RuPaul started the episode by revealing that she was a country queen who got her start in Atlanta, and that she would eat whatever she had to to survive. That was a semi-forced seque into the mini-challenge, a mystery meat taste test. The contestants were blindfolded and handed various meats, and they had to guess if it was chicken or...what. Of course, this being a reality show, all of the selections we saw fell into the "what" category: the first one was bull testicles, the second was soy chicken, the third thing was frog legs.

At the end of three rounds Pandora, Mystique, and Morgan were in the lead, so it was a three-way tie. The tie-breaker was a basket full of chicken, cow brains, and other assorted terrible meat products. When the challenge was first announced, Raven snarked that an eating challenge was something Mystique could actually win - and guess what, she did. Morgan and Pandora had to hash it out for the second winning spot, and after puking up a couple mouthfuls, Morgan took it.

Once again it was a team challenge (I hate team challenges), this time to create a country queen commercial for Disco extra-greasy shortening. Mystique and Morgan got to pick their teammates, and Mystique picked strategically, with Pandora, Jessica, Tatianna, and Jujubee. Morgan went with her friends Raven, Sonique, and Sahara, and Tyra, who was of course picked last after her bullshit last week.

Each team got a different script, one for chicken (Mystique's team) and one for fish (Morgan). They all had the same stock characters, from a hick baby to a talking chicken. Raven was pissed to be the chicken for her team, because she didn't think it would allow her to shine (Morgan picked her for it because she's the best make-up artist in the competition, and thought she would be the only one who could handle it). Mystique gave Jessica the chicken role since Jessica's English is...tenuous, at best, and she figured the chicken wouldn't talk much. That turned out to be a bad idea, because the chicken had long monologues in both the beginning and ending of the commercial. Jesus, Mystique. Read the fucking script...

The teams had three hours to learn their lines, and apparently Mystique was a surprisingly good leader, working hard at supporting her team. Unfortunately, the poor thing overheard the bitches on the other team talking shit about her weight, and you could tell she was really hurt by it. It has to be brutal to be an outsider among a field of outsiders, you know? But her reaction made me wonder if she's strong enough for this competition.

Ru came in and had the teams do a runthrough of their lines. Morgan's team did great, but Mystique's team was a disaster. Jessica could barely get out the words, Juju didn't know her lines, and Pandora froze up a bit. Yikes! Ru specifically asked Mystique why the hell she gave Jessica such a large speaking point. Uh, yeah.

Ru revealed that the director for the commercial and judge for the challenge would be comedian Kathy Najimy -- who is really awesome, and needs to make a comeback -- and then added the twist: the groups actually had to switch scripts, and learn the new lines in no time at all. That pissed the queens right off, but I think it might have been a boon for Team Mystique. It's not like they knew their scripts anyway!

Team McCoy (Mystique's team) was up first, and Jessica did better than I expected as the Disco Chicken. Yeah, her accent was prominent, but she totally threw herself into it. The rest of it was pretty fucking hysterical. Juju was the dumb slutty blonde, Pandora was the chain-smoking aunt, Tatianna was the baby, and Mystique was the grandma. Mystique was clearly having a tough time, having issues remembering her lines, and doing nothing in terms of reaction. Pandora rocked it, with lots of little subtle touches that make all the difference when it comes to comedy.

Then Team Hatfield (Morgan) was up, and Raven bombed as the chicken, clearly irritated at being in a chicken outfit. Her energy level was a real problem, and I noted that that was her issue in the burlesque challenge too. Sahara (the dumb blonde) was bizarre, acting like she was having a heart attack; Tyra had a ton of personality as the baby, but spoke as a grown-ass man; Sonique wasn't nearly as good as Pandora as the aunt; and as grandma, Morgan looked like an old man, not a woman. Also, he kept going for crotch shots, which did not work for what Kathy Najimy called a "family commercial."

The theme of the runway was "country drag, country fashion, country realness." And in honor of that, the guest judge was Miz Tanya Tucker! Dressed head to toe in leopard print! I love it. Before the girls went out, there was some interesting discussions in the workroom, specifically between Juju and Mystique. We found out that Mystique started doing drag because people told her she'd be a cute woman, since she'd never been called cute as a man. That makes me sad. And while everyone else was decked out in cowboy couture, poor Mystique threw some crappy pants over the dress she wore earlier and called it a day. It was...not a good look. And certainly not country.

On the runway Sonique looked totally fabulous in a black leather outfit. She is a gorgeous, sexy woman. Raven came out looking TOTALLy different, very soft and cute in a curled short wig and gingham top. Tatianna was a little less country, and a little more rock and roll. Jessica was stunning, and Ru commented on her apple-bottom jeans. Ru referred to Mystique as "Star Jones before the Pilates." I...am not sure that is a compliment. Tyra served up a very country dance look, and did a great quick change in the middle of the runway. Fabulous!

Then we got to see the finished commercials. Team Mystique was pretty good - Pandora was easily the best, although I loved Jessica's take on "cock-a-doodle-doo" too. Tyra totally stole Team Morgan's commercial, although Sonique had a couple good moments. Sahara, Morgan, and Raven were all pretty terrible.

Even though they worked as teams, the girls were judged individually. The top/bottom ended up being Raven, Tyra, Mystique, Pandora, and Jessica. The judges called Raven's performance all over the map, and Kathy Najmiy told him to lighten the fuck up. Re: Jessica, Santino said he wanted to mount her (can't say as I blame him...) and that she was giving up "thoroughbred realness today." OK, I have to work that expression into everyday conversation. Jessica admitted that she approached her chicken as though she was a Muppet, and I can totally see that. Tanya loved Pandora's cowgirl style, but Santino was not having it, saying it looked like a "child pageant thing." Merle argued that Pandora might not be a fashion queen, but she is the funniest person there. Absolutely! And the other judges seemed to agree, especially Kathy Najimy. When Ru asked about Mystique's outfit, Mystique explained that she wanted to dress the way her Atlanta girls dress. That is a total copout, and you can't sell that shit to RuPaul. The judges loved Tyra's outfit and runway, and they also thought she did great in the commercial. She was pretty awesome. Santino gave her a bit of guff for not raising her voice in the commercial, but I thought the deepness worked; it was a Stewie thing.

Elimination: The judges told Pandora that if she wants to win the race, she needs to step up her style. I hate to say this, but I have to agree with that. Call me, Pandora. We will go shopping. It will be amazing. Mystique, predictably, was up for elimination. Jessica was safe. Ru told Raven that she sees flashes of star power in her, but they quickly fade away. Raven was in the Bottom 2 for the second week in a ROW. Shit! And Tyra won the challenge, which gives her immunity next week. Tyra is a pill to work with, but she almost ALWAYS delivers in the field. You can't deny that.

The lip sync was to "I Hear You Knocking" by Wynonna Judd (no Tanya Tucker?). Mystique said that this was her arena, and that she wasn't just going to give it up, but Raven really sold it. She knows how to perform. Mystique had a couple good moves, but in my opinion, she just lacks the self-esteem necessary for this level of competition. You're being judged so bluntly; it has to be brutal. Ru applauded Raven for her resilience, and then told her she was staying in the competition, while Mystique was asked to sashay away. It was the right choice, underlined by Mystique pulling out really her only move - the jump split - as she walked off the runway. So far I think the judges have gotten it exactly right.

Next week: celebrity impersonations, "Match Game," and Lisa Rinna!