Top 10 BFF Lip Syncs on RuPaul's Drag Race
Friends to the end, literally. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Friend Lip Syncs on RuPauls Drag Race.
For this list, we’ll be looking at the mesmerizing Lip Sync for Your Life showdowns between pals on “Drag Race.” We’re basing our choices on a mix of fun interactions, interesting matchups and the complicated emotions behind the faceoffs that give them a deeper tension. We’re looking for on stage moments where queens dueled it out, so we’re excluding music videos and separate lip syncs. These are elimination challenges, so a SPOILER ALERT is in order.
#10: Gia Gunn vs. Laganja Estranja
“Snatch Game”
Gia Gunn and Laganja Estranja’s friendship was a nice contrast to their often confrontational attitudes. So it was sad to see them go head-to-head in a lip sync after a lousy Snatch Game. With “Head to Toe” blaring behind them, the two had noticeably opposing approaches to the song. Laganja’s death drops and splits were exciting to watch, and showed she was throwing her heart and soul into it. Gia offered some good poses, but her slow delivery and outfit reveal took away from its impact. Regardless of their dynamic appearances, Laganja’s tearful confession about the lip sync revealed it was painful emotionally. The pair didn’t let this hurt them, and have done much more collaborative lip syncs since.
#9: Adore Delano vs. Bianca Del Rio vs. Courtney Act vs. Darienne Lake
“Sissy That Walk!”
Despite hostile opinions at the outset of Season six, Bianca, Courtney, Darienne and Adore came together as respected adversaries in the final four. This positive energy only upped the excitement for their four-way runway performance, since they all wanted to outdo their friends. Courtney repped classy glamor, while Adore gave rock n’ roll attitude. And it was just as fun to see all their styles overlap, before they played off each other’s moves for a moment. It was a testament to their friendship that the result showed everyone’s unique talents while often playing like a group-piece.
#8: A'Keria Chanel Davenport vs. Honey Davenport vs. Ra'Jah O'Hara (with Plastique Tiara, Scarlet Envy, Shuga Cain)
“Diva Worship”
Season 11 unusually cast three members from the Davenport drag family, A’Keria Chanel Davenport, Honey Davenport and Ra’Jah O’Hara. Their sloppy group talk show prompted an unprecedented lip sync with six queens, including the Davenport trio. Ra’Jah cleverly jumped up front with commanding energy and laid out her body for seductive poses. Honey went from standing in place to surprisingly jumping off-stage. A’Keria’s struts and headpiece were dignified by comparison, which helped her stay safe. While it wasn’t as intimate as A’Keria and Ra’Jah’s one-on-one, (xref) this was a rare family free-for-all. It was this level of spectacle along with the rarity of a large group face-off that had us gagging this entire performance.
#7: Alaska vs. Detox (with Katya Zamoldchikova)
“All Stars Supergroup”
Ever since Season five, Roxxxy Andrews, Alaska and Detox have been a gang to fear on “Drag Race.” The friend group carried each other to the finale on All Stars, only to have Roxxxy eliminated before the lip sync. Alaska and Detox powered on against Katya, each offering different flavors of vintage singer energy. Detox leaned into the soul vibes of “If I Was Your Woman,” and looked powerfully upset while singing. Alaska gave a wonderfully chaotic interpretation by falling to the ground and theatrically smudging all of her makeup around. These friends’ emotional and uncompromising dances reminded viewers why they were such a great team.
#6: Brooke Lynn Hytes vs Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
“Queens Everywhere”
Miss Vanjie and Brooke Lynn Hytes were more than just friends on “Drag Race,” they were a full-fledged couple. The power-duo stumbled into the bottom together due to a musical challenge, and were lamenting giving it their all against someone they loved. This said, Vanjie was shedding her skirt in seconds, before excitedly whipping her arms and hair across the stage. Brooke impressed everyone by doing her lip sync en pointe, while still giving great face and sky-high kicks. Both offered power moves like cartwheels, splits and death drops in quick succession, for a constantly stirring lip sync. Both Brooke and Vanjie put so much heart into their performances that we really didn’t want to see Vanjie leave.
#5: Raja vs Carmen Carrera
“Queens in Space”
The Heathers became a strong team of glamorous players in season three, with Raja and Carmen Carrera making up half the group. So it was intriguing to see these two in the bottom two, and dancing to Paula Abdul no less. Raja strutted to the beat fiercely, and hysterically whipped her belt at Carmen. So when Raja offered a sensual striptease for the judges, Carmen left jaws on the floor by going nude. The pair really turned up the heat as they rubbed against each other seductively and left lipstick marks. By playing off each other with such a fun and sultry energy, these Heathers gave one of the sauciest lip syncs in the series.
#4: Alexis Mateo vs Yara Sofia
“Make Dat Money”
Across Season three of “Drag Race,” Alexis Mateo and Yara Sofia forged a bond that would continue on later seasons of the show. Though as the competition closed out, they found themselves facing off for the final three. Yara and Alexis both comically hammed up their performances, which made up for how restricting their outfits were. Yara tragically broke down halfway through a clothing swap, and sadly stopped lip syncing. Given their strong friendship and talents, it was heartbreaking watching Yara go down like this. And guests LaToya Jackson and Mike Ruiz were clearly affected by the weight of the moment. All these conflicting emotions have cemented this as one of the hardest lip syncs to watch, especially with all the tears shed on screen.
#3: Manila Luzon vs. Delta Work
“Ru Ha Ha”
Uneven comedy routines saw Heather members Delta Work and Manila Luzon dancing for their lives. Donna Summer’s cover of “MacArthur Park” gave the pair an electric mix of theatrics and upbeat tempos. The two queens played up the slow, over-the-top intro with goofy attitude and dramatic expressions. Manila’s cross-eyed faces were brilliantly funny, and completely stole the show. While it was a giggle-inducing moment, it was still upsetting to see Manila send her friend home. Plus there was a painful edge to seeing Manila’s makeup smudge as a result. Maybe the Heathers shouldn’t have named themselves after such an ill-fated group of girls
#2: Shea Couleé vs. Sasha Velour
“Grand Finale”
A suggestive talk show segment laid the groundwork for a heartwarming friendship between Sasha Velour and Shea Couleé. After striving so hard all season, their lighthearted rivalry took them all the way to the finale’s monumental lip sync. Shea led with insanely detailed choreography, and sultry lip-licking. Sasha’s creative use of flower petals on every clothing removal was a beautiful surprise. Along with her fun smirks and frowns to the audience, Sasha’s petal-wig combo was the perfect way to climax her lip sync with the song itself. While someone had to win here, Shea and Sasha offered enough loving points and hugs to assure viewers they weren’t letting it get to them.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Alaska vs Roxxxy Andrews (with Jinkx Monsoon)
“The Final Three, Hunty”
The remaining members of Rolaskatox face-off against Season 5 winner Jinx Monsoon.
Raja vs Manila Luzon
“Grand Finale”
Two more Heathers face-off in a final battle.
Kim Chi vs Naomi Smalls vs Bob the Drag Queen (with Chi Chi DeVayne)
“The Realness”
After spending Season 8 getting close to each other, the final four duke it out for a spot in the Finale.
#1: Jujubee vs. Raven
“Dynamic Drag Duos”
After their cheeky chemistry on season two, Raven and Jujubee got to compete as a team on
“All Stars.” Though they made it far, they regretfully had to lip sync to make it into the finals. Team Rujubee were so noticeably shaken that they were sobbing before the music played. Their hugs on-stage and their dance moves together were beautiful ways to acknowledge their friendship without giving up. Every second apart became sadder thanks to their show of love. All their brutal emotions perfectly fit the mood of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own.” Raven and Jujubee moved RuPaul so much that she kept them both, in a lip sync so satisfying that anyone would cheer like Chad Michaels.
