Don’t miss RuPaul’s Drag Race Week!
• RuPaul’s Drag Race Week: “Responsitrannity” video!
• RuPaul’s Drag Race Week: Ten Best Episodes!
• RuPaul’s Drag Race Week: Top Five Contestant Singles!
• RuPaul’s Drag Race Week: Most Underrated Queens!
• RuPaul’s Drag Race Week: Top Five Villains!
• RuPaul’s Drag Race Week: Best and Worst Lip Syncs!
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been holding onto this idea for a while now, and with RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars premiering in a week, I figured now would be the best time to dive head first into RuPaul’s Drag Race here on PopBytes! This week, I’m dedicating one post a day to celebrating the best — and the worst — of the greatest show to ever duct tape its penis to its taint! So break out your library cards and dust off your herstory books, because RuPaul’s Drag Race Week is under way, start your engines!
The Best Lip Syncs
#5 Dida Ritz vs. Latrice Royale: Gladys Knight & The Pips “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination”
Both Latrice and Dida are two of Drag Race’s strongest lip syncers ever, so when they went head to head in season four’s Frock the Vote, you knew it was about to go down. Dida stripped off her mermaid dress and pummelled the runway, but ultimately, Latrice’s passionate, gospel rendition brought the house down.
#4 Morgan McMichaels vs. Sonique: Stacey Q “Two of Hearts”
Seeing Morgan and and Sonique in the bottom two following season two’s Snatch Game hurt me in the soul; the two of them were awesome, so knowing one of them had to go home was sad. But the lip sync … Holy crap, THE LIP SYNC. The two of them entered with very different styles — Morgan with air-tight voguing and Sonique with aerobatic flips and splits — so the elimination came down to a matter of taste. But in the end, Morgan’s precision and grace edged out Sonique.
#3 Sahara Davenport vs. Jujubee: Alannah Myles “Black Velvet”
Based on numbers alone, Jujubee is the best lip syncer to ever appear on Drag Race. Think about it: Jujubee and Alexis Mateo are the only two queens to have ever survived three lip syncs. However, Mateo really only won her third lip sync because Yara Sofia had a meltdown on stage, while Juju took on three of season two’s strongest queens (Sahara, Pandora Boxx and Tatianna) and walked away on top. But her best lip sync was against Sahara, in an uber graceful and glamorous duet during season two’s Rocker Chicks challenge. Sahara was an equally strong queen, but unfortunately, she had to sashay away.
#2 The Princess vs. Dida Ritz: Natalie Cole “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”
To be honest, Dida Ritz’ place in season four was somewhat questionable early on, due to a series of poor wardrobe choices and a lack of nerve. But when she landed in the bottom two in the Glamazons vs. Champions challenge, Dida finally womaned up and proved why she was in the running, delivering a tight, high-energy performance that absolutely destroyed.
#1 Manila Luzon vs. Delta Work: Donna Summer “MacArthur Park”
After a rough showing during the Ru Ha Ha challenge, fellow Heathers Manila and Delta landed in the bottom two. Delta had already pulled herself up from the bottom twice before, but when Manila hit the stage, she hit it hard. Her performance was emotional, raw, powerful, and totally crazy, and although Delta held her own against her sister, it just wasn’t enough to keep her in the competition.
The Worst Lip Syncs
#5 LaShauwn Beyond vs. The Princess: Donna Summer “Bad Girls”
Both LaShauwn and The Princess were often called out for not delivering when it came to strong personalities in season four, so when they were both put up on the chopping block in the WTF!: World’s Trashiest Fighters challenge, the lip sync wasn’t exactly … top notch. But what puts this over the top was the fact that as soon as the song started, LaShauwn pulled off her shoes, thus cementing her dismissal.
#4 Jiggly Caliente vs. Milan: Lady Gaga “Born This Way”
For a big girl, Jiggly knew how to friggin’ move it when her back was against the wall. Seriously; she may not have been the best queen, but she could sync with the best of them. But Milan … Hoooo boy, Milan … what was going on there? She had a lot of energy, but zero focus when it came to lip syncing. Even worse, she had a bad habit of ripping off her wigs and dresses, and copycatting her opponents move. Their lip sync in Float Your Boat only served to highlight their respective strengths and weaknesses, as Jiggly’s choreography was flawless, while Milan doffed her drag and, at one point, ripped-off one of Jiggly’s splits. It was painful to watch.
#3 Venus D-Lite vs. Shangela: Vanessa Williams “The Right Stuff”
In season two, Shangela was knocked off by Sahara in an amazingly close duel with Sahara. So when she was put up on the chopping block in season two’s premiere, The Queen Who Mopped Christmas, it was a moment of deja vu. But to her credit, Shangela turned it out, serving sass and killer moves on the runway. But Venus D-Lite took things in an ugly direction, getting inappropriately physical with Shangela, even going so far as to shove her and grab her in an attempt to stay in the running. Thankfully, Shangela was given a reprieve, eventually making it to the top five.
#2 Jade vs. Rebecca Glasscock: The Eurythmics “Would I Lie To You?”
Like the previous lip sync, this is a case of a queen getting inappropriately handsy in an attempt to stay in the running. Back in season one’s Mac Viva-Glam Challenge, Jade and Rebecca found themselves going head to head for a place in the competition. But things got heated when Rebecca grabbed Jade’s throat and pushed her to the ground, and in the confessional at the end of the show, Jade went in on Rebecca, calling her out for being fake. Let this be a lesson: When you’re up on stage, keep it clean, because the world is watching
#1 Mimi Imfurst vs. India Ferrah: Thelma Houston “Don’t Leave Me This Way”
You knew this one was coming, didn’t you? The single messiest, oddest, most uncomfortable moments in Drag Race herstory is also the single worst lip sync in the show’s run. When Mimi and India found themselves up for elimination following a rough showing in the Totally Leotarded challenge, they didn’t exactly fare much better in the ensuing Lip Sync For Your Life. It started when Mimi got her heel caught on her dress, escalated to her doing everything she could to block the judges’ view of India, and ended with Mimi throwing India over her shoulder and walking her up onto the stage. The disaster prompted Ru to scold Mimi with the now infamous line, “Drag is not a contact sport.”