Despite what some lawmakers around the country are trying, the art of drag is not going anywhere. Case in point, RuPaul’s Drag Race continues its supreme reign as the pinnacle of modern reality television.
With its latest season, Drag Race managed to up the stakes not only financially (with a newly-boosted $200,000 cash prize) or in terms of network (the show made the jump from VH1 to MTV this year), but through its execution as well — with its largest-ever cast of 16 talented queens, each episode of the hit show’s 15th season saw every contestant working hard to earn their keep.
While the queens gave their all in each of the maxi challenges — including Drag Race staples like Snatch Game and the Rusical — it was season 15’s lip syncs where the queens really brought their A-game. Whether it was a Lip Sync For Your Life to survive another week on the show, or a Lip Sync Lalaparuza performance in the show’s battle royale format, every queen who appeared on season 15 had to rely on their lip sync abilities in order to impress throughout a season where everyone seemed impressive.
But which of this season’s many lip syncs stood out amongst the rest … and which ones failed to impress? Ahead of the finale airing this Friday (April 14), Billboard is taking a look back at all 20 of the lip syncs performed thus far on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15, and ranking them from worst to best. Check out where your favorite landed below:
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx vs. Spice: Camila Cabello, “Don’t Go Yet”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Rule number one of every lip sync, on or off RuPaul’s Drag Race: you must know the words to the song. Yet in this Lalaparuza lip sync, neither queen could manage to remember the song’s lyrics — with one even choosing the song as a means of sabotaging the other. Both Malaysia and Spice ended up bopping around the stage while trying to hide the fact that they simply had no idea what Camila Cabello was singing on the song’s chorus.
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx vs. Salina EsTitties: Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
The moment that “Single Ladies” began playing in this mid-season Lip Sync For Your Life, members of the BeyHive everywhere got excited — at long last, one of Beyoncé’s most iconic hits would be making its Drag Race debut. But by the time it had ended, even lip sync winner Salina EsTitties was offering up an apology to Queen Bey. Neither queen managed to match the song’s hype or energy in this largely lackluster lip sync, though Salina’s commitment to recreating the video choreography beat-by-beat was at least admirable.
Loosey LaDuca vs. Spice: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)”
For a song as gritty as “Do You Wanna Touch Me,” we expected these queens to get much more into it than they ultimately did. Both Loosey and Spice seemed to lack the raw, punk spirit of the song, instead aiming for safe performances that would remove them from the Lalaparuza tournament. In the end, Loosey did manage to put some funny moments into the song, earning her early exit from the contest. But, in the words of Marcia Marcia Marcia watching from a couch: “Pick it up girls, c’mon.”
Amethyst vs. Princess Poppy: Diana Ross, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
Along with knowing your words, reading the room is the key to a good lip sync. That’s clearly what Amethyst did when giving her performance to Diana Ross’ rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Matching the groove of the song with the vibe of her performance, Amethyst delivered a perfectly serviceable, if not somewhat boring, lip-sync to an iconic song. Princess Poppy, on the other hand, decided to show as much of her “between-me-down-there” (as RuPaul would call it) as possible, making for a very strange and one-sided lip sync.
Salina EsTitties vs. Spice: Lil Nas X, “That’s What I Want”
The real criminal in this lip sync was the choice of song. Both Salina and Spice did fine given the assignment, but we’re stuck wondering why “That’s What I Want” was the song picked out of all Lil Nas X’s discography for a Lip Sync For Your Life. “Call Me By Your Name (Montero),” “Industry Baby,” and even “Old Town Road” would have all been much better choices with clearer paths to success for either of these two queens, while “That’s What I Want” offered very little for our performers to act on.
Loosey LaDuca vs. Salina EsTitties: Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Hear us out on this one. Yes, objectively speaking, this was a very bad lip sync — Loosey and Salina tried “Running Up That Hill” and instead came tumbling down it. But sometimes, a performance can be so bad that it transcends objectivity and becomes compelling again, and that’s what ended up happening here. A lip sync is meant to entertain, and watching a very sad sea monster and a hot-dog-fingered abstract painting try to convey the complicated emotions of Kate Bush’s classic single turned out to be very entertaining, indeed.
Much like the “Running Up That Hill” lip sync, the inevitable showdown between Sugar and Spice entered into “so bad it’s good” territory pretty early on. Watching these twinning queens work together with matching choreography in a competitive lip sync, only to have one of them actually face-plant twice on national television is the kind of high-camp comedy we’ve come to expect from Drag Race. It’s giving pure chaos, which we simply love to see.
Anetra vs. Luxx Noir London vs. Jax: Vanessa Williams, “The Right Stuff”
There is no denying after watching season 15 that Anetra, Luxx and Jax are all incredibly gifted lip sync performers in their own right. But when tasked with performing at the same time to Vanessa Williams’ iconic “The Right Stuff,” it suddenly became very hard to follow who was doing what. Had this been a classic head to head showdown between two of these three, we imagine this lip sync could have been one for the books. But by introducing a third queen, the stage suddenly became too jumbled with kicks and splits and drops to fairly discern which queen was winning.
Anetra vs. Mistress Isabelle Brooks: David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland, “When Love Takes Over”
The final showdown ahead of the season 15 finale was another bit of proof that dancing and stunts are not what makes a good lip sync performance. For the majority of this head-to-head, both Anetra and Mistress Isabelle Brooks remained in their respective spots on the stage, choosing to let their faces do the performing. Sure, we still got some duck-walking from Anetra and some speedbag punches from Mistress, but this lip-sync was sold by the passion in both queens’ faces throughout.
Amethyst vs. Irene Dubois: Ariana Grande, “7 Rings”
If you listen to the beat and tempo of Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,” you’ll realize that the star’s casual-flex anthem is not that easy to dance to — and yet both Amethyst and Irene Dubois still managed to bop and shake their way into a memorable premiere lip sync. While Irene’s laid-back, sexed-up performance certainly managed to pull our attention, Amethyst’s spot-on embodiment of the track’s energy won her the day, with Ariana herself smiling in approval.
The Bangles may not be an obvious pick for a RuPaul’s Drag Race lip sync smackdown, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the way that Jax and Robin Fierce performed to their single “In My Room.” Offering up two completely different performances, Robin showed off her flowing dance chops, while Jax proved to be a lightning-fast, endlessly agile performer, each stunning the judges in their own ways. Even with her A-tier stunts and choreo, Jax still got a run for her money from Robin, making their face-off all the more entertaining to watch.
Luxx Noir London vs. Salina EsTitties: Celine Dion, “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now”
Lip-synch smarter, not harder. That may as well have been Salina EsTitties’ motto when she faced off with Luxx Noir London to Celine Dion’s iconic “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” for the Lalaparuza. Picking and choosing when in the song she would serve emotion, camp or sexuality, Salina proved to be a master of timing with this performance. For every beat of the song, she kept viewers on their toes, wondering where she would take them next — which helps, since it left few eyeballs on Luxx’s lip sync.
Loosey LaDuca vs. Luxx Noir London: Hayley Kiyoko, “For the Girls”
There is nothing better in a Lip Sync For Your Life than seeing a queen who will do whatever she has to in order to stay, which is exactly what we got with Luxx and Loosey’s Hayley Kiyoko showdown. Where Loosey tried to show some restraint, Luxx let herself go wild in this performance. Utilizing dips, drops and more hair flips than we can could, Luxx proved that sometimes, the key to winning is being nothing but utterly confident.
At the end of a lip-sync marathon and performing their third number in a matter of minutes, Anetra and Jax were both understandably tired by the time they arrived at CeCe Peniston’s “Finally.” But even when they were both worn down, this pair of lip sync superstars managed to turn out one of the highest-energy lip syncs of the season. Pulling out every dance move in their repertoire to this certified bop, the queens gave viewers whiplash with how quickly we felt ourselves bouncing back and forth between their gag-worthy moves, resulting in a photo-finish decision from the judges’ panel.
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx vs. Marcia Marcia Marcia: Anitta, “Boys Don’t Cry”
Everyone loves an underdog. When Marcia Marcia Marcia was seemingly singled-out for this Lalaparuza lip-sync as a queen who could be beat, she had a tall task when it came to proving herself. Yet prove herself she did, showing everyone that she wasn’t joking when she said she was a classically-trained dancer. Every move in this performance was purposeful and clean, as Marcia whipped around the stage like a hurricane made of pure drag, leaving Malaysia deep in her wake.
Amethyst vs. Salina EsTitties: Janelle Monáe, “Q.U.E.E.N.”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Guest judge Janelle Monáe said all that needed to be said when she started screaming mid-lip sync. When the original artist cannot help but yelp at your performance, you know you’ve done something right. Amethyst and Salina both knew their assignment from the song’s first note —the lyrics literally instruct you to be “a freak for getting down.” But it was Salina who embodied every ounce of swagger found in “Q.U.E.E.N,” while also adding her perfectly-executed bits (like losing her skirt for the “skirt on the ground” lyric) to make this lip sync one for the history books.
Mistress Isabelle Brooks vs. Jax: Taylor Dayne, “Tell It To My Heart”
Going up against a noted lip-sync assassin like Jax would be nerve-wracking for any queen … unless, of course, you’re Mistress Isabelle Brooks. The self-proclaimed “heavyweight champ” earned her title with this stunning lip sync to “Tell it to My Heart”. Instead of falling into the trap of attempting to outdance a trained dancer, Mistress instead focused on the drama of the song, utilizing her already-commanding stage presence for a phenomenal embodiment of this late ’80s dance-pop classic.
Aura Mayari vs. Jax: Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa, “Sweetest Pie”
There was no “Pie” leftover after this lip sync ended, because Jax ate and left no crumbs. While Aura struggled to remember all the words to Megan Thee Stallion’s rapid-fire rap, Jax remained cool, calm and collected while hitting every word and every movement of this song with perfect precision. Every flip and roll she did throughout the number landed with grace, fluidly transitioning each time into her next “oh my god how did she do that” trick. We’d say that Aura did a good job, too, but if we’re being honest, we kind of forgot that she was there about halfway through this incredible routine.
Anetra vs. Sasha Colby: Fifth Harmony, “I’m In Love With A Monster”
There is a reason that this lip sync was the showdown fans had been waiting for until it finally happened in episode 8. Anetra and Sasha are two of the best lip sync artists in the show’s history, and having them battle it out to Fifth Harmony halfway through the season felt like a gift for fans who’d been dedicated to keeping up with the season. Both queens had their words, their stunts, their acting and their presence down to a science throughout this high-octane number, never letting up on the gas. How the judges decided which of these two won or lost is simply beyond us.
Anetra vs. Marcia Marcia Marcia: Doja Cat, “Boss Bitch”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
By every possible metric you can judge a lip sync from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Anetra and Marcia Marcia Marcia’s “Boss Bitch” performance gets a perfect score. Words? Dance moves? Face-serving? Storyline? Moments that make you say out loud “wait did she actually just leap over her body?” 10’s, 10’s, 10’s across the board.
Anetra and Marcia definitively showed what makes the Lip Sync For Your Life format — and for that matter, the art of lip-synching itself — so compelling; from the moment Doja Cat groaned “Mmm, I ain’t tryna,” both queens kept their audience rapt while they masterfully executed perfectly plotted-out presentations. While there were plenty of excellent lip-syncs throughout season 15, none of them came close to the masterclass displayed here.
