All Season 14 Celebrity Guest Judges, Ranked
From Lizzo and Alicia Keys to Ava Max and TS Madison, and more, discover the most memorable celebrity guest judges on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14.
Season 14 of the mega-popular reality TV show RuPaul's Drag Race consists of 12 celebrity guest judges, all of whom have years of experience as popular public entertainers. Yet when it comes to judging the 14 drag queens featured on the show, each judge brings a unique perspective based on their own successful careers. For instance, since much of the show revolves around singing and lip-syncing, the singer/songwriting judges tend to impart more wisdom to the contestants than say the comedians.
While all of the celebrity guest judges are pleasant, positive and uplifting, some radiate more star power than the others, while others give shrewder advice based on their respective vocations.
12 Dulce Sloan
As a celebrity judge during the "Roast of Ross Matthews" episode, popular actress and stand-up comedian Dulce Sloan channeled her trademark humor to make several queens and fellow panelists crack up. Unfortunately, while the roast episodes are usually a fan favorite, online sentiment suggests that, through no fault of Sloan's, it was one of the worst roasts in recent memory.
Despite the lackluster roast, the highlight of the episode came during the mini-challenge where the queens were tasked with painting a mural of either RuPaul or Dolly Parton, allowing Dulce to fire off some funny yet harmless barbs as well as some hilarious facial reactions to the queens' roast jokes. However, by week 13, much of the competition had already been decided, thereby making her decisions less consequential.
11 Nicole Byer
Nailed It! and Wipeout host Nicole Byer added instant laughter as the celebrity guest judge in episode 9, "Menzeses," in which a hysterical photobomb challenge was issued to the queens. Never afraid to be edgy and candid at her own expense, Byer seemed perfectly at home on the judge's panel.
Alas, since none of the queens were eliminated from the episode following the Etta James lip-sync battle, it's hard to credit Nicole with making some of the impossibly tough decisions many of her fellow judges would later on in the season. But in terms of sheer charisma and humor, expect Nicole to be back on the show at some point.
10 Christine Chiu
The Netflix Bling Empire star/producer Christine Chiu brought her radiant aura to the judging table during episode 3, "A Pair of Balls," in which the queens are tasked with pulling double design duties to create a pair of elegant dance balls. Just as she did on DWTS, Christine charmed her way through the episode, which introduced the season's new chocolate bar elimination twist for the first time.
Aside from her bubbly personality and stylish fashion, Christine really stood out in the show when choosing whether to eliminate June Jambalaya or Maddy Morphosis during the lip-sync battle to Kylie Minogue's "I Love It." Alas, without much singing experience herself or the added stress of watching the drag-queens perform her own song, Christine is dropped a few pegs.
9 Taraji P. Henson
If the criteria were solely based on magnetic star power and genuine talent, Oscar-nominated movie star Taraji P. Henson would outlast the others due to her supreme acting and singing skills. However, as a guest judge during the "Glamazon Prime" debacle, she voted to eliminate fan-favorite Maddy Morphosis, resulting in the second-lowest-rated episode (per IMDb) and the second least-viewed episode of the season (according to showbuzzdaily.com).
Henson was put to the test after Jasmine and Maddy battled for supremacy lip-syncing to Beyonce's "Suga Mama," leading to a contentious and confounding elimination that left fans reeling. Per most fans, Henson misjudged the queens.
8 Alec Mapa
Eleven years after serving as a celebrity guest judge on RuPaul's Drag U, the effervescent Alec Mapa came full circle to judge the "60s Girl Groups" episode of the long-running reality TV Show. Always uplifting with his positive smile and optimistic aura, Alec had a blast judging lip-sync versions of Toni Braxton's "Un-break My Heart."
With years of experience working with RuPaul, Alec knows exactly the right tone, tenor, and temperament judges need to have to critique the queens without discouraging them. Even when Kerri Colby sashayed away with the chocolate bar in tow, Alec was gentle as can be in his criticism.
7 Loni Love
Marking her fifth time as a celebrity guest judge on the show, comedienne and talk-show host Loni Love brought undeniable ease, comfort, and humor to the episode "She's A Super Tease," helping to foster one of the funniest drag queens on the show.
The funniest part of Loni's appearance in season 14 is the acting challenge that she is asked to judge, calling on her own amateur experience in such comedies as Soul Plane and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 to help the queens bolster their sense of humor. While acting challenges often leave a lot to be desired, fans felt Loni judging the one in season 14 was one of the better examples in recent years, likely leading to Loni's return in the future.
6 Ava Max
The up-and-coming pop star Ava Max had a tough task during the "Save a Queen" episode, which ultimately lead to the dismissal of Orion Story when Jorgeous bested the queen in a heated lip-sync battle. Thoughtful, measured, and articulate, Ava showed wisdom far beyond her years in her deliberations.
The crux of the episode entails the queens creating satirical public service announcements, with extra drama coming when Jorgeous and Orion had to engage in a lip-syncing battle to Ava's hit song "My Head & My Heart." The way Ava reacts to the performances like a real fan would make her extremely relatable.
5 Andra Day
Few celebrity guest judges brought as much luminous star power and stage command as the multitalented singer and actress, Andra Day. Appropriately brought in to judge the "Moulin Ru: The Rusical "episode, Day brought elegance, charm, humor, and refreshing humility to the proceedings. Truly, very few RuPaul's Drag Race guest judges are as iconic.
After giving positive critiques to Daya Betty, Lady Camden, and Willow Pill during the Mirror Mirror challenge, Day really showed her judging bona fides when emotionally reacting and deciding whether Bosco or Jorgeous should win the heated lip-sync battle. Expect to see Andra back on the show sometime soon.
4 Alicia Keys
The multitalented Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys was among the most humble, entertaining, and knowledgable celebrity guest judges in season 14. In addition to weighing in on one of the best lip-sync performances of the season between Daya Betty and DeJa's rendition of her own hit song "Fallin,' Alicia imparts genuinely encouraging pearls of wisdom all the queens can take with them after the show.
Beyond being incredibly kind and gracious in the way she critiques the performances of her hit song, Alicia's successful track record gives her advice more weight. Despite failing to gain the same viewership ratings as the season premiere, "The Big Opening Part 2" still ranks as the 4th-highest of the season (per showbuzzdaily.com), reinforcing Alicia's superior judging presence.
3 Dove Cameron
With years of experience as both an actress and pop singer, Dove Cameron made an instant splash on the show as a guest judge during the "Snatch Game" episode. Participating in the game alongside Raven, Dove helped the show hit its highest viewership ratings of the season, per showbuzzdaily.com, although many fans felt the Snatch Game itself was underwhelming.
In addition to showcasing her natural charisma, Dove was able to relate to the queens in a genuine way by encouraging them to embrace "disillusion" and find the immense freedom it can provide. Sharing her new tattoo was also an instant hit among the queens.
2 Lizzo
By introducing Lizzo as the very first celebrity guest judge of the season, RuPaul's Drag Race knew the pop star is a No. 1 contender. Indeed, Lizzo kicks off the whole shebang by stirring the crowd, amping the queens, and getting to the nitty-gritty of her hit song "Water Me." She kicks off the season with pizazz and panache like few others ever could.
The key to having a great celebrity judge is their ability to match the energy and charisma of the queens, which Lizzo does with great flair by joining the rousing opening number. All told, Lizzo's episode is the most viewed of the season, marking the only one to eclipse more than 700,000 viewers (per showbuzzdaily.com).
1 TS Madison
In the highly amusing 1980s-themed episode "The Daytona Wind", no better judge was more qualified to assess the merits of the queens than TS Maddison. Hailed as the first Black trans woman to exec-produce and star in her own reality TV series (per them.us), Madison embodies proud the lifestyle all of the queens wish to follow full-time. TS' full authority is on display when Daya Betty and Lady Camden competed in lip-sync versions of Blondie's "One Way Or Another."
TS Madison has become such a popular celebrity guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race that season 14 marks her fourth time in the role, proving that few others are as uniquely qualified and knowledgeable about what it takes to win the competition.
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