Calling all Uglies, misfits, and miscreants! The Circus of Clowns has come to town, and a pair of Puppet Master-inspired Boulet marionettes introduce us to a deadly show. If you’re not careful, you’ll laugh so hard you’ll die during this one-night journey into madness. Join a cast of macabre clowns as they help your release from this mortal coil and turn your frown upside-down…forever!
The Challenge: The remaining drag bozos must conceptualize a monstrous Killer Clown floor show and participate in a clown cart death race from hell to decide who will make the Top 3. Not only does surviving this week bring the crown within reach, but the Top 3 are automatically cast in the Season 4 World Tour for 2022. Furthermore, all clown carts are not created equal, and the winner of what is presumably the final Fright Feat of the season will decide who gets which dilapidated cart. The monsters head out back to a dunk tank: Season 4’s resident clown, Merrie, is there to throw shade while the monsters throw balls to soak their competition. Her reads land flat, almost comically so, and it is Dhali who lands the most bullseyes and assigns the carts.
The Drama: These drama sections are harder to fill in when all the villains have been sent home, eh? There’s always the reunion! Sigourney and Dhali discuss the suffocating Extermination at the Chapel of Calamity (seriously, how did they not actually die?), and Dhali breaks down in tears realizing they could have left the show for the third time – they’ve had unfinished business since Season 2 and succeeding here is the only thing that will make them realize their self-worth. Hopefully, Dahli knows they’ve already made it.
Floor Show & Judgment: Our ringleaders leave the polka dots for the clowns and arrive at the floor show in classic Boulet style; they’re also joined by guest judges Bob the Drag Queen and Harvey Guillén of What We Do in the Shadows. The curtain rises, and each monster certainly brings their brand of horrific clownery to the stage. Hoso terrorizes in a mashup of 16th-century Korean shamans (Mudangs) and western clowns. This three-headed look showcases Hosos’s now-iconic face, but the judges worry the message gets lost in the complicated imagery. As twisted and beautiful as ever, Sigourney massacres a bundle of red balloons so large it would make Pennywise jealous. Was it horror enough? I had a similar thought as Harvey in wondering why none of the balloons she popped were filled with blood – this is DRAGULA! Saint showcases her high-fashion mime lewk, and, as mimes do, gives her most physical performance yet. However, her mime was more tragic than Killer. And finally, Dhali, as Sweet Tooth, served Ronald McDonald freakshow candy corn realness as only they could do. With “crotch candy,” great use of props, and a toothless mouth, they understood the assignment and ultimately won the challenge. The Boulet’s are considering the overall package for who should continue: Floor shows and performance, of course, but also how they behave backstage and with the crew, their professionalism, etc. In the Cauldron, Hoso continues the monsters’ trend of discrediting Sigourney and says the other three deserve it over her because they have nowhere else to turn. Offended, Sigourney retorts that as a woman in this field, she has to force herself into every situation to succeed: “Nothing is more punk than that. I’m a fucking hardcore bitch.” She also quips that Hoso is chaotic and unprofessional, perhaps too young for the crown. The drama ends there, and all four head to the starting line to begin the clown cart race. Some genuinely frightful clowns rise from the grave to torment the racers with pies to the face, and the big-breasted grand marshal, Koco Caine, steals the show – give her a spot on Season 5! Dahli wins, as they have the fastest cart, and the others’ fates are up in the air.
Extermination: We return to the marionettes under the big top, and this time all four monsters are in puppet form, too. They’re scared, and the Boulets hover over Hoso and Saint, knives ready to strike. Blood and gore splatter the curtains, but we do not see who has been filleted. TO BE CONTINUED…
Quote of the Episode: “That’s my favorite part of Sweet Tooth, honestly, just…gum jobs.” -Dahli
Honorable Mention: The judges didn’t follow Hoso’s inspirations, but it was explained to us in the boudoir, and I found it her most sinister look yet.
Rating: It’s down to the wire, and the tension is high. Anyone with coulrophobia would hate this episode, so that’s a success in my book. (8/10 Crotch Candies)