Hello hello. We’re back back back again. This week was makeover week and served full on Drag U realness by dragging up some super lady fans (Opal Methyd, Janet the Planet and Lil Snacki were my favorites). Jaida Essence Hall came out swinging again for another win. That pulls her ahead of Gigi and into the first-place position on the chart. Gigi and Sherry are now tied for 2nd, Crystal moves into a solid 4th and Jackie falls down to 5th. Meanwhile the newly named Heidi Aphrodite brings up the rear. Check out the chart below!
For my predictions, I’m switching things up a bit this week (its 2020 and it’s important to be versatile!). Often in the weeks leading up to the final 4, we see surprise eliminations and queens who are not performing the worst go home. Nina West was a whooping 6 points ahead of Vanessa Vanjie Matteo on my chart last season the episode before she went home in episode 11. In season 10, Miz Cracker was actually ranked first on my chart the episode before she went home in episode 11. Thus, though it seems a foregone conclusion that Jackie or Heidi will go next, I’m going out on a glittery limb and saying Crystal may be the shocking sashayer. The ONLY reason this would make me happy is that it is a pet peeve of mine from a logical standpoint when they save someone in a double shantay or bring them back (think Kenya Michaels in season 4 and a billion other examples) and then immediately eliminate them the very next episode. Hopefully I’m wrong and our awkward Debarge impersonator goes the distance, dancing til the morning light if you will. Check out my predictions below!
| Queen | Predicted Placement |
Crystal Methyd | 6th |
Jackie Cox | 5th (4th after Sherry’s DQ) |
Sherry Pie | Final 4 but |
Heidi N. Closet | Final 4 |
Jaida Essence Hall | Final 4 |
Gigi Goode | Final 4 |
We did not have an elimination this week, but though she’s not my favorite- Ms. Jacqueline Cox stays giving me content for this blog. She made a wild claim in Untucked (which took extreme will power to forge my way through after a surprisingly pleasant Secret Celebrity Drag Race episode), that being part of a double shantay is a distinct honor and is only bestowed upon really great lip-syncs. I compiled the list of every double shantay below, and after it give my controversial and of course totally right opinions on which are the best and the worst.
Regular Seasons:
- Yara v. Carmen (3)
- Sharon v Phi Phi (4)
- Roxxxy v. Alyssa (5)
- Darienne v. BenDeLaCreme (6)
- Farrah v. Cynthia (9)
- Kameron v. Eureka (10)
- Yvie v. Brooke (11)
- Heidi v. Jackie (12)
All Stars
- Raven v. Jujubee (AS1)
- Alyssa v. Tatianna (AS2)
- Shangela v. BenDeLaCreme (AS3)
- Monet v. Manila (AS4)
- Monique v. Latrice (AS4)
It is interesting that the show had a double save every season from season 4-6, and then took a break from them in season 7 and 8 before jumping back into them for seasons 9-12. Perhaps the idea lost some of its appeal after the bland double-save between BenDeLaCremecreme and Darienne Lake in season 6. Season 8 is also a bizarrely short season compared to the others, so it isn’t surprising that they skipped the double save. All Stars has consistently had a double shantay each season and had 2 in All Stars 4 (one allowed for Latrice Royale to enter back into the competition without Monique Heart having to go home). 2 of the All Stars double shantays (Shangela vs. BenDeLaCremecreme and Monet Exchange vs. Manila Luzon) were double wins and didn’t save anyone from elimination. Below find my rankings for favorite double shantays! I also say who I would give the win to if these had not been double shantays.
My Ranking of Every Double Shantay You Stays:
Disclaimer: I respect all of these queens and this is all just my opinions based on the episodes of the show.
13. Farrah Moan vs Cynthia Lee Fontaine (Season 9)
This is hot steaming trash. This double shantay only occurred because Eureka O’Hara had to go home due to an injury. I hate Meghan Trainor’s music because of her blatant cultural appropriation (Kara Brown provides fabulous explanation of this here). Beyond that, Cynthia Lee Fontaine legitimately didn’t seem to know any of the words. Farrah Moan’s bopping along in that green coat was adorable, but that’s hardly enough to sustain this performance. This feels like one we could have easily awarded to Farrah for me.
12. Darienne Lake vs. BenDeLaCreme (Season 6)
There’s nothing particularly wrong, but also nothing extraordinary or gag worthy about this one. In Season 6, producers tried to create a high stakes rivalry between Darienne and DeLa, and narrative drama sometimes does really heighten lip-syncs. That, sadly, is not the case here. Season 6 was full of some truly epic lip-syncs (think Joslyn Fox and Laganja Estranja synchronous drop splits) and this one did not stand out. I would award this one to Darienne for her engaging facial expressions if we needed a single winner (though selfishly as a Dela super fan I am glad that we did not).
11. Raven vs. Jujubee (All Stars 1)
Here’s where I may start to make enemies. I get a lot of grief from friends for my unenthusiastic reaction to this lip-sync. I’ve even been accused of being cold and heartless (I’m lucky to have friends who bestow such sweet compliments upon me so readily). I adore Raven and Jujubee, but I wish they had pulled it together to do a little dancing and movement- both are such great lip-syncers and those outfits are incredible. Either I am heartless, or the stakes just didn’t feel authentically high enough to me to warrant wasting this iconic song on 2 minutes of crying. Either way- it’s my list and I got no tears left to cry! If I had to pick a winner, I would pick Raven because she looked cooler.
10. Heidi N. Closet vs. Jackie Cox (Season 12)
So, here’s where we really evaluate Jackie’s claim that their lip-sync was epic- to that I say MEH. My favorite lip-syncs have multiple things I love about them (both performers doing well, a great song, a great narrative) and in this one there are only two things I admire. I love this song and thought Heidi, looking gorgeous in her disco get up, matched the song’s energy very well. My main problem is with Jackie. While I thought that Jackie’s performance had energy and was interesting, it didn’t seem to match the song at all to me. In fact, the only reason I knew what she was trying to portray a woman with obsessive creepy intentions was because she said it directly to the camera in an interview. I think she needed to interact with Heidi or someone else more and make more pronounced murderous movements in order to clearly get her character across. Heidi won this one for me.
9. Yara Sofia vs. Carmen Carrera (Season 3)
This one has the distinction of being the first double shantay ever. It is super fun and a good example of a lip-sync where both queens do well. Yara knows all the words and delivers them with expression and engaging dancing. Carmen, in a total narrative twist, also knows all the words and matches Yara’s energy well. In true relying on that body form, Carmen gets off the stage and kisses guest judge Johnny Weir, much to Yara’s chagrin. It’s not the most dynamic lip-sync, but it is a fun one and one of the only ones ever in Spanish. I’m glad this one was a double shantay but would pick Yara if I had to choose a winner.
8. Shangela vs. BenDeLaCreme (All Stars 3)
This one wasn’t super high stakes but was a lot of fun. You can tell in this performance that Shangela and DeLa are both seasoned and expert performers. They are so expressive and funny. DeLa licking her chapstick and Shangela reading her book with wide-eyed naivete are two highlights for me. It does get a bit grabby on DeLa’s part at the end (it gives me some PTSD from Alaska’s handsy All Stars 2 lip-syncs), but Shangela handles it like a pro by throwing tic tacs at her and transforming it into a hilarious moment. I do wonder how Shangela felt about the grabbing and am not surprised these two queens have some mild beef. I prefer their lip-sync from this season to Jump, but this one is fun. If I had to choose a winner, I would go with Shangela.
7. Monet Exchange vs. Manila Luzon (All Stars 4)
Talk about a truly wild song choice. Again, this one is pretty low stakes in that neither was going home. However, Monet and Manila are both lip-sync experts in my book and it is a pleasure to see them both conquer this tricky number (so much scatting!). It’s like a master class in well-timed expression. I love both of their performances, but I’d give this one to Manila.
6. Monique Heart vs. Latrice Royale (All Stars 4)
This one is high energy and both Monique and Latrice do big reveals and splits. My gripe is that this one feels a little too formulaic to me. The days of reveals and splits in lip-syncs being shocking innovation is long gone. At the same time, this one is very enjoyable to watch and both queens did a great job. I particularly enjoy Monique’s wig reveal and Latrice’s hair flipping while down in her split. I would give this one to Monique by a (orange) hair.
5. Kameron Michaels vs. Eureka O’Hara (Season 10)
Things I didn’t ever think I would see: two drag queens doing synchronized splits while dressed as elderly women. Both Kameron and Eureka had great performances in this one. I am not a Eureka fan, but based solely on this performance I would give it to her. That said, I am glad this one was a double shantay.
4. Sharon Needles vs. Phi Phi O’Hara (Season 4)
This one ranks so high because of the narrative drama in this lip-sync. Sharon and Phi Phi had vicious clashes during season 4, and they both desperately wanted to send each other home. The shock in Sharon matching Phi Phi’s energy was amazing and felt deeply rewarding as a viewer. Phi Phi did flips and tricks (and lost her wig which now would be a MUCH bigger deal), but Sharon was funny and energetic. I would give this one to Sharon.
3. Roxxxy Andrews vs. Alyssa Edwards (Season 5)
I love so much about this lip-sync. Allyssa’s amazing sharp movements. Roxxxy’s amazing hair flips. Most of all, I love that this random Willow Smith song spawned one of the most well-regarded lip-syncs ever on the show. This of course is well remembered for being the first lip-sync featuring a hair reveal and inspired many future wig stacks. This one is really tough to pick a winner for and I’m very glad it was a double shantay. If I had to say a winner, I would pick Roxxxy.
2. Yvie Oddly vs. Brooke Lynn Heights (Season 11)
This is one of my favorite lip-syncs ever. Brooke and Yvie made it a nonstop thrill ride. I love Yvie’s hairspray application into cartwheel reveal move, and Brooke’s bored fingernail check during her full split. There isn’t much to say- this is perfection. It’s cruel really to have to pick a winner, but Yvie has the slight edge for me.
1. Alyssa Edwards vs. Tatianna (All Stars 2)
This is not only my favorite double shantay lip-sync- it is my favorite lip-sync of all time on the show. What’s not to love? I adore both the queens, they match the song super well with their performances, and the narrative twist of Tatianna keeping up with Alyssa is priceless. It was exactly the right call to keep them both (and spawned so many great gifs) but if I had to pick, I’d go with Tatianna.
If I were grading these lip-syncs, I would give 1-3 on my list an A+, 4-7 an A-, 8-11 a B, 12 a C, and 13 a D. If we average all that together, it comes out to 82, or a B-. So, was Jackie’s claim that double shantays are saved for only amazing lip-syncs true? Not Today Satan. Even so, it is certainly true that some of the best lip-syncs of all time have been double shantays.
Next episode, Whoopi Goldberg herself is here to guide the queens through their own one woman shows. Hopefully they avoid danger, girl. Until then! Let the music play!
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