Top 20 RuPaul's Drag Race Moments That Became Memes
Queen of Memes. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the viral “Drag Race” moments that gained a life outside of the show.
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00:00Uplands! You own everything!
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the viral drag race moments that gained a life outside of the show.
00:12For this list, we're focused on the American editions of the show, so no international drag race or social media posts will be included.
00:20Spoilers ahead!
00:21Baby, you can't read the doll!
00:26Number 20. Get those nuts away from my face!
00:29As one of the most beloved queens ever to grace the stage of RuPaul's Drag Race,
00:33it makes sense that many of Latrice Royale's most memorable moments have become iconic memes of their own.
00:38Girl, the shade, the shade of it all.
00:42From the 5Gs to her comments on the horrendous Season 4 Snatch Game, she has a knack for expressing exactly what the audience is feeling.
00:49The level of unprofessionalism, far too much.
00:52Her most memorable me-ment comes from the acting challenge where she played a prison guard.
00:57And in a moment of over-the-top brilliance, delivered the line...
01:00Get those nuts away from my face!
01:04The moment has since become a staple reaction for anyone who wants to get anything away from their face.
01:10Get those nuts away from my face!
01:15Number 19. Party.
01:16Alaska was a front-runner for most of the second All-Star season.
01:20And from her high horse, she issued subtle shade to fellow competitor Katya by comparing one of her looks to Adore Delano,
01:26a queen beloved by many but whose drag some view as sloppy.
01:31When Alaska finally landed in the bottom, she had what can politely be termed an emotional breakdown.
01:37Sitting down with Katya, she poured her heart out to stay in the game.
01:40From her position of power, Katya issued a one-word response that was nonchalant, cold as ice, and a reference to Ms. Delano.
01:48I need to go to the end of this competition.
01:52I need to.
01:54Party.
01:54Although you could see Katya's smile underneath, Alaska was not finding any humor in the situation.
02:00Her ensuing tantrum became her most dramatic moment.
02:03I'm shocked with Alaska's behavior. She's really acting like a brat, and it's not... it's not attractive.
02:11The fact that it was triggered by Katya, who is almost famously non-confrontational, just made it even funnier.
02:17Since then, fan edits of the scene have added flair and context to a moment that was probably not as tense as it was portrayed.
02:28It's one of those so-bad-it's-good moments that makes the show pure fun at every turn.
02:33Welcome to Club 96, a place for the fashion aware.
02:37Feel free to gawk, feel free to stare.
02:40Club 96.
02:42The All-Stars 4 queens were tasked with creating an exclusive nightclub experience right on the drag race set.
02:47Naomi Smalls and Valentina decided to add to the mystique of their creation
02:51by repeating its name in a sultry whisper over and over again.
02:55Even Amanda Lepore, a lip-gloss goddess, Serboski crystals all over her bodice.
03:02Club 96.
03:04It may have landed them in the bottom, but if the winner of the challenge was based on social media engagement,
03:10they would have won for sure.
03:11Club 96 was showing up in the most bizarre places afterwards.
03:16Number 17.
03:17Your tone seems very pointed right now.
03:19I mean, they want people here with talent, not people that are sitting there trying to live through their shoe names and their clothes names.
03:24Talent?
03:25In season four, Fifi O'Hara seemed to delight in the drama.
03:30From the shouting match with Sharon Needles...
03:32Go back to Party City where you belong!
03:34...to this exchange with Willem, it was clear that the contestant did not come here to make friends.
03:39Willem, by contrast, was always nonchalant and rather flawsada.
03:43This difference in attitudes came to a head when Fifi came after Willem
03:46for seemingly being more interested in shoes than competing in a talent competition.
03:50You don't have any talent. This is a show for talented people,
03:53not people that know how to buy f***ing shoes.
03:55You should...
03:56After Fifi's rant came to a close, Willem proceeded to undercut the entire thing with this dispassionate comeback.
04:02Your tone seems very pointed right now.
04:04Thus providing us with an immortal comeback to anyone taking themselves too seriously.
04:10That's that.
04:15If you're looking for a queen who always told it like it was,
04:18look no further than Mohart America.
04:23This queen became notorious for her candid confessions to camera,
04:26as well as her spirited exchanges with judges over certain fabric prints.
04:30I saw it and I was like, oh, brown cow, stunning!
04:35The pinnacle of this energy was her now iconic catchphrase.
04:40Beautiful, elegant, undeniable in its simplicity.
04:44The phrase is an instant antidote to any delusion
04:47and applicable to any situation with, well, facts.
04:51This was evidenced by Mo's own admission when she didn't know her words
04:54during the lip sync where she was eliminated.
05:01F my drag, right?
05:02Feeling undervalued at work?
05:04Did someone give you the most backhanded compliment ever?
05:06Well, Season 7 contestant and All-Stars 3 finalist,
05:09Kennedy Davenport has just the reaction gif for you.
05:12One of her most memorable and memeable moments came in the third episode.
05:16Fellow contestant Milk told Shangela that she didn't agree with her decision to send
05:20Thorgy Thor home.
05:21I think I would have chosen Thorgy to stay.
05:24I find Thorgy's concepts in her looks much more exciting.
05:29The implication was that she would have eliminated Kennedy,
05:32who was literally sitting inches away from her.
05:35Miss Davenport's confessional response was priceless.
05:38F my drag, right?
05:39Because basically that's what you're saying, and you're talking like I'm not even here.
05:43Clearly, the two had tension throughout the first half of the season.
05:46In a stroke of poetic genius, Kennedy would send Milk home at the end of that same episode.
05:55Most drag race queens take their elimination with grace.
05:58Some can even leave with a dash of humor.
06:00Thorgy Thor is not most queens.
06:03Quirky, irreverent, and genuinely original,
06:05she wasn't shy about making her feelings known.
06:08Um, I'm not really like a huge pink fan.
06:10Drag me.
06:11Drag her.
06:13Do you want to say anything to pink, personally?
06:14I really just don't like her.
06:16She's a bad seed on this earth.
06:19So on All-Stars 3, when Shangela pulled Thorgy Thor's lipstick out of her top,
06:22the Season 8 queen couldn't help but make her feelings known.
06:25Her reaction of unchecked disgust became instant meme fuel for all of the internet to use.
06:31Oh, Jesus.
06:33Gross.
06:34It provides the most dramatic and succinct response to any unhinged internet post,
06:39or even to a minor inconvenience.
06:42Laganja feels very attacked.
06:44At first, her boisterous and loud personality was seen as quirky, if a little annoying.
06:50Then, as her fellow competitors got to know her better,
06:52they accused Laganja Estranja of playing up a persona for the cameras.
06:57Things came to a boiling point in Untucked,
06:59when Bianca Del Rio basically opened the floor for a referendum on Laganja's behavior,
07:04and things quickly devolved from there.
07:06I believe that you've come into this competition with an act.
07:10You came in, waterworks, woe is me, woe is me, woe is me,
07:13and you're not even given a true story.
07:15They assure her they're not trying to attack her,
07:18but she's not exactly feeling the love in that moment.
07:20It doesn't help that she's in a huge pink wig that's shaking a bunch.
07:24Laganja, I didn't want to make it that everybody was attacking you.
07:27I feel very attacked.
07:28Relax, relax.
07:30The gif has been making the rounds on social media for years since the whole fight aired.
07:35Number 12.
07:36Walking children in nature.
07:37You want wild?
07:39Well, you got it with this season one queen.
07:41Tammy Brown was always operating on her own wavelength,
07:44and you can either get with the program or stay confused.
07:47She is the queen of non-sequiturs.
07:49I'm a high concept character.
07:51In seventh grade, they say you're crazy.
07:53I said, okay, I like that.
07:54Crazy sticks to me.
07:55Uh-huh.
07:56Like ribs.
07:57She's also one of the few to ever get in a real spat with host RuPaul.
08:01At the very first reunion,
08:02she took issue with the judges' negative criticism,
08:05and pointed out that they're not perfect either.
08:07Of course, she said it in her own brilliantly surreal Tammy Brown way.
08:12Yes, you both call me losers,
08:14and I don't see you out there walking children in nature.
08:16Walking children in nature is an oddly specific
08:18and unforgettable piece of early drag race meme culture.
08:21Number 11.
08:23Choices.
08:23No need to thank her.
08:25Creating memeable moments is sort of her thing.
08:27When Tatiana made her triumphant return to the workroom for All Stars 2,
08:31she brought with her a treasure trove of iconic quotes.
08:34Chief among them was the shady, versatile, and efficient catchphrase,
08:39choices.
08:40We all make choices.
08:42But that was a choice.
08:43It's only one word, but it more than gets the message across.
08:47She used it several times during the season,
08:49and every time was more delicious and pointed than the last.
08:53Wearing chartreuse doesn't work for everybody.
08:58Choices.
08:59When you want to subtly but firmly tell someone they need to do better,
09:03look no further.
09:04Number 10.
09:05Is she gonna jump from there?
09:06After some missteps on her original season,
09:09Aja's talent show number announced her as a credible threat for the All Stars crown.
09:21Delivering a mix of ballroom performance and acrobatics alongside a lip sync,
09:25she wowed the audience with a series of stunts that caught everyone's attention.
09:29When she started climbing a stage block,
09:31it was fellow contestant Milk who uttered this now well-known question.
09:40Is she gonna jump from there?
09:41Well, yes, she definitely did jump from there.
09:44The captioned image ended up having a pretty wide range of uses.
09:48Some of the best variations on this particular meme
09:50were even collected for a BuzzFeed article soon after the episode aired.
09:54Number 9.
09:55Jan is safe.
09:56After weeks of waiting for a challenge to show off her singing and dancing talents,
10:00no one was more excited for season 12's Madonna the Rusical than Jan.
10:04I'm a singer.
10:05I'm a dancer.
10:06So to be a part of it and to think that I could possibly win it is astounding.
10:11Despite not getting her preferred role,
10:13she still gave one of the most genuinely powerful Rusical performances to date,
10:17landing her in the top.
10:24We saw her growing increasingly excited for her first win,
10:27only to hear Ru utter those fateful words.
10:30Jan, tonight you rule the world.
10:34You are safe.
10:36Jan's jubilant optimism quickly turned into a jaded look of disbelief
10:39in what is now known as the face crack of the century.
10:43While fellow castmates Jada and Heidi certainly had their moments,
10:46What if I'm the traitor of the season?
10:48it's hard to argue that there was a bigger meme to come out of season 12 than this one.
10:52Number 8.
10:53Roxy's verse.
10:54Let's make one thing perfectly clear.
10:56Red You, Wrote You is still one of the entire franchise's best original tracks.
11:02Alaska, Detox, and Katya all shined in the finale number,
11:06which required them to bring the hit to life on stage after writing verses and recording it.
11:11But it was Season 5 runner-up Roxy Andrews
11:13whose contribution to the song became instantly iconic.
11:16I'm Roxy Andrews and I'm here to make it clear
11:18I know you love me baby
11:19That's why you brought me here
11:21Was a bitch on Season 5
11:22I'm gonna make it right
11:23Give me a so unchallenging
11:24I'll give you what you like
11:25Her verse arguably wasn't as smooth or polished or clever as the other three,
11:29but it doesn't even matter.
11:31It's the one we remember the most.
11:33Now, Roxy and the phrase make it clear have become forever linked.
11:38It's just something that was so goofy and I was trying to show how silly I could be
11:42at the same time do the challenge and people loved it and they loved it because it was so stupid.
11:48Number 7.
11:49De La Self-Eliminates.
11:51According to All-Stars 3 rules,
11:53the top queen who won the week's lip sync pulled the lipstick of the contestant she
11:56wanted to send home.
11:57Bendelecrem broke protocol and pulled her own lipstick.
12:01Is the easiest choice that I have had to make this entire season.
12:09I'm going home.
12:10Looking over the potential queens, she decided to quit while she was ahead.
12:13She simply scribbled out the real name and wrote her own using whiteout.
12:17Even Rue had no idea what to say.
12:19I'm actually I don't know how how to take this.
12:24I feel so good.
12:26I feel like I'm going home winning.
12:28It wasn't just a classy and incredibly dramatic way for her to leave the season on top.
12:32De La's simple statement also became a clutch
12:35gif for any introvert who's ever left a social event early.
12:39Number 6.
12:39Back Rolls.
12:40Alyssa Edwards is known for many memable moments.
12:44From rolling around as Annie Oakley to her spirited exchanges with rival Coco Montrese.
12:49I'm not joking bitch.
12:51However, her conception as a meme queen arguably all started with this
12:55untucked moment where fellow castmate Jade Jolie claimed Edwards was bullying her
12:59and decided to hit back with her own reads.
13:02You had rolls all over the place in the back.
13:04It was disgusting.
13:05This prompted Edwards to reply with utter bewilderment to the confessional camera.
13:09Back rolls.
13:10It's a perfect moment to represent a feeling of complete disorientation.
13:14It also doesn't hurt that it comes with the complimentary
13:16meme mint of Coco egging on Jade behind the scenes.
13:19Get her Jade.
13:21Number 5.
13:22Because I am what?
13:24I don't have a sugar daddy, sweetheart.
13:25Everything that I've had, I've worked for.
13:27Though Shangela's star has since plummeted after multiple sexual assault allegations
13:31came out in the 2020s, it's hard to ignore that she seemed destined for fame as early
13:36as her brief stage appearance in Season 2.
13:38I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of you yet.
13:42So, when she got a chance for redemption in the following season,
13:45all eyes were on her to prove that she had staying power.
13:49Fortunately for everyone except Mimi I'm First,
13:52we got a glimpse of her fortitude in an early episode of Untucked.
13:55The two queens took escalating jabs at one another until Mimi claimed Shangela
13:59had a sugar daddy, seemingly out of the blue.
14:02Ooh, just cause you got a sugar daddy who pays for everything for you?
14:04Oh!
14:06This did not sit well with Shangela,
14:08who went on one of the most iconic reality TV rants of all time.
14:13I don't have a sugar daddy, sweetheart.
14:15Everything that I've had, I've worked for.
14:17Time.
14:18I don't have a sugar daddy.
14:19I've never had a sugar daddy.
14:20If I wanted a sugar daddy, yes, I probably could go out and get one because I am what?
14:24Sickening.
14:24You could never have a sugar daddy because you are not that kind of girl.
14:27Every time we feel like we are not that kind of girl,
14:30this quote reminds us that we are what?
14:32Sickening.
14:33Number 4.
14:34I'd like to keep it on, please.
14:36Take that thing off of your mouth.
14:38There's no way we could make it through this list without including Valentina.
14:42Sending me home doesn't make sense with my fantasy.
14:45In this Season 9 elimination,
14:47Valentina came to the stage sporting the face mask she wore on her runway.
14:51As the music started and her face was not visible,
14:54the judges became visibly confused before Rue stopped the music to chastise Valentina.
14:59Valentina, this is a lip sync for your life.
15:02We need to see your lips.
15:03When Rue demanded to see her lips, Valentina politely declined.
15:07I'd like to keep it on, please.
15:09And while Valentina eventually complied,
15:11the moment had already been immortalized.
15:14Extra points for how well it aged into 2020 and beyond.
15:18Number 3.
15:19Linda Evangelista.
15:20Valentina.
15:21I wrote down Linda Evangelista.
15:23Jealousy is a hell of a drug.
15:25Early on in Season 9 when the queens were given a challenge to create a Disney princess look from
15:29scratch, Aja's concept did not stand up to scrutiny from the judges,
15:33while Valentina seemingly could do no wrong.
15:35This outfit is really gorgeous.
15:37This prompted a behind-the-scenes exchange in Untucked,
15:40where Aja took center stage to mock how all the judges fawned over Valentina's every move.
15:45You're perfect.
15:46You're beautiful.
15:47You look like Linda Evangelista.
15:49You're a model.
15:50It's since become the go-to moment to describe how we feel
15:53when we think someone's getting undue praise,
15:55or just when we're feeling the fantasy.
15:58Number 2.
15:59Miss Vanjie.
16:01While it's customary for eliminated queens to give a final word before leaving the runway,
16:05Season 10's first eliminated contestant somehow reinvented the wheel with this iconic exit.
16:10After Vanessa Vanjie Mateo lost her lip sync,
16:13she sashayed away while walking backwards off the stage, repeating her name three times.
16:18Miss Vanjie.
16:19Miss Vanjie.
16:21Miss Vanjie.
16:24She was barely off the stage before Ru and Michelle started laughing about it.
16:28Miss Vanjie.
16:31Miss Vanjie.
16:34Miss Vanjie.
16:36And by the next episode, the queens had already adopted it into their vocabulary.
16:40And when the episode finally aired, an icon was born.
16:44Vanessa may be gone, but Vanjie lives on, honey.
16:47Vanjie.
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17:04Number one, not today, Satan.
17:07You knew it was coming.
17:08Not tonight, Satan.
17:10Not tonight.
17:11Part of what endeared audiences to Bianca Del Rio was her ability to call things as she saw them.
17:15Let me ask you a very fair question.
17:18What do you do successfully?
17:20This came to a head when late in season six,
17:22fellow frontrunner Courtney Act made some shady comments
17:25about Bianca's lack of variation over the season.
17:27I kind of was thinking that you were going to be a little bit more
17:31I kind of was thinking that you would turn out something that we hadn't seen.
17:35We see Bianca give her the stink eye in the workroom
17:38before cutting to her confessional where she delivers the now iconic line.
17:42Not today, Satan.
17:43Not today.
17:45It was a perfect declaration against all those who tear us down
17:48and has since been immortalized in everything from reaction shifts to major media franchises.
17:53Well, I say not today, Satan.
17:57Which drag race meme do you think deserved a spot on this list?
18:00Tell us in the comments.
18:06It's chocolate.
18:09Do you agree with our picks?
18:11Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
18:13And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.