With nine different seasons airing in this past calendar year, 2021 was positively major for the Drag Race franchise. Multiple international editions are up and running, though some have been more successful than others; All Stars made the jump to streaming on Paramount+, joining the various series that stream on WOW Presents Plus; and Season 13 winner Symone has all but conquered the world.
All this content meant a veritable raft of lip sync battles. We saw queens Lip Sync for Your Life, Legacy, Win, Crown and more this year. The result: over 100 lip syncs in 2021. (Thank such twists as the Porkchop lip syncs in Season 13 and the returning queen lip sync gauntlet in All Stars 6 for the big numbers.) This list is our attempt at singling out 10 of the strongest.
But first, some honourable mentions: I decided to limit myself to just one of the Lip Sync Rudemption battles from All Stars 6, which means Jan and Silky Nutmeg Ganache’s fierce “Heartbreaker” fight misses out. I also avoided lip syncs that were more novel than good, which means Dovima Nurmi standing still on “Aute Cuture” on Drag Race España, Ginny Lemon quitting during “You Keep Me Hanging On” in UK Season 2 and Ava Hangar and Enorma Jean’s post-controversy penalty lip sync to “Champion” from Drag Race Italia didn’t qualify. (That also took Kimora Amour’s annoying “Get Down” bird act from Canada’s Drag Race Season 2 out of the running, but that may wind up being the lip sync I think of most from this year.)
And finally, I couldn’t quite bring myself to embrace chaos and include Tina Burner and Utica’s face-off to “My Humps” from Season 13, but I was very tempted.
10. “Don’t Start Now,” Tia Kofi defeats Asttina Mandella, UK Season 2
Asttina Mandella proudly declared herself a dancing queen in the UK Season 2 premiere, and more than demonstrated her prowess during her first and only Lip Sync for Your Life. She moved with both grace and power, most memorably pulling off a spin kick at the start of Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” to literally do “a full 180.” But Asttina went up against Tia Kofi, a campy-yet-sincere queen who brought a whole different kind of energy to the performance. Nervous about potentially going home and having to face off against a friend, Tia gave an emotional, energetic spin to “Don’t Start Now.” At one point, she practically throws herself to the ground, then bounces up to keep lip-syncing. But the best moment of the whole performance comes when Tia and Asttina start to play off each other, dancing together across the stage. Tia shantayed to safety, sending Asttina home in a shock boot after giving us one of the UK series’ best lip syncs ever.
9. “Miss You Much,” Brooke Lynn Hytes ties Ra’Jah O’Hara, All Stars 6
It’s easy to forget just how great this lip sync is owing to how early it came in All Stars 6. After all, there were 17 (!) lip syncs after this one. And thanks to the nature of streaming, Drag Race’s latest All Stars season dropped with two episodes, meaning this one effectively happened during the premiere. But both Lip Sync Assassin Brooke Lynn Hytes and challenge winner Ra’Jah O’Hara brought everything they had to the stage. The delights actually start before the lip sync even begins, as Brooke Lynn greets her sister cheerily, while Ra’Jah takes a beat before slapping on a smile and saying “What’s tea, sis?” Then, as Janet Jackson’s “Miss You Much” plays, the two queens serve stunts, dips and splits galore. Like a lot of lip syncs in Drag Race herstory, the editing is wonky—Brooke Lynn appears to teleport across the stage at one point—but the queens defy the edit through sheer force of dance. Like Ra’Jah mouthing Janet’s words, we’re left asking, “That’s the end?”
8. “La Gata Bajo la Lluvia,” Carmen Farala defeats Killer Queen and Sagittaria, España
España had two separate lip syncs in which queens either effectively (Dovima) or literally (Inti) quit. That’s a high number for a season that only had eight lip syncs! But it was one queen who never had to lip sync until she hit the finale that gave us the most impressive moment of the Spanish series’ debut instalment. Carmen Farala faced off against Killer Queen and Sagittaria for the crown in a ballad battle for the ages. She fully embodied the emotion of the Rocío Dúrcal song “La Gata Bajo la Lluvia,” and pulled off one of the most interesting late-era Drag Race wig reveals, whipping off her runway hair for a wet look befitting the dramatics of the song. This performance sealed Carmen’s dominant run on Drag Race España, and earned her the series’ first-ever crown.
7. “Memory,” Tayce defeats Cherry Valentine, UK Season 2
Divisive at the time, Tayce and Cherry Valentine’s battle to “Memory” from Cats has become more appreciated in the near-year since it first aired. Ballads are always a gamble when it comes to lip syncs, since they can be too slow for an action-packed edit. Tayce wisely played into this instead of avoiding it, moving only slightly for most of the song. She drew attention to her (immaculately painted) face, with some of the best pure emotional interpretation of a song we’ve ever seen. Cherry, try as she might, just can’t command attention the way Tayce can. And then, in the big climactic note, Tayce throws her arms open, as if to embrace Elaine Paige’s belt wholly. As the song ends, Cherry can’t help but look back at Tayce as she saunters to the back of the stage. It’s a gorgeous performance, transfixing and haunting in equal measure, and it cemented Tayce as a major contender.
6. “Phone,” Ginger Minj defeats Mayhem Miller, All Stars 6
You can’t beat Ginger Minj as a performer when it comes to sheer camp value. She approaches lip syncs not from the perspective of what would be sexiest or what stunt would be the biggest gag—she goes for the funny, pulling faces and mocking fancier dance moves. But for her to be at her best, she requires someone who’s really going to give her a run for her money. Enter Mayhem Miller, who brings intensity and focus to her performance of Lizzo’s “Phone.” She vogues, dances and even does her signature eye move. Ginger greets this by, yes, camping it up, but also by being a responsive lip sync partner. When Mayhem does a move, Ginger responds by playing up her much less robust skill. And then at song’s end, when Ginger is chasing Mayhem around the stage looking for her phone, the script flips: Mayhem goes for the funny, using her own heel as a “phone” and looking stunned when the song tells her, “You’re holding it.” Ginger may have won, but both of these queens should be proud of what a fun, back-and-forth lip sync this was.
5. “Absolutely Everybody,” Maxi Shield defeats Etcetera Etcetera, Down Under
Is this technically the best lip sync on this list? It is not. Is it the one that brings me the most joy to watch over and over again? You betcha. “Absolutely Everybody” is a blast in a glass, the kind of lip sync that can’t help but make you smile. It’s also the absolute highest high that Drag Race Down Under ever hit, a moment that makes you want to say, “Okay, let’s stop the season here and just crown Maxi Shield the winner!” Maxi is absolutely (everybody) perfect in this song, really leaning into authenticity and illusion. The microphone is a fun gag, but it’s her precision with it that makes it work so well: every breath, every riff, every little enunciation—Maxi catches them all. And while Etcetera Etcetera is doing something very different, it’s not bad! She’s high-energy and gives the kind of lip sync that has won many a time on Drag Race—she just had the misfortune of going up against a truly legendary performer.
4. “Scandalous,” Vanity Milan defeats Scarlett Harlett, UK Season 3
This performance drew comparisons to Dida Ritz’s all-time great “This Will Be” lip sync when it aired, and for good reason. Like when Dida lip-synced in front of the late Natalie Cole, Vanity Milan performed in front of not just the voice behind Mis-Teeq’s “Scandalous,” Alesha Dixon, she also had the benefit of Alesha’s active participation. Not that Vanity needed it: she absolutely tore up “Scandalous,” leaving Scarlett Harlett with no choice but to give it up for Vanity at performance’s end. The way Vanity fully spins across the stage like a hurricane is mesmerizing; she gives this performance everything she’s got, and she proved why she more than earned her spot in the final four of UK’s third season.
3. “Barbie Girl,” Silky Nutmeg Ganache’s solo lip sync, All Stars 6
If there’s any lip sync we’ll look back on this year as being the most revolutionary, I think it’ll be Silky’s one-woman show to “Barbie Girl.” She wasn’t the only queen this year to wind up lip-syncing on her own: thanks to Ginny Lemon and Inti’s refusals to lip sync on UK Season 2 and España, respectively, Sister Sister and Dovima had already accomplished the feat. However, those two wound up lip-syncing alone because of others’ choices—Silky opted to perform despite passing to the next round after A’keria C. Davenport declined to lip sync for Rudemption. Ru seemed genuinely surprised that Silky wanted to perform, and impressed by her dedication. Once the lip sync began, though, it was clear why Silky wanted to do it: she had prepared. She came in a half-female, half-male drag look so that she could sing both parts of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” turning left and right to match the voices. This only became increasingly audacious as the song went on, with Silky even rolling on the floor while still switching characters. It was an absurd, joyous performance, and the peak of Silky’s jaw-dropping Rudemption arc. “Oh, I’m having so much fun!” she lip-synced, and we couldn’t help but agree.
2. “100% Pure Love,” Denali defeats Kahmora Hall, Season 13
Like Vanity, Denali didn’t so much beat her Chicago sister Kahmora Hall in this lip sync battle as she utterly vaporized her. Kahmora was wearing a gorgeous, but restrictive, gown for her performance of Crystal Waters’ “100% Pure Love” and didn’t have the mobility to keep up with Denali. The ice-skating queen used this to her full advantage, moving constantly. She danced, she duck-walked, she stomped and she mimed being a clock—she didn’t let a single moment of the song go by without doing something. She also infused her performance with nerve, including a point at the girls at the back of the stage and a throat-cutting mime that had the dolls shook. The lip sync went viral even outside of Drag Race circles, and it’s easy to see why: pound for pound, it’s one of the most dominant, attention-keeping performances of 2021.
1. “Physical,” Laganja Estranja defeats Trinity K. Bonet, All Stars 6
“Oh, y’all wanted a twist, eh?” Laganja Estranja’s first proper reemergence on Drag Race since her season seven years prior was announced in much the same way her first appearance was: with a catchphrase and a stunt. The queen of cannabis dropped from off-camera into a split. “C’mon, All Stars 6, let’s get sickening, okurrr?” The reprise of the most iconic workroom entrance ever set the tone for Laganja’s triumphant return, and left her former Season 6 sister Trinity K. Bonet worried. (“That first stunt don’t count,” she deadpanned.) She had reason to be afraid: Laganja brought every goop and gag she had in her bag to Dua Lipa’s “Physical.” There were costume reveals, including one that smacked poor Silky in the face. There were splits and dips. There was, at one point, a fluid move that saw Laganja drop to the ground, then flip over and lift herself up in a feat of sheer strength.
What makes this the best lip sync of the year, though, is that unlike blowouts like “Scandalous” and “100% Pure Love,” Trinity more than puts up a great fight. Other than a mishap with her fan not immediately whipping out, she is aces throughout the performance. She dances up a storm, crawls sideways across the stage, and in one incredibly memorable moment, walks so intensely that Eureka! has no choice but to yell, “You better walk, Trinity!” Yet despite Trinity’s best efforts, there’s no denying Laganja’s victory—that is how great Laganja is. “Physical” is the best lip sync of the year, and the one that I think will be remembered in the pantheon of all-time legendary performances. It brought Laganja back to Drag Race and proved that, even for someone not on All Stars, Rudemption is so, so sweet.
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