Frock the Vote!
"Frock the Vote!" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race. It originally aired on March 26, 2012. The episode's main challenge tasks contestants with participating in a presidential debate. Dan Savage and Jeffrey Moran of Absolut Vodka are guest judges. Sharon Needles wins the main challenge. DiDa Ritz is eliminated from the competition after placing in the bottom and losing a lip-sync contest against Latrice Royale to "I've Got to Use My Imagination" by Gladys Knight & the Pips.
Episode
The contestants return to the Werk Room after Willam's removal from the competition on the previous episode. RuPaul greets the group and reveals the mini-challenge, which tasks the contestants with designing platform shoes. RuPaul invites Jeffrey Moran of Absolut Vodka to help explain the assignment and share different drinks to serve as design inspiration. The contestants create and present their shoe concepts RuPaul declares Phi Phi O'Hara the winner of the mini-challenge. RuPaul then reveals the main challenge, which tasks the contestants with participating in a presidential debate as Wig Party candidates.The contestants start to create their characters, opening and closing statements, and slogans. RuPaul and Dan Savage visit the Werk Room, meeting with contestants individually to ask questions and offer advice. RuPaul moderates the debate, with help from Michelle Visage and Savage. The contestants deliver opening statements, answer questions, then deliver closing statements. Back in the Werk Room, the contestants make final preparations for the fashion show. The group discuss politics and whether or not they prefer to mix drag and politics.
On the main stage, RuPaul welcomes fellow judges Visage and Santino Rice, as well as guest judges Moran and Savage. The runway category is "Inaugural Drag". The fashion show commences. The judges deliver their critiques, deliberate, then share the results with the group. Chad Michaels and Sharon Needles receive positive critiques, and Sharon Needles wins the challenge. DiDa Ritz, Latrice Royale, and Phi Phi O'Hara receive negative critiques, and Phi Phi O'Hara is deemed safe. DiDa Ritz and Latrice Royale face off in a lip-sync contest to "I've Got to Use My Imagination" by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Latrice Royale wins the lip-sync and DiDa Ritz is eliminated from the competition. RuPaul tells the remaining contestants that the judges will be voting one of the eliminated competitors back into the competition.
Production and broadcast
The episode originally aired on March 26, 2012. It was directed by Nick Murray.Sharon Needles impersonated politician Michele Bachmann on the episode. She also told Savage that she was bullied in her youth. Winning the challenge was a Drag Race highlight for her. HuffPost suggested Phi Phi O'Hara made an offensive remark on the episode, but DiDa Ritz said she was not offended.
Billboard said Latrice Royale delivers "a legendary read" about Phi Phi O'Hara to Savage. Kevin O'Keeffe of Xtra Magazine wrote, "perhaps the single most memorable moment from came from Latrice Royale, who got an incredible joke in at Phi Phi O'Hara's expense... In the moment, it made fellow competitor Chad Michaels, as well as RuPaul and guest judge Dan Savage, break character to laugh, and it highlighted that Phi Phi's choice to portray a racist caricature wasn't paying off."