RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18: Athena Dion’s Emotional Exit and Jane Don’t’s Rise

Heading into the 10th episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, the Dion dynasty was down to one family member after Juicy Love Dion sent her own mother, Athena Dion, home following their bottom placements in the “Fannie” Rusical challenge. It was the second time in three weeks that Juicy had to lip sync for her life despite being a two-time challenge winner. Jane Don’t earned her own second win for the Rusical, putting her on par with Juicy and What Coco at the top of the track record leaderboard.

This week, the eliminated queens returned to haunt the top seven in the third design challenge of the season. Legendary supermodel Iman served as guest judge alongside series panelists RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, and Carson Kressley.

Remaining Queens

The queens still competing for the crown on Season 18 are: Darlene Mitchell, Discord Addams, Jane Don’t, Juicy Love Dion, Kenya Pleaser, Myki Meeks, and What Coco.

Episode 10 Recap: “Drag in a Bag”

Episode 10, titled “Drag in a Bag,” aired Friday, March 6 on MTV. The episode saw the return of eliminated queens – in a sense – as seven suitcases containing their previously packed drag materials were reintroduced. The remaining queens had to create a party outfit using the contents of these suitcases.

Reading is Fundamental

The episode began with the always-memorable “Reading Is Fundamental” mini-challenge. Myki Meeks emerged as the winner with sharp-tongued reads, including comparisons of Kenya to the “brick road,” Nini to a child only Casey Anthony could love, and critiques of Jane’s weight.

The Suitcase Challenge

As the mini-challenge winner, Myki chose first to use Briar Blush’s materials, followed by Kenya (Vita VonTesse Star’s suitcase), Juicy (Mia Starr’s), Jane (Ciara Myst’s), Darlene (Athena Dion’s), Nini (DD Fuego’s), and Discord (Mandy Mango’s).

Darlene and Jane quickly discovered that Athena and Ciara had left them limited and, in some cases, sabotaged materials. Athena provided only a small amount of non-stretch zebra print and spandex, while Ciara packed fabric scraps with glue residue. Kenya stated she would have felt “fucked over” and left the competition if she had received Ciara’s suitcase, believing it was intentional sabotage.

Juicy suggested that Athena might have intentionally left limited materials, and that’s why she didn’t claim her luggage when she could have.

Werk Room Discussions and Catwalk Coaching

During RuPaul’s visit to the Werk Room, Jane was encouraged to show more confidence, Kenya was advised to design within proportion, Juicy was asked to consider “range” by adding padding to her jumpsuit, and Discord received a catwalk workshop. A concern arose regarding Discord’s use of 800 safety pins on her garment, potentially violating the design challenge rules.

Runway and Judging

On the “Party” runway, the judges praised the overall quality of the looks. Darlene’s ’80s inspired look and Iman particularly praised Discord’s potential as a designer. Juicy received minor criticism on her shoe choice, while Jane received no criticism for her ability to transform Ciara’s scraps into a elegant dress. Nini and Myki also received positive feedback.

A Non-Elimination Round and Lip Sync for the Win

Despite the concerns about Discord’s use of safety pins, the judges decided to make it a non-elimination round, giving safety to all of the queens. Jane and Kenya were then given the opportunity to Lip Sync for the Win to Patti LaBelle’s “Feels Like Another One.”

Jane was hoping to become the first queen to earn three wins this season, but Kenya, dressed in a sequined disco jumpsuit, proved a strong competitor. RuPaul’s attention remained focused on Jane throughout the performance, ultimately awarding her the win and solidifying her position as a frontrunner.