Don't get me wrong, I liked what Valentina did this week - she looked fantastic and the shady thing was good. I just don't know if it deserved a top spot over something like Nina (who did a better sewing job) or Sasha (who had the most fully realized concept/story and it's not close).

It seems like in general, and this may or may not be what Aja is getting at, is that the "pretty", "fishy" or glamorous queens get a lot more praise for "uglifying" their drag or doing something weird than the other way around. The first time they do something that is more creative, it's given a lot more praise than the same idea from a different queen. There's a lower bar for queens that go from glamorous to avant-garde, whereas the queens that start out at avant-garde have to keep that level and beyond.

For example, Eureka in her hometown look and Trinity in this episode (even though she was obviously the winner don't get me wrong) got a lot of praise for doing a high-concept idea, whereas people like Shea, Sasha, and Nina, who often do those looks, don't get the same treatment because that's what they always do. In the last season, Betty turned out fantastic, creative looks week after week, but Michelle was like "you always do this and it's expected" but it really isn't because it's different each time; contrast with Naomi, who won the challenge the first time she didn't wear a bikini down the runway.