Last night, episode four of The Boulet Brothers’ Titans dropped on Shudder and immediately went viral. While this show—and its progenitor Dragula—has never pulled punches and has brought endless moments of incredible and memeable drama, as well as terrifying drag excellence, this week’s episode was particularly, well, riveting. From rivalries exploding to a hot mic moment and one contestant going to the ER, this episode will go down in the annals of pop culture as one of the most captivating to grace our screens.
But it’s all part of the legacy of this show, which has always left us gagged. Why not take a trip down this cursed memory lane, by recalling 18 times these shows left us utterly shook, cheering, and with our jaws on the floor.
Melissa Befierce vs Xochi Mochi mud wrestling (season 1, episode 2)
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Season one may not have had the budget of later seasons, but it already had the magic, and one especially wild moment. That, of course, came in the second episode when Melissa Befierce faced off in a mud wrestling match with Xochi Mochi — and it got real. While other shows may claim that drag is not a “full contact sport,” in the world of The Boulets, it certainly is. The two rolled around, taking down the entire cage in the process.
The boudoir explodes with drama in the premiere (season 2, episode 1)
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It took roughly zero seconds for the drama to kick off in the second season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula. As soon as the cast made its way to the boudoir, preexisting rivalries exploded to the surface. First, James Majesty (now just known as Majesty) faced off with Monikkie Shame over bookings, alleged drug use, and social media shenanigans. But they weren’t the only queens trading barbs—Biqtch Puddin and Abhora started airing out their drama over Biqtch’s aesthetic, an onstage kiss, and some boyfriend tension. Oh, and Majesty and Kendra Onixxx also mixed it up. This was the moment fans knew they were in for an iconic season—and they were right.
The human pin-cushion extermination challenge (season 2, episode 1)
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If you thought the premiere episode started wild, that argument had nothing on the extermination that followed. Felony Dodger, Erika Klash, and Monikkie Shame were all sent to the bottom, where they were pierced with progressively larger gauge needles. While there have been many extreme and terrifying extermination challenges since, there’s something about this early one that remains the most shocking and haunting.
The queens get exposed in a polygraph test (season 2, episode 5)
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While polygraph tests may be a staple of reality TV, of course, the Boulets made theirs the most diabolical. As the contestants’ true feelings about one another were revealed, Erika Klash left her fellow castmates shook when she admitted she was sexually attracted to a family member. She later clarified that it was a distant cousin she met as an adult, but still, that gag-worthy moment remains one of Dragula’s biggest shockers.
Landon Cider dines on live spiders (season 3, episode 1)
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Landon Cider’s luck would certainly improve over her time in the competition, but she kicked off the season by pulling the short straw—or rather, the short makeup compact—leading her to have to consume a jar of live spiders. You’ll never unsee them tipping the jar into their mouth, with the spiders falling all over their face.
Hollow Eve vs Dollya Black in “freezer tampon-gate” argument (season 3, episode 3)
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Audiences learned two things in the third episode of season three: that Hollow Eve and Dollya were roommates during production, and that Hollow—who took their filthy art very seriously—was storing used tampons in the freezer when Dollya whispered about it behind their back. What a time to be alive!
Maddelynn Hatter gives “Clint” a piece of her mind (season 3, episode 4)
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There are some sentences you hear rather than read, and “Fuck the big picture, Clint!” is absolutely the former. This was shouted by Maddelynn Hatter in the fourth episode of season 3, when she found herself in the bottom and facing an extermination that included the contestants throwing rotten food and insults at her. Humiliated at the prospect, Maddelynn spiraled, threatened to quit, and when production tried to comfort her and talk her down, she gave them an earful.
Hollow Eve loudly defends their art (season 3, episode 5)
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Say what you will about Hollow Eve, but this artist kept us fed during their whole time on Dragula, and they went out with a bang! After receiving negative critiques for their menstrual-themed look, they gave their castmates, production, and likely anyone within a 10-mile radius a piece of their mind.
Priscilla Chambers performs with a stillborn cow (season 3, episode 6)
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One of the tenets of the show is filth, and season three brought the filth in spades. But one moment in particular lives rent-free in the minds of fans: when Priscilla Chambers performed with a preserved stillborn cow on stage during the Haunted Hospital floor show. While the performance landed her in the bottom two, it’s certainly a top moment when it comes to shock value.
The cauldron boils over (season 4, episode 5)
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They don’t call it a cauldron for nothing, since it’s the place where the cast is meant to stir the pot. But the pot boiled over—and then some—during the fifth episode of Season Four, when the tension erupted between, well, kind of everyone. Signourney Beaver and HoSo TerraToma, then La Zaveleta, Bitter Betty, and Jade Jolie had a blow-up that left the rest of the cast in shocked silence. “We’re best friends!” Not so much.
Desiree Dik throws a dead *checks notes* whole chicken (season 666, episode 3)
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The Boulets revealed that season 666 of the show was cast entirely from their stack of “wild card” contestants, and it showed—particularly when one argument in the cauldron between Desiree Dik and Yuri culminated with Desiree launching raw fowl at her castmate.
Majesty quits the show (season 666, episode 5)
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As shocking as Majesty joining the cast of Season 666 was, their exit was even more of a twist. After a confrontation with castmate Anti Heroine, in which she accused Majesty of being disingenuous and a narcissist, Majesty decided to eliminate herself from the competition. But rather than do so on-screen, the cast learned of her exit via a note read in the laboratory. Everyone was shocked by the turn of events, most of all the audience.
Submerged cages fright feat (Titans season 1, episode 7)
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While the Human Pincushion may be the most shocking extermination challenge, the Fright Feat that left audiences absolutely gobsmacked featured the cast being put in cages, submerged in water, and forced to climb through pipes to enter a code. Simply watching this on-screen will leave you gasping for air.
Melissa Befierce breaks down and quits (Titans season 1, episode 7)
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The first season of Titans featured a ton of romance drama, specifically a love triangle featuring HoSo Terra Toma, Astrud Aurelia, and (a very reluctant) Abhora. What the cast didn’t realize is that off-screen, Melissa Befierce was dealing with the dissolution of her marriage. Worn down by the drama and what she interpreted to be fakeness among her cast, Melissa hit her breaking point in episode seven and decided to leave the competition, despite Koco Caine’s best attempts to get her sister to stay.
Koco Caine reads the remaining Titans for absolute filth (Titans season 1, episode 8)
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Following Melissa’s exit from the competition, the remaining cast—minus Koco—found themselves discussing Melissa's choice to leave, unaware that Koco was listening from the wings. When she entered the room, she proceeded to give her sisters the most epic verbal lashing the show has ever seen. They were shook, audiences were riveted, and difficult truths were spoken with razor-sharp and cutting clarity.
La Zavaleta melts down, hugs a tree, and then needs the Heimlich maneuver (Titans season 2, episode 4)
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Whew! Episode four of Titans is truly one for the history books. Let’s start with La Zavaleta kicking off the episode with a full meltdown as the backstory of the tension between her and Jay Kay comes to light — yes, it involves a man. Not only does she demand someone call her mom, but she runs to the parking lot, where she is discovered hugging a tree by Cynthia Doll. After being talked down, she returns to the set for the Fright Feat, which includes eating a full clove of garlic, only to choke on it and need the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge it. What a wild ride.
Dollya Black gets called out by Dracmorda during a hot mic moment (Titans season 2, episode 4)
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For the last few episodes, Dollya Black had found herself the target of her castmates’ increasing ire as more details of her behind-the-scenes conversations with producers about their “misbehavior” came to light. But this all came to a head when Dollya, off camera but not off mic, began recounting how production was “threatening” to do a wellness check on her — and none other than Dracmorda, along with the production team, called her out on it.
Abhora is rushed to the emergency room (Titans season 2, episode 4)
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After being named one of the bottom three in the Nosferatu Beach Party challenge, Abhora was tasked with eating various meats and blood. However, she took it a little too far and also feasted on some props, too — ones that they were specifically instructed not to eat. This led Abhora to become sick and was rushed off to the emergency room.
