Top 10 Most Tense Times Ru Confronted Queens on Drag Race

Things were already tense on the set during this season 3 episode. A lip sync to Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” suddenly turned ugly. Bottom two queen Mimi Imfurst decided to throw her opponent, India Ferrah, over her shoulder and carry her onto the stage. The episode practically came to a screeching halt. If the slow motion wasn’t enough to indicate just how crazy it was, Ru’s firm lecture afterward was a rare serious moment from the fun-loving host. However, it also gave us one of the show’s most iconic quotes. Drag is not a contact sport.

This season 4 queen had a habit of dropping names and bombs at an alarming rate. Willam didn’t take “Drag Race” seriously as a competition, but she always gave us good television. But when she was thrown off for breaking the rules, it was a marked departure for Ru and the show. It was all the more shocking because Willam had won the challenge. Ru had even gone through the trouble of making the bottom two queens lip sync before calling her forward and announcing that she had broken the rules. The fact that we weren’t given a proper explanation made it all the more mysterious. The circumstances surrounding her disqualification would linger for ages.

Even in confrontation, RuPaul can stay pretty composed. It isn’t until a queen really gets under her skin that that peaceful facade starts to disappear. Most of season 6’s Laganja Estranja’s storyline revolved around her not being her authentic self. That came to a head in her elimination episode, when the judges confronted her. Laganja, still unable to hear the critique, insisted that at home, everyone loved her. But Ru saw it was time for a reality check. Her frustration was apparent as she explained why Laganja needed to hear their advice, no matter how much it hurt.

Strategy shenanigans and off-screen backstabbing compelled all star Heidi N Closet to leave the competition completely. It created a snowball effect that threatened to stop the season in its tracks. Two episodes after Heidi made her exit, Ru made an unexpected and unplanned appearance in the Werk Room. Tears and arguments over casting roles in the maxi challenge almost led to Kahanna Montrese leaving too. So RuPaul gave them a pep talk, but the whole time, there was an undercurrent of “get it together because we don’t have time for this.” Frankly, the fact that so many queens seemed unable to get their head in the game was frustrating for viewers too.

It’s no secret that this season 9 queen was a fan favorite as well as a hit with the judges. She had the potential to win the whole competition. But when she unexpectedly landed in the bottom with challenge partner Nina Bo’nina Brown, she fell apart. She spent the first part of a lip sync to Ariana Grande’s “Greedy” with a bejeweled mask over her mouth. For the first time in the show’s herstory, Ru had to stop the entire performance to force her into taking it off. Valentina’s initial refusal clearly had the host a little irritated.

In season 1, the show was still finding its footing. “Drag Race” was a lot less polished, and so was its host. Tammie Brown’s goofball behavior made them a favorite among many. But it also meant she didn’t always take the competition as deathly serious as she was expected to. When it came time for the queens to address the judges at the reunion, Tammie brought up their issues with their negative critiques. Ru tried to deliver some harsh truths, but Tammie wasn’t having it. The queen’s iconic clapbacks are still quoted to this day. She’s still probably one of the few queens to get the better of RuPaul.

This season 7 finalist spent the season getting harangued for her low-key personality. Pearl remained shockingly steadfast in not giving too much of herself to the show, and it was clear it was getting on the host’s nerves. This nearly spilled over into the Werk Room walkthrough when RuPaul engaged the contestant in a stare down. We’ve seen yelling and screaming, but never have we seen Ru holding back rage like this. Pearl stared right back before adding the perfect, passive-aggressive punctuation mark. Let’s just say it took a lot of courage. As for the rest of us, we were all Max in that moment.

Michelle Visage took issue with “Drag Race UK” season 2’s Joe Black. The queen’s runway looked off-the-rack. Well, as a matter of fact, it was an H&M ensemble. As soon as Joe Black admitted this, you could see the rage in RuPaul’s face. Her eyelid might have even twitched. She launched into an instantly iconic and delightfully unhinged rant. Although her larger point was about how drag queens need to put more effort into their looks than throwing on a look you could buy at any department store, the H&M hatred is what stuck. One thing’s for sure. “Drag Race” can kiss that potential H&M sponsorship goodbye.

The times where Ru loses her cool are few and far between. Here though, she was practically shaking with rage. An ill-conceived acting challenge from the show’s seventh season led to one of RuPaul’s angriest tirades to date. The queens were tasked with starring in dragged-out Shakespeare parodies. Well, one group’s play was a disaster from start to finish. They didn’t rehearse enough, almost on knew their lines enough, and their lack of preparation showed. Ru was not happy. She was tired of the excuses, and was not interested in a group of queens who weren’t going to give this competition their all.

Few contestants railed against the “Drag Race” apparatus like The Vixen. She came in announcing she was ready to fight, and she lived up to that entrance line. Taking issue with how Black queens on the show were portrayed and treated, The Vixen revisited her season-long issues with Eureka O’Hara at the season 10 reunion. RuPaul’s insistence that the Vixen should’ve reacted to Eureka’s goading better didn’t sit well with her. The Vixen ultimately walked off, not wanting to subject herself to another minute of it. Her exit left Ru and a visibly emotional Asia O’Hara to argue.

Which of these confrontations shocked you the most? Tell us in the comments.