10 Drag Race Lip Syncs That Should Have Been Double Sashays
#10: Lana Ja’Rae vs. Hormona Lisa
“Let’s Get Sea Sickening Ball”
The song choice didn’t do the bottom queens any favors here. Of all the Olivia Rodrigo tracks they could’ve chosen, “Get Him Back!” was a real head-scratcher. It had us asking the age-old “Drag Race” question: Is it a bad Lip Sync for Your Life song or did the queens just fail to perform? Neither Hormona’s super literal interpretation nor Lana’s sensual take seemed to fit. The cutaways to RuPaul seemed to suggest she was about to send both of them home. Lana won, but it really feels like outside of one impressive stunt, she might have been sent packing herself.
#9: Delta Work vs. Phoenix
“Queens in Space”
Do you want to see her go off? Because we think you wanted to see her go off. Delta Work is a fabulous queen, but we wouldn’t say Lady Gaga is the best fit for her lip sync style. To say she does better than Phoenix is certainly true, but it doesn’t make up for a pretty lackluster showing on both sides. It’s boring and probably deserved to make herstory as the first double sashay. And when the song is “Bad Romance,” that’s kind of unforgivable. At the same time, Delta probably shouldn’t have been in the bottom in the first place.
#8: Willam vs. Jiggly Caliente
“Dragazines”
These season 4 queens are beloved for very different reasons. Unfortunately, this lip sync doesn’t feature either at their best. According to Willam, the song was changed at the last minute to coincide with guest judge Pam Tillis’ appearance. That may account for the lackluster performance. “Mi Vida Loca” is a perfect storm of bad song choice, bad dancing, and bad timing. By episode 7, it was Jiggly Caliente’s time to go. There was little she could do to change that. But both queens are lacking energy and commitment. Luckily, Willam did stay and go on to have one of the show’s iconic exits.
#7: Loosey LaDuca vs. Salina EsTitties
“Wigloose: The Rusical!”
We used to think Kate Bush deserved more love from whoever’s in charge of securing the rights to lip sync songs. After watching how “Running Up That Hill” was treated on season 15, maybe there was a reason. Loosey LaDuca and Salina EsTitties certainly had different approaches to the song. Loosey went for a traditional and fairly boring approach. Salina decided to perform a one-act pantomime play about a crab dramatically shedding its claws. Was it entertaining? Yes, but at what cost? In the end, neither one did the song justice.
#6: Pearl vs. Miss Fame
“Divine Inspiration”
Something tells us this week’s bottom two took “Really Don’t Care” a little too seriously. Live performance didn’t seem to be where either Miss Fame or Pearl came alive. Fame just looks unsure. Unsure of her lyrics, her body, her place in the competition. Ultimately, she was the next to go. However, Pearl’s stiff, jittery style is only marginally better than her opponent. She brings something distinctive, but it doesn’t seem to serve the song in any meaningful way. Pearl’s lip syncing was already controversial after she sent burgeoning fan favorite Trixie Mattel home weeks before. It’s only made worse by the fact that Demi Lovato is literally sitting there.
#5: Dahlia Sin vs. Nicky Doll
“World’s Worst”
The official “Drag Race” YouTube account hasn’t even posted this one. That should tell you something. One thing is for sure. You can’t say Dahlia Sin and Nicky Doll didn’t look gorgeous. While performing “Problem” by Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea, they spend most of their time posing and relying on being pretty, but not living the song. Despite a couple moments when it looked like things were about to kick off, the whole thing stays pretty boring. Why give us something when you can give us nothing? If RuPaul sent Nicky Doll home right behind Dahlia, it would’ve been understandable.
#4: Jaymes Mansfield vs. Kimora Blac
“She Done Already Done Brought It On”
This lip sync came off the back of one of the most ill-conceived, potentially dangerous maxi challenges in the “Drag Race” herstory, so maybe Jaymes and Kimora were still shellshocked. “Love Shack” is one of the funnest party songs ever recorded. There’s no reason it should feel this lifeless. Given Jaymes’ ditzy persona, the B-52s should be squarely in her wheelhouse. She goes home, but Kimora doesn’t fare much better. The person giving the best lip sync here is Fred Schneider himself, and he’s sitting on the judging panel. Here’s hoping “Love Shack” gets the Lip Sync for Your Life it deserves someday.
#3: Laila McQueen vs. Naysha Lopez
“Keeping It 100!”
Laila McQueen would join the annals of herstory when she and Dax ExclamationPoint were eliminated in the show’s second ever double sashay. Unfortunately, her first lip sync of season 8 could have also earned that distinction. She and Naysha Lopez turned in a bizarre and disjointed performance to Lady Gaga’s “Applause.” Naysha is a little too peppy and pageant-like to really connect with the darker vibes. Laila certainly goes for sexy and sultry, but misses the mark when it comes to the energy. It’s not consistent. A double sashay certainly would’ve started season 8 with a bang.
#2: Serena ChaCha vs. Penny Tration
“RuPaullywood or Bust”
There may be a “Party in the U.S.A.” but what happened on the mainstage was anything but festive. First-out queen Penny Tration faces the back of the stage, presumably because she doesn’t know her words. Her dance makes her look more like a boozy mom who stumbled on stage than a seasoned entertainer. Serena ChaCha wins by default, but should she have? While she has more fun with the song and seems to know her lyrics, it reads as sloppy and gimmicky. We’re grateful Ru kept her around for the drama, but in terms of performance, it’s a chop.
#1: Silky Nutmeg Ganache vs. Nina West
“Bring Back My Queens!”
After landing in the bottom for the makeup challenge, these two season 11 queens got one of RuPaul’s most harsh critiques. After pouring their hearts out on stage for the host, she could only manage a simple yet devastating word of discouragement: “Meh.” That’s the most painful thing about it. Nina West and Silky Nutmeg Ganache are really trying to make this “No Scrubs” lip sync work. But there’s something sweaty and desperate and clumsy about the whole thing that makes it that much more uncomfortable. It was actually shocking when RuPaul only sent Nina home.
What lip sync do you think should have been a double sashay? Tell us in the comments.
