RuPaul’s Drag Race: The 10 Most Unfair Eliminations, According To Reddit

Throughout the history of RuPaul‘s Drag Race, many viewers have felt that there have been contestants who were unfairly eliminated or even robbed of a win. While fans can sometimes influence the decision of a season’s winner by being outspoken on social media, the individual eliminations are ultimately up to RuPaul (or the queens themselves on All Stars), and the decisions are not always to the liking of the general public.

Drag Race fans on Reddit have been particularly outspoken about the topic of unfair eliminations. Based on these online conversations, it’s clear that some Drag Race sashays have been more unforgivable than others.

10 BenDeLaCreme – Season 6

Reddit user lukelaut claims that one of the most unfair Drag Race eliminations was that of BenDeLaCreme on season 6. When the queens had been narrowed down to just the top five, the bottom queens of the week were deemed BenDeLaCreme and Darienne Lake.

RuPaul ultimately chose BenDeLaCreme to sashay away after the lip-sync. Reddit users appear to generally agree that BenDeLaCreme lost the lip-sync, but that she did not deserve to be in the bottom in the first place. Wannabefaulkner even claimed that BenDeLaCreme had the best runway look of them all that week, agreeing with the OP that Darienne’s look had nothing on BenDeLaCreme’s.

9 Mrs. Kasha Davis – Season 7

When Reddit user TammiesDeadBodies posed the topic of most unfair eliminations on the Drag Race subreddit, their own take was that Mrs. Kasha Davis was robbed of proving her full potential in season 7. They praised Mrs. Kasha Davis for her outstanding performances, especially highlighting the lip-sync against Kandy Ho that sent her home: “Even if she had to be in bottom 2, it should have been a double shante.”

It was true that Mrs. Kasha Davis had a good track record, so it was a surprise for her to sashay away so early. TammiesDeadBodies went on to say that, given her talent of impressions, Mrs. Kasha Davis would have dominated on the “Snatch Game” episode. She ultimately only placed 11th and has yet to make her way back to the show for a season of All Stars.

8 Ongina – Season 1

One of the earliest eliminations that Redditors have deemed unfair is Los Angeles-bed RuPaul’s Drag Race queen Ongina back in season 1. In episode five, both Ongina and Bebe Zahara Benet found themselves in the bottom two. As user Mo399 reminds Reddit, Ongina had a better track record up to that point and argued that her lip-sync performance was better than Bebe’s.

Commenters generally agreed with the claim that Ongina was the true winner of the lip-sync. Many Reddit users in the replies make the case that perhaps Ongina being sent home was a calculated move solely to keep Bebe safe, as Bebe was the ideal overall winner of the season in the eyes of RuPaul and the producers.

7 Kennedy Davenport – Season 7

Reddit user meaty-tuck posted a link on the Drag Race subreddit to an interview in which fan-favorite season 7 queen Kennedy Davenport discussed her elimination that season. The replies were full of support for Kennedy as well was contempt for her elimination after a group lip-sync between the top four robbed her of a spot in the finale.

EJM991 pointed out, “No one sent her home and probably wouldn’t have been able to,” implying that no single competitor would have won against Kennedy in a one-on-one battle. The Drag Race queen even made her way into the Reddit post herself, thanking the fans for their devoted support regarding her unfortunate elimination.

6 Yara Sofia – Season 3

When Reddit user _U_N0t_My_Dad_ posed the question, “Which elimination hit you the hardest?” on the RuPaul’s Drag Race subreddit, their own answer was Yara Sofia in season 3 after Yara had a breakdown during her lip-sync against Alexis Mateo. User myfirstnuzlocke agreed, having fully expected Alexis to go home instead that episode.

Other users in the replies claim that because Yara broke into a crying fit during the performance, she would have lost the lip-sync anyway. However, it is generally agreed by Reddit users in the thread that Yara should not have been in the bottom in the first place, so her breakdown and subsequent elimination could have been avoided entirely.

5 Vivacious – Season 6

One Reddit user brought up Vivacious’ elimination early on in season 6. She was eliminated third after her fellow contestants “threw the poor mother of Ornacia under the bus.” The same Reddit user claimed Vivacious was painted as “a boring older queen” which resulted in her going underappreciated by judges and contestants alike.

Many Redditors in the replies agreed that Vivacious was unjustly eliminated. User RebbeccaDeHornay mentioned that the show was “not ready to accept or understand proper old school New York drag.” Fans of Drag Race wanted to see much more from her and many are holding out for a potential All Stars redemption in the future.

4 Alyssa Edwards – All Stars 2

All Stars 2 completely changed the game for contestants when the voting rules were given a total revamp. It was then at RuPaul made it so that the queens would eliminate each other, and this resulted in what Redditors believe to be a slew of unfair eliminations. User anythingman1 claims that in All Stars 2, the unforgettable Alyssa Edwards was one of “the only queens that were truly robbed” in the history of Drag Race.

Alyssa Edwards left the competition taking home a fifth-place ranking after being sent home by Detox. Although track record throughout the season would have suggested that Roxxxy Andrews was the next to go, the supposedly broken alliance between Detox, Roxxxy, and Alaska clearly came into play in Detox’s decision as she decided to keep her friends safe. This moved Roxxxy Andrews into the top four instead of Alyssa, only for her to be sent home in the following episode.

3 Aja – All Stars 3

Of all the queens to compete on All Stars, Aja had one of the best RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars redemption arcs. They didn’t do very well in their original season, but they showed just how fierce they actually were during All Stars 3. During a challenge in which the contestants had to design their own soup cans, Aja’s can was by far the most disappointing compared to the others, but as Reddit user Dick2015 points out, “she had the prettiest look” during the runway challenge.

Aja was sent home that episode, but they had a chance to come back in the following one. Despite Redditors believing that Aja should have been brought back based on the performance that episode, Morgan McMichaels was brought back instead after being eliminated first that season. Morgan was ultimately eliminated once more in the next episode, which contributes to the disappointment from Aja fans who feel they were robbed of a second redemption.

2 Tatianna – All Stars 2

Tatianna had a bit of a rough run during her time on All Stars 2. She was eliminated early, then brought back, then eliminated again immediately despite making RuPaul and the judges laugh during the comedic commercial challenge. Reddit user lewiswollingston claims that Tatianna’s second elimination did not make any justifiable sense.

Replies suggest that the producers were to blame, with I-MEG-l claiming that the showrunners simply did not believe that Tatianna would become as popular as she did. It was unfortunate for Tatianna fans, especially since she arguably had the most to prove being that she had been away from the competition the longest.

1 Shangela – All Stars 3

Generally agreed by Drag Race fans on Reddit as one of the most robbed queens of all time, Shangela ended her All Stars 3 run with a shocking elimination. There are almost too many replies on TammiesDeadBodies’ Reddit post that highlight how Shangela was robbed of a victory. Going into the finale episode, she had won the most challenges of any other contestant (besides BenDeLaCreme, who eliminated herself).

Based on track record, Shangela was the clear winner of the season, but she was completely let down by her fellow contestants who didn’t vote for her to advance into the top two. Had fans or even RuPaul had anything to say about it, chances are that Shangela would have been the ultimate winner of All Stars 3 instead of Trixie Mattel.

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