If there’s one thing we can count on RuPaul’s Drag Race to do, it’s introducing new catch phrases to the pop culture lexicon. A decade later, queens on the show are still creating new words and putting together catchy bon mots that enter mainstream consciousness over time.
While some of the popular catch phrases on Drag Race were very intentionally repeated by queens over and over again, it is certainly interesting to see how many of these were entirely accidental. All in all, these queens will forever be associated with these words and phrases, even if some of them did not have the best run on the show.
“CHOICES” BY TATIANNA
Tatianna’s “choices” is one of the OG RuPaul’s Drag Race catch phrases, coming all the way from Season 2. While Tati is certainly remembered for her Snatch Game win, strong runway looks, and candid confessional interviews, it is fair to say that the “choices” catch phrase is at the top of the list when it comes to remembering this queen.
Over the course of several seasons of Drag Race, we have certainly seen other queens uttering “choices,” solidifying this catch phrase’s popularity within the franchise. Many years after season 2, Tatianna was brought back to compete on All Stars 2, where she capitalized on this phrase even further.
“CUCU” BY CYNTHIA LEE FONTAINE
On Drag Race Season 8, fans and fellow queens went wild for Cynthia Lee Fontaine’s “cucu,” ultimately contributing to her win as Miss Congeniality that year. At face value, “cucu” is what the queen calls her glutes. However, what was otherwise just a nickname for a body part actually became a catch phrase that largely defined Cynthia’s place within the franchise.
We have certainly had other Latinx contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race who had Spanish catch phrases. Most notably, we had Yara Sofia’s “echa pa’lante” on Season 3. However, perhaps due to how simple it is to say “cucu” even if you’re not a Spanish speaker, Cynthia Lee Fontaine’s catch phrase really caught on.
“PURSE FIRST” BY BOB THE DRAG QUEEN
It was pretty clear that Bob the Drag Queen was trying to plug her “purse first” catch phrase from the very beginning of Season 8. Still, fans could not resist how cool it felt to hear it and repeat it, never feeling like the catch phrase was necessarily being forced on the show.
During the Drag Race Season 8 finale, Bob the Drag Queen got RuPaul himself to say “purse first.” Then, after her time on the show, Bob released a song called “Purse First,” capitalizing on the phrase and making it a very important part of her brand.
“BAM!” BY ALEXIS MATEO
It was only supposed to be something that Alexis Mateo uttered when turning to the camera during the “Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Style” maxi challenge. However, “bam!” took on a life of its own. Before you knew it, RuPaul was repeating “bam!” throughout the rest of Season 3, giving Alexis a golden opportunity to capitalize on it.
All in all, it is hard to think about Season 3 and not remember Alexis Mateo’s “bam!” While this queen is certainly known for her many talents, pageant beauty, and charming personality, her overall brand and place within the Drag Race franchise has certainly benefited from that iconic catch phrase.
“PARTY” BY ADORE DELANO
“Party” may have been coined by Season 10 contestant Mayhem Miller (before her time on Drag Race), but it was Adore Delano that popularized the catch phrase during her time on Season 6.
Generally, “party” is used as a reaction to something that was said, and can mean a myriad of things depending on the context. For instance, Adore Delano used “party” when being asked to describe her personality, as well as when reacting to challenges she was excited about.
On All Stars 2, Katya uttered “party” to Alaska during the latter’s meltdown upon landing in the Bottom Two. While many fans considered that shady, Katya has spoken out about not meaning anything by it.
“HENNY” BY STACY LAYNE MATTHEWS
Stacy Layne Matthews will forever be the “henny” queen of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The impact of this catch phrase is so large that it even got its own episode on All Stars 4, “Super Girl Groups, Henny!”, where the contestants formed girl groups alongside Stacy.
It’s fair to say that “henny” has surpassed its Drag Race fame and entered the vocabulary of mainstream media. Overall, it is not rare to hear other celebrities saying “henny” as an alternative pronunciation of “honey,” perhaps without even necessarily being familiar with Stacy Layne Matthews.
“EAT IT” BY LATRICE ROYALE
From the moment we saw Latrice Royale walk into the workroom on Season 4 of Drag Race, we knew that the show was changed forever. Even 11 seasons later, Latrice is still one of the top fan-favorite queens in the history of the franchise, and her “eat it” catch phrase is certainly one of the most memorable things about her time on the show.
To put it simply, “eat it” is a confident expression that Latrice Royale says to her fellow queens when she is feeling fabulous. It essentially means that those around you must accept the fact that you’re that great. Over the years, RuPaul and the Drag Race queens have embraced “eat it” as a popular phrase that everyone is allowed to use.
“HIEEEE” BY ALASKA
Many fans may not realize it, but Alaska did not invent the “hieeee” greeting. Instead, this catch phrase was coined by Coco Ferocha and Isis Mirage, who are drag queens from the UK. With that said, Alaska definitely made the “hieeee” her own, and is entirely responsible for its worldwide popularity.
It is not uncommon to see RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and other Drag Race queens using the high-pitched “hieeee” to greet each other. As a matter of fact, Ru and Michelle use this catch phrase during nearly every single episode of their What’s The Tea? podcast.
“MISS VANJIE” BY VANESSA VANJIE MATEO
Who knew that the first eliminated queen on Drag Race Season 10 would turn out to be the now-iconic Vanessa Vanjie Mateo? During her sashay away, Vanessa repeated “Miss Vanjie” three times while walking backwards, creating an instantly famous catch phrase that has been repeated by the likes of Rihanna and Andrew Garfield.
All in all, “Miss Vanjie” is one of the most memorable catch phrases in the history of RuPaul’s Drag Race, with many fans even using it as Vanessa Vanjie Mateo’s official name. While the queen has been trying to branch out and have different catch phrases, it is impossible for anyone to forget “Miss Vanjie.”
“HALLELOO” BY SHANGELA
In the history of memorable Drag Race catch phrases, it is hard to argue against the massive popularity of Shangela’s “halleloo.” Over time, this alternative way to say “hallelujah” has become commonplace for people of all walks of life — even those who have probably never heard of Shangela or RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“Halleloo” is, without question, the first legitimate catch phrase that came out of this franchise. If you watched Shangela’s short run on Season 2 and her subsequent appearance on Season 3, it’s impossible to forget about “halleloo.”