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Some of these queens never should have sashayed away so soon! Join us as we count down the eliminations from each season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" that left fans absolutely gagged. From Willam's unprecedented disqualification to Asia O'Hara's heartbreaking butterfly moment, these exits had us shook. Which elimination left you the most shooketh? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00Jane, my queen, you are a star.
00:04Never take don't for an answer.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09And today we're counting down our picks for the eliminations from each season of Drag Race that left fans absolutely
00:15gagged.
00:16I'm so sorry that I have to send home Manila.
00:23We won't be including eliminations from All Stars and International Seasons.
00:28Season 18, Jane Don't
00:31After attaining the best track record in Drag Race herstory, many fans were convinced Jane Don't already had the crown
00:37in the bag.
00:38I do think you broke a record for placing in the top consistently the most in one season.
00:42Yeah.
00:43And that's pretty amazing.
00:44And I love that, but I do just want to find and rebuke whatever you have going on over here.
00:49But they were left gobsmacked when the Seattle Diva was sent home in fifth place.
00:54Jane had maintained consistent highs, only stumbling in the improv challenge where her late-for-her-flight Karen character failed
01:01to land with the judges.
01:02Help! Help! Help! He assaulted me!
01:06I got you on camera.
01:07This is anti-Presbyterian discrimination. I've seen this before, girl.
01:11Still, no one expected that this would cost her her place in the competition.
01:15She was placed in the bottom two with Nini Coco, who bested her in the Garden of Eden lip-sync.
01:20Fans were outraged by the elimination, especially since other queens with far less impressive track records have been saved by
01:27RuPaul in the past.
01:28I did my best, and I killed it, and I think I deserved to go to the end, but this
01:37has been really amazing, and I love these girls so much.
01:40Season 17, Suzy Toot.
01:42Suzy Toot had that unmistakable winner-edit energy early on.
01:46She was quirky, sharp, and oddly reminiscent of queens like Jinx Monsoon in the way she seemed to understand comedy
01:53and make it work in her favor.
01:54Some of the girls here, they do drag queen very well, but a lot of people do drag queen very
01:59well.
02:00And I do Suzy Toot like nobody's business.
02:03Not to toot your own horn, but beat me.
02:04Not to toot my own horn or anything.
02:06By episode 14, fans were already picturing her in the finale.
02:10That is why her elimination hit like a truck.
02:12Facing off against Sam Starr, the lip-sync sparked debate instantly, with many viewers convinced Suzy held her own, or
02:20even edged it.
02:30Regardless, the judges made their call, and suddenly a frontrunner with a pretty solid track record was gone right before
02:35the finish line.
02:36It was emotional, controversial, and the kind of exit that keeps Reddit threads buzzing for months.
02:42If you are a fan of Suzy Toot, you have so much to look forward to, because this is the
02:47very beginning of what is about to come.
02:51Season 16, Plasma.
02:53At this point in the competition, Plasma was one of only a handful of queens who had two maxi-challenge
02:58wins.
02:59Do you feel like this is within your wheelhouse, or do you think that this is maybe something that's outside
03:03of your comfort zone?
03:04Uh, I think that I'm a multi-hyphenated artist who can do multiple things, plain.
03:08Surely she was set for a smooth ride to the finale, right?
03:11Well, we wouldn't be here talking about her if that was the case.
03:14A polished performer in every sense, Plasma, unfortunately, lost the battle against a sewing machine in the Neo-Goth design
03:21challenge,
03:21and landed in the bottom two with Maya Iman-LePage.
03:24Plasma, this one was a letdown for me.
03:26I was trying to, in my head, go, right, what's this point of view?
03:29The 70s vibe, the platforms, the traditional Plasma face.
03:33And any time we see parted hair down the middle, it's Cher for us.
03:38It just was confusing.
03:39This was Maya's third time in the bottom, so many expected her to be given the chop.
03:44However, she absolutely devoured the stage.
03:47Even with such a clear lip-sync winner, fans were stunned to see Plasma exit so early given her momentum.
03:53Plasma, my queen, thank you for giving this season an infusion of life.
04:01Now, sashay away.
04:04Thank you so much, mama.
04:05Season 15, Irene the Alien.
04:08Confidence is everything on Drag Race, until it isn't.
04:11Irene the Alien walked into season 15 radiating self-assurance,
04:15and believing there was only one head deserving of the crown.
04:18Hers.
04:19I have been honing my drag skills for the past 10 years with the sole purpose of taking home this
04:25crown.
04:26It was the right attitude, but she stumbled fast and hard.
04:29For her talent show number, Irene decided to put on a routine she had done several times back home,
04:35making iced water.
04:36With just the right tweaks, it could have been hilarious, but here, it fell disastrously flat.
04:42We're gonna take a little slice of lemon, we're gonna squeeze a few drops into the glass,
04:47and then we're gonna put it right on the edge of the...
04:49Right into the glass.
04:51Alright, let's try it out.
04:52When she landed in the bottom, it still didn't feel real,
04:55and many thought she would be able to redeem herself in the lip-sync against Amethyst.
04:59Alas, that didn't happen, and the Seattle queen was shockingly sent packing.
05:03I wasn't expecting to go home first.
05:06I don't think it was necessarily my time to go,
05:09but I won the first mini-challenge, so at least I won something.
05:13Season 14, Jasmine Kennedy.
05:15Hardly anyone expected Jasmine Kennedy to win season 14.
05:19No shade intended.
05:20But everyone was confident in her performance skills.
05:32Week after week, she lip-synced like her life depended on it and kept sending girls home.
05:37She was a certified assassin, so when the lip-sync Lollaparooza Smackdown rolled around,
05:42it felt like her playground.
05:44Except it wasn't.
05:54After multiple rounds, Jasmine finally hit her limit
05:57and was eliminated in the very format she had mastered.
06:00There's something almost poetic about it,
06:02but fans simply could not believe that it was happening.
06:05If anything, people expected her to win that episode.
06:08Instead, her story ended in the one arena where she seemed untouchable.
06:12Brutal irony.
06:13Even though I didn't win a challenge or anything,
06:16I won friends, I won relationships, and I could not be more happy than that.
06:21The world is my oyster, and I'm ready to sop it all up.
06:26Season 13, Denali.
06:27Although she lost her lip-sync against Lala Ri in the first episode,
06:31Denali redeemed herself with a phenomenal battle against Kamara Hall three episodes later.
06:36Even RuPaul said that she was the queen to beat in a lip-sync.
06:46But then came the makeover challenge.
06:49She and her partner Olivia Lux landed in the bottom,
06:51but many viewers felt Denali's critiques were secondary to the missteps of her partner's makeover.
06:56I don't necessarily equate this look with you.
07:01It's stunning, but I think I would have gotten more Olivia Lux if you'd come around the corner in that
07:06curly hair.
07:06Like, I feel like that's your trademark.
07:08To see such a strong competitor and lip-sync powerhouse sent home,
07:12not for her own failings, but for her partner's errors, left a better taste.
07:16It seemed her time was cut short, leaving many fans to wonder just how far she could have truly gone.
07:22I did want this so badly.
07:24I cannot help but think that I went home too early.
07:27But I'm beyond proud of everything that I've done here.
07:30I made it to the Olympics, so watch out, because I'm ready to slice and dice.
07:35Season 12, Widow Von Du.
07:51Widow Von Du kicked off season 12 with a bang,
07:54snatching the very first challenge win and establishing herself as a serious contender.
07:59Strong performances followed, but the momentum started to wobble mid-season,
08:03and so did her belief in herself.
08:04Then came the political debate challenge, where many fans felt she was unfairly critiqued.
08:10I was craving, I guess, for lack of a better term, like a joke punch-up in there.
08:15You're such a presence on stage, and you're so commanding,
08:18but I felt like I kind of came across just a little bit angry.
08:22Landing in the bottom already raised eyebrows,
08:24but her eventual elimination sealed the deal as one of the season's most debated decisions.
08:28When a queen goes from early frontrunner to gone just before the final stretch,
08:32it always feels abrupt.
08:34And for many fans, Widow's exit felt sudden and unexpected.
08:38I tried.
08:40That's at the end of the day, that's all you can do is try.
08:44I just wish I would have tried harder.
08:46Season 11, Sugar Cane.
08:48There were a lot of big personalities on season 11.
08:51Now, you haven't won any challenges.
08:53Not yet.
08:54How are you going to make that happen?
08:56You know, I think I'm a little funny.
08:58You guys have said I'm funny sometimes.
08:59Yeah, no, that's why you're here.
09:01You've got it all.
09:02It's just how do you excel with all the other girls who have it all.
09:05Absolutely.
09:06Sugar Cane was not one of them.
09:08What she seemingly lacked in that department,
09:10she made up for in talent and quiet consistency.
09:13So when Week 10 rolled around,
09:15her elimination felt less like a natural progression
09:18and more like a production decision.
09:20The challenge that week was team-based,
09:22and Sugar's group performed much better than the other.
09:24Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Bubbly Brooke.
09:27I'm Naughty Nina.
09:28And I'm Sugar.
09:29Shablam.
09:31Alakabam.
09:31And together we are the Mighty Ducks.
09:35She should have been safe at least.
09:37But somehow, she was singled out from her group
09:40and placed in the bottom against Vanessa Vanjie Mateo,
09:42who then demolished the lip sync.
09:44The critiques towards Sugar felt thin, to put it politely.
09:48Fans quickly labeled her one of the season's robbed queens,
09:51and that label has since stuck.
09:53Of course I'm sad.
09:54I wanted to be here till the end.
09:56Oh girl, I wanted it so bad.
09:58But, you know, sometimes your dreams work out in different ways.
10:03Season 10, Asia O'Hara.
10:04Fans witnessed a finale heartbreak for the ages
10:07when the magnificent Asia O'Hara,
10:09a true triple threat who could sew, dance,
10:12and deliver hilarious comedy,
10:13stumbled right at the finish line.
10:21Asia was a firm favorite.
10:23Her all-around talent made her seem unstoppable.
10:26During the lip sync for The Crown,
10:28her planned butterfly reveal was designed to be an iconic moment.
10:31But when she opened her costume,
10:33the butterflies tragically tumbled to the stage instead of soaring.
10:44This devastating blunder caused her the lip sync against Cameron Michaels,
10:48relegating her to an unexpected fourth place finish.
10:51It was a crushing blow,
10:53an almost Shakespearean tragedy for a queen
10:55who had proven she was worthy of The Crown.
10:57Asia O'Hara, I'm sorry my dear,
11:00but this is not your time.
11:02But I want to thank you for making it such a sickening season.
11:06Season 9, Shea Coulee.
11:09Season 9 delivered a seismic shift to the Drag Race universe
11:12with the introduction of the Lip Sync for the Crown finale format.
11:15Suddenly, weeks of stellar track records were, to some extent, nullified,
11:19with The Crown decided purely by lip sync performance.
11:32This hit Shea Coulee particularly hard.
11:35Going into the finale,
11:36Shea had the strongest track record,
11:38and with her already established performance skills,
11:40it genuinely felt like her crown to lose.
11:43However, this contentious new twist
11:45pitted her against her best Judy, Sasha Velour,
11:47in the second lip sync of the night.
11:56Sasha's iconic rose petal reveal secured her victory,
11:59sending Shea home without even a second-place finish
12:02despite her incredible journey.
12:04Shea Coulee, I'm sorry my dear,
12:06this is not your time.
12:08Thank you for a fabulous season.
12:11Season 8, Naysha Lopez.
12:13I am absolutely gagging.
12:16I don't deserve to be in the bottom two.
12:19You have some queen rocking this $5 dress.
12:23I don't get it.
12:25Naysha Lopez's initial departure from Season 8
12:27was an immediate surprise,
12:29considering her polished pageant background
12:30and undeniable credentials,
12:32including a Miss Continental win.
12:34She landed in the bottom two
12:35after the Drag on a Dime challenge
12:37and lost the lip sync against Leila McQueen,
12:39becoming the first queen to sashay away.
12:42Naysha Lopez,
12:44out of 100 queens,
12:45you are by far one of the most beautiful
12:48to grace this stage.
12:51And I'm sorry to see you go so soon.
12:54I'm sorry that I wasn't able to show you
12:56everything that I had to offer.
12:57But the story didn't end there.
12:59In a rare and exciting twist,
13:01Naysha was brought back two episodes later
13:03to fill the void left by a double elimination.
13:05However, her return was short-lived,
13:08as she was eliminated again shortly after.
13:10This quick second exit,
13:11just when fans thought she had a second chance,
13:14cemented her legendary
13:15and slightly tragic nickname,
13:17Eliminatia.
13:18I was giving it 110%,
13:20and am I a little upset
13:22that someone that's giving 50%
13:24and not committed at all
13:27is still here?
13:28Yeah, absolutely.
13:29Season 7, Max.
13:30Max was thriving early in Season 7,
13:33racking up two Maxi Challenge wins
13:35before the halfway point of the season
13:36and delivering a distinct vintage aesthetic.
13:38Then, everything unraveled in just one episode.
13:42After bombing Snatch Game,
13:44Max faced critiques that many viewers
13:45found confusing and oddly edited.
13:47Snatch Game, you had the look down 100%.
13:49What was missing was everything else.
13:54Sharon's got a really twisted sense of humor,
13:57and that was missing.
13:59And I hate to say that.
14:00It looks like Max is coming apart.
14:01One moment, she was on the stage,
14:03and the next,
14:03she was seated on the floor singing to everyone.
14:06Max, are you okay?
14:07So I can't quite be called
14:11overnight sensation.
14:14I took advantage of the moment.
14:16The judge's reactions
14:17and her fellow queen's comments
14:19resulted in a sudden tonal shift
14:20and made the entire elimination feel disjointed.
14:23Before fans could even process Max's fall from grace,
14:27she was gone.
14:27It remains one of the strangest exits
14:29in Drag Race history.
14:30I feel I did a very good job
14:32of representing myself.
14:33I stayed as classy as I definitely possibly could,
14:37and I feel like I've been in a dream this whole time.
14:40So for me to go back to Kansas from Oz,
14:42it's all so surreal,
14:43but there's no place like home.
14:47On season six,
14:48this queen was a pure delight,
14:50charming her way into our hearts
14:51with her terminally delightful persona
14:53and consistently strong performances.
14:55I'm always hoping that you surprised me
14:58and this week you didn't really do that.
15:00Benda LaCreme was a fan favorite,
15:02but also a fierce competitor,
15:03and many easily expected her to land in the final four.
15:07While she had been in the bottom before
15:09and was saved by RuPaul,
15:10her eventual elimination came as a genuine shock,
15:13as many felt she still had so much more to give
15:16and was a top contender.
15:17Taylor, girl, I love you
15:21and I expect great things from you
15:24because the cream always rises to the top.
15:28Of course,
15:29Bendela would go on to deliver
15:30an even more shocking elimination in All-Stars 3
15:32when she took herself out of the competition,
15:35despite being the clear front runner.
15:37I had such a difficult time on my season,
15:39even though I did well.
15:40I wanted this opportunity to come back,
15:42to fight hard,
15:44to show myself what I can do.
15:48I have accomplished that.
15:49I feel like a winner.
15:50Season 5, Detox.
15:52She might not have been the best,
15:54but she definitely wasn't the worst.
15:56Well, that's probably why she was sent home.
15:58Are you passionate about becoming
16:01America's Next Drag Superstar?
16:04It's kind of like a slap in the face.
16:06Of course I want to be America's Next Drag Superstar.
16:08That's what I want.
16:09It's something that I've always wanted.
16:10On season 5,
16:11Detox was a bona fide superstar
16:13known for her fierce stage presence
16:14and captivating performances.
16:16After underwhelming the judges in the Sugar Bowl,
16:19she found herself against Jinx Monsoon,
16:21the quirky comedy queen
16:22who wasn't exactly famous for her lip-sync prowess.
16:25Jinx is kicking and dancing
16:27and she's bumping her hips.
16:29I hate to say it,
16:30but Detox might be getting outdanced by Jinx.
16:33Everyone expected Detox to easily send Jinx packing
16:36and secure her spot in the finale.
16:38Yet in a stunning turn of events,
16:40Jinx pulled out a hilarious performance
16:41to Malambo No. 1,
16:43which resonated more with the judges
16:44and kept her in the competition.
16:46And just like that,
16:47Detox was eliminated right before the finale.
16:50It really f***ing sucks
16:51that I didn't get all the way to the top three
16:53like I had intended to.
16:55A better fit would have definitely been
16:57to have me in the top three,
16:58but I just can't thank Rue enough.
17:00The only thing I have left to say is...
17:03I've had it. Bye.
17:06Up until this moment,
17:08no queen had been disqualified from Drag Race.
17:10No one even thought that was a possibility.
17:12That's why it came across as such a shock.
17:29Leading up to her disqualification,
17:31Willem was one of the frontrunners of the competition,
17:32having just clinched her second win of the season.
17:35So when RuPaul announced the decision,
17:38it sent shockwaves through the studio
17:39and the entire fandom.
17:41Willem, I have to ask you
17:42to leave the competition immediately.
17:47Now, sashay away.
17:50For the very first time in Drag Race herstory,
17:52a queen was sent home not for losing a lip sync,
17:55but for breaking the rules.
17:56The mystery surrounding why she was disqualified
17:59only amplified the shock,
18:00and it instantly became one of Drag Race's
18:03most talked about moments.
18:04Regret's kind of like a fool's game.
18:06Can't change anything that I did,
18:07and there's no use spending any time dwelling on it.
18:10Stood on stage, sick with the 24-inch waist,
18:12and I'm proud of myself.
18:14Season 3, Yara Sofia.
18:15Yara Sofia had been a powerhouse all season,
18:18but by the penultimate episode,
18:20exhaustion had clearly set in.
18:22After a grueling design challenge
18:24and a sleepless night,
18:25Yara found herself in the bottom
18:27against her closest friend of the season,
18:28Alexis Mateo.
18:29For me, being the bottom two is like losing.
18:33I feel horrible.
18:34The immense sadness of battling her bestie
18:36became too much for Yara.
18:38During their lip sync,
18:39she collapsed to the floor,
18:41overcome with tears and despair.
18:42I'm crying because there's a lot of emotions.
18:47I was thinking too much.
18:49I'm so angry,
18:51and I'm so disappointed.
18:53I'm a mess.
18:54It was incredibly difficult to watch
18:56such a strong, vibrant competitor
18:58succumb to her emotions
18:59and fall short right before the finale.
19:01Her display of pure, unadulterated heartbreak
19:04resonated deeply with fans
19:05and laid bare the tragic emotional toll
19:08of competing on Drag Race.
19:09Listen to me.
19:10The sparkle you have,
19:11the sparkle you brought to this competition,
19:14no one can wash off.
19:16It's there.
19:17It's yours.
19:20You are a star.
19:21Season 2, Jessica Wilde.
19:24Back in the old, ancient, prehistoric days of Drag Race,
19:27queens who won a maxi challenge
19:29were given immunity for the next episode.
19:31On Season 2,
19:32Jessica Wilde coasted through the first half
19:34of the competition,
19:35then finally clinched a win
19:36in the Rocker Chicks Challenge.
19:38However,
19:39the immunity privilege was suspended right after.
19:57Jessica unfortunately stumbled just the following week,
20:00landing in the bottom two alongside Tatiana.
20:03While most could agree that she lost the lip sync for her life,
20:06her elimination still felt premature
20:08and deeply disappointing.
20:09Jessica,
20:11follow your wildest dreams,
20:14my golden child.
20:17Now sashay
20:19away.
20:20She brought so much joy
20:21and unique flavor to the competition
20:23that her exit,
20:24especially when it felt like she was just hitting her stride,
20:27left fans shocked.
20:28I'm very proud of myself.
20:30Be here is one of my dreams.
20:32I made my dreams come true.
20:34I'm a winner.
20:36Amo a Puerto Rico.
20:38Season 1,
20:39Angina.
20:39The inaugural season of Drag Race
20:42found its heart
20:42in the endearing hands of Angina.
20:44The LA queen had an impeccable track record,
20:47becoming the first contestant
20:48to win two maxi challenges.
20:50You know,
20:50she could very easily go
20:52and represent Viva Glam
20:54and answer questions.
20:55No,
20:56she's quick.
20:56She's got a quick answer for everything,
20:58but she also has the right answer.
21:00She also delivered
21:02one of the most powerful
21:02and vulnerable moments
21:04in early Drag Race history
21:05by bravely revealing
21:06her HIV status on the runway.
21:07I've been living with HIV
21:09for the last two years of my life
21:11and this means so much to me.
21:16I didn't want to say it on national TV
21:18because my parents says it, no.
21:20Angina's elimination
21:21at the hands of eventual winner
21:23Bibi Zahara Benet
21:24was so difficult.
21:25Even RuPaul had to step away
21:27from the judges panel
21:27to compose herself
21:28before making the final call.
21:30Angina's exit marked
21:31the first truly shocking elimination
21:33in Drag Race herstory
21:34and set the tone
21:35for many more to come.
21:37The first time I saw you,
21:38I thought you could walk away
21:39with this competition.
21:41You know why?
21:43Because you are a winner, baby.
21:47And I know
21:47you'll take that with you
21:49wherever you go.
21:50Which of these Drag Race eliminations
21:51left you mad as hell?
21:53Let us know in the comments.
21:54Let us know in the comments.
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