Gag-worthy eliminations a-plenty!
Certain queens had to sashay away from RuPaul’s Drag Race after lip syncing for their lives for the very first time. Some of these eliminations were very shocking due to a series of factors, such as how well these queens had been doing in the competition, or the edit they had been given on the show up to that point.
One important note to make is that this list does not consider whether a queen did better or worse in the lip sync that got her eliminated. This list is also not declaring that these queens were necessarily “robbed” of their spot on the show. Most of these eliminations were justified when it came down to a lip sync for your life as the determining factor. Moreover, this list includes queens who had shocking eliminations due to the season-long track records and storylines that were set up for them — making us believe that they’d get farther in the competition or even make it to the grand finale.
Fans will always have their opinions about Drag Race placements, but the final decision is always RuPaul’s to make. From strong contenders faltering in a lip sync to fan-favorite queens not breaking through with the judges, the show certainly gagged viewers with the eliminations that we’re about to list.
Scroll through to check some of the most memorable queens who were unexpectedly sent home after lip syncing just once on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Pandora Boxx (Season 2)
Pandora Boxx was a fan-favorite all season long and changed the way that many viewers — and even the judges — appreciated comedy queens in the series. However, Pandora was sent home during her first time in the bottom two, which took place in episode 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2. She performed against the show’s first-ever informal lip sync assassin, Jujubee, to the tune of “Shake Your Love” by Debbie Gibson.
Mariah Paris Balenciaga (Season 3)
Mariah Paris Balenciaga was an extremely polished queen who, for some reason, the Drag Race judges were just not impressed by. She went home in episode 6, and it was a real shock not only to her but also to the rest of the season 3 cast. Mariah lost the lip sync to “Looking for a New Love” by Jody Watley against Delta Work.
Lineysha Sparx (Season 5)
The elimination of Lineysha Sparx during Drag Race season 6 was truly shocking. She had a very strong track record at the beginning of the competition (including a maxi challenge win). Thus, sending her home in episode 5 was very unexpected, to say the least! Alas, Lineysha lost the lip sync to Cher’s “Take Me Home” against Detox.
Ivy Winters (Season 5)
Another gag-worthy elimination on Drag Race season 5 was Ivy Winters. She did great all season long, won a maxi challenge, and fell into the bottom two for the very first time in episode 8. And yet, Ivy went up against Alyssa Edwards in a lip sync for their lives to “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On but the Rent” by Gwen Guthrie — which was won by Alyssa.
Max (Season 7)
14 seasons later (and even a bunch of All Stars seasons), Max's elimination is still considered one of the most shocking in Drag Race herstory. Max won two maxi challenges throughout season 7 and was getting a “finalist”-esque edit on the show... and then she fell into the bottom two for the first time in episode 7 and was promptly eliminated. Specifically, this queen lip synced against Jaidynn Diore Fierce to “No More Lies” by Michel’le.
Valentina (Season 9)
The judges absolutely saw Valentina as one of the frontrunners of Drag Race season nine, but they didn't count on the fact that she wouldn't know the words to "Greedy" by Ariana Grande upon landing in the bottom two for the first time. Despite winning a maxi challenge and landing in the top several weeks, Valentina was sent home in episode nine after losing the lip sync to Nina Bo'nina Brown.
Mo Heart f.k.a. Monique Heart (Season 10)
Mo Heart (formerly known as Monique Heart) was an incredibly hardworking queen on Drag Race season 10 who also gave the show a lot of fantastic confessionals. Even though Mo struggled to keep up with the overall fashion level of that season, many viewers assumed that she would get much further in the competition. Unfortunately, the heart of season 10 fell into the bottom two in episode 7 and was sent home after having issues with her wig during a lip sync to “Cut to the Feeling” by Carly Rae Jepsen.
Miz Cracker (Season 10)
Miz Cracker is another queen who had a very hard time breaking through with the judges, but she finally won her first maxi challenge in the 10th episode of Drag Race season 10. Considering that Cracker had landed in the top basically all season long, fans assumed that this maxi win would take her to the grand finale. Nope! Instead, she landed in the bottom two in episode 11 and lost the lip sync to Vanity 6’s “Nasty Girl” against Kameron Michaels.
Nina West (Season 11)
Beloved by the queens, the judges, and the fans, Nina West had a solid run in season 11 of Drag Race despite not living up to certain fashion standards. In fact, Nina made it to the top 6 having won two maxi challenges and never landing in the bottom. Still, she did have to lip sync for her life in episode 11 against Silky Nutmeg Ganache to “No Scrubs” by TLC. Both queens did poorly in the lip sync — prompting Mama Ru to utter her iconic “meh” — but Nina was told to sashay away. Truth be told, it would’ve been shocking for either Silky or Nina to be sent home at that point… but it ended up being Nina’s time, this time.
Jan (Season 12)
A lot of fans were passionate about rooting for Jan on Drag Race season 12, and for good reason! She came off as being extremely talented, trying really hard to impress the judges, and also oozed charisma both in and out of drag. Nonetheless, Jan landed in the bottom two for the first time in episode 8 and had to lip sync against Widow Von’Du, who was considered even more of a frontrunner in the competition at that point. Jan ultimately lost that lip sync to ”This Is My Night” by Chaka Khan, and it sent shockwaves within the fandom.
Tina Burner (Season 13)
Were Drag Race fans feeling a little burned-out (pun intended) about Tina Burner’s insistence on the red-and-yellow color scheme? Yes. But was this legendary New York City queen considered a big threat who would probably make it even closer to the grand finale of season 13? Absolutely! So imagine everyone’s shock when Tina landed in the bottom two for the first time in episode 11 against Utica Queen, performed to “My Humps” by Black Eyed Peas, and was immediately asked to turn-it-and-burn-it away from the competition.
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx (Season 15)
As the first-ever queen representing Miami, FL to compete on Drag Race, Malaysia Babydoll Foxx had a fantastic showing in season 15. Specifically, Malaysia was deemed “safe” for 9 consecutive episodes, but landed in the bottom for the first time in episode 10 and lost the “That’s What I Want” by Lil Nas X lip sync to Salina EsTitties.
Marcia Marcia Marcia (Season 15)
Marcia Marcia Marcia got repeatedly critiqued by the judges for “not wearing enough make-up” as other drag queens in the competition. With that said, Marcia never really failed spectacularly in the challenges enough to land herself in the bottom two. When she finally did, in episode 11 of Drag Race season 15, Marcia had gotten a “safe” placement for 10 consecutive competitive episodes — a record for the series. As lucky would have it, Marcia had to lip sync against the performance beast that is Anetra to Doja Cat’s “Boss B*tch.” Both queens murdered that lip sync, but Marcia was ultimately told to sashay away.
Amanda Tori Meating (Season 16)
Despite not having any maxi challenge wins under her belt, Amanda Tori Meating very much got the edit of a main character of Drag Race season 16. Her feud with Plane Jane was the core storyline for the first five episodes of the season, and we absolutely expected Amanda to get very far in the competition. When she landed in the bottom two against Q in episode 5, we did feel like Q had a much better track record up until that point, but Amanda’s overall presence in the series seemed like things were going to sway in her favor. Needless to say, Amanda’s elimination after landing in the bottom two for the first time — and serving up a good lip sync to Icona Pop’s “Emergency” was a huge gag for the fans.
Plasma (Season 16)
Another shocking elimination from Drag Race season 16 was Plasma, who lost the lip sync to Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary (Wednesday Dance TikTok Version)” to Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige. The reason why this was so shocking is that Plasma had won two maxi challenges by this point, and this was Mhi’ya’s third time in the bottom. While it was pretty clear that Mhi’ya did outperform Plasma in this lip sync, fans were still rather shocked to see this theater queen go home.