RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 LaLaPaRuZa Lip Sync Battles Ranked
Viewers were treated to a lip sync LaLaPaRuZa smackdown on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14, and while some of the queens turned it out, certain lip sync battles were more compelling than others. After being disappointed by the Drag Race queens in the Snatch Game, RuPaul challenged the queens to step up their game - and the queens delivered!
The previous week’s challenge was the Snatch Game, where the queens had to serve up their best celebrity impersonations. Alas, most of their performances were less than impressive. Only DeJa Skye managed to make the judges laugh with her excellent Lil Jon impersonation, and Ru informed the rest of the queens that they were all on the chopping block. Instead of having the bottom two queens lip sync for their lives, every queen, besides DeJa Skye, would be competing in a series of epic lip sync battles to prove that they deserve to remain in the competition.
When it came time to the Drag Race lip sync smackdown, the lip sync pairings were in the hands of the drag gods, and the first queen of every pairing was chosen at random, who then got to pick her opponent. However, their opponent was able to select which song they would both be lip syncing to. The queens squared off against each other until the only two left were Jasmine Kennedy and Bosco. Both queens turned it out, but ultimately it was Bosco’s performance that Ru preferred, and Jasmine was sent home. With that said, it wasn’t for lack of trying, because Jasmine and the rest of the queens definitely redeemed themselves.
The first lip sync of the night - a matchup between rivals Jasmine Kennedy and Daya Betty - was probably the least compelling performance of the episode. Daya was initially shaking in her boots when Jasmine called her out as her opponent because Jasmine is known for her exceptional dance moves. But Daya felt more empowered when she got to pick the song. She chose “Respect” by Aretha Franklin to give herself more of an edge. Though Jasmine pulled out her best death drops, flips, and splits, Daya embodied the attitude of the song better, and ultimately won the lip sync. Jasmine felt sheepish for not being able to deliver, while Daya felt like she had “just slayed a giant.”
After the first two lip syncs, there were three queens who had not yet performed, so RuPaul challenged them to a three-way lip sync. There were no choosing opponents, but Jorgeous was the lucky queen who got to pick the song. The safe queens observing from the werkroom were sure that Jorgeous would play to her strengths and go with the Jeniffer Lopez track, but Jorgeous bucked expectation and went with Beyoncé's "Radio". Jorgeous has been one of the top lip sync assassins in season 14, and the other two queens were rightfully nervous. Angeria held her own, whereas Lady Camden kind of faded to the back. It was no surprise that Jorgeous slayed the other two queens, but three-way lip syncs are more cluttered, so Jorgeous didn’t get as much opportunity to shine with two other queens on the stage.
Toward the end of the episode, Jasmine and Angeria were paired up by default, and both were extremely anxious because the two queens had grown very close in the competition and didn’t want to lip sync against each other. Drama and stakes were high as the queens readied themselves to give their best performance to the Jennifer Lopez track that was also chosen for them by default. Jasmine was spinning, kicking, and flipping her hair, giving the lip sync everything she had. Overall, Angeria had a stronger presence and commanded the stage. The queens in the werkroom were torn, and they could see either one being the winner. However, Ru enjoyed Angeria’s performance more and Jasmine was placed back in rotation for her third lip sync.
As the first queen selected for a matchup, Willow Pill had the opportunity to pick her opponent, which wasn’t what she was hoping for. Willow wanted to choose the song, so she picked the queen who she thought would pick the song she wanted: Bosco. Bosco did exactly what Willow was hoping she’d do and chose "Never Too Much" by Luther Vandross. Both queens were excited to lip sync the song and did an amazing job. Bosco commented that it was “not a lip sync that requires the bells and the whistles,” but rather one that takes emotion and attitude. Willow gave a soft and sultry performance while Bosco was all legs and strutted around the stage. Even though both did well, it was ultimately Willow who was “safe to slay another day.”
The lip sync between Bosco and Jasmine was the last of the episode, and it was definitely one of the most memorable. There was a lot of pressure on the final two queens, and Ru commented that it would hurt no matter which contestant went home. Bosco said, “There’s no time to be scared, only time to be fierce,” so she and Jasmine gave it their all. Jasmine tried to switch up her performance with some campy dance moves, while Bosco was serving body and sensuality. It was obvious how badly both queens wanted to win, and their castmates in the werkroom were impressed. But it was Bosco who really blew away the judges, and she stayed in the competition while Jasmine got sent home.
The best lip sync of the episode was surprisingly not one that included death drops or high-energy moves. Lady Camden chose Bosco as her lip sync opponent, and Bosco was intimidated by Camden, so she picked a song that didn’t lend itself to heavy dance skills. Camden was concerned about performing such a soulful song and Bosco was feeling the fatigue, but both were ready to go. Camden easily commanded the stage with her smooth and sultry performance and Willow commented her dance moves were “flowing like butter.” Bosco put on a great show as well, but Camden was the deserved winner of that round.
These weren’t some of the best lip syncs in RuPaul’s Drag Race herstory. However, the queens fought hard and impressed both the judges and viewers. The Snatch Game may have been a disaster in season 14, but the lip sync LaLaPaRuZa brought the house down.