Lip Sync.... For your LIFE

The Most Memorable Lip Syncs from RuPaul's Drag Race

Because the wait until Season 7 is interminable, and I'm chewing my arm off and frothing at the mouth because I have no reason for living other than RuPaul's Drag Race (warning: may be an exaggeration) I decided to relive some of my favourite (and not-so-favourite) lip sync battles from the history of the show. Hey! Why don't you join me...


Tammie Brown vs Akashia (Season 1 Episode 2)
Song: We Break the Dawn (Michelle Williams)

Tammie vs Akashia

"Screw you guys, I'm going home"

Season 1 of Drag Race is a bit of a Curate's Egg. It's noticeably cheaper, grimier, less polished and much more basic compared to later seasons. The set is different, smaller, as is the workroom, and Ru seems to have insisted on vaseline smeared across the camera lenses at all moments.

Even odder, Season 1 has two separate occasions where a queen completely gives up and bails out of the show (they probably wouldn't have done in later seasons when the cash prize had increased from $20 grand to $100 grand). The first such occasion being only in the second ever episode! Tammie Brown decides to not even bother lip synching to Michelle Williams (she was in Destiny's Child) track, instead just deciding to hobble around and smile insanely.

To be fair, when she was given the ipod with the song on at the start of the week she may have just felt it wasn't worth $20 grand to have to listen to that terrible song over and over again.



Shannel vs Akashia (Season 1 Episode 3)
Song: The Greatest Love of All (Whitney Houston)

Shannel vs Akashia

The first big lip synch 'drama' as Shannel starts performing and..... HER WIG FALLS OFF! Despite this shocking occurrence, chantay she stays, and Akashia, who was in the bottom for the third time in 3 episodes, sashays away.

Shannel later revealed in the reunion show that the wig fell off accidentally on purpose, as she was hoping by showing some vulnerability she would be saved. The shady bitch!


Shannel vs Rebecca Glasscock (Season 1 Episode 6)
Song: Shackles (Mary Mary)

Shannel vs Rebecca Glasscock

"Screw you guys, I'm going home"

Shannel follows in Tammie Brown's footsteps and throws in the towel. Prior to the lip sync, Ru asks each of the remaining girls who they think should go. When Ru reaches Shannel, the Queen shocks everyone by declaring that she should go, as she's had enough.

Ru then places Shannel in the bottom 2 along with Rebecca, and although Shannel gives a fierce performance, one arguably much better than Rebeccas's, what choice does Mama have but than to send the Queen home who has just said she doesn't want to be there.

Shangela Laquifa Wadley vs 
Sahara Davenport (Season 2 Episode 1)
Song: Cover Girl (RuPaul)

Shangela vs Sahara

Shange-who?

Season 2 - Cleaner, brighter, less vaseline (on the lense, anyway) and fiercer. Long term friends Shangela and Sahara battle it out in a lip synch that is more energetic, frenetic and exciting than any from Season 1.

Sahara drops it like its hot and sends Shangela home. Whatever did happened to Shangela?


Sonique vs Morgan McMichaels (Season 2 Episode 4)
Song: Two Hearts (Stacey Q)

Sonique vs Morgan

Oops, wrong Sonique

Sonique strips down to reveal matching undies. And then proceeds to jump around like some kind of possessed animal. It won't save her from Morgan's fierce, sexy and professional synch-ing talents though. Sonique, sashay away.


Sahara Davenport vs Jujubee (Season 2 Episode 6)
Song: Black Velvet (Alannah Myles)

Sahara vs Jujubee

Sahara was a fierce queen, and one who brought it when called to lip synch previously.... But here Jujubee creams her, given Sahara's .... interesting decision to seemingly perform to a completely different song. Needless to say Jujubee was the one to stay.

Seriously Gurl?

Shangela Laquifa Wadley vs 
Venus D-Lite (Season 3 Episode 2)
Song: The Right Stuff (Vanessa Williams)

Shangela vs Venus

Oh, it is ON, bitch

Hey, that's right, Shangela snuck into a box and made it back to Drag Race for Season 3! And found herself in the first lip synch of the season, yet again!

This time however, her opponent Venus D-Lite decides to forget about lip-synching and concentrate on taking Shangela down! Luckily for Shangela, a shocked Ru sends Venus home. Damn!

Mimi Imfurst vs India Ferrah (Season 3 Episode 4)
Song: Don't Leave Me This Way (Thelma Houston)

Mimi vs India

This may be my all time favourite lip synch.... as Mimi Imfurst picks up India during the performance to the general outrage of everyone. It was funny. Ru decides to go all miserable and send Mimi home.


Manila Luzon vs Delta Work (Season 3 Episode 8)
Song: MacArthur Park (Donna Summer)

Manila may have bombed big time in her attempts at comedy (the main challenge of this episode). But by bringing serious psycho realness with intense crazy eyes she managed to bring the funny this time and win the lip synch, sending fellow heather Delta packing.


Raja vs Carmen Carrera (Season 3 Episode 12)
Song: Straight Up (Paula Abdul)

Raja vs Carmen

Serving Drag Lesbian Prostitute realness

Best Buds and fellow Heathers Carmen and Raja are forced to battle it out. Carmen does what Carmen always does, gets naked, and so Raja decides it'd be rude not to simulate sex on stage. Not pictured: the horny straight jocks nearby very confused and aroused. Carmen sashayed and Raja chantayed.

Madame LaQueer vs Milan (Season 4 Episode 4)
Song: Trouble (Pink)

Milan vs LaQueer

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

You know, I love a fat funny queen, but Madame LaQueer didn't stand a chance against Milan, who even manages to stop to do her lipstick and still piss all over LaQueer. Milan sent the Madame home, but sadly this was the fiercest Milan managed to be in the competition. What happened Gurl?

Willam Belli vs Jiggly Caliente (Season 4 Episode 7)
Song: Mi Vida Loca (Pam Tillis)

Willam vs Jiggly

Jiggly Caliente - Now that's a face like a smacked arse

Memorable..... for being one of the most boring lip-synchs featuring one of the most famous Queens. Internet shuperstar Willam Belli only had to lip synch once on Drag Race, and this was it. During it she proves that lip-synching is not her thing, and luckily she was up against Jiggly, who had been a much poorer contender and had already had to lip synch for life before. Jiggly sashayed away and Willam got to chante for another day (for now).

Sharon Needles vs Phi Phi O'Hara (Season 4 Episode 8)
Song: It's Raining Men - The Sequel (Martha Wash & RuPaul)

The only time Sharon ended up in the bottom 2 was when she had to work with her bitter rival Phi Phi for the 'Frenemies' challenge. Both Queens proved that if they had to, they can pull out a fierce lip sync. Of course, neither of the Queens sashayed as this was the episode featuring Willam's shock disqualification (complete with vomit).

Raven vs Jujubee (All Stars Episode 5)
Song: Dancing on My Own (Robyn)

When team mates and bosom buddies Raven and Jujubee were forced to battle each other in the All Stars season, the girls completely break down. Luckily for them they were both so.... good(?) that Ru saved them both (and not just because she had already planned to have a finale with 4 Queens, honest).


Coco Montrese vs Monica Beverlyhillz (Season 5 Episode 3)
Song: When I Grow Up (Pussycat Dolls)

Coco vs Monica

FUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKK!

In what seemed like the first of many lip synchs for her, Coco destroys her opponent Monica Beverlyhillz. Whilst Monica's heart is not in it Coco careens around the floor like she's on speed and every time you see her eyes you know she would murder you in her sleep if it got her closer to the crown.

Honey Mahogany and Vivienne Pinay (Season 5 Episode 4)
Song: Oops! I Did it Again (Britney Spears)

In the category of WORST lip synchs.... I'll never forget the first time I saw this episode, I thought it was possibly the most boring lip synch I'd ever seen. Ru agreed, and for the first time ever in Drag Race History BOTH Queens sashayed away. Moving swiftly on...

Roxxxy Andrews and Alyssa Edwards (Season 5 Episode 7)
Song: Whip My Hair (Willow Smith)

Roxxxy vs Alyssa is memorable for a few reasons. Because Roxxxy broke down before the performance and remembered being left on a bus stop by her Mum 30 years ago. Shameless sympathy tactic? Surely not? Because both Queens gave a fierce and frenetic performance and whipped their hair (well wigs) like pros. Because Roxxxy secretly had TWO wigs on so whipped her wig off to reveal.... another wig. And because both Queens were good enough to chantay. Nice one, bitches.


Coco Montrese and Alyssa Edwards (Season 5 Episode 9)
Song: Cold Hearted (Paula Abdul)

In many ways, this was the moment that Season 5 was building up to.  Bitter rivals Alyssa Edwards and Coco Montrese never let anyone forget their history, and were throwing shade at each other at any chance they got. If either had left without battling each other in a lip synch, then that would have been a crime against DRAMA!

The episode had already seen Alyssa declare that she would lip synch all the way to final, and that the challenges have not been to her advantage but the lip synchs were where she was able to truly shine as an entertainer. Coco called her out for being shady bitch and insinuating none of the other girls were entertainers like she was.

Coco proved Alyssa wrong, and she excelled at the lip synch 'like she were Paula Abdul herself' (points at mouth) ... Coco chantayed and Alyssa sashayed.


Darienne Lake and Magnolia Crawford (Season 6 Episode 2)
Song: Turn the Beat Around (Vicki Sue Robinson)

Looking back, it's surprising to see Darienne end up in the bottom 2 in her first appearance on the show, given she would make it to the final 4 of the series. She's lucky she had Magnolia as her opponent, who had pretty much already sealed the deal of going home by declaring she was only doing the show for exposure, and didn't care about winning or doing well.

Darienne may be able to shake her ample junk but it's overall an uninspiring battle.



Laganja Estranja and Joslyn Fox (Season 6 Episode 8)
Song: Stupid Girls (Pink)

One of the greatest lip synch battles of all time, not only because it finally got rid of the ghastly Laganja for good, but for the moment when both Queens, desperate to be saved, do the death drop in perfect unison.


Adore Delano and Trinity K Bonet (Season 6 Episode 9)
Song: Vibeology (Paula Abdul)

Trinity was a late bloomer in Season 6, and at her short comings would always complain "This is not what I do, I am a lip synch artist!".  Well, she got to lip synch one time too many in the competition, and was finally sent home by a feisty Adore Delano, serving it in a hot black catsuit. Werk!


Ben Dela Creme and 
Darienne Lake REMATCH (Season 6 Episode 11)
Song: Stronger (Kelly Clarkson)

The first time Dela and Darienne faced each other in a lip synch battle, Ru saved them both. The second time, despite Dela being fiercer and werking it harder (in my opinion) Ru sent her home. I'M NOT BITTER! Dela SHOULD have been in the Top 3 though! *sniff*.



LIPSYNCH FOR THE CROWN (Season 6 Episode 12)
Song: Sissy That Walk (RuPaul)

Bianca Del Rio, Adoe Delano, Courtney Act and Darienne Lake

Because it's the ONLY time you're gonna see this bitch lip synching, cause she weren't ever in the bottom!

"I'll help you bitches pack"