Drag Race season 14 lip sync

Ok, so just how important is the Drag Race lip sync to deciding whether a queen stays?

Is it more about performance during the number, or more about performance during the competition?


RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 is a continued delight. This week, even the usual annoyance of an acting challenge still managed to be an absolute romp – thanks to a good idea (the queens made a supertease trailer for their own season) and a cast that just keep delivering on the drama front, the likability and of COURSE, the drag. But there’s one thing this week that felt off – and that’s that when it came down to the lip sync, the jury was definitely out on if, based on the lip sync ALONE, the right queen went home. Here’s a deep dive into what we think Ru takes into account when deciding what queen is sashaying away, and if the right queen went home during the last lip sync of Drag Race season 14.

Kerri VS Alyssa

This week, the bottom two queens were Kerri Colby and Alyssa Hunter. The bottom placing of these two queens was not something to be particularly outraged about – even if personally you didn’t feel like they did as bad as some other queens in the acting challenge, it’s fair to say they were outshone and in the lower performing end of queens this week. But at the same time, it felt like a bottom two where no one, neither fans nor the judges, wanted these queens to go home. Both Kerri and Alyssa had showcased a level of polish and high drag that slayed the runway and both were coming across really likeable. So, when the lip sync began, it kind of was anyone’s game.

Except it wasn’t. From my perspective and from what I watched, performance wise Alyssa Hunter was clearly outdoing Kerri. No shade to Kerri, who was doing a good job. But Alyssa had that song on lock, the choreo was correct and she was high energy. Kerri was wearing the actual Versace Jennifer Lopez dress, and shared that she was nervous about performing all out in it in case she damaged it. What resulted is something that looked like Alyssa was going for it like her life depended on it, and Kerri was holding back. Kind of understandably… I would not like to face the wrath of Versace either.

Is it all in the edit?

In the above fan edit, you can see how production can make a viewer feel differently about a result. The show made a moment of Alyssa’s prop gun not working, but did it really impact her lip sync? The edit can be everything, and if I was Alyssa I’d be sad knowing a performance I did my absolute best in meant I couldn’t stay.

So how does Ru choose?

Personal choice, it looks like. Perhaps who she thinks is going to go further in the competition in the long run. Kerri Colby won fans over straight away in a way Alyssa hasn’t necessarily done – but I didn’t want to see either of these queens go home. They had a lot more to give. Kerri staying I was happy about, because I think she’s a queen that does excite me more overall. But Alyssa’s level of pageantry polish was so impeccable on the runway – she had the best look of all in the ball, with her 80s leopard chic – and seeing her go on a week where she didn’t bomb was a shame.

Does the lip sync matter, then? Of course. I think if Alyssa’s gun had worked perfectly it would have been a great deal harder to justify her sashaying away. But at the end of the day, this is RuPaul’s Drag Race. It’s RuPaul’s decision. You can do the best performance on earth in the eyes of fans, but there’s only one person you need to win over if you want to stay.

Catch up on the lip sync and the rest of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 on Wow Presents Plus. For all the latest Drag Race memes and Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

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