The Daytona Wind

Last updated

"The Daytona Wind"
RuPaul's Drag Race episode
Episode no.Season 14
Episode 7
Featured music"One Way or Another" by Blondie
Original air dateFebruary 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)
Guest appearance
Ts Madison
Episode chronology
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List of episodes

"The Daytona Wind" is the seventh episode of the fourteenth season of the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race . [1] [2] [3] It originally aired on February 18, 2022. The episode's main challenge tasks contestants with acting in a 1980-inspired parody of a soap opera called The Daytona Wind. Ts Madison is a guest judge. Lady Camden wins the episode's main challenge and no contestants are eliminated from the competition. The parody is revisited in the season 15 (2023) episode "The Daytona Wind 2".

Contents

Episode

Lady Camden (pictured at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2023) wins the episode's main challenge. DragCon 2023 @ DVSROSS Photgraphy -104 (cropped).jpg
Lady Camden (pictured at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2023) wins the episode's main challenge.

The contestants return to the Werk Room after Maddy Morphosis's elimination on the previous episode. Daya Betty complains about her placement on the last main challenge, overshadowing Jorgeous's win. On a new day, Daya Betty apologizes to Jorgeous. RuPaul greets the group and reveals the main challenge, which tasks the contestants with acting in a 1980s-inspired parody of a soap opera called The Daytona Wind. RuPaul reveals that he will be directing the soap opera. As the winner of the last main challenge, Jorgeous is tasked with assigning the roles to the contestants. The group read the script and share which roles are of interest. Jorgeous decides on the following cast:

The contestants start to rehearse in the Werk Room, then film with RuPaul. On elimination day, the contestants make final preparations in the Werk Room for the fashion show. The group discuss the leather subculture and San Francisco's Folsom Street Fair. Jasmine Kennedie reads to the group a note left for her by Maddy Morphosis.

On the main stage, RuPaul welcomes fellow judge Michelle Visage and Ross Mathews, as well as guest judge Ts Madison. [4] RuPaul shares the runway category ("Chaps on the Runway"), then the fashion show commences. The contestants and judges watch The Daytona Wind, which has been edited to include sound effects of flatulence as well as narration by Visage. The judges deliver their critiques, deliberate, then share the results with the group. Bosco, Daya Betty, Jasmine Kennedie, Jorgeous, Lady Camden, and Willow Pill receive positive critiques. Daya Betty and Lady Camden are declared the top two contestants of the week and face off in a lip-sync contest to "One Way or Another" (1979) by Blondie for the win. [5] After the lip-sync, Lady Camden is announced as the winner of the challenge. [6] RuPaul then announces that no one is being eliminated from the competition this time. [7]

Production

Ts Madison (pictured in 2017) is a guest judge. Ts Madison at RuPaul's Dragcon 2017 by dvsross.jpg
Ts Madison (pictured in 2017) is a guest judge.

The episode originally aired on February 18, 2022.

Bosco's character Fancy Michaels is inspired by Reba McEntire and the song "Fancy". Bosco wore McEntire-inspired hair and makeup for the sketch. [8] [9]

Multiple contestants discuss being transgender on Untucked. [10] [11] [12] [13] Inspired by Kerri Colby, Jasmine Kennedie comes out as a trans woman. [14] [15] [16] While holding Kerri Colby's hand, Jasmine Kennedie said, "It just further affirmed what I've been feeling my whole life. I definitely do feel like I'm trans, and I've been so scared to say it. I have held back from it for so long because I didn't want to hurt my dad. But, I can't lie about it anymore. I am trans." [17]

Jasmine Kennedie has said the episode was her highlight of the season. She told Gay Times , "That whole episode, including the Untucked, had so many amazing things happening for me. From my acting to my runway, I felt very confident in what I presented that day. So many one-liners came out of that day from the whole cast too!." [18]

Fashion

For the fashion show, Lady Camden presents a look inspired by British rock musician Freddie Mercury (pictured in 1977). FreddieMercuryNov1977.jpg
For the fashion show, Lady Camden presents a look inspired by British rock musician Freddie Mercury (pictured in 1977).

For the main stage, RuPaul wears an orange dress and a blonde wig. [19]

For the fashion show, the contestants present looks with chaps. Willow Pill has a black outfit that gives the illusion of two additional arms holding her two blonde pigtails. Bosco wears a pink leather outfit with fringe and a 40-inch long blonde wig made from human hair. DeJa Skye has a blue outfit and an orange wig. Kerri Colby has a 90-inch long wig also made from human hair. Jorgeous has an outfit with lace. Angeria Paris VanMichaels had a gold disco-inspired outfit. She has overized shoulders and long hair. Jasmine Kennedie has a blue-and-green graduation-inspired look. Lady Camden comes out in a white outfit, then appears to fall, revealing into a Freddie Mercury-inspired look. [20] She wears a mustache and a black-and-white outfit with lightning strikes. Daya Betty's outfit is black and blue. She wears a large black hat. [19]

Reception

Trae DeLellis of The A.V. Club gave the episode a rating a 'A'. [21] Marcus Wratten of PinkNews said the episode had one of the "stand out" challenges of the season. [22] Patrick Ryan of USA Today called Lady Camden's screaming of "Maxine" in the sketch an "iconic one-liner". [23]

See also

References

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  2. "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Episode 7 Review". Spill the Tea. February 20, 2022. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  3. "The Diamond Drag: Episode 7 The Daytona Wind of 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". The Diamondback . February 22, 2022. Wikidata   Q137722477.
  4. "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Episode 7 Recap: The Daytona Wind". Honeysuckle Magazine. February 19, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  5. Grimes, Gary (February 21, 2022). "Drag Race scrapes the barrel with lacklustre challenge and embarrassing fart jokes". PinkNews . Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  6. Robledo, Jordan (February 19, 2022). "RuPaul delivers another shocking twist on the latest episode of Drag Race season 14". Gay Times . Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  7. "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Episode 7 Recap: The Daytona Wind". IN Magazine. February 19, 2022. Wikidata   Q137722507.
  8. "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 14, Episode 7 recap: All toots, no boots". Xtra Magazine . February 21, 2022. ISSN   0829-3384. Wikidata   Q137722511.
  9. "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 14, Episode 7 power ranking: Shantay you all stay". Xtra Magazine . February 22, 2022. ISSN   0829-3384. Wikidata   Q137722519.
  10. ""RuPaul's Drag Race" Episode 1407 Recap: A Shoulder to Lean On, A Hand to Hold". Autostraddle . February 19, 2022. Wikidata   Q137722525.
  11. "Jasmine Kennedie comes out as transgender during emotional Drag Race Untucked episode". Gay Times . February 19, 2022. ISSN   0950-6101. Wikidata   Q137722536.
  12. Daw, Stephen (February 22, 2022). "'Drag Race' Star Jasmine Kennedie Comes Out as Transgender: 'Everything I've Wanted Is Finally Happening'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 31, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  13. "Drag Race's Jasmine Kennedie 'couldn't be happier' after coming out as trans in tear-jerking Untucked episode". Attitude . February 21, 2022. ISSN   1353-1875. Wikidata   Q137722564.
  14. "RuPaul's Drag Race: Every Openly Trans Contestant On Season 14". Screen Rant . March 5, 2022. Wikidata   Q137722552.
  15. "Kerri Colby Hopes Trans Representation On Drag Race Inspires Change". Screen Rant . March 1, 2022. Wikidata   Q137722557.
  16. Joey Nolfi (February 22, 2022). "Jasmine Kennedie on her 'euphoric moment' coming out as trans on Drag Race: 'It was the first time I ever said it'". Entertainment Weekly . ISSN   1049-0434. Wikidata   Q137722567.
  17. "'Drag Race' Star Jasmine Kennedie Comes Out as Trans". Paper . February 21, 2022. ISSN   1073-9122. Wikidata   Q137722570.
  18. "Exclusive: Jasmine Kennedie 'understands' why she was cut from Drag Race season 14". Gay Times . March 24, 2022. ISSN   0950-6101. Wikidata   Q137722575.
  19. 1 2 "The Daytona Wind". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 14. Episode 7. February 19, 2022. VH1 / WOW Presents Plus.
  20. "Drag to Riches". Comstock's magazine. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  21. "Everyone on RuPaul's Drag Race gets what they want in "The Daytona Wind"". The A.V. Club . February 19, 2022. Wikidata   Q137722544.
  22. Wratten, Marcus (December 2, 2025). "Ranking all 17 seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race ahead of season 18". PinkNews . Archived from the original on December 8, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  23. Ryan, Patrick. "'Drag Race' winner talks iconic Season 14 moments, why 'the world needs femininity'". USA Today . Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2026.