Ranking The Best Lip Sync of Each RuPaul's Drag Race Season
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These ‘Drag Race’ lip syncs reigned supreme!
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After 15 seasons and 200 episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race, we’ve gotten dozens of iconic lip syncs between queens who delivered performances that were emotional, hilarious, powerful, physical, fierce, or even all of the above.
When it comes to choosing the best lip syncs of all time, Drag Race has an endless list that certainly qualifies as an embarrassment of riches. With that said, it’s fun to look at the flagship series in its entirety and spotlight the very best lip sync from each season. Given that season 15 is reaching its endgame, we’re already able to include the ongoing season on this list as well – at least from what we’ve seen so far!
Scroll through to see the best lip syncs from each season
“Cover Girl” – BeBe Zahara Benet & Nina Flowers (Season 1)
RuPaul's Drag Race | Lip Sync: BeBe Zahara Benet VS Nina Flowers
BeBe Zahara Benet and Nina Flowers faced off in the very first lip sync for the crown on Drag Race, which was to the tune of RuPaul’s “Cover Girl.” This was, by all standards, the absolute best lip sync of the entire first season – with Flowers serving face and attitude, and Benet serving an incredibly dynamic performance that led to her crowning as the OG Drag Race winner.
“Black Velvet” – Jujubee & Sahara Davenport (Season 2)
Jujubee vs. Sahara Davenport's "Black Velvet" Lip Sync | Rupaul's Drag Race
Jujubee lip syncing to Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet” is one of the most iconic performances in Drag Race herstory… and the fact that Juju was going up against such a fierce dancer like Sahara Davenport only made this lip sync even stronger. In the end, Jujubee’s face journey and emotional acting won over not only the judges, but also the hearts of many fans who had yet to see that different side of this queen.
“MacArthur Park” – Manila Luzon & Delta Work (Season 3)
RuPaul's Drag Race | Lip Sync: Delta Work VS Manila Luzon
Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” was never the same following Manila Luzon’s lip sync performance to the song in the third season of Drag Race. Even though Delta Work put up a good fight, Luzon’s campy and electrifying performance had the judges and the fans absolutely gagging. This lip sync also proved that Drag Race queens could move past the point of serving “female illusion” and could focus instead on becoming these larger-than-life creatures that leave us in awe.
“This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” – Dida Ritz & The Princess (Season 4)
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Season four superstar Dida Ritz crashed the lip syncing game with her unbelievable performance of Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” right in front of the singer herself. This is largely considered one of the best Drag Race lip syncs of all time, as Ritz gave her all to every single lyric and beat in the song. The Princess didn’t do poorly, but Ritz gave us a legitimate lip sync masterclass!
“Whip My Hair” – Roxxxy Andrews & Alyssa Edwards (Season 5)
Roxxxy Andrews vs Alyssa Edwards - Lipsync for Elimination
Alyssa Edwards and Roxxxy Andrews fell into the bottom two and had to lip sync for their lives to “Whip My Hair” by Willow Smith. First and foremost, this was the lip sync where Andrews revealed a wig under a wig, which completely redefined what was expected of a “reveal” on the mainstage of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But even without that reveal, Edwards and Andrews’ performances were full of energy, face, and stunts, standing out as the very best lip sync of season five. In the end, this lip sync resulted in a double shantay for both queens.
“Whatta Man” – Trinity K. Bonet & Milk (Season 6)
Milk & Trinity K. Bonet's "Whatta Man" Lip Sync | Rupaul's Drag Race
Oh my TKB! There’s just no better lip sync on Drag Race season six than Trinity K. Bonet’s performance to Salt-N-Pepa’s “Whatta Man” against Milk. After struggling with so many of the challenges in that season, Bonet came alive during this lip sync and showed the judges what an incredible talent she is. Overall, this was one of the most thrilling and titillating lip syncs in Drag Race herstory.
“Roar” – Kennedy Davenport & Katya (Season 7)
Katya vs Kennedy Davenport Roar
The seventh season of Drag Race had a gut-wrenching endgame that included this lip sync against two fan-favorites of the series: Katya and Kennedy Davenport. Following their not-so-great performances in the Hello Kitty challenge, these two queens had to lip sync for their lives to Katy Perry’s “Roar.” Katya served up a lot of emotion and pirouettes, but nothing she did was enough to slow down Davenport’s unstoppable and simply gravity-defying performance of this song.
“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” – Chi Chi DeVayne & Thorgy Thor (Season 8)
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The late, great Chi Chi DeVayne had us all in shambles following her lip sync performance to “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” by Jennifer Holliday. Thorgy Thor also did a solid job, but it was pretty impossible to take our eyes off of DeVayne during this entire lip sync. At the height of the song, the stones in DeVayne’s gown all fell to floor, which added even more raw emotion to the performance.
“So Emotional” – Sasha Velour & Shea Couleé (Season 9)
Sasha Velour vs Shea Couleé (So Emotional) Lip Sync | RPDR Season 9 Finale HD
It might be a cliché, but there’s no way around it: the very best lip sync of Drag Race season nine happened between Sasha Velour and Shea Couleé at the grand finale, to the tune of Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional.” This was the first season with a lip sync smackdown for the crown, and Velour’s rose petal reveal instantly entered the herstory books due to her jaw-dropping performance of the song.
“Pound the Alarm” – Monét X Change & Dusty Ray Bottoms (Season 10)
Monét X Change vs. Dusty Ray Bottoms - Pound The Alarm | RuPaul's Drag Race LSFYL
The best lip sync of Drag Race season 10 was between Monét X Change and Dusty Ray Bottoms to the tune of “Pound the Alarm” by Nicki Minaj. The fandom does appreciate how far Ray Bottoms fought for her spot in the competition, but it was pretty impossible to stop the lip sync assassination that X Change was about to deliver in this performance. From a fake-out split to breathing inside her mask to not missing a single word, X Change absolutely bodied this lip sync number and had RuPaul laughing his facekini off.
“Sorry Not Sorry” – Yvie Oddly & Brooke Lynn Hytes (Season 11)
“Sorry Not Sorry” Yvie vs Brooke Lip Sync - RuPauls Drag Race
Demi Lovato’s “Sorry Not Sorry” gained a brand-new meeting after the lip sync battle between Yvie Oddly and Brooke Lynn Hytes that led to their double shantay. This was one of the brightest highlights of Drag Race season 11, and it also served as an act-one gun to the lip sync for the crown that these two queens would later find themselves in at the grand finale. As Shuga Cain said, this lip sync was like Cirque du So-Gay, and we’re still gagging over it to this day!
“Firework” – Jackie Cox & Widow Von’Du (Season 12)
Widow Von'Du & Jackie Cox's “Firework” Lip Sync | S12 E9 | RuPaul’s Drag Race
Jackie Cox lip syncing to “Firework” by Katy Perry while in full burqa drag was an incredibly emotional moment not only for season 12, but also in Drag Race herstory. Widow Von’Du was a lip sync assassin throughout that entire season, but Cox really had the edge in this performance for what this moment meant on a cultural level within this queer series.
“100% Pure Love” – Denali & Kahmora Hall (Season 13)
Denali & Kahmora’s “100% Pure Love” Lip Sync | S13 E4 | RuPaul’s Drag Race
In what can only be described as an absolute lip sync assassination, Denali literally buried Kahmora Hall alive as they faced off in a lip sync to “100% Pure Love” by Crystal Waters. Though season 13 had its fair share of excellent lip syncs from the likes of Symone, Kandy Muse, and LaLa Ri, this performance from Denali really set the tone for how talented she is as a drag entertainer.
“My Head & My Heart” – Jorgeous & Orion Story (Season 14)
Jorgeous & Orion Story’s Ava Max Lip Sync! 🔥 RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14
Another example of a complete Drag Race assassination took place during the lip sync between Jorgeous and Orion Story to Ava Max’s “My Head & My Heart.” This was the very first time that Jorgeous lip synced on the show, and it was only a sneak preview of what this queen was able to pull off in her performances. While Story did her best to keep up, there was just no room on the stage for anyone but Jorgeous to mop the floor with her dazzling moves and face journeys.
“Boss B*tch” – Anetra & Marcia Marcia Marcia (Season 15)
Anetra & Marcia Marcia Marcia’s “Boss B*tch” Lip Sync 💥 RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15
As of this writing, season 15 of Drag Race is still airing on MTV. With that said, we’ve already had a phenomenal lip sync performance that is being compared to some of the best lip syncs in the herstory of the show. In episode 11, Anetra and Marcia Marcia Marcia landed in the bottom two and had to lip sync for their lives to Doja Cat’s “Boss B*tch.” Both Anetra and Marcia delivered stellar performances that, honestly, should’ve gotten them a double shantay. Even though that didn’t happen (and Marcia was eliminated), this lip sync was certainly one for the books.
