Drag

“This is double shantay worthy”: Fans are conflicted over the latest Drag Race UK lip sync

By Jordan Robledo

26th October 2024

The latest episode featured one of the best lip syncs in Drag Race herstory, and fans divided over the results.

Spoilers ahead.

Following Zahirah Zapanta’s elimination from the competition,” the remaining contestants sashayed into the werkroom to debrief over last week’s events.

Lill, who came out on top in the lip sync, revealed that she was feeling good but also guilty, resulting in the other queens telling her that she had no reason to feel that way.

The attention then shifted to Rileasa Slaves’ incredible win for last week’s girl group challenge.

“I have a badge, baby, the competition is on, and I’m ready to take bitches down,” she exclaimed in a confessional.

Rileasa then playfully warned Kyran Thrax – who has two RuPeter badges –  that she was coming for her.

Elsewhere in their kiki, Chanel O’Conor asked Charra Tea how she felt about her place in the competition, resulting in the Northern Irish queen exclaiming: “I think the judges have forgotten I’m here.”

“I just need to keep stepping it up. Who knows what will happen next week,” Charra said.

The next day, the ladies met up with RuPaul, who introduced their next maxi challenge with the help of dreamy Brit Crew member Liam and Drag Race icon Raven.

“Now, this week, we’re paying homage to a true UK institution, The Graham Norton Show. Now, starting with today’s mini-challenge, you’ll take turns sitting in our big pink chair whilst trying to make Raven and me laugh,” Ru exclaimed.

After delivering a series of hilarious moments, Ru named Kiki Snatch the winner of the mini-challenge.

“My queens, I’ve got exciting news. For this week’s maxi-challenge, I’ve booked you a special edition of The Graham Norton Show. Where you’ll be interviewed by the man himself,” Ru continued.

“Now, listen. No pressure, but Graham is used to talking with the biggest, most charming stars in the world. Now, this is your chance to let us hear your charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent talk.”

Ru went on to reveal that the queens would need to split into two groups before assigning Kiki the task of creating the teams.

The first group consisted of Kiki, La Voix, Kyran, Marmalade, and Lill, while the second team featured Rileasa, Chanel, Charra, and Actavia.

“Now I’m going to have to really fight for the limelight in this group,” La Voix said in a confessional.

It didn’t take long for Chanel to question Kiki’s strategy, specifically her decision to place herself in a group of five.

“But you put yourself in a group of five, where you will only get 20 per cent,” she said.

In response, Kyran exclaimed that it was more “awkward” to have four people who “don’t talk that great” compared to five people who do.

With their playful claws out, the two teams separated to their respective sides of the workroom to write their television banter and review group dynamics.

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Of course, halfway through their creative process, Mama Ru returned to give the queens helpful advice on how to captivate Graham’s attention and knock out their talk show appearances.

Before heading out to the main stage, La Voix and Kyran shared a candid conversation after the former asked about the latter’s confidence.

“I mean, I worked really, really hard to be this confident. I used to hate myself,” Kyran said.

“So where it came from was, when I was younger, I came out as gay at 13, and I kinda felt like I was ready for a relationship, which is insane, and it left me very vulnerable.”

Kyran went on to open up about her harrowing experience with an older individual she met online.

“He told me he was 19, but he was actually 23. He abused me for a very long time,” she tearfully explained.

“In my brain, it was so crazy because I was telling myself, like, ‘Yeah, maybe he is a predator. Maybe he is a paedophile, but maybe I’m the one he’s actually in love with.'”

In additional confessionals, Kyran stated: “He knew all the right things to say. I basically fell in love instantly. I was in love with this person but not with who he really was, with who he was pretending to be.

“I knew something was wrong. I kept it a secret from my mom because I knew deep down it was wrong. But I did really feel like I loved him. I gave him everything, all of my innocence, all of my childhood. I’m so angry that he robbed that from me.”

Kyran went on to reveal that she initially wasn’t going to take the individual to court until they reached out to one of her friends with similar intentions

“And that made me realize that this wasn’t just about me. It’s about countless other people,” she said.

After going through the legal system, the man pleaded guilty and was sent to prison.

“It was just one of the hardest things, and it made me despise myself. Like, I hate myself so much because I saw everything falling apart around me,” Kyran added.

“My mom would tell me to look in the mirror every day and tell myself that I loved myself. I did it every single day before school, and I didn’t believe it, and I hated it. Then, I slowly started to believe it, and that’s where this confidence comes from.”

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Following La Voix and Kyran’s heartfelt and emotional conversation, the queens made their debuts on The Graham Norton Show.

While there were a couple of nervous hiccups, all of the queens managed to deliver engaging and comedic banter that wowed Ru, Graham and the rest of the judges’ panel – including Steps singer Claire Richards.

After showing off their best ‘How’s Your Head… Piece’ ensembles, Kyran, Chanel, and Rileasa were announced as safe.

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The tops and bottoms of the week then received critiques from the judges – with Marmalade, Lill, and La Voix receiving particular praise for their Graham Norton Show appearances.

In the end, Ru named La Voix the winner of the maxi-challenge before placing Kiki and Actavia in the bottom two.

To the beat of the late David Bowie’s hit single ‘Let’s Dance,’ the queens’ held nothing back, delivering high-energy performances filled with outfit changes, lyric-inspired choreography, and drama galore – a truly epic moment.

While Kiki and Actavia delivered one of the best lip syncs in Drag Race herstory, Ru announced the latter as the winner and asked the former to sashay away.

“Making it here was a dream come true. I’ve loved being here, so I’m grateful. If I could change anything, it would literally be me still here right to the top, getting that crown, that sceptre and 5k,” Kiki exclaimed in her exit confessional.

Since its premiere, fans have flocked to social media to share their reaction to this week’s episode, with many stating that Actavia and Kiki both deserved to stay.

One viewer on Twitter/X wrote: “This was double shantay worthy idc. Actavia’s energy, Kiki’s presence, not one miss of a beat.”

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Another fan wrote: “Actavia & Kiki Snatch just gave one of the best lipsyncs out of the entire UK franchise.”

A third person tweeted: “It really is a top-tier cast, everyone is amazing, and every elimination sucks!”

On next week’s episode of Drag Race UK, the queens will be participating in the beloved Snatch Game.

Check out more fan reactions below.