Failed 'Drag Race' catchphrases that really didn't catch on

These catchphrases… didn’t catch fire!

It's giving... “stop trying to make fetch happen” realness.

We’re now entering the 16th cycle of RuPaul’s Drag Race. With each passing year, it becomes more and more difficult for contestants to stand out, differentiate themselves, and create new branding opportunities that the fans will love.

Most of the memorable memes and GIFs from Drag Race came from completely accidental situations and line deliveries. However, there have also been several catchphrases created by the queens who absolutely intended for those sayings to become attached to their brands. It’s unfortunate that some of these catchphrases really didn’t catch on with the fans… but it’s still worth revisiting them anyway.

Scroll through to find out which catchphrases from RuPaul’s Drag Race didn’t catch on with the fandom.

“Subway Fish” – Alexis Michelle

Alexis Michelle came into Drag Race season nine with a really interesting storyline of being a queen from New York City who rode the subway to get to her gigs while already being in full drag. Because of this story, Alexis tried to brand herself “subway fish.” This branding attempt did not work, and now that we’re leaving the “fish” terms in the past when it comes to drag performers, maybe it’s for the best that this nickname didn’t get too popular in the first place.

“Bounjour!” – Aquaria

A lot of fans were under the impression that Aquaria wanted to attach “bonjour” (the French greeting that means “good day”) to her overall brand. However, with the exception of her verse in “American” and a few different moments toward the finale, Aquaria seemingly forgot to use the catchphrase for most of the season. In fact, a lot of people don’t even remember that Aquaria did, in fact, try to have “bonjour” as her catchphrase.

“Nyass” – Ariel Versace

Ariel Versace’s “Nyass” was another catchphrase intended to be used as a greeting, but it never resonated with the fans – or even the other queens – throughout season 11. Unlike Aquaria, Ariel did try to use “nyass” in many different situations. It just wasn’t necessarily pleasing to the ears, and it also didn’t feel catchy enough.

“Sprepper” – Carmen Carrera

There have been different usages of “sprepper” in other contexts, but when it comes to Drag Race, Carmen Carrera was the queen who attempted to coin the term. Whether this was a request from producers or something that she was personally tried to push, Carmen explained that “sprepper” was a mixture between Sprite and Dr. Pepper – something or someone that is sweet but not necessarily good for you.

“Apolo-lie” – Widow Von’Du

Widow Von’Du had high hopes when she first brought up the “apolo-lie” catchphrase. Clearly, Drag Race producers also found potential in the term given that they even spelled it out in one particular episode. In short, “apolo-lie” is the act of lying while trying to deliver a fake apology. It’s a witty term, for sure, but it was a total failure to launch when it came to the fandom.

“Neva Lavd Yah” – Dusty Ray Bottoms

We actually think that “never loved ya” is a catchphrase that sounds really cool. It also led to a very good song released by Dusty Ray Bottoms called “Neva Lavd Yah” following her elimination on Drag Race season 10. With that said, “never loved ya” didn’t catch on as a catchphrase, didn’t help Dusty brand herself, and never entered the mainstream Drag Race canon of memes and terms. We do love you, though, Dusty!

“Hellotis” – Jorgeous

“These gays, they’re trying to murder me!” More like, “These queens, they’re trying to greet me!” In season 14 of Drag Race, yet another catchphrase/greeting was pushed by a contestant: Jorgeous’ “Hellotis!” Much like Aquaria’s “Bonjour” and Ariel Versace’s “Nyass,” this one also didn’t leave a significant mark on the show. We love Jorgeous’ aesthetic, confessionals, and lip sync abilities, and “Hellotis” just didn’t really fit with the rest of the fantasy.

“Mesh!” – Detox

Detox is one of the supreme queens of Drag Race catchphrases, but there’s one that never really went anywhere: “Mesh!” It’s hard to explain “mesh!” as anything other than something you say randomly. Sometimes it’s possible, sometimes it’s negative. You can say it to call someone, or to complain, or to celebrate. Despite its wide range of uses, “mesh” just didn’t catch on with the fans. We do love Detox’s endless list of other catchphrases, though!

“Attitude check!” – Silky Nutmeg Ganache

Silky Nutmeg Ganache came in hot during the grand premiere of Drag Race season 11. She was really committed to showing her personality, and we can’t blame any drag performer for trying to stand out. With that said, Silky tried really hard to push a catchphrase that consisted of her saying “attitude check!” and all the other queens replying “f*ck you b*tch!” The other queens went along with it during introductions, but as soon as Silky tried the catchphrase a second time, everybody in the werk room was already over it.

“She’s not a big pill, she’s a Wiwow Pill” – RuPaul

This one isn’t technically from Willow Pill, but about Willow Pill. Throughout season 14 of Drag Race, Mama Ru tried and tried to coin the catchphrase “She’s not a big pill, she’s a Wiwow Pill.” Ru did a baby voice every time she said “little,” making it sound more like Willow’s name. Try as she might, this catchphrase did not please the fans, and Willow herself seemed pretty confused whenever she heard it. No harm, no foul, but June Jambalaya’s “It’s chocolate” took over as the ultimate season 14 catchphrase much more.