similar energy, of someone who has a particular set of skills that she exhausts to her fullest, but will buckle if given anything hard. Deja’s arc reminds me a lot of the arcs of Queens in the Logo era of Drag Race, especially as she readily classifies and characterizes herself as a “comedy Queen”. There’s remnants of that in Drag Race even now, but this style of branding, where you’re not branding yourself to fans as a whole but to people with your specific taste in Drag, is very second era Drag Race. And we see the antiquatedness in how Deja performs in the season: she’s the only one who doesn’t overthink Snatch Game, but she all can’t sell herself in the talent show nor the design challenge, and can’t go with the flow at the roast. Deja is very stiff, having a clear idea of how the season would go and just not going with the flow.

Which gets to the main issue of Deja: like Ginger, she’s just really uncool. It sounds lame and pretty intangible, but Deja really struggles with coming off as anything but a clueless old man having to compete with the kids. And she’s only 31! Drag Race Season 14 was at its best when it embraced the future, when it saw the potential of what was to come and went for it. Deja was a look at the past, and a reason for why we’ve moved on.

68. Aubrey Haive (Down Under Season 2)

This is the first of 2022’s long list of Drag Queens with names so heinous I can’t be mad at them. She is absolutely not the most heinous, but it is still pretty bad.

Aubrey is the most inconsequential of the cast of Down Under Season 2, mostly via redundancy. Her role in the season was seemingly to be a snotty kid who would get into fights with Minnie Cooper. As it becomes clear how unfair that brawl is and how Aubrey never stood a chance, however, the season cut their loses early and sent her out so that Minnie had more time to fight with more people. There didn’t seem to be much to Aubrey outside of that, so being the fuck death at the hands of Minnie Cooper is at least a noteworthy way to go.

Outside of that, the only other thing to say is I want to chide her for her lackluster performance of I Touch Myself. I have waited for that lip sync for a decade and Aubrey just biffs it with her zero energy miming. Inexcusable.

67. Just May (UK Season 4)

I’m baffled by the casting of Just May.

Obviously Just May is not the first, and will not be the last, Drag Race contestant to be cast as just an early boot. The Obvious Early Boot is an archetype as consistent and ubiquitous as Monét’s phoniness, and even now I’m preparing for the thirty-six seasons next year to have at least one for themselves. But typically there’s something more to them. Something fun, other intangible, that still makes them compelling TV. Whether that be the awkwardness of Yuhua or Jaymes, the haughtiness of Kimora or Dahlia, or the unearned confidence of Sminty, early outs can still be fun contestants who bring a lot to the table. And Just May brings, uh, being a Geri impersonator. A Geri impersonator who clearly checked out halfway into the premiere, being catatonic for the rest of the episode.

I get that not everyone pops on TV, but even knowing that I just am baffled by Just May’s inclusion. It feels mean, taking someone who they knew never had a shot and wasn’t going to pop on TV. Not that dour early boots are themselves uncommon either, but they always make me uncomfortable, and Just May is perhaps the pinnacle of that.

66. Shea Couleé (All Stars 7)

Look, I’ve tried. I really have. I don’t want to just be a Shea hater, and I totally get what Shea means to a lot of people. But this is the third season I’ve watched of Shea, and it’s just never going to click.

I’ve said my issues with Shea have always been linked to the weird limiter she self-imposes. Shea is constantly hinting at a grander power she’s able to manifest and unleash if she ever felt inclined. That her guarded, meticulous visage was a mask that she could, and eventually would, remove to show her divine powers. During her first season, she never removed the mask, but it could have been inferred that it was out of a metagame call given how guarded everyone was in US Season 9. Going against tempo-setter Sasha proved itself dangerous for Nina and Valentina. She doesn’t remove that mask during her second season either, but this time you can justify it by saying she was petrified of losing another season to a less talented White Queen (that she enabled), and so treated All Stars 5 like a business venture. But now, we’re in All Stars 7. All Winners. A collection of what Drag Race deems the best of its franchise, on what would ironically be the season with the lowest stakes. If any season was going to be the season where Shea could finally remove that damn mask and unleash her incomprehensible power onto the competition and the world, it was now.

Instead, she just sulked because she only won two challenges.

It can be hard to lose when you are used to winning, but it’s difficult to not read Shea’s attitude during the season as a tantrum. Shea is frustrated at the show for presumably overlooking her, but because of the glowing edit everyone gets, it feels more like Shea is upset because this was supposed to be another season where she would just clean house uncontested. Shea doesn’t meet the season where it is, doesn’t realize that the lack of eliminations and the set-up of the finale were the producers screaming at her “God damn it, do whatever you want, we don’t care.” The only two readings I have for Shea in All Stars 7 is that she is still on “Competitive Drag Race” mode, despite the atmosphere screaming at her to lighten up, or this is just who Shea is: a hyper-focused, exclusively business minded, intentionally measured Queen. And as time as gone on, I’m more leaning towards the latter.

This was the time for Shea to lighten up. To show the human side of her. To be more open. Even if she still saw the season as a business opportunity and wasn’t interested in playing around, All Stars 7 would end up effectively crowning the two Queens who did just that anyway. If anything could be said about Shea in All Stars 7, it’s that it continues the trend of her being her own worst enemy. She let Sasha win, she almost let Jujubee win, and she let Jinkx win. This was the time, finally after half a decade of putting on the front, for her to finally take off the mask. But she didn’t. And she has no one to blame but herself.

Year-End Look: UK vs the World

What a fucking disaster.

It’s easy, and extremely tempting, to chalk up the failure of UK vs the World to just Baga and Blu, which I feel is only half-right. Blu Hydrangea is a terrible choice of a winner, someone whose presence and personality is so intangible and oft-putting she feels like an AI generated Drag Queen. Meanwhile, Baga Chipz represents fucking everything awful about her archetype: basic, low-brow, broad comedy so sophomoric and unthinking that even someone like Baga Chipz can get it. But while they’re both not good, the failure of UK vs the World comes from them not just being in the season but being the pulse of the season.

Much like how Blu is the most Brantsteele winner of Drag Race, UK vs the World is the most Brantsteele season of Drag Race. The cast is hodge podge of nine Queens at various moments in their careers, seemingly no rhyme of reason for these specific nine, and everyone familiar feels miscast. Even if you were excited to see Cheryl or Mo or Jujubee, no one feels as they should, those three in particular missing the key sincerity that made them shine in their previous seasons. Everyone feels off, in a way that’s distinct for every Queen but universally persistent throughout. The problem isn’t heavy production favoritism per se (although we will get to that later), it’s that the show is cutting and resizing the contestants to fit the predetermined mold they needed for the season to go exactly as expected. It’s both rampant and alienating; Total Drama Island is less contrived with the paradigm shifts it enforces on its cast. Blu is the natural fit for the winner, but only because it’s the kind of ending an unsophisticated simulator would produce.

And speaking of unsophistication, it’s time to talk about Baga Chipz again. I’m not going to again lay into why Baga sucks, and anyone reading this far is likely of the same mind, but the real pisser about Baga is that the show chose her over everyone else. The show fell on the sword for Baga Chipz of all people, to its own detriment, and goes out of its way to make sure Baga succeeds and progresses far longer than she should. And look, I don’t really care about “fairness” with Drag Race, the show has been unfair and gallingly produced from the jump. But by episode two, it’s clear Baga is the fucking albatross, someone so fucking insufferable that she drags everyone else down with her. This Queen, this egotistical, illiterate, self-absorbed Tory, is who Drag Race UK decided to prop up. It’s harmful to the brand, and the fact that no one fucking likes her on their TV hasn’t stopped the BBC from putting her everywhere. And because of this obsession with Baga, she becomes the tempo setter of the season. Until the end, she is who the show is most warped around, and it’s as frustrating as it sounds.

Combine these two, and UK vs the World is a season that, frankly, insults your intelligence. It’s a season most guilty of UK Drag Race’s sins of having a precise, unflinching idea of who should prosper, a mentality that is at odds with what fans actually want. It’s an out-of-touch fogey, with an attitude that comes off equal parts contemptuous and patronizing. And the only positive that can be said about it was the outright dismissal of the show’s pets by everyone, who opted instead to show love towards Jimbo and Pangina. I don’t think BBC really learned anything from the failure of the season, but it’s a season that’s going to haunt the UK side of the franchise. It’s a season that not only shows they didn’t learn from the insane popularity of UK Season 2, but that it would rather commit self-flagellation than change.

UK vs the World is the season the BBC deserved.

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Bring out the plastic, because we are back for our fourth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2014 with Hong Kong & Philippines! Over these nine episodes, three guys who would never crush a crab with a frying pan – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a very important season in WIDM canon – and one that gave also us Tygo – continuing with the eighth episode and execution of Jan-Willem.

In this week’s recap:

I prempt an outro.
We do a bit of digging on Dutch TV.
Why did everyone lose their minds about having to do one day of Survivor?
I ask for some more information.
We spoil Koh-Lanta.
Bindles proposes an impossible question.
We have our own version of the Chicken and the Egg dilemma.
What was the unaired future?
How did the Mole prepare for the Survivor challenge?
Tygo gets a rare compliment.
Logan wonders if Dutch people camp.
We attempt some topical humour.
What are the two hallmarks of this era of WIDM?
Did they need to do the final exemption challenge and vote?
Should Freek have tried harder not to go first in Connect Five?
Why does everyone want to align with Tygo?
Jan-Willem dates the episode.
What else was in the “essentials” chest?
How would Tygo blend in in El Nido?
Logan hates the finale format.
Do we like people having to defend their exemptions?
Where did the Freek on the Run assignment come from?
We discuss Belgian Celebrity Hunted.
Should the other four have caught on to the fact that Freek could hear them?
Did Freek need a disadvantage?
Freek releases the hound.
Why did Jan-Willem get distracted by a dog?
Bindles spots some editing jokes.
Logan learns about Dutch culture.
Jan-Willem’s decision makes even less sense.
Everyone learns about prepositions.
Art channels his inner Pieter Jan.
A Dutch Masked Singer is revealed.
Why was everyone else happy for Freek?
And Logan reveals his penultimate suspicions.

We’ll see you next week for the final two episodes!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ytkz2p/widm1408.mp3

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Get geographically confused, because we are back for our fourth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2014 with Hong Kong & Philippines! Over these nine episodes, three guys who would struggle to lift up 35kg with one hand – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a very important season in WIDM canon – and one that gave also us Tygo – continuing with the seventh episode and surprise second non-elimination episode.

In this week’s recap:

Why did they take a three-week break when this season first aired?
Why don’t they take a Winter Olympic break anymore?
Is this the last appearance of topitos?
Logan prepares for a double elimination next episode.
Everybody reveals their contempt for Tygo.
Do we know what 14kg feels like?
Did the Mole need to do anything with the sand bag challenge?
Is counting to 70 seconds harder than the Big Brother Canada version?
Bindles takes us back to the original Australian Survivor.
Why are Jan-Willem’s arms sour?
Logan makes a jistake.
How much of a production nightmare was the windmill challenge?
Did we lose respect for Susan for bailing on her windmill?
Are jeepneys that common?
Did Sofie make a mistake revealing she had Aaf’s future?
Tygo sets a record.
Why is everyone getting distracted by animals?
How easy was it to identify the fingerprint?
Did they use the Mole’s fingerprint?
Was the fingerprint challenge actually possible?
I spot the editors making fun of Susan.
Production decide to troll the troll.
Do we like the Topo Trade challenge?
Are the cast getting a bit more intense now?
What would be our tactic for dealing with the topitos?
Would the Mole want a group exemption in Episode 7?
Logan has a fun fact about The Office.
We look ahead to next episode by revealing that this episode had an impact.
And Logan reveals his seventh set of suspicions.

We’ll see you next week for Episode 8!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/y7y8cy/widm1407.mp3

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Coil yourself to sleep, because we are back for our fourth season of looking back at Wie is de Mol history, and we’re going all the way back to 2014 with Hong Kong & Philippines! Over these nine episodes, three guys who are at least a 9.5/10 difficulty to spot – Logan, Bindles & I – are going back through the archives to discuss a very important season in WIDM canon – and one that gave also us Tygo – continuing with the sixth episode and execution of our beloved Aaf.

In this week’s recap:

Why did the test and execution speech make us laugh?
Has the Mole gone home in the Dutch version?
We pay tribute to our dearly depaafted candidate.
The episode title confuses Logan.
There’s a sneaky extra bit of looking into the future.
Freek stops us from seeing the whole future.
What do the Netherlands put on their cigarette packets to discourage smoking?
Jan Willem’s t-shirts get critiqued again.
How easy was it to see Tygo?
Are the editors undermining Tygo?
Who would have fit in best in the parade?
We reimagine the parade challenge to be a bit more comedic.
Is the Parade Challenge a good example of a challenge where they don’t have all the information but it still works?
Why did they use Misirlou?
Did Aaf get more than she bargained for in the Jeep challenge?
Would Production have stepped in to apologise to the fisherman whose house Susan destroyed?
Why is it always €2500 in this season?
Logan knows his Filipino beer.
The Look into the Future challenge gets some rehabilitation.
Is Seeing the Future an advantage?
Aaf is our MVP.
Who should Aaf have replaced?
Bindles has an eye for detail.
We imagine Tygo having children.
Sofie is not subtle.
Do we dislike Jan Willem?
We sadly eulogise Aaf.
There is a rare post-credits scene.
We touch upon the impact of Moltalk.
And Logan reveals his sixth set of suspicions.

We’ll see you next week for Episode 7!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/yv4vpc/widm1406.mp3

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Squeeze yourself and your backpack in there, because we are back for our fourth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2014's offering in Hong Kong & the Philippines! Over these nine weeks, three guys whose paths have never crossed over with Mika - Logan, Michael & Bindles - are recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries Michael & Logan know very well between them, continuing with the fifth episode and elimination of Mennifer Jennifer.

In this episode - Michael misremembers some things, Logan butchers the episode title, we explain the best bit of the Buddha challenge, Aaf is oblivious to her chaotic energy, Logan discovers technology, Bindles is shocked by Skin, Michael has some history with landmines, Art almost shows some pride, Bindles laments the lack of glory hole, we discuss whether Hong Kong worked well as a location, there's a slight problem with our podcast banners, Art's history lessons age horribly, Mennifer and Susan have a terrible team-up, Tygo gets a small amount of praise, Sofie embraces her villain role, Michael faces a revolt, we explain something repeatedly for any Americans listening, Logan reveals his latest set of suspicions and Mennifer's butt is still an issue.

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Starve yourself twice for our amusement, because we are back for our fourth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2014's offering in Hong Kong & the Philippines! Over these nine weeks, three guys who are always in the attack zone when they make eye contact - Logan, Michael & Bindles - are recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries Michael & Logan know very well between them, continuing with the fourth episode and elimination of Daphne.

In this episode - Bindles is surprised by his intro, Michael revisits Hong Kong, Logan forgets a landmark, Mennifer is compared to Michael Scott, we wonder if the Mole forced a green screen for a surprising reason, Survivor South Africa is somehow relevant, we throw our hats into the ring to advise on a Mole season, Logan reminisces about DVDs, Aaf takes a page out of the Robb Zbacnik playbook, Daphne gets duped again, Freek is a bit premature, Bindles hits a wall, Michael issues a partial correction, a discussion is interrupted, we attempt to eulogise Daphne and Logan reveals his latest set of suspicions.

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Unplug the controller, because we are back for our fourth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2014's offering in Hong Kong & the Philippines! Over these nine weeks, two guys who are Freekishly tall (and also Bindles) are recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries Michael & Logan know very well between them, continuing with the third episode and elimination of absolutely no-one.

In this episode - Aaf's age reaches breaking point, Logan tries the episode title, someone is hyper-paranoid, the twist is needlessly complicated, Jan-Willem takes a heel turn, we find value in making Tygo carry things, there's a rush for a pun, Tygo causes a name change, Hunted Australia brings us something useful, we run head-first into a Tobias Funke moment, Bindles invokes a throwback, Michael seeks attention, we wonder if Daphne regrets her choice, the non-elimination challenge is odd, Logan reveals his suspect list and Deep Blue Something get some much needed royalties.

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Inhale a tank and keep getting high, because we are back for our fourth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2014's offering in Hong Kong & the Philippines! Over these nine weeks, three guys who never signed up for a cultural experience - Logan, Michael & Bindles - are recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries Michael & Logan know very well between them, continuing with the second episode and elimination of Owen.

In this episode - we worry the season won't be easy to follow, Bindles explains the envelopes, another Amazing Race lie is exposed, we query why Susan & Owen were picked for the night at the opera, Jan-Willem's hatred of Cantonese Opera comes back to bite him, Michael praises Susan's face, there's a correction to last week's shock, Logan creates a new rule, we delight in the placement of the Black Exemption, Aaf fulfils her destiny, we wonder what you should pick in the market, there's a small bit of desired kleptomania, we try and tweak the Black Exemption, Jennifer gets overwhelmed, Tygo is a heel, Logan reveals his latest suspects and we wonder if we need to eulogise this week's eliminated player.

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Don't Say Vincent, because we are back for our fourth season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2014's offering in Hong Kong & the Philippines! Over these nine weeks, three guys who just point, grunt & smile - Logan, Michael & Bindles - will be recapping and looking back at all that happened on the trip through two countries Michael & Logan know very well between them, beginning with the premiere episode and elimination of Maurice.

In this episode - we check Bindles' height, this season has a caveat, we put it out there that Ten might reboot Mole Australia, Michael makes a big (true) prediction about Hunted Australia, the intro tells us nothing, the Black Exemption is a big deal, Logan gets a surprise quiz, our favourite for the season is inexplicably young, Daphne gets a montage, there's a WIDM Japan crossover, Michael gives a history lesson, Jan-Willem commits a borderline war crime, Bindles regrets his life choices, Logan tries to skip ahead, we reveal who we suspect(ed) and there's a small chance that we already forgot who went home...

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Tap your new friends on the head and tell them "good job!", because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over these nine weeks, two guys who always seem to be on the brink of committing sudoku - Logan & Michael - have been recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, concluding with the final two episodes, reveal of Kim as the Mole and Frits as the winner.

In this episode - we wonder whether this is our longest season ever (in terms of recording), Michael takes the opportunity to mock Mole Australia 6 again, no-one hides their suspicions at final three, Logan talks about an ORG, we wonder if Kim deserves her reputation, Tim borrows his dad's suit, we deal with current affairs, certain people try and take credit and rewrite history, we try not to get cancelled, a new tiebreaker gets brainstormed, we explain why we saw so many sabotages, the WIDM subreddit is pulled up on their opinions, Pieter Jan has a wodge of notes, WIDM needs some inspiring locations again, we wonder who should have come back for Renaissance, Frits opens Pandora's Box and we look towards the future - and our next WIDM season.

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Backstab your best friend in confessionals, because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over these nine weeks, two guys who know exactly what it takes to make you a woman - Logan & Michael - are recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, continuing with the eighth episode and execution of Erik.

In this episode - we almost finish before we really start, we struggle with not saying who the Mole is, Sanne's dilemma gets analysed, we wonder if Producers would make the same execution-themed decisions now, everyone eulogises Arjen again, Frits finds some trust, we are a little uncomfortable about things we've said in the past, Michael mentions he's been to a finale, we question if Sanne's deal was as stupid as it seems, Logan spoils a season of 24, we have our usual pre-finale housekeeping and we don't discuss what the Mole did this episode, as there's no need!

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Think about what you did three rounds ago, because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over these nine weeks, two guys who frequently share a very knowing glance - Logan & Michael - are recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, continuing with the seventh episode and surprise execution of Arjen.

In this episode - we take some time out of the podcast to address what's happened since we last recorded, Erik learns from his mistakes, Arjen's genre savviness backfires on him, Kim brings her leather trousers, Frits gains an enemy, we date the podcast horribly, Logan gets an exact timestamp, the banner is an easy choice this episode, the editors bury two of our final five, Pieter Jan no-sells another goodbye, we discuss what the Mole actually did, Logan gives Michael PTSD (and gets a word censored) and we wonder whether the fans are a bit too hard on the Mole this season.

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Give the koi some seeds, because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over these nine weeks, two guys who have new roles under their chairs every episode - Logan & Michael - are recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, continuing with the sixth episode and non-elimination episode.

In this episode - Michael harps on about how much he loves the photo exhibit challenge, we tempt fate by joking about a four-week break, Hind gets a eulogy roast, we defend Frits from the hate he got, we wonder if we can defend Sanne's choice, a sound clip is lost, Logan tries to remember some logic, we question if anyone should have been surprised by a non-elimination, Kim rules someone out, we wonder if Arjen should have played a joker, there is our usual round-up of what the Mole actually did, we try and work out who should have got the red screen and there is some delicious foreshadowing in one of the scenes of this episode.

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Let the Chain Gang exemption go, because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over these nine weeks, two guys who are trying to work out who's moling here and who just sucks - Logan & Michael - are recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, continuing with the fifth episode and execution of Hind.

In this episode - we (belatedly) celebrate Logan's birthday, Michael has some more Chain Gang news, Barbara gets an early eulogy, we wonder whether there was more than we saw to the Frits heel turn, Karel's real statement is revealed, Michael tries to avoid a pun-off, no-one actually takes pity on Frits, there's another delightful Pieter Jan Hagens dick moment, we reveal where the advantages were hidden, the lack of maximum for the karaoke challenge annoys us, there's an obvious joke and we both take it, Kim gets passive-aggressive, we wonder if Pieter Jan will roast us, the ending of the episode is rushed and we discuss what the Mole actually did.

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Get to the garden, because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over these nine weeks, two guys who always find time to zip - Logan & Michael - are recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, continuing with the fourth episode and execution of Barbara.

In this episode - Frits takes a heel turn, we sound like casual fans, Logan gets distracted (twice!), Erik learns what a mobile phone is, Pieter Jan goes Good Will Hunting, Chain Gang holds a record (we think), we wonder where Pieter Jan was hiding for the stretcher challenge, there's a quick tour through Chain Gang history, Logan learns about a Patreon tier, Frits loses his leverage, we talk about underedited players and we discuss what the Mole actually did this week.

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Know what's fish and what's candy, because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over these nine weeks, two guys who are just sitting back with a drink and bitching about people to their faces - Logan & Michael - are recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, continuing with the third episode, disappearance of Manuel and choice of the group to save Barbara.

In this episode - Logan veers ever closer to spoiling things, someone does a heel turn, we try and rehabilitate the reputation of the driving school challenge, we wonder whether Sanne was being deliberately antagonistic, Pieter Jan continues his wonderful streak, Michael heads off a complaint, Peggy makes another cameo, we reveal why Karel left WIDM, Logan learns something about Patagonia, an old friend pops by, we request a new tradition, Michael gives a lesson on topitos, Manuel gets eulogised (unlike in the show), we wonder whether the non-elimination twist rules out a suspect and we discuss what the Mole actually did this episode.

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Form the first, last and only line of defence against bad seasons, because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over these nine weeks, two guys who have no impact or influence over anything anyone else experiences - Logan & Michael - are recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, continuing with the second episode and elimination of global sweetheart Tim.

In this episode - we wonder why Tim was hyped up last week, the differences between old and new WIDM become starker, Japan might be a tipping point, Michael reveals how jokers have evolved, we worry we've already said too much about who the Mole is, we wonder whether the first team were right to target students, the tram challenge dates the episode, we compare Japan notes, Logan talks about the night he spent at Holland Village, the weather intervenes to make Frits lose, Hind gets an advantage, the Joker negotiation is forgettable, Tim is the new Jessica, we campaign for a Renaissance inclusion, we look ahead to the rather infamous next episode and we discuss what the Mole actually did.

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Choose the period clip, because we are back for our third season of new/old Wie is de Mol episodes - and we're going back to 2010's offering in Japan! Over the next nine weeks, our global bondje of gobshites - Logan & Michael - will be recapping and looking back at all that happened in the Land of Samurai, Shogun and the Rising Sun, beginning with the premiere episode and elimination of Loretta.

In this episode - we explain why we picked this season, Logan hands out an award, Michael's unironic favourite is revealed, there is a forgotten WIDM cameo, we adapt a Belgian feature just for Pieter Jan, there is a very recognisable piece of music to fans of British TV, Logan compares WIDM to prison, nobody understands the second challenge, we wonder why everyone laughed at Loretta going home, a small bit of forgiveness is offered and we discuss what the Mole actually did, as well as acknowledging the original subtitler of this season and wondering if the Mole had too many people already on their trail.

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Attach the series to a jersey and lift it to the rafters, as there is a brand new Chief in town and she's leading the UK's worst-performing police force...and also Cleveland. Over the last three weeks, three people working on bridging the North-South divide - Michael, Anthony & Michelle have returned to recap the hunt for eleven new fugitives who are spread out all over the UK in a quest to escape capture and win a share of £100,000 - concluding with the final two episodes, capture of Abi, Grace & James and escape of Nathan & Sarah.

In this episode - we discuss our respective weeks for once, Michael hates to be smug, we draw attention to friend of the podcast Rob's video, a Hunter does an AMA, some monkeying with the timeline is finally spotted, the answer to a query we had last week is given (by a fugitive!), Michelle learns about onion rings, Anthony is disappointed when someone gets a confessional, we go behind the curtain to reveal how the radio interviews work, history repeats itself for Karl, Michelle has questions about the Angel of the North, there's a big old First World Problem, the public get a rare bit of praise, the editors forget to disguise the Overt Agent, there's a live rewatch as Michelle needs to hear an insult, Anthony loses touch with the common man (must be very nice), Michael explains how the Hunters got a boat, we reveal the rule for extraction, there's some insider information about what Nathan may have done with his share of the winnings, we debate if there's a chance we'll be covering Hunted Australia and Michelle is asked to say something nice for once about the Chief.

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Don't linger, as there is a brand new Chief in town and she's leading the UK's worst-performing police force...and also Cleveland. Each week, three people who would never accuse the wrong neighbour - Michael, Anthony & Michelle return to recap the hunt for eleven new fugitives who are spread out all over the UK in a quest to escape capture and win a share of £100,000 - continuing with the third and fourth episodes and capture of Katie, Liam, Amarinder & Shoba.

In this episode - we have the most chaotic intro ever, and it's all Michelle's fault, there are a few tiny little rants, Michael puts his foot down, the podcast gets rebranded, we wonder why they focused on the salt bin, Michelle reveals how she motivates her children, we explain Katie & Liam's first post-caputre thoughts, Anthony gets beard envy, Michelle explains how she categorises certain interactions, Lisa gets ideas above her station, we explain why Hunted can't be live streamed, Sarah does something for the first time in seven years, Amarinder is very Sydney, Michelle makes a foul accusation, Michael fulfils a promise, Catherine obviously gets praised, Michelle explains what would happen if Hunted Australia came to New South Wales, Anthony spoils a joke, we try and work out what happened with Instagram, our final predictions get locked in, we skirt around knowing the extraction point and Anthony wonders if the scheduling has made the series look worse.

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There is a brand new Chief in town, and she's leading the UK's worst-performing police force...and also Cleveland. Over the next three weeks (I know, blame Channel 4...), three people who are nakedly antagonistic - Michael, Anthony & Michelle return to recap the hunt for eleven new fugitives who are spread out all over the UK in a quest to escape capture and win a share of £100,000 - beginning with the first two episodes and capture of Elinor & Meurig.

In this episode - Michelle is excitable, Michael has a small problem with Channel 4 (made worse by finding out it's two episodes a week all series after we recorded this!), we lay down the ground rules of talking about the new Chief, we try and work out why it's only a 23-day Hunt, Lisa shows that she's been hanging around Dr Steve Hersee too long already, we wonder if there's been a deliberate tonal shift in HQ, someone's appearances get limited because of us, Meurig & Elinor get trafficked, Anthony creates a new rule, Michelle learns some new slang, our favourite Hunter gets a promotion, Anthony gives us a quick bout of trivia, a new Hunter uses up his free go, the weather betrays a cliffhanger, another favourite NPC is crowned, we learn the difference between urban exploring and delinquency, the editors get a bit of praise for doing a cute joke rather than showing us testicles, the Searching Debbie's House scene is confusing, we try and guess who's getting caught next, Michael wonders where the wanted posters were and we guess who will win.

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Lay your molebook down, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over the last nine episodes, two guys who always rewind to check the hairline - Logan & Michael - have been trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, concluding with this week's reunion episode.

In this episode - we do a quick runthrough of our previous fortnight, including an almost-kidnapping, a potential shoplifting and a nightmare airport scenario, there's a little bit of housekeeping after last week, one of us nearly becomes the Mole's final victim, we make a plea to the network, Michael turns the tables after eight long weeks, Production get more praise for how they handled Philippe's exit, we wonder if Anke would have won, Michael spots a clue, Yens invests in some heavy machinery, an old friend pops by, we try and work out the timeline of the first challenge, all of Logan's dreams come true, we try and rank the season, the stats get brought out to try and explain whether the Mole was successful and we reveal what's next (after Hunted stops inconveniencing us)!

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Hedge your bets, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over these nine episodes, two guys who could use a hot dog right now - Logan & Michael - are trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, continuing with the finale and reveal of Uma as Mole (live from Paleis 12)!

In this episode - we wonder how Yens lost, the lists of who we saw are compared, Logan forgets about Jessica, Michael has some positive news, we break the myth of how the "briefing" was filmed, Logan has a funny story about the drum teacher, we do some live predictions, the logistics of filming the intro are explained, we crown the winners of our Pool and Second Suspicions, Logan gripes about other people and we suggest a new tier for our Patreon.

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Bring on the soft focus and dirty dirty jazz music, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over these nine episodes, two guys who are not having a little blindfolded cry right now - Logan & Michael - are trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, continuing with the seventh episode and elimination of Manu!

In this episode - we explain what we're expecting on Sunday, Logan avoids some more protests, Michael comes up with a solution to his aphasia, we wonder if it was a good idea to let people do physical activity after last week, the bed challenge is cancelled in Thailand, we have a disagreement about whether the Mole needs to be obvious, the virtues of Survivor: Fiji are extolled, Michael's Mole UK loved one is revealed, we explain why Yens slept outside, The Accomplice gets a new voice, we recreate our favourite interaction of the episode, there is the penultimate update to Second Suspicions and our Pool and we lock in our final suspects.

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Leave the dude alone, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over these nine episodes, two guys who are neither drunk nor tattooed - Logan & Michael - are trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, continuing with the sixth episode and medical evacuation of Anke!

In this episode - Logan finally reveals where he is, we sell out, Argentina proves to be the archetypical medevac-free season, we pitch another timeloop, Michael enters a tunnel, someone joins a very special list, we skip over the banana challenge, Logan thinks too hard, Anke gets a pep talk, Michael Boatman's wife has the right idea, we think of the first question to ask Gilles at the finale, it all gets a bit filthy, we debate whether the pasvragen should carry over, Yens gets a dig in, someone cheats on us but gives us a great opportunity, there is the latest update to our Predictions Pool, we can finally talk about Second Suspicions, our penultimate set of suspects is revealed and we pitch our perfect Final Three.

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Spend your time thinking of four-letter words, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over these nine episodes, two guys who are always smiling in the background - Logan & Michael - are trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, continuing with the fifth episode and elimination of Bert!

In this episode - we explain why we don't say Flanders, Michael discusses how he crashed and burned at the weekend, someone has a breakout, we wonder when a briefing isn't a briefing, Logan reveals what the "big surprise" at Paleis 12 will be, we try and work out what the waterpark's maximum was, the introduction of loved ones as accomplices opens up new possibilities, we wonder why they showed Manu opening a tube, Logan steals the episode title from under Michael's note, we reveal our pre-execution suspicions, Bert may have some regrets, there is the latest update to our Pool as well as a reminder about Second Suspicions (which you should fill in at the link below!), we narrow down our suspects and then try and guess who will go home next.

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Don't Cry For Me Gilles de Coster, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over these nine episodes, two guys who embrace the awkwardness - Logan & Michael - are trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, continuing with the fourth episode and shock self-elimination of Original Mole Philippe!

In this episode - Logan gets a disgusting intro, we start with the most pressing topic of all, we reveal what we're doing about the Pool and First Suspicions now, we wonder how next season's Mole will be affected by this elimination, this episode becomes a nightmare for Logan, Michael reveals how the cycling challenge was stacked against the group, Thomas de Gendt gets a disadvantage, we point out the irony in the podcast, a small bit of bragging gets us a definitive set of filming dates, Michael professes his love for bad woodwind, we wonder whether Manu guessed a real song, the logic for the films that are shown on planes is explained, Gilles tells everyone to Be Prepared, we wonder if being told you're "unreadable" is a compliment, we try and predict who the new Mole will be, the first winners of the year are revealed and we try and guess who will go home next week - with absolutely nothing to go on.

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Don't stress - just steal these priceless artifacts, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over these nine episodes, two guys whose foreheads do not look like the moon - Logan & Michael - are trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, continuing with the third episode and self-elimination of Nele!

In this episode - we wonder if we accidentally played a part in one of the challenges, the quit leads us to wonder if it was handled respectfully, Michael rails against "big moves", we accidentally prepare to ask the same question, there are some awkward questions about bottles of urine, someone becomes far more suspicious due to a challenge intro, there is a guide to alcohol from someone who doesn't drink, the least favourite candidate of the Belgian public is defended, one of last week's leading theories gets pulled apart, Logan learns about two new films, we wonder if you can trust Frank's opinions, there is a race to pun and we reveal our latest suspicions.

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Say "Thank You, Please!" to any waiters you meet, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over these nine episodes, two guys who will massage for pasvragen - Logan & Michael - are trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, continuing with the second episode and Tied Destinies elimination of Jens & Toon!

In this episode - Michael gets trapped in a parade, we reminisce on Logan's first Europe trip, there is more evidence of Canary Islands being a sequel to Germany, we have a question for Gilles, Logan says fiancée, we struggle to tell two contestants apart, Toon gets placed on the naughty step, Michael tries to get into Emanuelle's mind, Europe loves Wheatus, we try and work out how to distract a pirate, the Lion Problem returns, we wonder if it would have been a step too far for the Mole to switch partners, Gilles trolls the eliminated pair, there is the first update to our Pool and First Suspicions and we reveal who we suspect.

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Convince strangers you have children, as we are back for De Mol België's tenth season! Over the next nine episodes, two guys who 99% of the time are dumb and don't make sense - Logan & Michael - will be trying to avoid barking up the wrong tree and falling for Papa Bear's dastardly tricks and traps, aiming to answer that one elusive question - who the newest Mole is in this season set in the Canary Islands, beginning with the premiere episode, celebration of Michael's birthday, return of Jens and elimination of Gretel!

In this episode - we find out where in the world Michael Harmstone was, Logan joins an exclusive club, we ask for a particular opening quote next week, a new bond is formed thanks to people mistaking us for adults, Michael has an unexpected issue with Renaissance, a lie that Gilles told to us is revealed, the coffins become an afterthought, Dolly Parton takes a beating, Sven does a sneaky name drop, someone is revealed as a hobby vegan, we begin ruling people out already, Gretel gets a montage and we wonder whether we'll get a double execution this season.

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Don't go straight to time, because we are back for 2022's Wie is de Mol season! Over the past ten weeks, two guys who are always deciding between gloating now and gloating later - Logan & Michael - have been recapping, analysing and speculating all about Wie is de Mol's season in Albania, concluding with this week's reunion episode and reveal of Everon as the Mole!

In this episode - Logan is forgetful, we try and guess who will win the Bother's Bar Suspect List, one of us gets a new Instagram follower, Michael tries to add up the pot again, one clue proves completely ungettable, we wonder if you should ever have to willingly watch an aftershow, we break our habits and rank the Mole, the opening twist has an unintended impact, we run through this season's improvements, the final results of First Suspicions and Pool are announced and Michael reveals if he regrets using a Switch.

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Crawl on your back to scratch that itch, because we are back for 2022's Wie is de Mol season! Over these ten weeks, two guys who try to be as incompetent as possible whenever the opportunity arises - Logan & Michael - are recapping, analysing and speculating all about Wie is de Mol's season in Albania, continuing with the finale and its cliffhanger ending.

In this episode - we finally board the "Kim is a good character train", we give a shoutout to another podcast who didn't bother competing last week, Logan throws his weight around, we predict a subversion for België's return, we reveal if we have a problem with Production borrowing ideas from other franchises, Michael promises to tell the truth to Gilles de Coster, Production get a bit over-eager with the money, Logan learns a life lesson, Michael risks sounding like a Hunted viewer, we try and use game theory to work out what roles the final three didn't play, Logan talks about his Online Mole Games, Michael wonders if there's room for a Mole-themed Whodunnit season, we try and improve Sunday Trading Laws, Production prove to be a bit mean when they take money out of the pot at the end of the season, Michael finds an obvious way to win the spy challenge, there is finally a potential clue, our Final Suspicions are revealed, Logan goes for a record and we have the first proper bit of België news - albeit with a small caveat...

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Stop ruining people’s vacations, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2022! Over these ten episodes, two guys who go from “A Whole New World” to “Between Two Worlds” – Logan & I – are Tirana-ing apart the season in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-second season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the eighth episode and elimination of Thomas.

In this week’s recap:

How did I anger a security guard on Saturday night?
Did I escape the storms?
One of us has been moonlighting on another podcast.
We eulogise our fallen hero.
Do you need contestants who just never play the Mole?
Who does everyone suspect in the final three?
We pitch a spin-off.
Did we get an answer on Mollys and Millys?
Should the question mark advantages sometimes be negative?
Logan attempts some Dutch.
Did we like the first challenge?
Is it right to lie to locals?
Logan spots some movie music.
What will happen if Everon is the Mole?
What happened when Logan went to Tirana?
Are tarot cards real?
Why is everyone so relaxed at Final Four?
Did Fresia & Thomas conspire to block out Everon at the Port?
Where would the Mole want to be in the Port challenge?
Is metal detecting ever fun?
Should there be a WIDM-België crossover?
Have they fixed the issue with the pot graphic?
Did Logan predict the execution?
Did Thomas make a mistake by spreading at Final Four?
When was the last time that WIDM had no non-elimination episodes in a season?
Do you need non-eliminations to make a Mole season work?
We avoid really talking about the final three when someone does it better.
What could the Mole do in the metal detecting challenge?
There are the latest updates to our Suspicions, Pool and First Suspicions.
Were the final three predictable?
And who do I actually want to win our Pool?

In the predictions pool, Logan has lost his third person, leaving him with just Everon. Michelle still has Fresia & Kim-Lian.

You can also take part in the wonderful Dan Peake’s Suspect List as part of Bother’s Bar here.

Don’t forget to join us next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/incquu/widm2208.mp3

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Remove your shirt when you’re asked to, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2022! Over these ten episodes, two guys who are nobody’s first choice – Logan & I – are Tirana-ing apart the season in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-second season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the seventh episode and elimination of Laetitia and therefore my entire team in our Pool.

In this week’s recap:

Did we actually enjoy this episode?
Should I have gone to an Italian restaurant?
Our accidental feature gets turned on its head, as we get a Listener Compliment of the Week!
Was the other van driver fired?
What should be put in the Trust Nobody gap?
Has the Mole flown under the radar?
What rumours are flying around about this season?
Logan thinks of funny words.
We play a new game entitled “Guess Michael’s gripes about a challenge that doesn’t seem too bad”.
After three weeks of the same rants, we try and fix the monetary woes of this season.
Why did Producers decide the divisions of sheep?
What is the plural of “Thomas”?
Who is the comic relief this season?
Is there an obvious solution to the sheep challenge?
Did the team give up too easily?
Logan’s past comes back to haunt him.
Did they correct the ticker?
Has one of our listeners being editing Wikipedia again?
Was this Meet the Mole challenge inherently flawed?
Where do Mollys and Millys some from?
I applaud Production for resisting their instincts.
Did Fresia forget what show she was on?
Did we have a feeling Laetitia was going?
Could the boat challenge have sent everyone to the finale?
Could Fresia have played her exemption for someone else?
Were Production looking West for the third challenge?
We try and teach the Netherlands how Tetris works.
Does it matter where the Mole was?
Do we like the twist?
Are there unintentional Georgia vibes this week?
Have the exemptions derailed the season?
We actually remember to eulogise Sahil.
Who do we suspect?
Does our outside perspective stop us falling in love with certain characters?
There are the latest updates to our Pool and First Suspicions.
We have a little Belgie news to discuss.
We eulogise Laetitia.
And I learn a very valuable lesson about who I should be suspecting.

In the predictions pool I have been eliminated, having lost my final team member. Logan still has Everon & Thomas and Michelle has Fresia & Kim-Lian. No Switches were used, locking these teams in for the final three weeks.

You can also take part in the wonderful Dan Peake’s Suspect List as part of Bother’s Bar here.

Don’t forget to join us next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/s96a3i/widm2207.mp3

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Re-check your maths, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2022! Over these ten episodes, two guys who are resisting the urge to make Mole coins disappear – Logan & I – are Tirana-ing apart the season in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-second season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the sixth episode and heartbreaking elimination of Sahil.

In this week’s recap:

How did Logan spend his day?
Was Sahil a surprising boot?
I get my first prediction of the season correct.
Is it acceptable to do a Titanic quote on any boat?
The new Listener Correction of the Week leads to a bit more discussion about a weakness of one of last week’s challenges.
Logan attempts the episode title.
Did Sahil think he was going to get away with hiding the phone?
Where did Rik ring the Molephone from?
Do we just need a big suspect to go home soon?
Is there a difference between a plausible suspect and a palatable suspect?
Why did everyone let Sahil get away with lying?
Is the structure of the season affecting everyone’s tactics?
We get an answer to a question from Week 4.
Are Production finally learning from Belgie?
Would the Mole want to be in the Castle or the Submarine Base?
Was the Porto Palermo Tunnel actually a former Russian Submarine Base?
Did the fourth key get found?
Why do I suspect Laetitia so much?
Has Logan got Rocky-blindness again?
Do the lifeguards feel a bit Belgian?
Is it ever appropriate to call woman “bitches”?
Were the “Lifeguards from Hell” on The Amazing Race?
Who was in the molier position in the second challenge?
Could you open boxes in the submarine base?
Why did Kim & Thomas lie about their winnings to Sahil?
How was Everon so certain that Kim has the €250?
Would they have told the €250 story if Kim is the Mole?
Is the jet ski challenge one that is far more fun to do than watch?
Would the Mole want to be on a jet ski?
Why are they still defying the notes of the show?
Where is the missing €100?
Did Sahil’s maths add up?
Would the exemption for the finale have been given out next week if nobody played one this week?
Do we prefer week-specific exemptions to ones you can choose to play?
Would we have held onto our exemptions this long?
There are the latest updates to our Pool and First Suspicions.
And who do we suspect?

In the predictions pool, Logan’s lost his second person, leaving him with Everon & Thomas. I still have Laetitia and Michelle still has Fresia & Kim-Lian. This is the final week that any Switches can be used – Logan & Michelle still have theirs unplayed.

You can also take part in the wonderful Dan Peake’s Suspect List as part of Bother’s Bar here.

Don’t forget to join us next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jvnc26/widm2206.mp3

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Cover yourself in mud, sweat and tears, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2022! Over these ten episodes, two guys who are absolutely Vlorë-d after five episodes of this season – Logan & I – are Tirana-ing apart the season in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-second season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the fifth episode and elimination of Hila.

In this week’s recap:

Why are we slightly later than normal recording this week?
Where did Thomas learn to count?
Did we actually enjoy this episode?
Another listener complaint is stumbled upon.
Logan attempts an episode title.
How did they know something was up with the vans?
Does Rik use emojis?
We still find fault with the first challenge.
Where would the Mole want to be in the first challenge?
Did we spot Kim’s dirty arms?
I spot a Mole action.
Why did Fresia do animal noises from the plane?
The maths of the challenges still don’t add up.
How are Kim & Sahil the most suspected pair from the Netherlands?
Is Sahil the new Arjen Lubach?
Will Production do anything about the exemptions that are left?
How does Logan know the Harry Potter soundtrack?
Why did Rik tell them not to stick together?
How was Thomas born in Kinshaha?
We share pub quiz horror stories.
I try and break the Swan Lake challenge…and actually explain it to Logan.
What is “Ding Dong Dutch”?
Can we infer anything from Everon & Laetitia’s walkie-talkie not working?
Are editors removing actual suspicions?
Would we go all-or-nothing on the final challenge?
Have they broken the Czechia barrier?
Will the missing €250 become a storyline?
We reveal our latest suspects.
There is the all-important update to the First Suspicions game.
And a genuine surprise happens in our Pool.

In the predictions pool, I’ve lost my second person, leaving me with Fresia. Logan still has Everon, Sahil & Thomas and Michelle has Laetitia and Kim-Lian.

Each of us have the use of one Switch before the Final Five become the Final Four. On that note, a Switch has been used…

I decided to switch Fresia from my team for Laetitia from Michelle’s team. Under the rules of the Pool, that Switch cannot be reversed but Fresia is eligible to be switched with anyone else.

You can also take part in the wonderful Dan Peake’s Suspect List as part of Bother’s Bar here.

Don’t forget to join us next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/xiz85v/widm2205.mp3

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Roll around in my Pad Thai, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2022! Over these ten episodes, two guys who never realised how many numbers eight divides into – Logan & I – are Tirana-ing apart the season in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-second season of Wie is de Mol – contiuing with the fourth episode and elimination of Arno.

In this week’s recap:

There are more Logan Saunders animal stories.
We actually mention the pandemic for once.
There is a bit of a blast from the past, as we get a listener correction.
Should contestants be allowed to hide money?
What do Thomas & Everon remind us of?
How old is Thomas?
Logan accidentally misreads something.
Is Azotiku a landmark?
The first challenge comes in for a little bit of criticism.
What was the one bright spot in the silo challenge?
Was there a bit more Production generosity in the silo?
Can you trust what Production say anymore?
We try and fix the first challenge.
How would we have descended the tower?
Does the second challenge look much better only because it came after the first one?
Did Production bring their own safety crew in?
Can Kim-Lian cash out the money she hoarded?
Logan spots a very interesting numerical fact.
How typical is it to show off your family in a small European village?
Are Fresia & Sahil a perfect pair?
What were Sahil’s five differences?
Were the differences too difficult?
How does Rik spend his non-WIDM months?
Should you play your advantages?
Are you always aware of a black exemption’s existence?
Were we surprised that Arno wasn’t the Mole?
We eulogise Arno/mock the Dutch public.
Why is there so much adversity?
There are the latest updates to our Pool and First Suspicions List.
We reveal who we now suspect.
Who is going home next week?
And has Logan done his homework?

In the predictions pool, Michelle has lost her first person, leaving her with Laetitia & Kim-Lian. I still have Fresia & Hila and Logan has Everon, Sahil & Thomas.

You can also take part in the wonderful Dan Peake’s Suspect List as part of Bother’s Bar here.

Don’t forget to join us next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vwee3d/widm2204.mp3

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Someone’s going to be coming round with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire for you, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2022! Over these ten episodes, two guys who can sing along to any song you ask – Logan & I – are Tirana-ing apart the season in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-second season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the third episode and elimination of Welmoed.

In this week’s recap:

Was the twist on the Path of Temptation actually good television?
I try not to talk about being on TV.
Logan disappoints everyone.
There’s a surprising fact about a sheep.
Is the Black Exemption “all powerful”?
There is a worry that Production may be back to their old ways.
Do we regret some of the things we said last week?
Is the threat of a Black Exemption worse than it being played?
Logan ruins another Dutch word.
Could Fresia sing along to any song?
What are the three essentials in life?
Does Logan still suspect Thomas?
How would the Mole play the first challenge?
Was Laetitia suspicious this week?
Would the Mole have aimed for the nets?
Why were the former employees so willing to defend the cash boxes?
Can the Mole really impact the laser game that much?
How temperamental are fingerprint scanners?
Are walkie-talkies always a clue?
Did the cash boxes have broadly the same amount of money in them?
Is too much information withheld from contestants?
We try and break the maths of the laser game.
Could you ever open the Mole’s box?
Has the Mole ever not sabotaged a laser game?
There’s a different type of tunnel vision.
Why didn’t the clock stop between laser game rounds?
There is another “Logan Saunders: Animal Whisperer” update…or is there?
Did Sahil continue his vendetta?
Who pressed the button twice?
Did Production swap the notes in the laser game?
Was the pot that secure in Hila’s hands (or arm)?
Would we buy any envelopes?
What was in the other envelopes?
Does the Mole have only one goal in the final challenge?
Did Thomas misplay the Exemption Route?
Do you play a green exemption this week?
Are Thomas & Sahil friends?
There’s praise for the editors.
Am I heartbroken about the execution?
We eulogise Welmoed.
Who do we suspect?
We have the latest update to our Pool and First Suspicions.
Who’s going home next?
And what is the best case scenario for the inevitable Double Execution?

In the predictions pool, my team lost its first person, leaving me with Fresia & Hila. Logan still has Everon, Sahil & Thomas and Michelle still has Arno, Laetitia & Kim-Lian.

You can also take part in the wonderful Dan Peake’s Suspect List as part of Bother’s Bar here.

Don’t forget to join us next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tipze3/widm2203.mp3

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God it feels like only a month ago the last season of Drag Race ended.

Because it fucking was.

Middle

7. Bosco

The limp-ass, affect-less presentation of Youtube’s auto-generated closed captions really do fit Bosco’s general vibe.

As much as Bosco was on screen this episode, we didn’t get a lot out of her. We learned that she is, allegedly, the skanky alternative girl from Seattle, but after that introduction we learned next to nothing else. Instead, what we got from Bosco was a lot of confessional comments. Bosco’s placement in the season, at least as of right now, is simply someone who explains the obvious with her own “creative” spin. We don’t see Bosco comment on events as they’re happening, but instead after the fact, in a confessional, with certain buzz words and heavy use of hyperbole sprinkled in. And it all feels so very, very familiar.

Look, I’m going to call it now, this is likely all we’re going to get from Bosco. As crafty and fast as she frames herself in confessionals, the minor interaction she had with Alyssa after her entrance, as well as small snippets of her in the werk room, kinda proves that she’s just not that charismatic to the face, over-relying on tired jokes and basic commentary at the time before she can prepare to give a proper confessional that will undoubtedly be over the top to compensate. We’ve seen thousands of Queens now attempt to do this and it just never feels authentic. No doubt this will get Bosco far, because Drag Race loves a snappy confessional, one that they can put in commercials, even if it’s from a dull contestant who can’t relate to anyone in her season. It’s all just so transparent and doesn’t work for me.

Who knows? Maybe Bosco will show better as the season progresses. I’ve made incorrect judgements on Queens based on just premieres. But right now, I’m not looking forward to more Bosco.

6. Orion

So wait, this cast has a straight man in it, and it’s not Orion?

I’ve been known for having pretty high feelings for early boots, because I think they can be underrated sources of great comedy and dynamic TV for the early game while everyone else sets up. Orion is not an example of such. Orion is the other kind of early boot, someone who feels like she just got off the bus and was added to the cast last minute. I know this isn’t true, but there’s times watching this premiere where it doesn’t feel like Orion even does Drag, that she’s just a hapless intern or extra who was hired to pad out the season.

You see this mostly in her talent show, which isn’t… good, but the problem is that it’s also not very organic. Orion‘s skit of being an aged fitness instructor isn’t that original in the first place, and it lacks the social commentary and bite that would help sell it to the audience. Orion’s character could be anybody, from a manager at a supermarket to a drunk Aunt tasked to babysit you, and it would play the exact same way. It’s this weird, shallow idea with bad execution, and if I think they could get away with having a bottom one, I’d imagine they would for Orion.

Orion seems nice enough, definitely giving me some “Drug Dealer Hanging Around the Back of Target” vibes, which is a stereotype I am shocked isn’t as prevalent as it should be on Drag Race. She just never had enough to make it farther than the premiere.

5. Alyssa

Back during the airing of UK Season 3, I mentioned that one of the miraculous things about Choriza May was that she was an ESL contestant whose story wasn’t centered around that. Drag Race has a habit of othering its ESL contestants, particularly those from Puetro Rico, and it can come off as incentive to the point of xenophobia. Choriza was the exception, someone who doesn’t hide being from Spain but also someone whose drag is defined beyond, but she felt like the exception that proved the rule. Choriza is amazing, but part of her initial hype was her not just being forced into that aforementioned box that Drag Race’s ESL contestants usually occupy.

And for a good example of what I mean, we have Alyssa Hunter.

The thing is, I want to like Alyssa, because she’s a PR Queens with a twist. This cast feels very much like a throwback of old school Drag Race, and the casting of Alyssa on surface level is the most glaring example of that. Of course, what’s different is that Alyssa doesn’t want to just be a pageant Puerto Rican, she wants to show other avenues to herself. In fact, wanting to express herself fully is how she almost got in the bottom this week. And while that can seem sporadic, and that a scattershot approach wouldn’t be the best idea, I don’t blame her when the show continues to heap on the tired ESL Journey tropes to her story. It’s not the best light in the year of our lord 2022 to make Alyssa’s big moment during Untucked about how no one understands her because English is her second language. It’s a cliché that has only become triter and more problematic with time, feeling downright xenophobic at the worst of time.

I have zero clue about Alyssa’s longevity, but considering she got such a lame plot point during Untucked, I don’t predict it she’ll go far.

Top

4. June

I feel like there’s something to be said about RuPaul not knowing what jambalaya is. Maybe I am not the one to say that, but there’s definitely something to be said.

June is this weird case of someone being peak Southern but also clearly an LA Queen. June herself, the person behind the Drag, is full of these Southernisms that we typically only see in Pagaenty Queens. Only then June has a very LA sensibility to her: she doesn’t mean mug, she loves dropping modern influences like Megan Thee Stallion, and she lists wearing at least three brand sin the premiere alone. We’ve had Southern Queens who represent LA before, just look at Kylie, but the difference is Kylie’s character was very easy to identify. June is a weird mash-up of two types of Queens and is really hard to pin down.

I fear that this rough dichotomy will ultimately be June’s downfall. I appreciate any Queen who feels so uniquely her own beast, which June does, but she doesn’t have the polish that would be needed for that to really work. June does an African dance for her talent show, but her costume betrays her and her padding constantly shows. The problem with June isn’t her aesthetic, it’s that she can’t justify it. As bad as this is to say, June would have likely benefitted from being an easier to pin down archetype, because at least then we can properly measure her and see how she stacks up compared to past examples. Queens who lip sync this early don’t typically last very long otherwise, and while June seems nice and pleasant enough, I don’t think her polish nor uniqueness are enough to let her last long.

3. Kerri

Can we take a moment to appreciate Kerri’s confessional look? Trans women aren’t a new thing in Drag Race, but they’re still uncommon, especially when they serve cunt this hard.

Kerri had a pretty decent premiere, elevated mostly by how much she stands out from her peers. What makes Kerri work is that we get a lot from her personally from this premiere. Split premieres work a lot more when people actually leave (and you don’t force a sixteen-episode season on everyone, Jesus Christ…), because we actually do give the other Queens a lot more time to breathe. Kerri Colby is someone who I think would have done fine but unremarkable if this was a stock premiere but having it split means we actually get to learn a lot about her. Everyone in general benefits from the larger exposure (aside for Bosco, who intentionally limits herself), but getting the feel of Kerri’s background, her history with Drag, her complicated relationship with her parents, etc, it allows Kerri to feel a lot more nuanced than Queens like her typically feel, especially this early on. Kerri has a very strong start, and her beyond questionable talent show doesn’t impede that.

I have high hopes for Kerri. I don’t think she’ll ever be my absolute favorite contestant, but she’s the exact kind of Queen I like to see bounce off everyone else.

2. Willow

God, Willow speaks to me on a personal level.

Unlike Orion, whose “weird” schtick feels half-baked and underplanned, Willow’s Drag is clearly well thought-out and meticulously detailed. Her infamous entrance look, from the “ANGLE” shirt to her obnoxious heeled flip flops, is such an obvious love letter to Y2K-era girlhood that you half-expect to hear Michelle Branch playing to her entrance. The skit showing a woman trying to perform mindfulness that ends with her throwing a toaster in the bathtub is an absurd examination of self-help in American culture, how it’s always performed on the precipice of a breakdown and never delves into actual critical mental care. I want to emphasis that it’s “absurd,” not wacky, and that as baffled as the judges are during the performance, her actions never feel baseless. It’s not “glamorous” in the way like Kerri is, elegant and serene, but glamorous in the crass, desperate, repulsive way American culture loves to enable and then hide and turns a blind eye. Willow’s Drag hits me specifically where I’m at, and I am here for it.

Just about the only thing I don’t like about Willow is how Fracker treats her. I hate how RuPaul says her name, harkening back to the fact that she’s an actual Boomer who laughs at funny faces on the magic picture box. But it goes a bit beyond that, because while Queens talking about their background struggles has always been a Drag Race staple, it feels particularly predatory and mean-spirited with Willow. Which of course, brings us to the line of the episode:

Willow: Yeah, I grew up chronically ill my whole life, so why not make it funny?

Miz Fracker: Exac-NOW WHICH CHRONIC ILLNESS DO YOU HAVE?!

It’s a pretty shitty way to treat who is undoubtedly going to be one of your stars of the season. I don’t detract this from Willow herself, for the same reason I don’t blame Crystal for the constant allusions to El DeBarge, but it’s fucking obnoxious and is yet another example of why we should just cancel RuPaul finally once and for all.

All in all, I’m very high on Willow after this premiere, and I can not wait to see more.

1. Kornbread

Kornbread is the exact kind of character Queens like Bosco want to be and never can.

Whenever I dismiss Queens like Cracker or Tina or Karen for their insincere grabs at attention, it’s because they’re all clearly trying to do what Kornbread is doing and failing miserably. It’s obvious part of Kornbread’s schtick is premeditated, but it’s well-written comedy, relying on clever turns of phrases and not on screaming how funny they are. And even if it is partly planned, stuff like her going in on Willow’s entrance look or mocking June as a label whore are clearly spontaneous. As evident and obvious as Kornbread’s angle is, it’s constructed on a solid base of smart, quick humor and clever insights.

Obviously, the apex of Kornbread’s premiere is her performing her own song at the talent show and mugging in all the correct ways. Firstly, lip syncing to your own song is the exact kind of Bad Bitch energy that makes me very excited. Secondly, despite how basic this could have gone, she goes all out. The performance is full of a bunch of small details: the perfectly time look backs, the horse shoes on the ass of the jeans, the Merle Ginsberg cameo, etc. And third, Kornbread just oozes sheer, undiluted power from every pore. As silly and cheesy as the song is, Kornbread puts her whole ass into it and never winks or nudges to the camera. The fact that she got to do this in front of Lizzo, herself a master at doing stupid performances and giving it 200%, is icing on the cake.

Kornbread is here for the long haul. If Bosco is how to sell yourself in the worst ways, Kornbread is how to do it in the best ways. She’s a rising star, and I can’t wait to see a whole season of her.

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Recreate a maple leaf in fifteen seconds flat, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2022! Over these ten episodes, two guys who have a rather chequered recent history – Logan & I – are Tirana-ing apart the season in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-second season of Wie is de Mol – continuing with the second episode and elimination of Glen.

In this week’s recap:

I try not to be too smug that Logan has already been proven wrong.
Logan has more animal stories.
What was Ponderosa like this season?
Does Rik know I Love Lucy?
Logan sets himself a challenge for next week.
Why did Laetitia reveal her joker?
We remember to talk about the execution montages.
Do we regret some things we said in Oregon?
Will the phone holder get an offer in future?
Why were locals reluctant to help Sahil?
How did the Mole sabotage the first challenge?
How would we have fared eating an entire cake?
We get more Belgie vibes.
I’ve been brushing up on my Dutch.
Where would the Mole want to be on the first challenge?
Logan repeats a joke from last week.
Was there a clue hidden in the theatre challenge?
Which challenges would we have succeeded at?
What did they actually complete?
Am I famous in Albania?
There is a lot of praise for Rik’s work.
Did the live stream’s success help relax Rik?
Is the beach challenge actually any good?
Does it really matter where the Mole was on the beach?
Is Thomas even remotely suspicious?
Are we surprised that nobody knew Albania was the location for certain?
Was a €90 penalty quite generous?
Logan gets jokeblocked.
Is it a good idea to draw a flag?
Should Sahil have been so passive when dealing with locals?
Was it a requirement for one of the contestants to be in each picture?
Did the Mole have limited requirements?
Can we rule out seven people after the final challenge?
Were they concealing something during the test?
Did Logan suspect Glen before the execution?
Who do we suspect?
And there’s the first update to our Pool and First Suspicions games.

In the predictions pool, our teams have finally been drawn!

However, there was an elimination…

Logan’s lost his first person, leaving him with Everon & Sahil and adding Thomas to his team. I still have Fresia, Welmoed & Hila and Michelle still has Laetitia, Arno & Kim-Lian.

You can also take part in the wonderful Dan Peake’s Suspect List as part of Bother’s Bar here.

Don’t forget to join us next week for more Mole Hunting!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/whrtt7/widm2202.mp3

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Prepare the pepper spray and a little bit of rioting around the town square, because we are back for Wie is de Mol 2022’s visit to Albania! Over the next ten episodes, two guys who are celebrities…but they’re not – Logan & I – will be Tirana-ing apart the season in an effort to uncover the Mole in this twenty-second season of Wie is de Mol – beginning with the premiere and elimination of Suzanne.

In this week’s recap:

Where in the world is Logan Saunders?
What did we think of the premiere?
Did Producers look east for inspiration?
Harmstone does sports.
Are we getting a reunion?
Why was Rik so straight-backed at the execution?
Was doing the live stream a good idea?
I try and improve the reveal.
Should everyone have seen the pre-season interviews?
Is there a clear Mole tactic for this premiere?
Would the Mole go for money or jokers?
Where did the “Trump” name come from?
How much Dutch do we know?
Does Facebook have a grudge against a WIDM alumnus?
Why did everyone have to reveal their first suspicion?
Where did the missing €100 go?
How many jokers were actually available?
Would we have paid to remove jokers?
Logan reminds us he’s been to Shkodër.
Was a ten-minute buffer a bit too generous?
How did the Mole play the second challenge?
Does the Mole ever have to try in the first episode?
Why was the time limit on the second challenge so short?
Logan joins a Discord server.
I become a font of knowledge.
Has Suzanne ever seen a laptop before?
Were the initial submissions just a tool to blindside the contestants?
Are we actually fans of Wie is de Mol?
How obvious was it that Arno was the top suspect of the Netherlands at the time?
What was the logic behind sequestering the executed candidates?
Are there rules for what couldn’t be said in the pitches?
What else does Sahil take credit for?
There’s a flashback to a previous season.
Do we even remotely suspect Arno?
Is Moroccan a language?
Who do we suspect?
And I try and deceive everyone accidentally.

We’re also pleased to announce that back for its sixth season in a row is our predictions pool! Now that the first episode has aired, Michelle, Logan & I will each be drafting three people for our teams. As winner of the last pool, Michelle gets first pick, then me, then Logan and so on until nine people have been assigned a team. The rules are as follows:

Following the premiere, we will all order the cast from most to least suspicious. Michelle was guaranteed to get her first pick, I would get my first unless it matches Michelle’s… and so on, until we each have three people on our team.
In the event that more than nine people are left after a premiere, then whoever is left over will not be assigned a team until the next episode – when they will replace the next person to leave the show. If there are two left over, then whoever loses someone first will get first choice of those remaining without a team. As this season features eleven contestants, someone will be left over for next week.
The person whose team contains the Mole on the finale night will be crowned the winner. In the event that I win again, I will also gloat incessantly until I lose the Belgian one later in the year.
During the season, each person has the use of a Switch. The Switch gives you the power to trade someone from one team with someone from another. There is no requirement for this to be your own team, and does not expire in the event that all of your team are eliminated.
Only one Switch can be used per week and all Switches expire one the episode in which the Final Five becomes the Final Four airs. If there is a Final Five non-elimination episode, Switches are still valid until that Final Five is no more.
In the event that there is a Final Four in the end and the two losers are spread over two separate teams (with the Winner & Mole on the third one), the tiebreaker is that the first person to lose someone out of those teams with the losers on it will be third place.

Teams will be revealed during next week’s episode!

Also, if you’re reading this in the Premiere Week, you too can fill in the same form we’re using – I’ll be keeping an eye on everyone’s list during the season to see who has the best instincts! You can also take part in the wonderful Dan Peake’s Suspect List as part of Bother’s Bar here.

We hope you enjoy our first episode of the season – episodes will be released at 9pm GMT on a Wednesday all season.

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/wc5er7/widm2201.mp3

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10. Icesis Couture (Canada Season 2, Winner)

Icesis Couture was never going to win any Drag Race series but Canada’s. Icesis would have been met with the same roadblocks on US or UK that Queens like her hit: an unflinching disposition, a blunt honesty, and an offbeat charisma. There’s something inherently unmarketable about a grumpy, too cool for school, self-depricating nerd that can not be solved by even the best fashion or lip sync skills. Thankfully, Canada not only doesn’t give a shit about that, it embraces it, and let’s Icesis run wild throughout the season.

Now I mentioned charisma, which I think a lot of people would raise an eyebrow at as, realistically, Icesis isn’t that charming. She doesn’t try to ingratiate herself with either the audience nor the other contestants. Most winners are typically defined by their friends and foes, and those relationships help reveal things about themselves. Icesis has no need for those, to the point that she doesn’t even have a proper “foil” to bounce off of. Whatever parallels you can conjure between her and, say, Pythia are stretched and looking for patterns where there aren’t any. And that’s not to say Icesis is reserved, oh god no, Icesis has no issue revealing what she’s thinking. We get many confessionals and side-comments from Icesis about the rest of the cast, typically not pleasant, and about herself. The difference is that Icesis never feels like a character, someone who was designed to resonate with a certain demographic, but instead a real person.. Icesis is very much just Icesis, no more or less.

Of course, the reason why Icesis gets away with this is that she’s a damn good performer. Icesis backs up her boastful claims and leaves everyone else in the dust. She’s not perfect at everything, but Icesis knows her strengths and knows how to work them. And because of her natural talent and her general disposition, Icesis achieves a coolness that is rare on Drag Race. She doesn’t feel the need to compromise herself, and she never does. This final 10 are going to be full of uncompromised stars, but only Icesis could be so herself and still win. She’s that powerful.

9. Utica Queen (US Season 13, 6th Place)

Utica is an angel.

As one might recall, I ranked Utica deadass last in my first article of the year, which I both regret but stick behind. The fact is, Utica makes a terrible first impression with everyone: she’s cloying, she’s loud, she’s awkward, and worst it can come off as insincere. There’s a lot to Utica that seems wrong, however you take her brand, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to be interested in what she was selling.

And then I bought a case of Utican and have been hooked ever since.

The beauty of Utica is that everything she does isn’t just sincere, but so unapologetically sincere it hurts. Utica trying to express to the camera and make herself stand out in the most obnoxious ways possible might have rubbed me the wrong way initially, but once it became clear that it was the only way this cult kid knew how to communicate, I bought it. The biggest albatross of nearly every Season 13 character was the stilted cast and extended filming schedule, leading to characters who feel exhausted by the mid-point of the season. Not Utica, who is perpetually pulling new shit out of her ass because that’s just how she operates.

Because of this seemingly manic behavior, you never really know what you’ll get from Utica for any given challenge. Maybe she’s turn out an absolutely stunning dress made of sleeping bags. Maybe she’ll harness Alaska for a daytime talk show challenge. Maybe she’ll attempt to pull of Symone’s natural swagger in a way that both does and does not work. Or maybe she’ll choose violence at the roast and goad RuPaul just after she murdered Joe Black. It’s impossible to get a read on Utica’s abilities because she so eagerly commits to both the best and worst ideas and never looks back. And sometimes, her ideas are so odd and out of nowhere that a win feels justified (I will die believing she should have won for Utican).

There was a very high chance I was not going to like Utica at all based on first impressions. But ultimately Utica won me over. She’s not complex, but she forces people to view the show differently. If nothing else, Utica demonstrates that in a case of an all out effort, saying whether she is “good” or “bad” at Drag is meaningless. Utica just is.

8. Asttina Mandella (UK Season 2, 10th Place)

I want this Mileena look engraved in the UK werkroom.

Asttina’s inclusion in my top 10 might seem odd because she’s such an early out. No one would call Asttina unemotional or boring, but she also doesn’t seemingly get a lot of time to spread her wings. UK Season 2 is a stacked cast in general, and there’s at least three Queens off the top of my head who could have taken her place. So why am I so high on Asttina?

Simple. She exudes everything I love about Drag Race.

Asttina could fit on any season of Drag Race and be amazing. She’s insanely quotable, her confessionals are fun and biting. She’s a delight to watch whenever she shows up on screen. For only being in three episodes, we get a very detailed view of who she is. She might seem like an egotistical brat, but she’s very well-spoken and takes her shoking elimination very well. She might seem haughty and rude, uninteresting in your nerdy things, but she’s the pioneer dressing as a magical girl long before Veronica. I think the pinnacle of this is when she learns that her and Tayce are both doing Naomi Campbell, a moment that seems primed for one of those godawful “two people choose the same Snatch Game” moments, but becomes an honest and vulnerable open ended question about the lack of Black Gay icons, and that the pool was really that limited. Asttina’s presense allows for a more nuanced take on Drag Race, because Asttina is so much more than she seems.

Because of that, I can live with her early exit. I could watch Asttina be amazing all season, but considering the unintended thesis of learning self-awareness, Asttina’s exit so early works. She knows who she is and doesn’t need another’s approval. She’s a stellar character in UK Season 2, and is easily the most underrated Queen of the year.

7. Ra’Jah O’Hara (All Stars Season 6, Runner-Up)

Firstly, Ra’jah should have won, but that’s self-evident.

Ra’jah O’Hara was easily one of my favorite parts of Season 11: an unfiltered rage element, super tall and super lean, who threw herself at any conflict possible. The Ra’jah we saw in Season 11 has glimpses of talents, but that really wasn’t why she was here. Her greatest contribution was to be the unstoppable force to Scarlet’s immovable object, to scream at people halfway across the werkroom, to give angry confessionals when prompted. Ra’jah is everything I love in a mid-season boot, and I wanted even more of her. But I must admit, I didn’t know what to expect from her in All Stars. All Stars aren’t typically kind to contestants like Ra’jah. How would she do on a much more competitive season?

Turns out, uh, quite well!

The Ra’jah of All Stars 6 is still very much how she was in Season 11, but time has cooled her jets considerably. She’s still opinionated and still no nonsense, but Ra’jah has learned to pick her battles a lot better and lot less frequent. The season starts pretty high on Ra’jah, and for good reason, and so she’s able to ride the momentum far and never has to face opposition from the season. While the Ra’jah in Season 11 wasn’t unintelligent, and picked up the fuckery of the season pretty easily, now she’s a lot wiser and better and knowing when to call out said fuckery. It’s still the Ra’jah you remembered, but better focused and more attentive.

And of course, she murders the competition with her sheer talent.

If Season 11 slept on anyone, it was Ra’jah, and this season proves how. Ra’jah commands the camera whenever she’s on screen. She’s great at acting, performing, and dancing, and is able to show all her skills early on and stupendously. The momentum that surrounded Ra’jah was real, and unlike previous All Stars seasons, they cast their front runner correctly. Ra’jah is someone who, going in, you wouldn’t guess would make such a tear through the show. But when she does, you believe it 100%.

Even without a win, Ra’jah was able to show up and command All Stars 6, which isn’t a bad trade-off.

6. Bimini Bon Boulash (UK Season 2, Runner-Up)

The star of 2021.

The importance of Bimini is impossible to quantify. Bimini was popular, sure, but a lot of Queens this year were popular. To say Bimini was just popular feels like it sells her short. Because Bimini was big. Huge. And I’d argue she still is. I don’t think Drag Race has had someone this massive in over five, and probably won’t again for a long time.

From lip syncing in Episode 1, Bimini became notable early on for being two things: a Vegan and bendy. But soon she starts to develop as a character and the Bimini we learn about is a lot deeper than that implies. Bimini talking about being Non-Binary was great, yes, but what was more important than the content was the way she said it. Bimini asserting that people like them have always existed and it’s your job to catch up wasn’t just powerful, it demonstrated how to convey yourself when you gender is politicized. Bimini is pleasant, but she makes zero compromises and lays the facts out sternly and succinctly. She knows what she’s talking about, and if you won’t listen to her facts, then you’re the one being ignorant and left behind.

This would be enough to make Bimini great, but her post-break resurgence made her a truly stellar character. What’s so integral and amazing about Bimini is how she perfectly serves as a foil to Lawrence: the calm, unwavering self-esteem against the brutish, scared self-hatred. As Lawrence’s stock dwindles and Bimini’s rises, the implications are obvious: Bimini know their power and knows how to exude it. Like in Episode 3, Bimini’s examination of themself is curt and unbothered, and no one can ever get to her. It may not lead to a win, but that’s not really the point. Bimini’s time on Drag Race was a flex of positive mental attitude (…get fucked.), and nothing could or can stop her.

I’ve seen people debate if Bimini was actually the breakout star of the year, trying to cite Instagram numbers and Twitter followers, but fuck me I don’t want to live in a world where Bimini isn’t the breakout star. Bimini might not be my favorite contestant of the year (she’s 6th!), but she represents what I want Drag Race to eventually become.

5. Tamisha Iman (US Season 13, 11th Place)

Everyone loves a scam Queen.

The cloud of Tamisha’s post-show shenanigans has unfortunately caused a fandom-wide reevaluation of Tamisha, claiming her as a fraud and never that good. I vehemently disagree, because Tamisha still dominated all five of her episodes. Season 13 is definitely bad, but it had an honest shot at being amazing. And it all rested with Tamisha Iman.

In a season where everyone is trying to be as pleasant as possible, Tamisha wanted to play by Real Housewife rules and came in with a cunning plan. After establishing herself as a cuddling Drag Mom, including the subtle hints that lead to people realizing she birthed Tandi Iman Dupree, Tamisha goes on the fucking prowl and starts antagonizing the first Queen she knows will fight back. Naturally, that’s Kandy, and the two start to quarrel often, Tamisha clearly trying to goad Kandy any chance she has. It’s an amazing plan that is sadly cut short via Drag Race ditching her so soon, in a challenge that she couldn’t physically do correct because this franchise is that hateful.

Of course, knowing Tamisha tried to operate with Real Housewives in mind, her post-show stuff makes sense. Of course she would. Tamisha is problematic and messy but god damn we needed that. Season 13 needed a villain, someone willing to bare the cross of being the ultimate trouble maker and disruptive force. And it could have been Tamisha, but… I guess we needed four more episodes of Elliott instead.

This season is so damn frustrating…

4. Tia Kofi (UK Season 2, 7th Place)

Tia is so powerful, she can serve even in that awful wig

Infinitely quotable, hillarious and insightful, Tia Kofi is the greatest narrator Drag Race has perhaps ever had. We’ve seen a number of Queens similar to her, even this year with River Medway, but no one does it as well and as funny as Tia. It’s hard to really put into words what makes Tia in particular so funny, leaving me tempted to just copy/paste several of her compilations on YouTube. But Tia’s sense of humor is obvious, and her candor is excellent.

I think what ultimate makes Tia work so well is her utter control of herself. Tia doesn’t try to pretend she’s something she’s not, she knows where her strengths lie and tries to cover her weaknesses. Like most of the other great UK Season 2 characters, the theme of Tia Kofi is self-assurdness, but it hits different with her. More than anyone else this season, Tia is prodded into trying to be more glamorous. RuPaul becomes obsessed with her sample size body and her tall, thin, and leggy proportions, but Tia never bites. Sure, she acts like she does, pretends like she’s doing more to get the judges off her ass, but Tia isn’t that kind of Queen. She’s a comedian who does goofy things and makes corny jokes. It’s what she’s best at, and what has gotten her this far.

The magic is Tia is impossible to fully articulate, but I adore her.

Also, before I forget.

I’M SERVING YOU. AN ADEQUATE DRESS. MADE OF MATERIAL THAT IS ON MY BODY! VINTAGE? NO! ELEGANT? NO! STILL STUCK ON ME? JUST ABOUT.

3. Choriza May (UK Season 3, 7th Place)

Choriza never really lost the role of Best Character, did she?

UK Season 3 wasted Choriza. No, sorry, it was a disservice to her. Chroiza May is one of the most instantly lovable characters Drag Race has ever had. Just about anything you could want from a Drag Race contestant, any Drag Race contestant, could be found with Chroiza May. Both quotable and funny but also talented and fashionable, Choriza not only should have lasted longer, but should have won.

Choriza May makes an amazing first impression, with her stellar entrance line about being an immigrant and her screaming “finger my asshole” during the mini-challenge. Even from this early on, as the show is trying to establish everyone, you feel like you know who Choriza is and can identify with her personally. She’s an open book with pages upon pages of details: about being an immigrant, her boyfriend, her life with her parents, her boyfriend’s cock, etc. Choriza hides nothing, and every new piece of information about her makes her that much more lovable.

I think the ultimate sign of how great Choriza is is her status as an immigrant, or rather how she’s treated compared to those before her. ESL journeys on Drag Race are typically fraught affairs, either early boots or weird classist. But Choriza is never given that indignity. She’s an immigrant, Emglish isn’t her first language, and yet nothing ever is forced out of her because of that. Choriza brings it up, but on her terms. The show never makes her status a plot point or something to be proud of. It’s just a fact of Choriza’s life that she’ll discuss as conversational as her parents or her homelife.

Choriza deserved better. So much better. Because God, Drag Race needs her lovable chaotic energy.

2. Trinity K. Bonet (All Stars Season 6, 5th Place)

This is the happiest I’ve ever seen Trinity look.

I’m excited to report that the Trinity of Season 6 is back in All Stars 6 and is as grumpy as she’s ever been. I was always a fan of Trinity’s particular brand of pageant girl stank, and she brings buckets to All Stars 6, and absolutely shares it with everyone.

From Episode 1, Trinity becomes a focal point, either doing really poorly or exceptional in the challenges. And because of that, all the drama of the season rests squarely on her shoulders. Now, Trinity’s relaxed state can be classified as “pursed,” so you can imagine a Trinity who spends half the time either up for elimination or ready to send a contestant home. The fact that she, Trinity, the lip sync assassin to end all assassins, loses both of her lip syncs is just icing on the cake, further making her tense and irritated at everyone. While most pf the cast of All Stars 6 were cordial and pleasant, Trinity’s rough exterior made her stand out. You would think Trinity telling a self-depricating joke and then threatening someone for make the same joke would get old, but it never did.

As odd as it is to say, Trinity was the heart and soul of All Stars 6. The entire season revolves around her. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

1. Ginny Lemon (UK Season 2, 9th Place)

I mean, fucking duh.

Ginny Lemon is the single most powerful force Drag Race has ever encountered. Drag Race has had to deal with a lot of scrutiny in the centuries its been around, but no one better questioned the authority and outdated practices of the franchise better than a five-foot-nothing lemon candy mascot.

I feel silly trying to sell Ginny Lemon because… she’s Ginny fucking Lemon. Like with… everyone else in this top 10, what you see is absolutely what you get with Ginny, and she has zero time for the show’s big bag of bullshit. We could talk all day about her asserting herself for being brazenly weird, her love of Kate Bush, her fully accepting of the Drag everyone else brought. Hell, I’m tempted to just leave this entry at just her telling the show to fuck off and quitting the episode after they forced her to feel “sexy.” And if not that, then her amazing tweets slamming the show and her refusal to come back to the competition proper. Ginny’s moments are, to a one, deliciously trolling yet entirely combative. Ginny Lemon lives her life punk rock, and her removal from the show is the ultimate denouncement of it.

In fact, that’s really the best part about Ginny Lemon: her influence. Ginny Lemon quitting wasn’t just her not wanting to be on, it was an attack on the fondation of the show. Ginny Lemon knows she’s the embodiment of punk rock, and choosing to quit and abandon the show oh a pure whim not only allows her to get the hell out of dodge, it implicitly mocks the show as a bunch of stuffy old Boomers who don’t give a shit about Drag. Ginny being such an exaggerated character isn’t just a branding technique, it makes her influence obvious and her accepting or denying things make larger wave. Walking out to Keep Me Hanging On might be my favorite moment of the year, and it was as scathing as it was succinct.

Ginny Lemon needs no praise. If you’re not on the Ginny wagon, there’s zero hope for you. She’s the definition of Drag, from its punky roots, and by far the best character of the year.

Year-End Thoughts

2021 was a transitionary year for Drag Race, and as such is full to the brim with choices that did and did not work. Retrospect has cleanly divided the Logo era of Drag Race in half: Seasons 1-4 and All Stars 1 heavily focused on Drag as an outside niche with the implications of financial desperation, whiles Seasons 5-8 and All Stars 2 viewing Drag as a form of artistic expression and intentional counter-cultural behavior. Logic would dictate that then the last 4 years, 2017-2020, would be their own, defined arc. Even ignoring the clean divide of the first two sections, these years were heavily impacted by numerous things, both internally (the move to VH1, the expansion intentionally, the overabundance of All Stars seasons) and externally (the rise of the Far-Right, the cultural recognition of Drag, the explosion of Trans and non-conforming people in pop culture). And well, yes, those four years of Drag Race are indeed defined by one thing: marketability.

And if 2021 Drag Race was about anything, it was deconstructing the hell out of that concept.

The fact that Drag Race sold out isn’t a new concept, it’s been obvious for years. But one thing that really resonated this year was how rampant it was. Drag Race is nakedly made and filmed for you, viewer, to not just enjoy any Queen, but the specific Queen they tell you, and it’s extremely hollow and cynical. There were a lot of obvious moments of forced narrative to push a specific Queen: forgiving Scarlet, the embellishment of Krystal, the uneven editing of US Season 13, and the general sense of disdain for the audience. It’s beyond that these moments are obvious pre-planned, they feel patronizing. Drag Race thinks it knows best. It thinks forgiving bigots is the road towards healing, it thinks justice can only be achieved with decorum, and it thinks that popularity is the same thing as righteousness. It’s a toxic deluge of Boomer thoughts and outdated ideas that informs the decisions the show makes. We’ve seen moment of these peppered throughout those four years, but especially now, with the ramping of international seasons, we get to see how the world reacts to these ideals.

And everyone fucking hated them.

If anything good came from this year being the pinnacle of these heinous microaggressions, it’s that no one fucking bought. No one liked the way the show tried to excuse Scarlet, everyone called Season 13 and UK Season 3 boring and tonedeaf, and everyone became far more openly interested in the Queens the show didn’t try to promote. I’m not going to say Drag Race was unpopular, but the people sticking around for every season quickly saw through the bullshit and had no qualms calling out the show. The message the fans sent was clear: if Drag Race was going to change, it had to replace this shit as soon as possible.

I’ve touched on this sporadically this week, but the new, better face of Drag Race has been unquestioned, direct statements of authority. No one wants maudlin, weepy White Savior acts; they want Etcetera being a complex person still intelligent enough to know Blackface is inexcusable. I think the insane popularity achieved by Bimini, someone so authoritative and unflinching with their gender, is a sign for what Drag Race fans want. We want Drag Queens who stand for something, Queens who know what they’re talking about and have the guile and grace to pull it off. Forcing token Trans contestants in sympathetic roles or berating Black Queens to be a symbol of peace is a thing of the past. This path is obvious: if Drag Race wants to improve, it has to change to this new status quo.

Will it change? Eeeeeehhhhhh maybe? At least we know it won’t evenly. The cast of US Season 14 has already been revealed and has a lot of the issues I already listed. Change is going to be a slow process. But if nothing else, it seems Drag Race is at least aware that it can’t pull the exact kind of shit again. Aside for the negative reception, the framing of the Brat Pack from Canada Season 2 show the show has grown contempt for their types. There’s some hope to be had that Drag Race can adopt the mentality Bimini embodied, because if nothing else, this franchise is a trend chaser.

2021 was a mixed, bloated, uncomfortable, yet sometimes amazing bag of Drag, and it all feels like it’s leading to something. What, I have no God damn clue. But at least we’ll always have Ginny Lemon peacing the fuck out.

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Clear everything with a group of lawyers, as we have one final surprise up our sleeves! In June, Michael & I sat down for a chat with the winners of Amazing Race 3 – Flo & Zach, as well as third-placer Ken, for their first reminisce on Amazing Race 3 since it aired in 2002!

In this episode:

What does everyone actually remember about the season?
Was Flo at the start line of Season 30?
Do they still follow the show?
How was it being on the Caroline Rhea show?
Did anyone get a call for an All-Star season?
Do they still use the Kodak EasyShare Digital Camera?
What was the casting process for Season 3?
Does Zach remember TARflies?
Did Flo give up her half of the prize money?
What were their first impressions of each other?
What does Gerard call Ken on email?
Has anyone been back to the locations from their season?
Is Zach scarred by Dieselgate?
Could they buy multiple tickets?
Can Flo still speak Italian?
It all gets a bit nostalgic.
What happened on the train to Lisbon?
Did Flo get a sense of the public reaction during filming?
Would anyone go on Naked and Afraid?
Did Flo prefer self-drive legs or using taxis?
Why was there a Twin Hunt?
Who does Ken keep in contact with?
Did Ken & Gerard plan on having so many alliances?
How was Gerard the sibling that Ken ran the Race with?
What was the casting process like?
Was anyone familiar cut from Season 3?
What did Ken teach Colin?
Why did nobody help each other on Detours or Roadblocks?
How did Andre & Damon bribing the Brotherhood help Ken & Gerard out?
Where was Ken & Gerard’s first fight?
What was Ken’s first experience of the craziness of the Amazing Race fandom?
Portugal’s Fast Forward is revealed.
Gerard makes a silent cameo.
And how was Ken nearly unable to get to Vietnam?

Thank you for listening – we will be back next year for more podcasts, beginning with Wie is de Mol 2022!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jthb2b/tar03interview.mp3

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If you were wondering when the UK Season 2 contestants would finally start dropping, well… here you go.

20. Charity Kase (UK Season 3, 8th Place)

Charity Kase is someone who does not at all fit in the current Drag Race mold, and this has nothing to do with her aesthetic.

I feel like the treatment of Charity Kase really explains a lot of the casting hiccups and stilted drama that was so heavily featured in 2021. Charity Kase isn’t the most “marketable” Queen on UK Season 3, and that’s less to do with her look and more to do with her general approach. Charity isn’t even trying to entertain how Drag Race is now produced. It’s hard to tell whether her having zero interest in playing a part caused production to hate her or if she picked up production weren’t huge fans of her and so she didn’t play along. It’s a chicken and egg scenario that ultimately doesn’t matter because those two facts exacerbated each other. Charity was being screwed by the show, and she had no problems calling them out.

Her attacks, at least on the show, weren’t directly at the show per se, but at who she determined were the favorites. The first real notable moment was asking Krystal if she thought she deserved to win given that Veronica made her outfit. It’s a subtle moment, and it’s echoed by resident narrator River drawing a harsh line in the sand and telling Krystal that she won’t help her, but it’s notable in being the first time Charity captured any kind of fan attention. The second and more notable example starts in the episode following that, where the entire team outright calls Scarlett the worst one and agree she should be eliminated. Charity is then sent to the bottom two with Scarlett, and is declared safe… but so is Scarlett, in what was the most blatant moment of production manipulation since the last time they did a double save. At this point, Charity has ceased any kind of decorum and spends her last episode insulting Scarlett as an immature brat and implicitly calling the show a mess, before being eliminated.

Obviously, given the awful reception to UK Season 3 and to Scarlett and Krystal in particular, Charity has been framed as a Cassandra. Charity was correct all along, and no one listened to her, and look what happened. Post-show, Charity has done everything in her power to drag the show through the mud, and more power to her. In a time when Drag Race is about to eat an entire can of hubris, the push and pull given by Charity is necessary to give us any indication that things will change. I doubt Charity’s work actually produced said change, everyone was going to hate UK Season 3 regardless, but featuring an oracle that undermined what you were trying to do certainly didn’t help.

19. Veronica Green (UK Season 2, 8th Place; UK Season 3, 9th Place)

By far, Veronica’s best look.

Veronica is brave, self-assured, and full of spunk. Veronica also paints like she’s 80, overextends her abilities, and confidently stands by her poor decisions. These two sides make Veronica perfect for Drag Race. She may not be great at Drag Race, but Veronica is near flawless as a Drag Race contestant.

I have a bunch of thoughts and opinions about the general Drag Race fandom, but one of the big complaints I have it that they fail to recognize a good TV character when they have one. The reception to Veronica in both her seasons was largely negative with many fans decrying her unpolished and simply eager to please. These aren’t false, but they aren’t flaws of Veronica, they’re quirks. To me, it’s part of the package of taking this awkward nerd who has massive ideas and delusions of grandeur. Veronica is someone who chooses to go on the runway as a robot or as Sailor Jupiter and wears a costume that both clearly took a lot of time and yet still looks unfinished and off. Veronica is someone who confidently goes for a bad accent one hundred percent, someone who does Goth badly to the extreme, and someone who wears an ill-fitting leotard to do a staged workout. Veronica is someone who tries their hardest to get ahead and be noticed, and won’t let things like her bad decision making, her limited wisdom of the world, or logic get in the way. Of course, Veronica is never winning, but most Drag Race contestants are never winning. To judge Veronica solely on her capacity to win misses the point.

Moreover, Drag Race needs people like Veronica. She’s the lifeblood of the franchise, the perfect filler spot to keep the season going and the dynamics fresh. Forcing her to leave early is… well, it’s how we got UK Season 3. And US Season 13 for that matter. I know I bring this up a lot, but Drag Race not only isn’t a show for people with talent, but it also shouldn’t be treated as such. This is a reality show first, and while there’s nothing wrong with appreciating good Drag, letting that get in the way of a good season is the misguided attitude that got us here.

18. A’keria C. Davenport (All Stars Season 6, 8th Place)

I’ve spent a lot of time complimenting All Stars 6 for taking the characters we loved and not fucking around with them, letting them be as they originally were. But even if they tried to do that, they couldn’t change A’Keria, someone who has been the exact same for ten thousand years. Like Scarlet, A’Keria doesn’t quite shine as brightly this time as she did in Season 11, and that’s largely due to a stacked cast. A’Keria is still as we saw her in Season 11: a stank-faced, over it drama-starter who spends the days making confessionals about how crazy everyone is and spends her nights making said people crazy by going full Real Housewives Reunion on them. A’Keria isn’t the greatest at this dichotomy, not even in this season, that’s Trinity, but one can never have enough of this particular type of eye-rolling pageant energy.

The one thing A’Keria was able to give us this time compared to Season 11 is a lot more of her, generally, which is a welcome surprise. As much as I adore her in her first season, getting a more intimidate side to A’Keria past opens her up a lot more than the bog-standard growth arc she was saddled with before. One gets the sense that A’Keria has been through a lot, but doesn’t really like to talk about it, for fear it makes her look vulnerable and weak. It’s an understandable fear, especially in a show whose fanbase isn’t typically the most empathetic to lives like her’s, but watching her slowly open up and then shut back down is the exact kind of arc I expected from her. A’Keria said more than she ever intended to, and retreated once she realized her mistake. A’Keria clearly doesn’t like people knowing too much about her, and her All Stars 6 arc is an oddly serious, dark turn for a season that is mostly for fun.

It makes sense for A’Keria to be like this, and especially makes sense when she doesn’t show up for the redemption lip sync. People have criticized her for that, but I think it’s a nice way for her arc to end. Plus, it gave us the best moment of the season, but… we’ll get to that.

17. Tayce (UK Season 2, Runner-Up)

That Memory lip sync still gives me chills.

In a season as strong as UK Season 2, Tayce is an absolute star. Tayce is far from a complicated character, but she’s a necessary addition to the season, especially once the show gets a lot darker in the final third. The appeal of Tayce is obvious from just surface level: she’s hilarious, she has a slew of timeless quotes, she’s insightful, and she’s hotter than the sun. It was a no-brainer that Tayce would be a massive breakout star of the season after her first two episodes, but the thing that I think makes Tayce magical doesn’t show up until after the filming break.

Tayce is arguably the wisest, most self-assured Queen of the season. She’s not alone in UK Season 2, there’s also Bimini, but what makes Tayce more notable in that regard is that she’s unflinchingly herself despite heavy scrutiny. Tayce lip syncs half of all lip syncs of the season, which you would think would lead to a shift in her character or sudden feeling of inadequacy, but it never happens. Tayce doesn’t take losing hard at all, instead getting back up as soon as she’s knocked down and trying again. It never reads as cockiness or laziness either: Tayce doesn’t believe that she can just lip sync to the end or lets her reputation of lip sync assassin allow her to half-ass the challenges. Tayce goes with the flow in a stunningly effortless manner than sharply contrasts the rest of the UK Season 2 endgame. As corny as it may be to say, Tayce is just effortlessly cool, and watching her go with the flow while Lawrence has a meltdown a minute is the exact style of broad dichotomy that makes the storytelling of UK Season 2 top notch.

I feel I underrate Tayce, both in her placing her this “low” and in the write-up feeling so short, but that’s because Tayce’s energy is just that uncomplicated. She exists on pure good vibes. We can all learn to live life like Tayce: going with the flow and attacking the show for blatant racism afterwards.

16. Océane Aqua-Black (Canada Season 2, 11th Place)

Océane is someone who can be on a billion seasons of Drag Race and never make it past episode 2. But she’s also someone you’d want to see a billion times anyway.

Like Veronica, Océane is the lifeblood of Drag Race. She’s the old, wise pillar of Drag who has been doing it for eighty-seven years and has seen literally everything. She has a sad backstory about being abandoned as a baby, but rolls with it like it’s nothing, preferring to be the mom friend of the younger Queens. Océane is the type to give levity to the scene, whether implicitly by her existence proving that things do in fact get better, or more bluntly like when she says her and poutine are full of cholesterol.

Océane is someone who is never going to go far in any season, but that’s not really her point. Drag Race needs Queens like her and Beth and Stephanie to allow the season to establish itself and find its voice. I’m not going to say that Océane herself is underrated, but the importance that characters like her bring is. Without the Océanes of Drag Race, it would be a much worse, much more boring franchise.

15. Yara Sofia (All Stars 6, 10th Place)

For most of the cast of All Stars 6, the fact that so many of them are coming on as they were before should mean any surprises. We might not know how Silky acts without Yvie excactly, but we can make a few guesses. But if anyone was going to be a question, it was going to be Yara Sofia. Yara spent her time in both of her previous seasons as a friend and partner of Alexis Mateo, and the two’s storylines were woven and connected. Now we saw how Alexis acted without Yara last year: an unrelenting villain who is full of passive-aggressive comments. So, the question becomes, how is Yara Sofia without Alexis Mateo?

And the answer is unbridled chaos.

Yara is the exact kind of performer who throws literally everything she has against the wall to see what sticks, and we see the good and bad of this approach. The trajectory of winning episode one to being sent home fourth could only happen to Yara, in this cast anyway, and it comes mostly from Yara’s sheer overabundance finally getting on people’s nerves. Yara won episode 1 for the same reason she went home shortly after: she brought literally everything she could to the table and exhausted herself in that first episode, so by the time of episode 2 her potential was already gone. If All Stars 5 proved that Alexis needs a partner to be on her best behavior, All Stars 6 proved that Yara needs a partner to help limit and center her thoughts. Of course, I’m speaking as if Yara approached this season to win, which I don’t think even she saw coming.

Despite what her ESL status and go big or go home attitude implies, Yara is secretly the smartest contestant of the season. In her limited time, everything Yara says and does is clearly in service of making good TV, and she knows how to play her cards. The nadir of this is naturally almost sending Trinity home episode 1, which likely would make the season worse, but would be a moment for Yara to achieve some notoriety. Hell, her everything and the sink mentality is another way of doing that: Yara probably sees that she’s not winning, so might as well bring everything you got to make the best first impression you have. It’s the correct kind of meta-gaming, one pioneered by Alyssa and Shangela, where the point of All Stars is never to win. And Yara excels at this type of approach. Yara knows better than anyone how to do All Stars, and it’s a sight to behold.

14. Sister Sister (UK Season 2, 6th Place)

Sister Sister is the complete gremlin package.

If it hasn’t been obvious yet, the unintended thesis of this part of the rank is “Queens who are never the best part of their seasons, but are necessary additions to make them great,” and no one fits that better than Sister Sister. It’s hard to describe Sister without repeating myself again, because like Tayce and Veronica and Océane, she’s just an excellent supporting character who adds a lot of little, incidental touches. On surface level, these are all characters with pretty obvious appeals, but when one digs a little deeper, you can see what they uniquely represent.

Sister Sister’s main claim to fame, what makes her unique, is how she could only exist on UK Season 2. The season is a bizarre experiment with a clear hiatus, a paradigm shift in storytelling, and some of the most tangible character development ever seen on Drag Race. In a lot of ways, the second half of UK Season 2 feels like an All Stars season, and no one better chaptalizes on that than Sister, a person who would never in a million years get invited to an All Stars. Sister’s first four episodes are fine, but nothing spectacular, aside for being the first canary in the coalmine that is the “Lawrence is losing her mind” storyline. But upon returning seven months later, teeth capped and face filled, Sister Sister is ready to dominate, just lacking the skillset to do so. Sister’s last three episodes are ruthless yet fruitless attempts at getting further in the competition, only able to win the reading challenge before being asked to vacate the premises before Lawrence goes nuclear. There’s a lot of Queens who go on All Stars seasons with the exact mindset Sister had, and seeing that done by someone who would not only not go on but would also flounder on All Stars if she did, she becomes a unique wrinkle in the story of UK Season 2.

Sister Sister might not be the first thing you think of when thinking of UK Season 2, but she adds a lot for someone you wouldn’t expect, and represents a part of its lasting appeal.

13. Etcetera Etcetera (Down Under Season 1, 7th Place)

Fun fact, Drag Race Down Under is the only season to not have anyone in my top 10. It’s what she deserved.

In a season marked by complacent fuckery and forced narratives, Etcetera was the decrying voice pointing out the bullshit. I’ve already gone over the shitty implications of the show eliminating the sole dissenting voice who refused to accept Scarlet’s limpdick apology and pointed out that this is a massive, systemic issue that is beyond all of them. Despite being the youngest of the cast, Etcetera clearly knows what she’s talking about and gets the real harm Scarlet’s story does. Drag Race is a show that loves to frame things around forgiveness, that the best thing to do is extend an olive branch, but that rarely if ever works, and as young as Etcetera is, even she knows that.

Of course, if Etcetera was just that sole voice speaking out against Down Under’s White Savior problem, she wouldn’t be this high. No, the real joy about Etcetera is that she combines that with a shady, vicious mean streak you would never see coming. It makes for a much more compelling package, because as great as Etcetera’s stance against Scarlet is, it would have come off maudlin and cheesy if she was a pure being and the stereotypical social justice warrior. Instead she’s the same Queen who plays Lindy Chamberlain at Snatch Game and roasts Elektra alive with comments about her lack of polish. Etcetera is that perfect balance, and while I doubt this edit was intentional (since everything else about Down Under is so badly executed), she’s a realistic character and not simply an easy archetype. Etcetera is really the complete package when it goes to antagonistic young kids on Drag Race: opinionated, snarky, but never incorrect.

While the Kiwi Trio were fine characters, they needed each other to reach excellence. Etcetera is someone you could slap into any season and she would be fantastic.

12. Silky Nutmeg Ganache (All Stars 6, 11th Place)

Silky Mother Nutmeg Fucking Ganache!

I have spent the many moons since the airing of Season 11 explaining how Silky is one of the greatest Drag Race contestants of all time. She’s opinionated, she’s loud, she makes amazing TV, and she can work in any scenario. Silky is perhaps not misunderstood, per se, but like I’ve explained above, a lot of Drag Race fans miss the point of contestants like her. Silky played her part perfectly, and I wanted so much more. I went and prayed at the church of the Rev. Dr. Silky Nutmeg Ganache, PhD, and hoped that one day I would see her again, gracing my screen with her amazing talents and absolute bullheaded argument styles. I didn’t care that some fans hated her, I needed her injected into my veins.

So, as you can imagine, I was thrilled seeing her in All Stars 6.

Now, to be completely fair, the Silky we see in the first three episodes of All Stars 6 isn’t as special as she was before. Granted, part of that is the general sentiment of being in a much tougher cast, but this Silky is more… calculated, more reserved. She still has amazing quotes and the bitch clearly loves herself a cornball stunt, but there seemingly wasn’t a lot to really pick apart from Silky in her brief time in All Stars 6. The momentum she had before could only take her so far, and I was content with those three episodes.

And then came the Rudemption episode, AKA Silky puts on a one woman show for over an hour.

Unlike the competition proper, Silky approached the lip syncs just as she did in Season 11: a wrecking ball plowing through the entire stage. I’ll argue that Silky is not really a great dancer, but that’s not really her strength nor the point. Silky is a performer, and when she’s pulling out a glass, ice, Hennessy, a pizza box guitar, a bottle of water, a flag, and Buick during her performances, you must give her the win. It proves, if nothing else, the No Scrubs lip sync was a fluke, largely due to No Scrubs being a terrible lip sync song. But give Silky a chance to do Barbie Girl as a weird bi-gender amalgamation that ends up fucking itself, and she’s in her element.

The tragedy of seeing her ultimately lose to Eureka still stings, and is the chief reason for the season’s late decline, but it didn’t matter. Silky came on to show her stuff, to put on a good god damn show, and she absolutely did.

11. Lala Ri (US Season 13, 10th Place)

If I can give the Season 13 cast props on anything, it’s them crowning Lala Ri Miss Congeniality. God lord knows the fans wouldn’t have.

Lala Ri is very much a “What you see is what you get,” character, and she gives us so much. Lala Ri doesn’t last that long (only… 7 episodes?! Jesus Season 13 is bloated…) but when she is around you can trust her to have an amazing confessional at least twice an episode. Lala Ri’s cadence is like music, I could hear her read a phone book and be enchanted. She gives the best expressions to the events around her, especially during the fight between Tamisha and Kandy, pointing out that Tamisha loves to fight. And let’s not forget, her questionable fashion. Fashion so bad it gave Violet Chachki a heart attack. Amazing . Lala Ri is far from a complex character, but she doesn’t need to be. She’s just effortlessly lovable.

I realize this is such a short write-up, but like Tayce there’s not much to say here. Lala Ri’s charisma and charm are so natural and unsaid that you can’t describe it. Gone far too soon, I hope her Miss Congeniality win guarantees her at least a reappearance on an All Stars to truly let her make her mark. Lala Ri deserved better.

Year-End Thoughts: UK Season 2

I didn’t know what to expect from UK Season 2. I’ve gone on record saying that I didn’t end up liking the first season of Drag Race UK: I found Vivienne a lame winner, I hate the heavy focus on her and Baga as the exact kind of broad comedy Queens Drag Race abandoned after Pandora Boxx, and the boot order was frustrating. UK Season 1 wasn’t the worst thing ever, Cheryl Hole by herself is a selling point, and hell at least now it’s not even the worst UK season, but I found the season pretty dry and not a lot of fun. I knew a Season 2 was going to happen, and when I decided to cover it in addition to Season 13, I did so with apprehension, fully believing that Season 13 will be the better season by the end.

Boy that changed.

I’m not going to bother burying the lede here: UK Season 2 is easily one of the best seasons of Drag Race, period. It’s at the very least in the top 5, if not top 3. While most of 2021 Drag Race floundered and failed at finding itself, UK Season 2 danced circles around its peers, showing not only vast improvements of the first season, but being a showcase for what makes a good Drag Race season. It’s almost a miracle UK Season 2 ended up as good as it was, given the abrupt filming break, but the way the show responded to that and the way it went about altering itself shows exactly the power of UK Season 2. While I still argue Season 11 is better for Drag Race 101 characters, UK Season 2 is perfect for a beginner’s guide to Drag Race storytelling.

What’s interesting about how good UK Season 2 is that it doesn’t start all that promising. The first four episodes of the season are a mixed bag of high highs and low lows: we get the emergence of Tayce, some stellar challenges, and Bimini slowly rising to compete, but we also get an overembellished edit for Lawrence, some weird judging calls, and the elimination of icons like Asttina and Ginny Lemon. The direction of UK Season 2 didn’t seem all that promising, and the notes it hit were starting to not make sense.

And then the world ended.

It’s impossible to talk about this season without mentioning the filming break due to COVID. It would be one thing if the show just went on a break, but this was a seven-month hiatus brought on by massive, global implications, that resulted in a much more on edge and desperate cast. The second third of UK Season 2, episodes five to seven, are a transitionary time to show how everyone has changed over the break: we see Bimini rise to become a big contender, we see Lawrence’s mental state getting worse and worse, we see Tayce and A’Whora getting closer, and we even see Ellie Diamond start to get desperate from both no one taking her seriously and her struggles at home. We start to lose some of our iconic characters (RIP Tia Kofi), so it seems like the status quo is set and the season will end predictably.

And the the single greatest episode of Drag Race happened.

My thoughts on Episode 8 are obvious, you can read them here. But beyond the episode being stellar, the implications it birthed are massive. What Episode 8 did was recontextualized the entire season, every single winner and elimination, and the framing of our main characters. Lawrence especially benefitted from this change, going from a seemingly early production favorite who we were supposed to empathize with to a terrified victim of their own depression, desperately seeking validation and barely holding themselves together. The endgame of UK Season 2 is as harrowing as it is fascinating, and while at the time I wasn’t a huge fan of Lawrence’s win, I see now how perfect it is for such a season.

The main thesis of UK Season 2 was self-confidence. To truly be successful, you have to be able to believe in your own power and abilities. As much as it stung when Asttina and Ginny left as early as they did, they already knew who they were and their own power, and didn’t need this show. Ellie Diamond wasn’t a victim of A’Whora’s and Lawrence’s wrath because she screwed them in her selection, she was a victim because she let herself be one, by not letting herself own her decisions. Bimini and Tayce don’t need a win to know their own power, they always had it, and more importantly Lawrence was able to find her self-confidence through her win. UK Season 2 is about being honest with yourself, and while I absolutely doubt that was intentional, it was there and made for an amazing narrative.

The ripples this season made are still felt: no one from UK Season 3 is as close to being as popular as the main cast of UK Season 2, with Bimini in particular being the biggest deal this franchise has had since the move to VH1. This season wasn’t just great, it was a thoughtful, exciting, legitimately suspense season of reality TV, even for my jaded ass. And Drag Race would be wise to take its approach.

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