The finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 is creeping ever closer, but no queen will be crowned before the iconic series delivers at least one more major twist. While Sapphira, Nymphia, Plane and Q continue to battle it out for the number one spot, eliminated contestants are set to return for an unmissable lipsync smackdown with a tantalising cash prize up for grabs. 

According to multiple sources, the queens are rumoured to make a comeback to the show in episode 15. All but four contestants have been reportedly sent to the house to take part, namely Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, Mirage, Amanda Tori Meating, Geneva Karr, Megami, Xunami Muse, Plasma, Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige, Dawn and Morphine Love Dion. 

As published in an episode synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes: “All of the eliminated queens return to battle it out in a LipSync Lalaparuza Smackdown, with nine lipsyncs, and a cash prize of $50,000 on the line.”

The Lalaparuza concept was first introduced in Season 14 following a Snatch Game, before being carried over into Season 15 as a standalone challenge. Until now, it has sparked an elimination, but this time around, it appears that it will be used to crown a winner.

While the triumphant queen is expected to receive a generous cash prize, speculation is growing about whether they will also get a shot at returning to the competition.

It should be noted that while the introduction of the LipSync Lalaparuza Smackdown is widely believed to be true, the twist won’t be officially ruvealed until the preview at the end of episode 14. 

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 continues on Friday, April 5, on MTV in the US before streaming on WOW Presents Plus internationally the following day. We can’t wait to see how the final few episodes play out and what’s left to say to the queens other than, “Good luck, and don’t f*ck it up!”