Top 10 Exact Moments a Queen Won a Lip Sync on RuPaul's Drag Race

Jinkx Monsoon was season 5’s underdog. Though she struggled with her makeup skills and looks throughout the season, her talent was undeniable. The final four lip sync was her make or break moment. She faced off against Detox to Yma Sumac’s quirky “Malambo No. 1,” and the song choice was enough for many fans to realize this was Jinkx’s lip sync to lose. But the second she broke into that face-contorting chorus and the judges lost it, it was a done deal. Even Alaska seemed to sense it was over for her friend, Detox. Jinkx may have been in the bottom for her looks, but when it came to performing, she delivered every time.

You can’t read the doll, and we don’t intend to. When she faced off against Plastique Tiara on All Stars 9, Roxxxy Andrews used a largely instrumental part of “No One Gets the Prize” to do some character work. She made intense eye contact with the judges panel and broke out her nail file. But it’s the one-two punch of bucking at them that really won it for her. Roxxxy’s gift as a performer is that she embodies every song she lip syncs to. Yes, you know that’s Diana Ross singing. With Roxxxy, though, sometimes you start to wonder.

Paula Abdul brought something out in these queens. Season 3 winner Raja landed in the bottom during the Jocks in Frocks challenge, and had to lip sync against her friend, Carmen Carrera. Given Raja’s track record, it wasn’t a surprise that she would survive this lip sync. Plus, Carmen had already gone home once. But they both gave it everything they had. The two didn’t hesitate to turn “Straight Up” into a straight-up striptease. As far as seduction, these queens are evenly matched. But Raja’s killing move was a kiss of death. Literally, she planted a bright red kiss on Carmen’s arm for all the world to see.

All Stars 6 saw the final four queens in a four-way split/alternating screen lip sync for the crown. It’s hard to catch the attention when there’s this much to look at all at once. But for fans who know what to look for when it comes to winner edits, Kylie Sonique Love’s victory was cemented the moment she tripped over her dress. We watched in slow motion as Kylie spilled forward, only to course correct and fall into a perfect, near effortless flip. A “Drag Race” winner has to overcome adversity. Sometimes, that stumble in their story doesn’t come until the last possible moment.

Anetra was already a Lip Sync Assassin when she ended up in the bottom for the standup challenge. Marcia Marcia Marcia had revealed themself as the surprise lip sync performer of the season. It’s easy to forget how evenly matched they were on this Doja Cat performance because of Anetra’s iconic moment. Marcia was literally in the middle of their own impressive backbend when Anetra seized the opportunity and literally jumped and flipped over them. The “Free Willy” maneuver was hard for Marcia to come back from. It was just a moment of perfect timing and absolute domination.

It’s a rare treat for a “Drag Race” queen to lip sync a song in front of its original artist. It’s also incredibly nerve-wracking. Season 4 contestant DiDa Ritz was feeling the pressure as she performed in front of Natalie Cole, but you wouldn’t know it. She tore through “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” as if she wrote and recorded it herself. The telltale sign that DiDa was going to win this was when Cole herself was hyping her up from the judges panel. There were simply no crumbs left onstage from that moment on.

No one shined in a lip sync quite like the late, great Louisiana bayou queen. It was almost a treat for her to end up in the bottom, because she ate up the competition. While this classic “Dreamgirls” ballad wasn’t exactly up Thorgy Thor’s alley anyway, Chi Chi didn’t half-step. She poured her heart and soul into the song. But this well-timed mishap, when she stood up and her string of beads came undone, was the stuff “Drag Race” dreams are made of. She showered the stage with beads at the number’s climax. It was an electrifying moment that made RuPaul herself howl with delight.

Monét X Change performances are always worth the price of admission. Lip syncing to Nicki Minaj’s “Pound the Alarm,” the season 10 contestant pulled the best and most hilarious stunt ever. As the song ramped up, she acted like she was going to jump into a split and then bailed at the last minute. RuPaul and the judges broke into a chorus of laughter. It’s one of the biggest reactions a queen has ever gotten out of the host, and that was while Ru was wearing a facekini and sunglasses. Monét doubled down on her stunt by actually committing to the split later in the song — just to prove she could do it.

The very first Lip Sync Smackdown for the Crown yielded some unforgettable moments. Season 9’s finalists were the guinea pigs for the new format, and they rose to the challenge. Peppermint and Trinity Taylor opened the finale with a fantastic performance. But the crowd went wild when Peppermint ripped away her first costume and wig to reveal a second entirely new look. She managed the quick change with all the ease of a Broadway performer. It would’ve looked awfully weird to not give her the win after how loud the audience got for her. Her Cinderella moment almost managed to steal the entire show.

The rules were simple. Win the new Lip Sync Smackdown, and you win the crown. It was a change Sasha Velour took full advantage of. Knowing she needed to make an impact if she wanted a chance to emerge as the victor, she came equipped with the stunt to end all stunts. Sasha took to the stage with roses hidden in her gloves and under her wig. As the flowers rained down, the message was clear. Shea Couleé, despite having four main challenge wins under her belt, had been bested by some tremendous showmanship. Sasha would go on to win the whole season.

What lip sync moment do you think could have made this list? Tell us in the comments.