Death drops, double splits, wig reveals, oh my!
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars upped the ante of lip sync battles when the spin-off reality series premiered in 2012. The promise of cream-of-the-crop drag queens from the original competition duking it out for the chance to earn a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame has resulted in some of the most gag-worthy, unforgettable, iconic lip sync battles in the franchise’s 15-year history.
Whether it Monét X Change and Jinx Monsoon delivering the very first spoken word lip sync, to Laganja Estranja and Trinity K. Bonet taking our breath away with Dua Lipa’s “Physical” — okay, okay, I won’t keep you any longer. Let’s get to the good stuff.
Here are the 12 best lip syncs in All Stars herstory, ranked from “yas queen!” (the equivalent of a solid applause) to “you betta mother tucking werk ***** (the equivalent of a standing ovation filled with whooping shouts, whistles, a shower of roses).
12. Shea Couleé vs. Alyssa Edwards (All Stars 5)
Anytime Alyssa Edwards comes back to RuPaul’s Drag Race it’s an occasion worth celebrating. Her smackdown with Shea Couleé might not be as gag-worthy as, say, her battle with Tatiana (more on that in a bit), but that just goes to show high she’s set the bar for herself. The fact that Shea managed to run laps around her (literally) is a testament to Shea’s star power and why she won the season. Alyssa Edwards is a force to be reckoned with and nearly impossible to eclipse onstage. Yet that’s exactly what Shea did. There wasn’t an inch of that stage she didn’t eat up.
11. Monét X Change vs. Trinity The Tuck’s (All Stars 4)
Every once in a while, a queen will do something in a lip sync battle that changes Drag Race forever. Roxxxy Andrews revolutionized wig reveals when she did it for the first time in season 5, Monét’s fake-out split in season 10 breathed new life into the predictable stunt, and on All Stars 4 Monét did it again by revealing an identical blonde pussycat wig under an already blonde pussycat wig. The gag-worthy moment is the definition of iconic and why Monét is on this list four times.
10. Monét X Change vs. Shea Couleé (All Stars 7)
Two beautiful Black women absolutely tearing up the mainstage. I dare you to watch this and not feel a surge of adrenaline. Aside from looking the best they ever have, Monét and Shea pulled double duty on Kylie Minogue’s “Supernova.” While Shea delivers her signature rapid-fire choreography, Monét stares into your soul while her glossy movements lure you in like a siren’s song. The song was previously performed by Mo Heart and Blu Hydrangea on RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs the World, but it paled in comparison to this rendition. Clearly, Mama Ru said, “bring out the legends, this song deserves better.”
9. Ginger Minj vs. Mayhem Miller (All Stars 6)
Calling Mayhem Miller a lip sync assassin is a bit of a stretch, but there’s no denying she turnt it out against Ginger Minj who, also, isn’t the first queen who comes to mind when ruminating on lip sync assassins. Ginger used her funny bone to her advantage, and thank goodness she did, because I could not stop laughing at this performance. Best of all, Ginger teased us with a saucy floor dance move that I’m convinced, guaranteed her the win. Ginger Minj + sexy dance move? That’s not something you see every day.
8. Shangela vs. Trixie (All Stars 3)
When Shangela walked out in that flowery, Grandma-curtain garb or whatever it was, I immediately knew this was either going to be drop-dead hysterical or downright cringey. Thank the Drag Gods, it was the former. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen RuPaul’s face crack that hard while laughing. Shangela might’ve singlehandedly been responsible for the next five years of RuPaul’s Botox bills. Needless to say, she won. She also made RuPaul’s song “Peanut Butter” more popular than ever, which isn’t saying much, but the sentiment remains.
7. Jujubee vs. Raven (All Stars 1)
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season one was a wash in many ways. The team format resulted in several queens prematurely exiting the competition and being invited back in future seasons to get a proper go at winning the crown. Because Jujubee and Raven were both so distraught at having to lip sync against their best friend that they cried throughout the whole performance, it was the last time All Stars had a Lip Sync for Your Life instead of a Lip Sync for Your Legacy. Knowing the deep bond the two queens share, it is indeed heartbreaking to watch them reconcile with possibly sending their best friend home. The haunting lip sync is a departure from the rest of the performances on the list, but not to include it would be a crime. As famous lip sync battles come, this is among the most well-known.
6. Naomi Smalls vs. Gia Gunn (All Stars 4)
I don’t know what’s more snatched here, RuPaul’s face or Naomi Smalls’s legs. This lip sync was most definitely the battle of human hair bundles between Naomi and Gia, but the real winner was the combination of Naimi’s legs and her famous floor glide up the catwalk. I don’t care what anyone says, no one can floor glide like Naomi. Not only did she snatch the win, but she also cemented herself as the queen of limbo. This wasn’t a stunt performance. It was a showdown between lewk queens, and I lived for it.
5. Kylie Sonique Love vs. Manila Luzon (All Stars 6)
Saulty, sexy, seductive. How Kylie managed to keep her top intact through all those backflips and splits we’ll never know. My only guess is glue, but ouch. Nevertheless, what’s so beautiful about this lip sync is seeing the confidence Kylie exudes this time around compared to her season 2 lip syncs. She backflipped then, too, but owning her true identity as a trans woman helped her step into her power… and she absolutely ate it up. No crumbs were left behind in this lip sync or the competition.
4. Jinkx Monsoon vs. Monét X Change (All Stars 7)
For the first time in Drag Race herstory, Jinkx Monsoon and Monét X Change performed a spoken word for their lip sync battle instead of a song. At first, I was bummed because who doesn’t want to see two of the franchise’s most legendary queens face off in a lip sync battle, but I ate my words don’t you worry. Their monologue from the sitcom Designing Women is a rare moment in Drag Race that will follow each queen throughout their careers (but mainly Monét’s). It’s hard to grade it alongside other lip sync battles, but given the sheer iconic-ness of it, I have to rank it high on the list.
3. Tatiana vs. Alyssa Edwards (All Stars 2)
This lip sync between Tatiana and Alyssa Edwards has occupied the top of every Drag Race lip sync ranking since it aired. Indeed, it’s quite remarkable: two legends stomping the house down boots in arguably the strongest lip sync battle at that time. There’s no question this battle stands the test of time, but I can’t in good faith say it lights the same spark in me as the next two on this list.
2. Valentina vs. Monét X Change (All Stars 4)
This lip sync is iconic for two reasons. The first: Ariana Grande’s breathy whispers to the beat of Valentina’s silky smooth movements is enough to make any gay man’s heart flutter. The second: Valentina’s redemptive story arc is one of the most satisfying in the entire franchise. The Latina goddess was eliminated in season nine for not knowing the words to Ariana Grande’s “Greedy”, and was even told by RuPaul she had what it took to go all the way. So, for her to come back in All Stars and not only know the words but slay them to pieces is, I repeat, icónica. Plus: Mo Hear’s ear-splitting screams in the background while Valentina is twirling around the stage crank the drama up to full blast, and I will never tire of hearing it.
P.S. To get a jaw-dropped look from RuPaul is the ultimate seal of approval. Valentina, you slayed it, girl.
1. Trinity K. Bonet vs. Laganja Estranja (All Stars 6)
There’s not a Drag Race fan in the world that hasn’t seen or heard of Trinity K. Bonet and Laganja Estranja’s lip sync to Dua Lipa’s “Physical” from All Stars 6. I’ll never forget the deafening silence that preceded the raucous explosion of cheer at my local gay bar when the song began and Trinity and Laganja both walked to the back of the stage in unison only to explode like a canon into their respective dance routines when the chorus hit. Laganja’s neck break into a death drop? Her kick-up into a sexy floor slither? Standing ovation. This is one of those lip-syncs that comes every once in a blue moon, and for that reason, it deserves to sit at the tippity top of this list.