RuPaul’s Drag Race Elimination Sparks Online Furor

Trixie Mattel's elimination on RuPaul's Drag Race came as a shock for many, and has proved just too much to handle for some. With her quirky charms and over-the-top humor, the Milwaukee comedy queen quickly became a fan favorite this season. After coming in "safe" in the first three episodes, this week she found herself lip-syncing her her life against Pearl, another favorite and her close friend. In the end, Rupaul sent Trixie sashaying away.

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Her fans lost it, and #JusticeForTrixie immediately began trending on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Former contestants, such as the much-loved Alaska and Milk, even weighed in:

#justicefortrixie #weshallbeheard @trixiemattel @rupaulsdragrace @wowreport

A video posted by Milk (@bigandmilky) on Mar 26, 2015 at 2:27pm PDT

And fans got creative:

In a recent interview, judge Michelle Visage gave some characteristically frank insight. She told Gay Star News: "I stand behind what happened. They weren't there to see the full lip sync and the right person went home. I love Trixie, don't get me wrong. But listen honey, someone has to go home don't they?"

Trixie herself took to her YouTube channel this week to speak directly to her fans, assuring them that she was "going to be just fine."

The show's fanbase continues to swell (and has been renewed for an eighth season), and is reportedly up by 20% this season. While that equates to a lot more enthusiasm, it also means a lot more vitriol being spewed online. After her elimination on the third episode, Jasmine Masters was the target of death threats and racism on Twitter, which prompted a response from RuPaul.