When a viewer asks a RuPaul’s Drag Race fan what season they should watch first to see what the show is all about, many people tell them Season 5. The season was full of heavy hitters that are all now RPDR icons. I mean, half of the All-Stars 2 cast was made up of queens from Season 5, and that’s arguably the most beloved season of Drag Raceever.
One of the key parts of the formatting of RPDR has to be the end-of-episode lip syncs. Everyone loves a good lip sync performance, and it can propel a queen’s career, allowing them to be named “lip sync assassins.” There were some pretty iconic lip syncs during Season 5, but there were also some pretty unmemorable ones. Let’s take a look at every lip sync from RPDR Season 5, ranked.
11 Honey Mahogany Vs. Vivienne Pinay: “Oops… I Did It Again” Episode 4
You might remember this lip sync, and not for the right seasons. Honey Mahogany vs. Vivienne Pinay will go down forever in Drag Race herstory as the first lip sync where both queens were eliminated. That’s right: Both Honey and Vivienne were asked to sashay away after a lackluster performance to the princess of pop’s renowned hit, “Oops… I Did It Again.”
10 Penny Tration Vs. Serena ChaCha: “Party in the U.S.A.” Episode 1
If you’re struggling to remember this performance, that’s okay: It was the first lip sync of Season 5. After falling into the bottom two during a design challenge, Penny Tration and Serena ChaCha battled it out to one of Miley Cyrus’ hit songs, “Party in the U.S.A.” The lip sync itself wasn’t very memorable, but we’ll tell you what was… Serena’s look.
9 Monica Beverly Hillz Vs. Serena ChaCha: “Only Girl (In The World) Episode 2
“Only Girl (In The World)” was such an iconic song to pick for a lip sync on RPDR. We would love to see this song make a comeback on another future season, because while both girls did pretty good, it wasn’t a jaw dropping lip sync that fans still talk about to this day.
Related: Rupaul's Drag Race: Queens Who Never Had To Lip Sync On Their Season
8 Monica Beverly Hillz Vs. Coco Montrese: “When I Grow Up” Episode 3
Seriously, Season 5 might have one of the best groups of lip sync songs we’ve ever seen in a season. This lip sync between Monica Beverly Hillz and Coco Montrese was insanely entertaining. It was the first time that we were able to see Ms. Coco show everyone just why she is a certified lip sync assassin. Monica put up a good fight, but there was no way that Coco wasn’t losing this one.
7 Detox Vs. Lineysha Sparx: “Take Me Home” Episode 5
Both queens turned this lip sync, but we’re pretty sure there’s one queen that stood out among the pack during this performance of Cher’s “Take Me Home.” Detox served up her signature jaw-shaking (literally) moves throughout the duration of the lip sync, something that everyone loves to see her do! Lineysha Sparx also did amazing, but we all know how much Ru and the judges love to see queens put comedy into their performances.
6 Alyssa Edwards Vs. Ivy Winters: “Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent” Episode 8
Alyssa is a lip sync assassin, but we all knew that. This battle between her and Ivy Winters was so good, both queens brought their own assets to the performance of “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ on But the Rent.” There were no flashy moves, no crazy death drops: Just classic lip-syncing.
Related: The Best Lip Syncs From Rupaul's Drag Race All-Stars 2
5 Detox Vs. Coco Montrese: “(It Takes) Two to Make It Right” Episode 10
We knew that eventually one of Michelle Visage’s songs with Seduction would be showcased on Drag Race. “(It Takes) Two to Make It Right” was such a good song choice to use for this lip sync that showcased both Detox and Coco. The performance itself wasn’t incredibly memorable, but it was great nonetheless. We loved watching Detox and Michelle sing back and forth to each other throughout the end of the lip sync, and we think that’s where she pulled ahead with the win on this one.
4 Coco Montrese Vs. Jade Jolie: “I’m So Excited” Episode 6
Seriously, we were lucky to be able to get to watch Coco Montrese do as many lip syncs as she did on RPDR. This lip sync against Jade Jolie was truly amazing: Both queens were giving it their all, using the upbeat, fun-loving vibe of the song to their advantage. Up until Episode 6 of Season 5, this was definitely the best lip sync of the season (until some other ones took place).
3 Alyssa Edwards Vs. Coco Montrese: “Cold Hearted” Episode 9
This was one lip sync between two queens that everyone wanted to see. The stakes were incredibly high, and we knew that eventually Alyssa and Coco would be duking it out, head to head on the main stage of RPDR. Of course they had to lip sync to a song as iconic as “Cold Hearted” by Paula Abdul. If you haven’t seen this performance, you need to go watch it ASAP. From Coco’s impeccable lip syncing, to Alyssa’s perfectly timed jump split, back to the sleeves on Coco’s outfit working perfectly for the song: This lip sync was just pure gold. It’s truly so underrated, and it was very close to snatching up the top spot on this roundup.
Related: The 8 Most Memorable Lip Syncs From Rupaul's Drag Race All-Stars
2 Detox Vs. Jinkx Monsoon: “Malambo No. 1” Episode 11
This was, arguably, the lip sync with the highest stakes of Season 5. Both queens were competing to make it to the finale, and it was incredibly tense with only Jinkx Monsoon and the rest of Rolaskatox left in the competition. How could anyone ever forget Jinkx’s memorable performance to “Malambo No.1.” I mean, her hip rolls are engraved in our minds forever. This is definitely Jinkx’s best lip sync performance ever, and it’s one that we’re sure everyone remembers and loves.
1 Alyssa Edwards Vs. Roxxxy Andrews: “Whip My Hair” Episode 7
Phewee, we all knew this lip sync would be high up on the list of Season 5 performances. Alyssa Edwards vs. Roxxxy Andrews is the perfect example of giving it your all in a final performance on RPDR. I mean, Roxxxy’s iconic hair reveal happened in this lip sync. Both queens were going at it, quite literally whipping their hair back and forth, again and again. It was incredible to watch, and luckily both queens were kept safe, able to slay another day in the competition. It takes the cake for the highest ranked lip sync from Season 5 of RPDR!
