Philly’s Sapphira Cristál makes a doll and reverts to motherly instincts in ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

Branding was the focus of this week’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” with the queens having to design an outfit for themselves and a doll depiction of them.

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Episode 6 of the season began with a Mini Challenge featuring Spanish singer, actress and flamenco guitarist Charo. Competitors had 30 minutes to craft a flamenco-inspired drag look, after which they danced with one of two flamenco dancers.

All of the drag queens were clad in red dresses with ruffles and skirts. Philly drag queen Sapphira Cristál wore a sparkly red outfit, showing off her footwork with a dancer named Alfredo. New York drag queen Xunami Muse emerged victorious.

The Maxi Challenge tasked contestants not just with making dresses for themselves, but for their own dolls — and each queen had to come up with a story behind their doll as well. It was a challenge centered around the queens showing off what their personas were all about.

It quickly became clear that multiple competitors were having issues when designing and crafting their looks. Miami drag queen Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige admitted that sewing was not her strength, leading to Sapphira going the extra mile to help her with multiple steps.

“I’m gonna do what I said I would do, and I will help her,” Sapphira said in a talking head interview. “But I need to start focusing on me and my doll and my collection. Because if I don’t, the Sapphira Cristál Edition is gonna be a naked edition.”

Sapphira’s extensive guidance might have cost her somewhat, as she began running out of time to complete her own look. Wanting to make an opera coat for herself and her doll, she expressed doubt that it would come together — a rare display of uncertainty from the otherwise unflappable queen.

Contestants Plasma, Plane Jane and a second-guessing Geneva Karr all ended up using the same light blue fabric for their dresses, a point that Sapphira and other queens made light of.

Plane Jane had promised Sapphira in the previous episode to watch what she says, but she occasionally regressed and dropped shade on some of her fellow competitors. When preparing for the runway, Plane expressed her confidence and doubted she would use her immunity potion, while expressing that Sapphira might need to do so this week.

Sapphira ended up wearing a large red wig and a blue dress with a white flower design. Her doll was called the “Grande Dame Diva Metropolitan Opera Edition” — though both Sapphira and the doll lacked an opera coat.

“She is regal, inviting, warm, high maintenance and scary as hell,” her booming voice said over the speakers, relaying the doll’s story. “She is good at singing, sanging and backhanded slaps. Sapphira Cristál loves to work out… her voice, because she ain’t going to nobody’s gym.”

As with every episode, RuPaul asked Sapphira if she wanted to use her immunity potion. To the surprised gasps of her fellow contestants, she decided to do so.

“I’m drinking it, and I’m regretting it,” said Sapphira in a talking head. “Not just because it tastes like poison. But also because every judge is gobsmacked. They’re like, what the f— are you doing that for?” 

The bottom two were Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige and Geneva Karr, with the former surviving her lip sync battle with multiple flips.

Sapphira Cristál is safe, but it was a shock to see a top performer this season express such nervousness — and now she’s without her biggest safeguard.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on MTV.