5 June 2020

The representation of this show is important. The Ballroom scene is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and offers a form of creative expression as a competition to improve/showcase your craft and talents. The production of the show is amazing. The competition also includes cohesive storytelling for you to understand and empathize with the competitors. In addition it provides education and brief history to the fundamentals of the community for fresh eyes to appreciate and understand. This is a full on quality production. When I watch the show I am excited! The talent being showcased and also entertainment is both relatable and inspiring to me. The cast/competitors are very diverse and all inclusive (which is a direct reflection of the actually community). What I do not like is the sense of unorganization and chaos amongst the judges. Allow me to elaborate. Law is there to judge the fashion and is creditable to do so. His critiques should be solely on the design, construction, style, and storytelling of the FASHION and nothing else (though I find him entertaining and agree with his critiques, his shade is EVERYTHING). Megan offers no actual critiques to allow the competitions to improve. Your job is to judge their craft. As a professional entertainer I expect her to say more than “It was lit! Ahhh 👅”. I just feel like her presence is being used to draw in viewers from her fanbase (I’m a hot boy I love Meg, but I have to be honest). Jameela offers nothing but a British accent to repeat everything Dashaun says right after he says it. Sometimes I’m confused as to who the actual “host” is. Leiomy (the best judge) actually offers critiques and seems to be the only qualified judge for this competition as it is her area of expertise. $100,000 is on the line. Why are both the crowd and competitors so comfortable with arguing with the judges? When you are judging and critiquing someone’s craft which they are extremely passionate about I understand there will be drama and strong emotions. But for the past 3 episodes we have seen arguments happen too often on stage. It creates a slight bit of chaos which takes away from the production. You could argue that it’s actual representation of a real ball as this does happen. I get confused as to who’s actually in charge as we have seen Deshaun gather the judges to end the chaos and get back to the competition. Over all I am OBSESSED with the show. I’m currently on my second deployment (and third overseas tour) and watching the show reminds me of growing up in Baltimore and I actually get my life! I have been internationally reviewing LGBT establishments as well as movies/series for over 7 years now; I am more than qualified to review this series. The idea isn’t to tear down a product of our community but to offer professional criticism for the show to improve! I’m excited to see how the rest of this season goes. (Spoilers!) As far as episode 3; House of Balmain was robbed of grand prize in my opinion. They had the best presentation. Also why would a member of House of Gorgeous Gucci quit?! Guess he has $100,000 laying around 🤷🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️. House of Ninja did terrible (even if it was relevant to Asian culture) their performance was boring and lackluster, but it’s no shade she turned it in that battle! The right team went home. More reviews on ShamelJones.com or Movie Reviews by Shamel on Facebook ❤️.