When you meet a fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race fan for the first time and inevitably start talking about the show, there’s usually a question that comes up: “What’s your favorite lip sync?”
Maybe you’re a dance purist who thinks the level of skill displayed in Alyssa Edwards and Tatianna’s All Stars 2 showdown puts it atop the lip sync winners’ list. Maybe you love a good reveal, making Sasha Velour’s rose-petal shower in the season 9 finale your favorite. Maybe you yearn for an emotional connection, and that’s why Latrice Royale’s rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” stands out.
But what about the lip syncs that get you worked up for all the wrong reasons? What lip sync from Drag Race makes you stare at your screen and say, “Wait… she won?” What lip sync makes you wonder why you’re watching a crime occurring on national airwaves?
Billboard pondered these serious questions and came up with a list of 10 lip-sync performances from RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars where the judges made, in our opinion, the wrong call.
Season 1, Episode 4 — Rebecca Glasscock vs. Jade
What Song: “Would I Lie to You?” by Eurythmics
What Happened: In a hotly contested lip sync, future finalist Rebecca Glasscock managed to win Ru’s stamp of approval, sending Jade packing.
What Should’ve Happened: There’s a reason why many fans refer to this lip sync as “the first robbery” on Drag Race. If it were about track record, then the queens were evenly matched with three safe weeks under each of their belts. But this is RuPaul’s Drag Race, where it comes down to the lip sync, and Jade simply should have won. She had the dance moves, she had the words and she had the emotion of the song all down pat.
Season 6, Episode 7 — Darienne Lake vs. BenDeLaCreme
What Song: “Point of No Return” by Exposé
What Happened: After a fierce battle between queens who had become bitter rivals in the competition, both queens were given the chance to stay in the competition, marking the fourth time in the show’s history where neither queen was eliminated.
What Should’ve Happened: We understand why BenDeLaCreme was kept around in season 6 — up until episode 7, she had consistently placed high and even won two challenges. But Ms. Darienne Lake simply wiped the floor with her in this lip sync. She knew every syllable of every word, perfectly embodied the song and even took a break to nab some fake dollar bills from an invisible audience mid-song. We love DeLa, we do, but Darienne deserved to get her roses for this performance.
Season 12, Episode 10 — Heidi N Closet vs. Jackie Cox
What Song: “Kill the Lights” by Alex Newell
What Happened: After the annual makeover challenge, Jackie Cox and Heidi N Closet wound up in the bottom for their lackluster looks. In a fever-pitch lip sync battle, both queens managed to impress the judges, earning a double save.
What Should’ve Happened: As much as we love Ms. Jackie Cox, she didn’t “Kill the Lights” – they killed her. Even though she explained the narrative of her lip sync in a confessional (a crazy woman trying to turn on her lover? I guess?), Jackie just didn’t bring that disco flair that the song called for. Meanwhile, Heidi N Closet knew every word, beat, note and detail of this song, executing a near-flawless performance. There is no doubt that Heidi deserved that win over Jackie, and why both were given the chance to stay is a mystery.
Season 6, Episode 9 — Adore Delano vs. Trinity K. Bonet
What Song: “Vibeology” by Paula Abdul
What Happened: Taking on the undisputed lip sync assassin of season 6, Adore managed to send Trinity home with a sexy, sultry rendition of a Paula Abdul classic.
What Should’ve Happened: If there was only a budget for one double shantay in season 6, this should have been it. Trinity K. Bonet absolutely turned this lip sync out from the moment it started. Adore Delano, meanwhile, held her own against her competitor, bringing the humor and the frenetic, sexed-up energy of the song to the stage. This one was too close to call, and Ru should have rewarded the both of them for their lip syncs.
Season 13, Episode 1 — LaLa Ri vs. Denali
What Song: “When I Grow Up” by The Pussycat Dolls
What Happened: When brought to the main stage right after walking into the work room on the season 13 premiere, Denali and LaLa Ri had to immediately duke it out to “When I Grow Up.” Ultimately, LaLa Ri proved to be an expert lip-syncer, sending Denali to the Porkchop Loading Dock.
What Should’ve Happened: Both queens absolutely killed this lip sync, no doubt. But let’s make one thing clear — Denali did it while wearing literal blades on her feet. Lip syncing in ice skates on a stage (not made out of ice, mind you) without tripping or falling is a ridiculous accomplishment on Denali’s part, and one that should have been acknowledged with a win.
Season 7, Episode 4 — Pearl vs. Trixie Mattel
What Song: “Dreaming” by Blondie
What Happened: Pearl started her Drag Race journey with a few less-than-impressive performances that ultimately put her in the bottom with Trixie Mattel. But when put to the test with a performance to Blondie’s “Dreaming,” it was Mattel who took the L.
What Should’ve Happened: Look, everyone knows that Trixie Mattel is not a lip sync assassin — in fact, she has one of the worst lip sync track records on Drag Race (4 losses and 1 win). But this one should’ve gone to her. Trixie served camp, and while her dancing wasn’t great, it was better than Pearl’s strange, soon-to-be-signature stiff arm movements. Trixie nailed the flirty, flippant vibe of the song, while Pearl just looked mad the whole time.
Season 14, Episode 4 — Alyssa Hunter vs. Kerri Colby
What Song: “Play” by Jennifer Lopez
What Happened: After failing to impress the judges in their “Super Tease” videos, Kerri Colby and Alyssa Hunter (both dressed as J.Lo) took it to the runway in this knockout lip sync. In the end, Kerri took Alyssa out, sending the Puerto Rican star out of the competition.
What Should’ve Happened: Alyssa Hunter absolutely slayed this lip sync, and it simply doesn’t make sense why she was eliminated. Her money gun malfunctioning was a problem for her, absolutely, but she ran with it and made it part of her spectacular performance. No shade to Kerri — she did a fine job, too – but Alyssa absolutely ate this lip sync up and left no crumbs, and therefore should have been crowned the winner.
All Stars Season 2, Episode 4 — Alaska vs. Phi Phi O’Hara
What Song: “Got To Be Real” by Cheryl Lynn
What Happened: Cementing her impressive lead on All Stars 2, Alaska (dressed as her season 5 doll Lil’ Poundcake) took home her second lip sync for your legacy win, defeating challenger Phi Phi, who had still yet to earn a victory on the show.
What Should’ve Happened: On first watch, you may think, “Yeah, Alaska won that one.” But go back, watch it again, and you will see Phi Phi O’Hara owning the stage and every second of her performance, even with Alaska’s wild character constantly interrupting her performance. Ms. O’Hara may be considered a “villain” on Drag Race, but this performance deserved the top slot.
All Stars Season 4, Episode 6 — Naomi Smalls vs. Gia Gunn
What Song: “Adrenaline” by RuPaul
What Happened: In her attempt to return to the competition as a part of the “LaLaPaRUza” challenge, Gia Gunn worked her performance out to “Adrenaline,” complete with reveals, dance moves, etc. But when paired with Naomi Smalls’ gravity-defying moves, Gunn was sent packing once again.
What Should’ve Happened: Let’s be clear — both of the queens absolutely dominated their performances. They did such a good job, in fact, that they should have been given a double shantay, as opposed to Monique Heart and Latrice Royale. Yes, we will always remember Naomi bending over backwards until she was at a perfect 90-degree angle — but we should also be thinking about the way Gia seamlessly revealed a brand-new costume and danced circles around everyone.
Season 11, Episode 11 — Silky Nutmeg Ganache vs. Nina West
What Song: “No Scrubs” by TLC
What Happened: In a performance infamously deemed as “meh” from RuPaul, Silky Nutmeg Ganache managed to squeak by, sending campy queen Nina West home for her lackluster lip sync.
What Should’ve Happened: We’ve been pretty nice so far, suggesting two double shantays from past seasons. No more. This is one of the least interesting lip syncs in all of Drag Race history, and the queens in it deserved to be told as much. Yes, Nina did poorly and did deserve to go home for her lip sync — sadly, so did Silky. Send ’em both packing.
