Favoritism of season 18

I do not know any spoilers and I do not want them in this thread.

After the last episode I had a theory that it is very similar to episode 1 of season 13 where the lip sync winners were kind of favored and the production showed who they liked and wanted to see continue in the competition. In this season it looks similar but now the production seems to favor the winners of the duels.

In season 13 the production set up the duels so in some lip syncs there were two great lip syncers (Denali vs LaLa Ri) or two "questionable (Gottmik vs Utica). Since it was the first episode it was easier for viewers to follow the producers story and see how they presented the queens.

Episode 4 of the season 18 can still be seen as an introduction to the season and the production is continuing to build the storylines. The difference now is that fans already have their favorite queens and early predictions for the top 4, so we notice the storytelling more.

We do not know how much the contestants chose their partners and how much the production decided. We do know that two out of three Dion’s got partners who are not very strong at sewing. After the pairs were set the production could also choose how the judging would work. This could show favoritism. If they judge individually it could favor Athena and Juicy. If they pick the winning pair it could favor Mia Star.

Mia, even though that she lost to the strongest opponent, got probably the most positive comments from the judges in the bottom group. The opponents of Athena and Juicy were criticized for even the smallest details. The Nini vs Myki duel was probably the most even and showed who the production has higher hopes for in future challenges, which is Nini.

Another interesting point is the mixed comments about Discord’s runway walk. Ru told her not to change it because it makes her stand out and helps her build her image. But she was also criticized for it and it was said that part of her bottom 3 placement was because of how she walked.

I do not want to be misunderstood. I understand that this is a very produced show. Some favoritism is unavoidable. The storyline of the Dions seems to be key for this season. I also like all three of them — they make good television.

No hate towards any queen.

What are your thoughts?