By Bernardo Sim
They all had to lip-sync for their legacy and win a cash tip of $10,000, but which were the best performances in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars?
One of the most essential parts of RuPaul's Drag Race is watching the queens battling it out at the end of each episode. On the All Stars spin-off, the lip sync format has changed a few times, each time raising the stakes even higher.
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On All Stars 1, one of the paired queens had to lip-sync for the duo. Beginning on All Stars 2, the Top 2 contestants of the week had to Lip Sync For Their Legacy. Then, All Stars 5 introduced the twist of having the maxi challenge winner lip-syncing against a Lip Sync Assassins. Let's look back at some of the best lip syncs in the history of the series.
Valentina & Monet X Change - "Into You" (AS4)
Valentina left RuPaul's Drag Race season 9 after attempting to cover her mouth during a lip sync to Ariana Grande's "Greedy," which she did not know the words to. On All Stars 4, Valentina landed in the top and had the change to lip-sync to another Ariana Grande song, "Into You."
Monet X Change put up a good fight, but there was no stopping Valentina's determination to redeem herself in the episode. Overall, this lip sync was strong not only because of the queen's good performances but also due to the stakes attached to Valentina's arc in the Drag Race franchise.
Raven & Jujubee - "Dancing On My Own" (AS1)
The All Stars 1 lip-sync between Raven and Jujubee was technically a downer given that the queens were crying throughout the performance. With that said, their raw, real, and emotional performances still made this a very strong and iconic lip sync.
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The lip-sync in question was to the tune of Robyn's "Dancing On My Own," and it was supposed to determine whether Raven or Jujubee - who are best friends and had competed together throughout All Stars 1 - would make it to the finale. However, they made it impossible for Ru to decide, and both queens moved on to the final episode.
BenDeLaCreme & BeBe Zahara Benet - "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here" (AS3)
There is a lot to unpack when talking about BenDeLaCreme and BeBe Zahara Benet's lip-sync to Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here" on All Stars 3. First, BeBe gave the judges one of the fiercest facial lip sync performances in Drag Race history. Moreover, Ben gave a consistently strong performance that prefaced what would happen next.
After winning that lip sync, BenDeLaCreme revealed a lipstick that had her name written in whiteout, which has become one of the most shocking eliminations of all time. Re-watching the lip-sync knowing what Ben would do certainly adds to the strength that this performance had.
Alaska & Katya - "Cherry Bomb" (AS2)
All Stars 2 was largely dominated by Alaska, but the fans are quick to point that Katya was as strong of a competitor during that season. The strongest Lip Sync For Your Legacy between the two queens was to the tune of Joan Jett & The Blackheart's "Cherry Bomb," when Alaska infamously licked Katya's face.
During the "Cherry Bomb" lip-sync, a punk-rock Katya dropped into a split and played an air guitar with her leg. In turn, Alaska revealed a U.S. flag that was pulled from under her wig.
Naomi Smalls & Monet X Change - "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (AS4)
Before All Stars 4, Monet X Change was already a respected Lip Sync Assassin, but most fans weren't that aware of Naomi Smalls' consistent lip-syncing abilities. When these queens landed in the Top 2 and lip-synced to Judy Garland's "Come Rain Or Come Shine," it was clear that the judges had a hard time taking their eyes off of Naomi, despite the also very strong performance by Monet.
The "Come Rain Or Come Shine" lip-sync proved that Naomi Smalls can deliver fashion, beauty, comedy, and camp and that her time on All Stars 4 was certainly not in vain.
BenDeLaCreme & Aja - "Anaconda" (AS3)
When BenDeLaCreme and Aja landed in the first-ever Top 2 of All-Stars 3 and the lip-sync song was announced to be Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda," the fans were pretty certain that this was right up Aja's alley.
Aja's performance was certainly strong, but what made that lip-sync even more powerful was that BenDeLaCreme - who had struggled with the rapping challenge on Drag Race season 6 - gave a strong and hilarious performance that was somehow even better than her opponent's.
Manila Luzon & Trinity The Tuck - "How Will I Know" (AS4)
Every RuPaul's Drag Race fan knew, as soon as the starry-eyed Manila Luzon leaned against a wall to lip-sync to the intro of Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know," that the queen had already won against Trinity The Tuck.
Still, one must note that Trinity delivered a great lip sync to "How Will I Know," and lost simply due to the fact that Manila channeled something very special during her performance.
Yvie Oddly & India Ferrah (AS5) - "Livin' La Vida Loca"
India Ferrah was the first-ever queen on All Stars 5 to go against a Lip Sync Assassin in order to win the Lip Sync For Your Legacy. During that first episode, Yvie Oddly was the chosen lip-sync opponent, and she gave everyone a great reminder of exactly why she won RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 the previous year.
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Aside from Yvie Oddly's fantastic winning performance during that All Stars 5 lip-sync, one must not erase that India Ferrah brought her A-game to the battle. In fact, India could've won that lip sync against many other opponents - it just wasn't enough to top Yvie's fierce, hilarious, and mind-bending lip-syncing skills.
Naomi Smalls & Gia Gunn - "Adrenaline" (AS4)
The All Stars 4 "LaLaPaRUza" event consisted of each eliminated queen lip-syncing against a contestant who was still on the show for a chance to come back to the competition. The third lip-sync of the night was between Naomi Smalls and Gia Gunn, neither of whom was necessarily regarded as a major Lip Sync Assassin.
To the tune of RuPaul's "Adrenaline," Naomi Smalls and Gia Gunn a lip sync that has entered the history books. Fans are of course quick to remember Naomi's surreal back-bending abilities during that performance, but the entire lip sync was filled with great moments.
Alyssa Edwards & Tatianna - "Shut Up And Drive" (AS2)
One of the few unanimous agreements that exist in the RuPaul's Drag Race fandom is thatAlyssa Edwards and Tatianna's All Stars 2 lip sync to "Shut Up And Drive" is the best lip sync battle in the history of the franchise.
During that episode, Alyssa Edwards and Tatianna had already been eliminated from Drag Race All Stars 2 and were fighting for one spot to come back. However, the queens made it impossible for RuPaul to choose between them, therefore bringing both of them back to the competition.
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