The Most Iconic Moments in ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Herstory: Masked Lip Syncs! Snatch Games! Self-Eliminations!

Ongina Reveals Her HIV Status (Season 1, Episode 4)

After winning the M.A.C Viva Glam Challenge, which mentioned M.A.C Cosmetic’s donations to HIV and AIDS funds, Ongina broke down on the stage. “I’ve been living with HIV for the last two years of my life, and this means so much to me,” she said. “You have to celebrate life, you keep going, and I keep going.” The Queen of Drag Ru replied with what everyone in the room was likely thinking: “Ongina, you’re an inspiration.”

Ongina continues her AIDS activism to this day. —Julia MacCary

Kylie Sonique Love Comes Out as Transgender (Season 2, Episode 12)

Kylie Sonique Love, formerly Sonique, came out as a trans woman at the Season 2 reunion. “I’ve always been a girl trapped in a boy’s body,” she said. “I started doing drag, and there was just something about it that wasn’t enough.” Having started hormones, the queen added, “I’ve never been happier in my life.” She later won Season 6 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” making herstory and becoming a trailblazer for transgender representation on TV. —J.M.

Shangela Launches Into an Epic Sugar Daddy Monologue (Season 3, Episode 3, Untucked)

When a fight erupted between Mimi Imfurst and Shangela following the “Queens From Outer Space” challenge, Mimi made a fateful mistake: alleging that Shangela had a sugar daddy paying for her looks. In response, Shangela delivered a now-iconic monologue before throwing her drink on Mimi (and, allegedly, even worse off-camera): “I don’t have a sugar daddy. I’ve never had a sugar daddy. If I wanted a sugar daddy, yes, I could probably go out and get one, because I am what? Sickening! You could never have a sugar daddy, because you are not-that-kind-of-girl! Bitch!” —Katcy Stephan

Raja Reigns on the Runway as Marie Antoinette (Season 3, Episode 4)

“Let them eat cake!”

When Raja strutted the runway in her gasp-worthy Marie Antoinette look, she forever transformed “Drag Race” into a place where drag artistry met high fashion glamour.

Raja put a spin on the iconic queen’s look with a sleek corset and tight pants in a throwback to 18th Century France. The wig was as dramatic as the look. —Jazz Tangcay

Chad Michaels Owns Cher's Snatch Game (Season 4, Episode 5)

Chad Michaels is one of the best Cher impersonators in the world. When it came to the Snatch Game, Chad put on La Mer, slayed and owned everything. Rightfully, Chad walked away winning the challenge for doing a better Cher than Cher herself. She’s Cher, bitch! —J.T.

Jujubee and Raven Can't Bear ‘Dancing on My Own’ (All Stars, Season 1, Episode 5)

Countless lip sync moments should go down in “Drag Race” herstory, but one that stands apart is Jujubee and Raven, legendary alums who had to face off against each other during “All Stars.”

The emotions ran high as the two queens, who had been teammates all season, faced off against one another to Robyn’s aptly themed “Dancing on My Own.” Rather than turn out a barn-burning performance, Juju and Raven poured out their anguish at the situation. There was crying and hugging and more crying.

The support they had for one another reflected the spirt of the song as well as the series. In the words of Mama Ru, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen?” —J.T.

Roxxxy Andrews Rocks Two Wigs and Brings Everyone to Tears (Season 5, Episode 7)

Every so often, a “Drag Race” queen does something so audaciously correct that it feels at once revolutionary and obvious: Why hadn’t any other queen thought of that before?! First among this rarefied group: Roxxxy Andrews, who started her lip sync against Alyssa Edwards to Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair” by removing her runway lewk wig to ru-veal a second wig underneath. Never one to give up a fight, Alyssa attacked her performance with equal ferocity. But before Ru could render her final judgment, Roxxxy found herself revealing that her mother had left her and her sister at a bus stop when she was 3 years old, bringing everyone, including Ru, to tears. Roxxxy and Alyssa got the coveted double shantay, and “Drag Race” was never the same. —Adam B. Vary

BenDeLaCreme, Adore and Bianca Del Rio Deliver an Epic Snatch Game (Season 6, Episode 5)

Other seasons have had strong episodes of Snatch Game, but Season 6 set the highest bar for success, led by Adore Delano’s Anna Nicole Smith, Bianca Del Rio’s Judge Judy and BenDeLaCreme’s winning performance as Maggie Smith (by way of the Dowager Countess of Grantham). Even the performances that were bad — like Laganja Estranja’s oddly robotic Rachel Zoe — were still weirdly entertaining. (Well, OK, Gia Gunn’s Kim Kardashian aside.) —A.B.V.

Violet Chachki Stuns the Runway in a Two Looks Lewk (Season 7, Episode 1)

There’s a proud tradition of runway ru-veals on “Drag Race,” but none have quite matched the fizzy mix of high fashion elegance and let’s-put-on-a-show panache of Violet’s metamorphosis from a sparkly, amethyst full-length dress into a stunning red tartan onesie. The transformation was so staggering that Carson Kressley nearly fell out of his seat, making for a perfect first impression that launched Violet all the way to the crown for Season 7. —A.B.V.

Bob the Drag Queen Does Double Duty (Season 8, Episode 5)

Never one to do things halfway, Bob the Drag Queen stole the Snatch Game by doing double duty as “Crazy Eyes” from “Orange Is the New Black” AND Carol Channing.

Bob started things out as Uzo Aduba’s singularly unhinged inmate, including this memorable quip: “Once a queen named Iman reminded me of the sun, instead of that supermodel life, she can be…my wife.” Then halfway through, Bob transformed into the one-of-a-kind star Channing. Although Channing had been done before in Season 2 by Pandora Boxx, Bob still nailed it with a risky move that totally worked out. Bob won the challenge and ultimately the crown. —J.T.

Alyssa Edwards and Tatianna Just 'Shut Up and Drive’ to a Double Shantay (All Stars, Season 2, Episode 5)

Tatianna and Alyssa Edwards, both eliminated criminally early, were given a shot at redemption (and re-entry into the competition), lip syncing for their lives and legacies to Rihanna’s “Shut Up and Drive.” Alyssa put her dance training to good use, busting move after move and pulling out more than a few tricks. Meanwhile, Tatianna strutted across the stage with the perfect combination of humor and sex appeal. Despite being in competition, their performances perfectly complement each other. In the end, the queens were given a coveted — and rare! — double-shantay. This is the definitive lip sync of the franchise. —K.S.

Alaska Melts Down and Offers a $10,000 Bribe, Before Taxes (All Stars, Season 2, Episode 7)

Alaska had a near-perfect season on “All Stars 2,” until she landed in the bottom three in the penultimate episode. What transpired once the Queens returned to the workroom could only be described as a total hissy fit, with Alaska offering Detox and Katya $10,000, (before taxes, via Paypal), if they allowed her to stay in the competition. She was saved and went on to win. Party. —John Ross

‘Read U Wrote U’ Brings the House Down (All Stars, Season 2, Episode 8)

This performance from the final four on “All Stars 2” is a feast for the eyes and ears. Let’s start with Alaska, who’s painted blue for seemingly no reason, rapping cutting lyrics like, “I’m Dorothy, you’re Toto, get in the basket!” Detox comes in hot on the second verse, stomping over chairs and dropping it low as she spells, “D to the E to the T to the O to the…hold it! X!” Katya delivers her signature sass and sex appeal with her Russian-inspired routine, beginning with, “Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova…but your dad just calls me Katya.” Perhaps the most memorable moment comes from Roxxxy Andrews (who’s here to make it clear), when she decides to sing half her verse. Choices. —K.S.

Valentina Would Like to Keep Her Mask on, Please (Season 9, Episode 9)

“It’s a lip sync. What part of that do you not understand?” Valentina stunned audiences (and RuPaul herself) when she was tasked to lip sync for her life against Nina Bo’nina Brown to Ariana Grande’s “Greedy.” For the first verse, Valentina kept her red face mask on, prompting RuPaul to pull a franchise-first and pause the performance. When Ru asked Valentina to remove the lacy mouth covering, she delivered an instantly-iconic retort: “I’d like to keep it on, please.” When she finally removed the mask, it became clear that Valentina didn’t know any of the song’s words. As Shea Couleé put it during the Season 9 reunion: “It’s a seven-word chorus! Seven words in that chorus, girl!” —K.S.

Sasha Velour Gets ‘So Emotional’ (Season 9, Episode 14)

In Season 9, “Drag Race” moved from Logo to VH-1, and suddenly everything was bigger, from Lady Gaga opening the season as a guest to the brand new format for the season finale.

Instead of a top three, Season 9’s finale brought together the top four queens for a lip sync mini-tournament, pitting frontrunner Shea Couleé and her season BFF Sasha Velour against each other in a lip sync for the ages to Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional.”

Sasha Velour began by tearing petals off a rose, in perfect sync to the tune. Then she pulled off each of her satin gloves, scattering more rose petals onto the stage.

She wasn’t done yet.

When Sasha pulled off her wig, the proudly bald queen dropped a bundle of petals from under her wig and onto her head. The audience erupted, and Sasha delivered the biggest upset victory in Drag Race herstory. —J.T.

BenDeLaCreme Eliminates Herself (All Stars, Season 3, Episode 6)

In what some might call the ultimate sacrifice to save her sisters, BenDeLaCreme created shockwaves when she revealed she was sending herself home. After winning five out of the six challenges, “Miss Congeniality” Dela seemed to be the clear frontrunner for the season. However, in “the easiest choice I have had to make this season,” the queen chose to “sashay away,” and left Ru and the entire cast gagged. —J.M.

‘Miss Vanjie’ Creates a Worldwide Meme (Season 10, Episode 1)

No one ever wants to be the first queen to go home on “Drag Race” — unless you’re Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, whose Tennessee Williamsian cries of “Miss Vanjie” as she backed off the runway became an instant cultural sensation. That’s no hyperbole: RuPaul and Michelle Visage were in tears laughing about “Miss Vanjie” mere moments later; the queens of Season 10 turned “Miss Vanjie” into their own catchphrase; and the internet made “Miss Vanjie” into a global meme. As Miz Cracker said in the reunion, “It’s like gay ‘aloha’!” —A.B.V.

The Vixen Leaves the Reunion Stage (Season 10, Episode 13)

Emotions often run high and hot during “Drag Race” reunion episodes — from Tatianna vs. Raven in Season 2 to Aja and Farrah Moan vs. Valentina in Season 9 to Jasmine Kennedie vs. Daya Betty in Season 14. But the Season 10 reunion felt different when Ru began interrogating the Vixen about her penchant for being in the middle of drama on the show.

After a tense back and forth, the Vixen thanked her fans for supporting her and walked off the stage to stunned silence from the rest of the queens. At least, for a moment. Then Asia O’Hara spoke up in defense of the Vixen, and found herself fiercely debating with Ru over when, or whether, to let someone in crisis deal with their issues on their own. “Drag Race” has often explored difficult topics, but rarely has the show ever gotten this uncomfortably — and memorably — messy. (Perhaps that’s why clips from the episode are largely absent from the internet.) —A.B.V.

Symone Reinvents the Durag (Season 13, Episode 4)

From her very first week, Symone’s lewks made the queen a force to be reckoned with. One of her most celebrated — and original — was the durag runway look she rocked that celebrated Black excellence and culture. Symone reimagined the idea of creating a train by turning her durag into one that went on for days, paired a stunning embroidered corset with teal pants. All hail the durag! —J.T.

Jinkx Monsoon Channels Judy Garland (All Stars Season 7, Episode 2)

In Season 5, Jinkx changed Snatch Game forever when she played “Grey Gardens” icon Edith Bouvier Beale, Little Edie, an old-school risk that paid off spectacularly. When Jinkx returned for the all-winners All Stars season, she somehow managed to top herself with her impersonation of Judy Garland, a gay icon so revered, so sacred that she had never been done before on Snatch Game. With perfect make-up, spot-on singing chops and a heavenly mix of wit and befuddlement, Jinkx triumphed with the best Snatch Game performance of all time. —A.B.V.

Honorable Mention: RuPaul's Anti-H&M Rant (Drag Race U.K., Season 2, Episode 5)

We’ve focused entirely on the U.S. versions of “Drag Race,” but an honorable mention has to go to “Drag Race U.K.,” which has had its share of iconic moments. Arguably the most memorable: Mama Ru roasting Joe Black for wearing an off-the-rack outfit from H&M.

After Joe confessed to the outfit’s origins, Ru went off: “That outfit was a huge disappointment to me. That’s what everyday people do, and you should know that because you are a star. This goes to all of you up here. If it is from H&M you better glitter the fuck out of it and make it something special. We’re looking for Great Britain’s Next Superstar. Don’t waste my time. I don’t want to see any fucking H&M!”

It was a tear-down for the ages, and fans were obsessed. —J.T.