RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6 has been the season of the lip-sync. Following in the footsteps of last year’s twist, the format requires the top contestant of the week to compete in an epic smackdown against a former lip-sync assassin for a hefty cash prize and the power to eliminate one of the bottom queens. So far, each showdown has been tremendous. Like season five winner Shea Couleé, the queens of All Stars 6 not come to play, they came to slay, snatch some coins and cement their status as one of Drag Race’s ultimate entertain(t)ers. It’s been a difficult task, but we’ve ranked each of the battles of the season (so far) from worst (although there’s no “worst” in this situation) to best. Without further ado…
7. Trinity K. Bonet vs Alexis Mateo – Dance Again (Womanizer)
On paper, a lip-sync between Trinity K. Bonet and Alexis Mateo – both of whom are the textbook definition of ‘lip-sync assassin’ – to an upbeat Jennifer Lopez anthem had so much potential. But we all know what went wrong here, don’t we? It was seconds long and Trinity’s mane decided to sashay away halfway through the performance – as we know by now, a wig should never be removed unless there’s another wig underneath! Fun fact: in every lip-sync that Alexis has won, her opponent has lost their wig. WHAT A TALENT!
6. Jan vs Jessica Wild – Womanizer (Britney Spears)
Don’t get it twisted, this is a fantastic lip-sync. Like we said above, all of the showdowns on All Stars 6 have been stellar. Jessica Wild paying homage to her season two Cock-a-doodle-do (with Disco Extra Greasy Shortening) alter-ego was a highlight of the series so far, and with this performance, she usurped Read U Wrote U singer Roxxxy Andrews as the Queen of Hairography (sorry Roxxxy!). Jan’s performance was… different, with the Lea Michele of drag serving robot on steroids. It was fun, but it didn’t really fit the fierce vibe of the Britney classic. Jessica’s win didn’t come as much of a surprise.
5. Yara Sofia vs Coco Montrese – Uptown Funk (Bruno Mars)
Following her win in the Variety Extravaganza, Yara Sofia tried to best season five legend, icon and famed lip-sync assassin Coco Montrese to the beat of Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk as she catapulted her fake tiddies around the main stage. Although she continued to bring in the laughs, she was unable to conquer over Coco, whose slick moves were gorgeously complimented by her tinsel-inspired dress and headpiece – which was white gold, we should add, to match the opening lyric of the chart-topping track. The reason we’re ranking it so low is because it didn’t gag us as hard as the others. We blame the hetero song choice.
4. Kylie Sonique Love vs Manila Luzon – Dirrty (Christina Aguilera)
After years of demand, the producers got viewers rowdy and unruly with Dirrty lip-sync. It did not disappoint, as Kylie Sonique Love embraced her inner Cirque de Soleil for a gag-worthy display of acrobatics. She also gave us full-on, assless-chapped Xtina-energy circa 2002 and life was provided. The gif of Kylie’s backflip into the split lives in our minds – say it with us now – RENT FEEE. While Manila has proven her status as one of the greatest Drag Race lip-syncers ever – her MacArthur Park and How Will I Know showdowns were killer – the pop hit just wasn’t in her wheelhouse. She knew it, too. Honestly, imagine if Laganja was saved for this particular lip-sync? Kylie vs Laganja: Battle of the Stunts? In the words of the latter, “TOO FUCKING MUCH!”
3. Ginger Minj vs Mayhem Miller – Phone (Lizzo)
The team behind Drag Race’s lip-sync song choices often receive a lot of flack – remember when they recruited KENNEDY DAVENPORT, the dancing diva of Texas, to lip-sync to a REBA MCENTIRE song?! – but… they deserve some props for this one. Although Ginger Minj and Mayhem Miller look like total opposites on paper, Lizzo’s most underrated erratic anthem suited them both to a T. The latter’s signature googly eyes made a comeback as she maniacally vogued the house down, while Ginger gave us full-blown SNL comedy skit that played up to the ridiculousness of the track’s lyrics. It could’ve been a double shantay, honestly. More of this, please!
2. Ra’Jah O’Hara vs Brooke Lynn Hytes – Miss You Much (Janet Jackson)
It was shady as hell to not have Coco Montrese, notable Janet Jackson impersonator, lip-sync this particular week. It’s fine though, because season 11 sisters Brooke Lynn Hytes and Ra’Jah O’Hara blessed viewers with a showdown for the mothertucking ages as they battled against each other to the pop icon’s 80s favourite, Miss You Much. The Canada’s Drag Race judge fully utilised her skillset, deploying the same gag-worthy deathdrops and shablams we saw in her iconic smackdown with Yvie Oddly to Sorry Not Sorry. It takes a special kind of queen to match Brooke’s energy, but Ra’Jah did so effortlessly as she administered a variety of kicks and flips. A well deserved double shantay, but it was edged out by one particular smackdown…
1. Trinity K. Bonet vs Laganja Estranja – Physical (Dua Lipa)
Laganja Estranja’s entrance is worth the top spot alone. Give it an Emmy. Fuck it, give it the EGOT. On 1 July 2021, the season six legend made an instantly iconic comeback to the franchise when she ruvealed her lip-sync assassin gig by jumping into the splits on the main stage, catchphrase in hand. Trinity K. Bonet, who is – in this writer’s opinion – one of the most unbelievable lip-syncers Drag Race has ever seen, was shaking in her goddamn boots, which says it all. To the beat of Dua Lipa’s dance-pop anthem Physical, the two powerhouse performers lit up the stage with costume reveals, backbends, splits, kicks, flips and other tricks we can’t even name because is there even a name for them?! Although the queers weren’t engaging in fisticuffs or flopping out their dicks in Leicester Square, it was basically our equivalent of the EuroCup. In the words of Gottmik, it was “GAGATRONDA!” (Did we use that correctly?)
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