Top 10 Rival Lip Syncs on RuPaul's Drag Race
#10: Rolaska vs. Jinkx Monsoon “The Final Three, Hunty”
Season five saw Rolaskatox’s trio clash often with Jinkx Monsoon, though she beat Detox to the top three. This left Roxxxy Andrews and Alaska to face-off with her, in a three-way showdown for the crown itself. Alaska was utterly theatrical with all her strange poses and over the top flailing on the floor. Roxxxy nailed all of her lyrics and used her fabric like a veil, which was a unique choice. All the strutting from Jinkx stole the show, especially as she punched out her arms across the stage. It didn’t hurt that she injected humor into their song’s more chaotic moments. The collective performances between these enemies left RuPaul conflicted enough to delay the crowning, asking the audience to help weigh in on the important decision at the finale.
#9: Mimi Imfurst vs. India Ferrah “Totally Leotarded”
Mimi Imfurst fought verbally with queens all season until she ended up against India Ferrah in a lip sync. Mimi’s need for the spotlight had her childishly jumping up front on the runway, until India hilariously walked down to the judges. All the fighting became physical when Mimi picked up her opponent like a wrestler, and prompted a lot of horrifying screams. The fact that India managed to go right into rolls and floor work after showed a strong professional backbone in comparison. All the physicality led Ru to laying down the law about actual combat with a memorable quip on the matter. Though these two may not have been gunning for each other before, India definitely had reason to dislike Mimi after this brawl.
#8: Aiden Zhane vs. Brita “Snatch Game”
After Brita and fellow competitor Aiden Zhane bickered on “Untucked!” they had to perform to finally see who deserved to stay. The two were decked in winter-themed outfits for a lip sync to “Let It Go” complete with snow. Aiden replicated a jazz vocalist show with suave arm poses and great face work. Brita’s musical theatre pedigree showed in her exuberant dance moves and a surprising clothing toss. Along with her reenactment of Elsa’s own choreography, Brita used a gag-worthy fire trick to really wow the judges. With all their talk aside, it was satisfying to see Brita pull out all the stops to win out this clash.
#7: Carmen Carrera vs. Shangela “RuPaul-a-Palooza”
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Carmen Carrera formed the Heathers with Manila Luzon, Delta Work and Raja, and called the other girls boogers. Shangela was one of the Heathers’ biggest adversaries on season three, and Carmen got a chance to take her out. Carmen brought an intense spirit with her quivering lips, though she stayed fairly still. It was hard to ignore Shangela’s full-body dancing, as she interpreted the lyrics with laughable hand motions. She really stepped out ahead with her visceral death drop, which audibly worried Michelle. This exceptional choreography impressed Manila so much that she unexpectedly admitted Carmen wasn’t matching up. Shangela’s whisper of praise to Carmen was just as heartwarming, in a lip sync that proved that rivalries don’t stop the love.
#6: Latrice Royale vs. Monique Heart “LaLaPaRUza”
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Latrice Royale had voiced her dislike for Monique Heart’s attention-grabbing antics, and then Heart was the one to send her home. So when Latrice was given the chance to lip sync against a queen to return on “All Stars,” she seemed to pick Monique out of spite. Latrice amazingly revealed a second wig the second the chorus dropped, before some impressive sky-high kicks. Monique seductively fanned her face ahead of her own colorful wig move. Their back-to-back splits were as hysterical to watch as they were impressive. The overall ramp up in energy and passion on stage from these two was a thrill to watch. Despite their animosity, Latrice and Monique were equals when it came to the dance floor and staying in the game.
#5: Darienne Lake vs. BenDeLaCreme “Glamazon by Colorevolution”
There was a lot of shade thrown between Darienne Lake and BenDeLaCreme, so they ended up in the bottom for their inability to work well together. Though when “Point of No Return” came on, the pair were forces of nature. BenDeLa hilariously stripped away her headpiece and eventually half of her outfit, all while exuding sultry feminine energy. Darienne was so amazingly in sync with the song that Bianca Del Rio started pushing goofy theories. Darienne had the judges cracking up at her silly pantomiming. While BenDeLa and Darienne’s rematch later in the season saw Darienne really exploding on stage, the overall performances just weren’t as fun to watch. All their tension pushed these two into a showdown that was funny and engaging.
#4: Bob the Drag Queen vs. Derrick Barry “RuPaul Book Ball”
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Since Derrick Barry had been annoyed at Bob the Drag Queen’s jokeful nature, Bob decided to push her buttons further. By the time they were facing off in a lip sync, the two were happy to take each other down. Derrick immediately went for an all-out Vegas-style dance show, with burlesque overtones. She went so intensely that she managed to raise her body off the floor. Bob contrasted this with hysterical shimmying, as well as comical takes on the lyrics and vocals. Heck, Bob tore pieces off of her own dress to get laughs. Differences aside, Derrick and Bob lovingly blew kisses and climatically slid into each other. Plus Bob’s kind words about Derrick showed that adversaries can find the good in each other.
#3: Detox vs. Jinkx Monsoon “Sugar Ball”
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Jinkx Monsoon’s quirky brand of drag proved to be the biggest obstacle for the Rolaskatox trio, which put them at odds well ahead of the finale. Though we were finally given a chance to see who was better when “Malambo Number One” pitted Jinkx against Detox. The weird Spanish opera vocals pulled deranged faces from both queens, which had the judges crying with laughter. Jinkx’s exaggerated lips and strange gyrating was side-splitting, and her Latin-inspired footwork even won Alaska over. This ability to finally use her humor for a lip sync pushed Jinkx ahead, and left her enemies impressed too.
#2:Sharon Needles vs. Phi Phi O’Hara “Frenemies”
Some of “Drag Races”’ most vicious workroom arguments came from Phi Phi O’Hara and Sharon Needles’ rivalry. They were out for blood in this bottom-two lip sync, with wonderfully appropriate opposing costumes for the moment. Phi Phi danced her heart out like it was a real Las Vegas show, with heart-stopping death dops and back-bends. She went so hard that her wig started slipping, which she played off cheekily. All the over-the-top vocals allowed Sharon to alternate between cheesy interpretations and some very spooky faces. They did lip sync again for the finale, but it was less frantic than their personal head-to-head. Between their trash talk and such distinct choreography, this lip sync paid off their season-long spat. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Miss Fame vs. Pearl “Divine Inspiration” Because They Flipped Each Other Off Ra'Jah O'Hara vs. Scarlet Envy “The Draglympics” Because There Were Scissors, Glitter and Synergy
#1:Coco Montrese vs. Alyssa Edwards “Drama Queens”
Due to drama on the pageant scene, Coco Montrese and Alyssa Edwards had plenty of beef ahead of their “Drag Race” season. After all their yelling, Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted” gave them lots of opportunity to laughably point at each other during their lip sync. Both of them were bouncing around and throwing arms everywhere, but Alyssa’s jump and splits combo was truly unbelievable. Coco aggressively highlighted how well she knew her lyrics just to get an edge. The stakes were all the higher thanks to how much Coco and Alyssa had cemented this lip sync as the deciding moment in their disagreements. With the perfect song to score their duel, these frenemies went all out.
