I'm That Bitch (RuPaul's Drag Race)

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"I'm That Bitch"
RuPaul's Drag Race episode
Episode no.Season 12
Episode 1
Directed byNick Murray
Featured music"Starships" (2012) by Nicki Minaj
Original air dateFebruary 28, 2020
Guest appearance
Nicki Minaj
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"I'm That Bitch" is the first episode of the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race . [1] [2] [3] It originally aired on February 28, 2020. The episode's mini-challenge tasks contestants with presenting two looks in a fashion show and the main challenge has them perform to the song "I'm That Bitch". Nicki Minaj is a guest judge.

Contents

Widow Von'Du wins the main challenge, and no one is eliminated from the competition. The episode won in multiple categories at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program, Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program, and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program.

Episode

Widow Von'Du (pictured at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2022) wins the episode's main challenge. RuPaul DragCon 2022 (52073260851).jpg
Widow Von'Du (pictured at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2022) wins the episode's main challenge.

Half of the season's contestants enter the Werk Room in the following order: Brita, Nicky Doll, Widow Von'Du, Jackie Cox, Heidi N Closet, Gigi Goode, and Crystal Methyd. RuPaul greets the contestants and reveals the mini-challenge: to present springs and fall looks in a fashion show. Watching the fashion show are Carson Kressley, Michelle Visage, RuPaul, and Raven, as well as impersonators of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Heidi N Closet's headpiece falls off when she shows her spring look. The contestants re-enter the Werk Room and get out of drag. RuPaul reveals the main challenge, which has contestants write a verse and perform choreography for the song "I'm That Bitch".

The contestants decide to have Heidi N Closet and Widow Von'Du co-lead on choreography and rehearse on the main stage. Back in the Werk Room, the contestants prepare for the runway and Heidi N Closet shares that she had an allergic reaction and had to go to the emergency room. Jackie Cox discusses her Persian heritage, and Nicky Doll talks about her coming out experience. The contestants also talk about how the rehearsal went.

On the main stage, RuPaul welcomes fellow judges Visage and Kressley, as well as guest judge Nicki Minaj. The contestants perform "I'm That Bitch". The runway category is Sparkle. After the show, the judges critique the contestants. The contestants leave the main stage so the judges can deliberate. Brita, Gigi Goode, Jackie Cox, and Widow Von'Du receive positive critiques. Heidi N Closet and Nicky Doll receive negative critiques. Gigi Goode and Widow Von'Du are the top two contestants of the week; the two face off in a lip-sync contest for the win to "Starships" (2012) by Minaj. [4] Widow Von'Du is declared the winner [5] and RuPaul reveals that no one will be eliminated this episode. [6] [7]

Production

Nicki Minaj (pictured in 2018) is a guest judge. Nicki Minaj MTV VMAs 4.jpg
Nicki Minaj (pictured in 2018) is a guest judge.

The episode originally aired on February 28, 2020. The song "I'm That Bitch", which has been described as a "bitch track", [8] was written by RuPaul, Leland, [9] Freddy Scott, and Tom Campbell. [10] On the episode, RuPaul asks Minaj to write and perform a verse for the song. [11] [12] Heidi N Closet included the "Starships" performance in Billboard 's list of her four "fiercest" lip-syncs of the season. [13]

Fashion

For the fashion show, Crystal Methyd's fall look was inspired by Freddy Krueger. For the final runway, Brita wears a jumpsuit with mirrors. Crystal Methyd's red outfit is devil-inspired. Gigi Goode wears a green glittered suit with a black helmet, and Heidi N Closet has a gown. Nicky Doll's outfit has metallic feathers.

Reception and recognition

Gay Times described Gigi Goode's (pictured at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2022) lip-sync performance as "kooky". RuPaul DragCon 2022 (52073260946) (cropped).jpg
Gay Times described Gigi Goode's (pictured at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2022) lip-sync performance as "kooky".

Kate Kulzick of The A.V. Club gave the episode a rating of 'A-'. [15] Nylon said Widow Von'Du delivered a "gravity-defying, back-bending, almost scarily flexible" lip-sync performance. [16] In 2020, Ryan Shea of Instinct magazine said Widow Von'Du "literally broke her body in order to win". [17] In a 2021 review of the first episode of the show's thirteen season, Shea wrote: "The girls then pull out all the stops on the main runway with their colorful fashions, cute choreography and lyrics that fit their personalities. This, IMHO, paled in comparison to the season 12 girls who did 'I'm That Bitch' right in front of Nicki Minaj, but it was still entertaining nonetheless." [18] Gay Times said Crystal Methyd's rap "[channeled] The Powerful Girls’ queer anti-christ HIM" [19] and described Gigi Goode's lip-sync performance as "kooky". [14]

Amii Johnson included "I'm That Bitch" in Screen Rant 's 2021 list of the ten best episodes, according to IMDb, with a score of 9.1 out of 10. Johnson wrote, "When Ru revealed the main challenge of the episode as a rap battle, to be performed with Nicki, tensions were running high and the queens began to feel the pressure. It's no surprise that this episode is ranked so well; in a contest of best guest judges, Nicki Minaj is one of the best and provided insightful critiques that helped queens like Heidi N Closet improve later in the competition." [20] In 2022, the website's Ariana Bascom said "Starships" was the season's best lip-sync. Bascom wrote, "Gigi proved herself to be more than just a fashion queen with her comedic performance to Nicki Minaj's Starships. But Widow performed at 110%, throwing in dance moves and some double-jointed tricks. Widow won the lip sync, starting the season off on a high note." [21] Similarly, Marcus Wratten of PinkNews said "Starships" was the season's best lip-sync in 2025. [22] As of 2024, "Starships" was the show's "most-watched competitive lip sync" on YouTube. [23]

The episode received multiple nominations at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards. Jamie Martin, Michael Roha, Paul Cross, Michael Lynn Deis and Ryan Mallick won in the Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program category. [24] [25] The episode also won in the categories Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program and Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program. [26] [27] Nick Murray was nominated in the Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program category, and Glenn Gaines, Ryan Brady, Erik Valenzuela, and Sal Ojeda were nominated in the Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera) category. [25] Zaldy Goco was nominated in the Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming category. [28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ McCallion, Paul (February 28, 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season Premiere Recap: The Bitch Is Back". Vulture . Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  2. ↑ "RuPaul's Drag Race: I'm That Bitch -". Werrrk.com. March 2, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  3. ↑ Guzzo, Bianca (February 29, 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 1 Recap: I'm That Bitch". IN Magazine. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  4. ↑ Malone, Chris (March 3, 2020). "Lip Sync Herstory: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Nicki Minaj's 'Starships'". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  5. ↑ admin (June 26, 2020). "Kansas City's Widow Von'Du on growing up in Kansas City and her season of RuPaul's Drag Race". Kansas City Magazine. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  6. ↑ Jones, Dylan B. (February 29, 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race recap: season 12, episode one". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  7. ↑ "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12, Episode 1: Recap". Xtra Magazine . Pink Triangle Press. ISSN   0829-3384 . Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  8. ↑ Damshenas, Sam (March 2, 2020). "Here's what Netflix had to say about the whereabouts of Drag Race Untucked". Gay Times . ISSN   0950-6101 . Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  9. ↑ Sim, Bernardo. "The 2023 Out100: Leland". Out . ISSN   1062-7928 . Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Hear RuPaul playfully drag Jimmy Fallon in new rap song 'I'm That Bitch'". Entertainment Weekly . People Inc. ISSN   1049-0434. OCLC   21114137 . Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  11. ↑ Damshenas, Sam (February 29, 2020). "5 most gag-worthy moments from the Drag Race season 12 premiere". Gay Times. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  12. ↑ Alter, Rebecca (February 29, 2020). "Just Nicki Minaj Reacting to Drag Queens on RuPaul's Drag Race". Vulture. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  13. ↑ Lynch, Joe (August 27, 2020). "Heidi N Closet Picks the Top 4 Lip Syncs of 'Drag Race' Season 12". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Damshenas, Sam (September 2, 2020). "Gigi Goode is about to conquer the world, one Karen at a time". Gay Times. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  15. ↑ "RuPaul's Drag Race is back and ready to slay, serving 2020 political realness". The A.V. Club . Paste Media Group. February 29, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Exit Interview: 'Rupaul's Drag Race' Widow Von'Du On Going Home". Nylon. April 30, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  17. ↑ "5 Big Celebs Who Could Be 'Drag Race's 1st Guest Judge on Season 13". Instinct Magazine. December 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Shade is Thrown & Truths Are Revealed on The Latest 'Drag Race'". Instinct . Juki Media. January 9, 2021. ISSN   1096-0058 . Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  19. ↑ Damshenas, Sam (November 11, 2020). "Drag Race season 12 was just the beginning for Crystal Methyd". Gay Times. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  20. ↑ Johnson, Amii (September 23, 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race: 10 Best Episodes, Ranked According To IMDb". Screen Rant . Valnet . Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  21. ↑ Bascom, Ariana (April 3, 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race: The Best Lip Sync Of Each Season So Far". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  22. ↑ Wratten, Marcus (April 18, 2025). "All 17 seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race US ranked from worst to best". PinkNews . Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  23. ↑ Scheetz, Cameron. "What's the best-reviewed episode of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' ever? The answer may gag you!". Queerty . Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  24. ↑ Grein, Paul (September 15, 2020). "'The Apollo' (About the Legendary Theater) and 'Apollo 11' Win Big on Night 1 of Primetime Emmy Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  25. 1 2 Schneider, Michael (September 15, 2020). "'Queer Eye' Wins Structured Reality Award as Creative Arts Emmys Kicks Off with Night One (Full Winners List)". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  26. ↑ Grein, Paul (September 21, 2020). "Here Are All the Winners From the 2020 Emmy Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  27. ↑ "2020 Creative Arts Emmys: Full list of winners". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  28. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (July 28, 2020). "Emmy Awards Nominations: The Complete List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 23, 2025.
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