Hi all!
I am back to rank all of the Rusicals from the US franchise of RuPaul’s Drag Race! A few months ago, I ranked the US cast performances, which you can check out here. I’m not going to be ranking the international ones, purely because there are far too many to list and categorise. If you didn’t know, a Rusical is a musical – branded by RuPaul herself. The contestants are cast into roles and must sing, act and dance as though they were on Broadway. They are really fun to watch and one of the most popular challenges in a season. However, some are better than others and that’s the tea I’m going to spill today! Before we get into the post, I want to thank Kaz on Instagram for allowing me to use her lovely artwork. Please go check out her page! I also want to add that I’m not going to list the Vegas Live performance in Season 12. Without further ado (from best to worst), let’s get into it!
1.) Moulin Ru
In first place, we have Moulin Ru, which is an obvious parody of Moulin Rouge. This is one of my favourite movies, so I was thrilled to see the cast of Season 14 make it their own. The episode received a 9.1/10 on IMDB, which was an unbelievably high score. Not only was the performance itself phenomenal, there was some juicy drama beforehand, when the queens were deliberating over which role they should take. Lady Camden and Bosco went head-to-head over the part of Saltine (Satine) with Bosco winning. Lady Camden was bitter but took on Mama Z (Harold Zidler) and completely stole the show, securing herself a victorious win. Ironically, Bosco was underwhelming as Saltine and landed herself in the bottom two. From start to finish, it was highly entertaining. Let’s not forget the cameo from the iconic Leslie Jordan! The Rusical was such a highlight of the season. Watch for yourself!
2.) HERstory of the World
I think we can all agree that All Stars 2 is one of the best seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race to date. I believe HERstory of the World was a big part of its success. This Rusical had the queens showcase significant females in history. We saw Alaska as Eve, Detox as Marie Antoinette, Roxxxy Andrews as Eva Perón, Phi Phi O’Hara as Helen of Troy, Katya as Princess Diana, Ginger Minj as Catherine the Great and Alyssa Edwards as Annie Oakley. Alyssa was the absolute standout for me. I loved her performance. It was such an entertaining show, full of comedy and talent. I’ve re-watched it so many times.
3.) Divas Lip Sync Live
In third place, we have Divas Lip Sync Live from All Stars 3. Honestly, this one was very close to taking second spot over HERstory of the World. I love every second of this Rusical. As the title suggests, the cast emulated different iconic divas and lip synced to RuPaul’s songs, whilst staying completely in character. We have Shangela as Mariah Carey, BenDeLaCreme as Julie Andrews (BEST performance!), Aja as Amy Winehouse, Bebe Zahara Benet as Diana Ross, Chi Chi DeVayne as Patti LaBelle, Kennedy Davenport as Janet Jackson, Milk as Celine Dion, Thorgy Thor as Stevie Nicks and Trixie Mattel as Dolly Parton. It was simply a masterclass in celebrity impersonation and had the entire judging panel in fits of laughter. I’m really proud of the queens for pulling this one off so successfully.
4.) Madonna: The Unauthorised Rusical
In Season 12, audiences were blessed with Madonna: The Unauthorised Rusical. The cast were tasked to perform as the iconic diva from different eras of her music career. It was truly one of the best Rusicals the franchise had seen in a while and very deserving of the 8.9/10 rating it received on IMDB. Whilst I loved Jan’s vocals as early Madonna, Gigi Goode 100% deserved her win. The backflip in heels alone was breathtaking, not to mention her moves and perfect lip-sync skills. I also loved Jaida’s sultry take on her dominatrix period. The queens made Michelle Visage proud in bringing her favourite artist to life on the main stage. The judges were living!
5.) Halftime Headliners
In All Stars 6, the Rusical was based on the Superbowl Halftime Show. The cast had to pick a celebrity that had performed as a Halftime Headliner in the past and impersonate them, whilst lip-syncing to a RuPaul song. I was happy Jan won as Lady Gaga. She certainly deserved it after being beaten by Gigi Goode in Madonna: The Unauthorised Rusical but Trinity K. Bonet truly stole the show as Beyonce. I get chills every time I watch her. She looked and danced exactly like Queen B! I really enjoyed this idea. It was fun getting to see a mix of old and new artists taking the stage.
6.) Shade: The Rusical
Shade: The Rusical from Season 6, featured parodies of different arch tropes of Drag Queens seen on the show and how they are pigeonholed to only have certain qualifications. For example, there are the Pageant Queens, the Comedy Queens, the Shady Queen, The Fishy Queens, The Older Queen, The Dancing Queen, The Butch Queen and The Plus-Sized Queen. Ironically, two former contestants from Australian and American Idol were in this season and both shone via their singing roles. It was Courteney Act however, who took the win and proved herself as a fierce contender in the competition. It felt like a proper musical with phenomenal vocals.
7.) Bitch Perfect
Season 8 gave us the Rusical, Bitch Perfect, taking off the funny franchise: Pitch Perfect. It was full of high energy, comedy and attitude. We watched the Lady Bitches vs. the Shady Bitches battle it out on the main stage. I definitely think the late and great Chi Chi DeVayne nailed her performance. That move where she did a handstand and twerked was truly iconic. It wasn’t as powerful as the other Rusical’s mentioned above but still held its own.
8.) Glamazonian Airways
Season 7 gets a bad reputation for being quite lacklustre but I really enjoyed Glamazonian Airways. It was a Rusical that took to the skies and made fun of the air steward industry. This particular challenge definitely relied more on comedy than anything else, hence Ginger Minj nabbing the win. Her team was the stronger of the two. There isn’t much more to say. It was funny, silly and full of puns.
9.) Kardashian The Musical: RuVealed
Season 9 gave us Kardashian The Musical: RuVealed. As you can imagine, it focused on the famous family and their drama-filled lives. Shea Couleè’s performance as Blac Chyna was the highlight. It isn’t any wonder that her dance moves and perfect lip-sync scored her the win. Alexis Michelle also killed it in her role as Kris Jenner. I believe this Rusical had the best beat and catchy songs. It was a big hit but because I don’t really care about the Kardashian’s, it’s lower on my list.
10.) Cher: The Unauthorised Rusical
In Season 10, we got Cher: The Unauthorised Rusical. It was a live tribute to the famous American singer and actress. The best part was Kameron Michael’s role as early Cher. Her vocals and mannerisms really impressed the judges. She received a very deserving win. The rest of the Rusical was forgettable. I was a bit bored watching it to be honest. I don’t usually revisit this one.
11.) Social Media: The Unverified Rusical
Season 13 gave us Social Media: The Unverified Rusical. Similar to the Cher Rusical, there was really only one stand-out performance – Rosè’s role as Foxy, which displayed her incredible singing voice and talent. I love the smile RuPaul gave her after hitting all her notes. There were a fair few flops in this challenge, making it less popular than the others we had seen before. I was pretty disappointed. It felt like it had a lot of potential but didn’t quite hit the mark.
12.) Trump: The Rusical
In second last place, we have Trump: The Rusical from Season 11. I am not sure why the producers decided to create a Rusical about the terrible former President of the United States. I understand they were making fun of him but still, it didn’t quite gel with me. I really liked Scarlet Envy’s performance as Betsy DeVos and Silky’s role as Oprah Winfrey, which scored her the win. If you didn’t catch it the first time, Ginger Minj returned to the main stage to play Donald Trump. Sadly, I was not a fan of this one.
13.) PharmaRusical
In last place, we have PharmaRusical from Season 10. I couldn’t find a video of the actual performance, but you can listen to the lyrics below. Yes, this season had two Rusicals. It was literally about an unethical pharmaceutical company based on those late-night television advertisements you see when you’re flipping the channels. It was very forgettable and my least favourite Rusical created in the franchise. The songs were so cheesy and lame. I didn’t think any of the queens did a standout job.
Thank you so much for reading! How would you rank this list? Let me know in the comments. A big thank you to Kaz once again for her artwork.
Peace & Love xoxo