RuPaul's Drag Race is one of the most popular and culturally innovative reality series of all time, with 13 fabulous seasons and several spinoffs. One favorite season among loyal viewers is season 6, which introduced an unforgettable cast of drag queens that included BenDeLaCreme, Adore Delano, and Bianca Del Rio.
This competition featured a grand array of runway looks, entertaining challenges, and lip-syncs to die for, not to mention some tea-spilling Untucked discussions. With moments full of over-the-top glamour, side-splitting humor, and plenty of drama, it is no wonder that this season is often considered one of the show's best.
Vivacious And Ornacia
When they first enter the Werk Room, the queens aim to make a big impression in order to stand out from the crowd. Contestant Vivacious achieved this, although not in the way she intended.
With a Styrofoam head nicknamed Ornacia as a hat, Vivacious entered the Werk Room with a satin veil over her face. However, she fumbled to open the clasp for her reveal, making the moment awkward. Ultimately, Ornacia ended up being more of a standout than the drag queen who wore her.
The Rap Challenge
One unique challenge that the season 6 queens had to undertake was starring in a music video for RuPaul's song, "Oh No She Better Don't." This involved the contestants delivering some sharp and catchy lines in a two-team rap battle.
It was this challenge that brought less polished queen Adore Delano to the forefront of the competition as her loud look and smooth rhymes made her the challenge winner. Bianca Del Rio and Joslyn Fox also served memorable performances.
Everybody Loves Puppets
A mini-challenge from past seasons, the Everybody Loves Puppets segment of season 6 stands out as one of the most hilarious. The remaining contestants put together puppet versions of their fellow queens and did matching imitations, throwing shade with very funny results.
Comedy master Bianca Del Rio did an excellent job capturing the quirks of Adore Delano, while Adore herself made some nice jabs at BenDeLaCreme. It was DeLa who won this challenge with an exaggeratedly ugly puppet and a loudmouthed impression of Bianca.
Sissy That Walk
In the final challenge before the winner was announced, the top four queens performed in the music video for RuPaul's "Sissy That Walk," requiring them to lip-sync the lyrics and walk on a treadmill in high heels at the same time.
The musically inclined Adore Delano shined during her filming, as expected. Meanwhile, Bianca Del Rio was a surprising standout in this challenge. Having relied on her comedic chops and costuming skills throughout the competition, Bianca never had to lip-sync for her life, so her skills in that area were untested. Her sheer talent demonstrated that she could have sent almost any lip-sync opponent packing if she'd had to.
Courtney's Wings
There have been countless remarkable outfits throughout RuPaul's Drag Race's history, but one of the most fascinating belongs to Courtney Act. For the Animal Kingdom Couture runway theme, Courtney showed off a pale blue dove costume with a form-fitting corset, thigh-high boots and feathery eye makeup.
The final touch was a pair of gigantic wings on her back, which popped out for an incredible effect. This show-stopping getup, along with an excellent performance in the weekly challenge, was more than enough to make Courtney the winner of the episode.
Laganja's Entrance
In every season of RuPaul's Drag Race, there is always a queen who tends to rub the other queens — and the audience — the wrong way. In season 6, this was Laganja Estranja. However, no one knew it yet when she made her grand entrance in the Werk Room.
With a confident strut and what would become her iconic catchphrase — "Let's get sickening!" — she landed a death drop that very few subsequent contestants have been able to top. Unfortunately for Laganja, this was one of her few high points of the season.
Trinity Gets Real
As a show that features a primarily LGBTQ+ cast, RuPaul's Drag Race occasionally addresses major issues this community faces. In the case of Trinity K. Bonet, it was the matter of HIV and AIDS.
More reserved at the beginning of the season, her confidence grew episode by episode to the point where she was brave enough to reveal she's HIV-positive. Instead of shedding tears, Trinity talked about being optimistic and living her dreams in the face of her diagnosis, inspiring both viewers and her fellow queens.
Laganja's Meltdown
As in any competition, sometimes the stress gets to some of the queens on the show. The pressure definitely got to Laganja Estranja in season 6's most infamous Untucked session.
After a poor performance in that week's challenge, she received further criticism from the other queens, who were getting tired of her obnoxious behavior and felt that she was not being her genuine self. In response, Laganja screamed she was feeling "very attacked." She stormed off in tears. Unsurprisingly, she was eliminated from the competition immediately afterward.
Snatch Game
One challenge that RuPaul's Drag Race fans look forward to every season is Snatch Game, where the contestants impersonate celebrities on a game show. The lookalikes that showed up in the season 6 edition were some of the most iconic in the series.
Adore Delano put her "party" attitude on full display as Anna Nicole Smith, and Bianca Del Rio's snappy humor worked perfectly for her Judge Judy impression. The clear winner, though, was BenDeLaCreme, whose version of Dame Maggie Smith in all her Downton Abbey glory was sublime.
The Finale
One thing that makes the RuPaul's Drag Race season 6 finale so memorable is that the final three queens were such strong competitors: Bianca Del Rio had wit, Courtney Act had looks, and Adore Delano had personality.
The fabulous trio shared a musical number together before RuPaul ultimately crowned Bianca the winner. Other exciting moments included BenDeLaCreme winning Miss Congeniality and Joslyn Fox's fiancé coming up and asking to get married right on stage, with RuPaul herself officiating the quick ceremony.