WARNING: Contestants are listed in order of elimination and there are unmarked spoilers on this page, potentially including spoilers for previous seasons.
Main (RuPaul, hosts and judges)
RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs. the World seasons:
Drag Race around the world:
All Stars & Vs. the World
All names, ages, and locations stated are at the time of filming.
Lemon (9th)
From: Toronto, Canada
Original Appearance: Canada's Drag Race Season 1 (5th)
"I heard you missed your main squeeze *kiss*"
- Beware the Nice Ones: Lemon's a gorgeous cutie-pie, but her smiley facade belies her sharp tongue and she's more than capable of snapping back at any queens who come for her — all delivered with a sweet Twinkle Smile.
- Break the Cutie: In an unfortunate case of History Repeats, the usually sunny Lemon is crushed upon landing in the bottom 2 in the premiere (as per her original season), following a seen-it-all-before dance-based number in the Royal Command Performance, and cries Tender Tears in the Werk Room following the judges' critiques.
- Colour Motif: Lemon yellow, naturally. Every look she wears includes shades of yellow.
- Edible Theme Naming: Took her drag name from the fruit, and as per her original season, her Meet The Queens intro is a citrus-based Hurricane of Puns.Lemon: When life gives you lemons, Lemon gives you life.
- Flat Joy: Despite her professional dancing skills and typically bubbly persona, she sports a fairly blank expression throughout her talent show number in the premiere, which lends the piece a slightly flat, perfunctory tone. The judges clock it immediately, and she's read for not giving enough emotion, immediately regretting not pushing herself further.
- Friendship Denial: She makes her entrance after Jimbo, and the latter shoots her a few steely looks as she greets the other girls. Later in the Werk Room, Lemon explains that whilst she and Jimbo are fine with each other, they are by no means close (she doesn't have her phone number, for a start), and are not really sisters in the drag sense.note
- History Repeats: Lemon ends up in the bottom of the first episode, once again. This time around, she can’t save herself, as it's down to the top 2 (Pangina and Jimbo) to lip-sync and decide her fate. Pangina smashes the winners' sync and her choice, Lemon, goes home first.
- "I Am" Song: She raps a Hurricane of Puns — all lemon-based of course — for her Royal Command Performance and even though the queens all enjoy it, the more seasoned amongst them note that it lacks originality and emotion, which ultimately lands her in the bottom 2.
- It Only Works Once: Her Royal Command Performance is a dance number, culminating in jumping off a staircase into a split. Despite the trick being impressive, she’s quickly clocked by Pangina (one of the two top queens of the week) for repeating Aja’s setup from All Stars 3.
- Meet the New Boss: She expresses playful concern that she's never actually been judged by RuPaul himself, as Brooke Lynn Hytes is in charge of things on Canada's Drag Race.
- Seen It All: The other queens are horrified by Jimbo's utterly bizarre talent show performance. Lemon just smiles knowingly, since she's used to Jimbo's weirdness by now.
- She's All Grown Up: Forms the basis of her I'm a Winner, Baby! runway. In her original season, Lemon exhibited a cutesy, JonBenét Ramsey-style preteen pageant aesthetic, though in the premiere, she presents a beautiful and more mature Princess Classic look in pale yellow.
- Wearing a Flag on Your Head: When Lemon comes Back for the Finale, she abandons her customary yellow colour palette, and instead sports beautiful Gem-Encrusted bodysuit in red and white, complete with a huge red Canadian maple leaf motif projecting metres around her as she struts the runway.
Cheryl Hole (8th + Miss Congeniality)
From: Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom
Original Appearance: RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1 (4th)
"Hello divas, I'm ready for another season of me... doing mediocre!"
- Boastful Rap: For the Royal Command Performance in the premiere, she performs a self-deprecating, yet spirited rap before performing a classic Cheryl death-drop.
- Brainless Beauty: Cheryl is her home county of Essex personified — a gorgeous, blonde glamourpuss who never takes herself seriously, and lets her joyful silliness carry her through.
- Disapproving Look: Has one of these for the entirety of Jimbo's talent show performance, which is, perhaps, a reasonable response to a white latex alien throwing baloney at you.Cheryl: [in a confessional] ...what's going on?!?
- Flower Motifs: When Cheryl comes Back for the Finale, she sports a red satin gown embellished with the national flowers of the four Home Nations that make up the United Kingdom — the thistle (Scotland), daffodil (Wales), flax flower (Northern Ireland), and of course the red rose of her native England.
- Fun Personified: Cheryl notes that she's just "a silly tit in a wig" and won't be taking things too seriously.
- Impossibly Tacky Clothes: For the final runway of the RuPaul Ball in episode 2, the garment must firstly be self-sewn (something Cheryl admits she's poor at) but also something Ru would actually wear — no easy task. Cheryl's effort is something of an Epic Fail, as not only does her riot of gaudy leopard print and neon look more Gemma Collins than RuPaul, it's also poorly constructed, which lands her in the bottom 2. Ultimately, Janey nails the winners' lip-sync and selects Cheryl to go home next.
- Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: In her Meet The Queens video, she's far less into the Trash Talk seen amongst some of the other girls, and notes that she'll never play dirty (except in the bedroom).
- Self-Deprecation: Jokes on social media and in her Meet The Queens video that she's looking forward to doing mediocre again, after she famously landed in the bottom four times in UK Series 1, but managed to cling on week-on-week through sheer pluckiness.
- Tempting Fate: Prior to her appearance on the show, Cheryl made multiple jokes about "looking forward to doing mediocre again!", all delivered with the wry Self-Deprecation we know and love. However, this unfortunately proves truly apposite by episode 2, as she never really delivers the goods and leaves the competition much earlier than she did on UK Series 1, where she placed a respectable 4th.
- Whole Costume Reference: For the "Kitty Girl" runway of the RuPaul Ball she sports a dragged-up take on Marie, one of the trio of kittens from Disney's The Aristocats.
Jimbo (7th)
From: Victoria, Canada
Original Appearance: Canada's Drag Race Season 1 (4th)
"Moooooom!! I'm hooooome..! And I wanna snack!"
- Achilles' Heel: Her makeup and runways are always top-notch and she naturally excels at her own unique brand of compelling weirdness, but conventional lip-sync performance is just not her strong suit. It led to her elimination on Canada's Drag Race and cost her two victories here and her elimination after a poor showing as “Dodo the Dog” in the West End Wendys musical theatre challenge.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Amongst the most eccentric queens from across the franchise, Jimbo's off-the-wall quirkiness forms a big part of her drag persona, though as shown in her original season, she's definitely an example of Beware the Silly Ones, as she'll clap back at any queen who pisses her off in softly spoken yet withering tones.
- Continuity Nod: In confessionals, Jimbo looks exactly the same as she did on her original season, as she sports the very same cute little red cowboy shirt.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Having exhibited a good deal of character growth, and with wins in both episodes 1 and 2 under her belt, Jimbo seemed like a stong candidate for the crown. However, in a shocking change of fortune, a below-par performance in week 3’s musical theatre challenge sees Pangina, the winner of the week's lip-sync, sending Jimbo home despite her great track record, in one of the show's most shocking eliminations. The judging panel are shocked, and Ru can't hide her disappointment as she commands Jimbo to sashay away.
- Human Chess: For the I'm a Winner, Baby! runway, she sports an incredible black and white gown and headpiece that's based on the queen piece from a classic chess set, and looks like something straight out of the more nightmarishly arty side of the Dark Souls universe.
- I Can't Dance: Maybe it wasn't just holding onto her clunky headpiece that sent her home when she lip-synced against Rita Baga on her original season. In her winner’s lip-sync against Pangina in episode 1, Jimbo looks totally lost, is unable to muster up much more than a minor reveal and just... walks around. She actually bumps into Pangina more than once. Jimbo admits afterwards to Baga that "I did not do good", and as Lemon makes her final exit, she apologises to her and says “I’m sorry I’m not a better dancer” — implying she would have saved Lemon had she won (confirmed by Jimbo when interviewed). Come episode 2, Jimbo once again gets in the top, and does... slightly better, but is still out of her depth and no match for Janey.
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Jimbo is so starstruck when meeting her hero RuPaul for the first time during a table chat in episode 2 that she is overcome with Tears of Joy afterwards.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Jimbo decides to pick Jujubee's lipstick for the week 2 elimination, despite having seemingly suggested an alliance with her during deliberations. This immediately turns all the other queens against her when she reveals her choice, as they see her as an unreliable Wild Card. This very likely influences Pangina's decision to send Jimbo home when she lands in the bottom in week 3, despite her having a much stronger track record than fellow bottom 2 queen Jujubee.
- National Animal Stereotypes: When Jimbo comes Back for the Finale, she sports a beautiful iridescent sequined gown in red and green, patterned after the bark of a maple tree and perfectly fitted to her voluptuous figure, complete with a Canadian moose headpiece to add a little Jimbo camp and tongue-in-cheek patriotism into the mix.
- Stealth Pun: Jimbo birthing baloney during the talent show (you read that correctly). See, Jimbo has a "meaty tuck."
- Surreal Humour: For the Royal Command Performance in the premiere, she appears on stage in a latex ghost costume wielding a little suitcase marked "talent" — that's empty. Undeterred, she then emits a stack of baloney slices from her latex 'vagina', which she proceeds to toss into the air so that they stick to her outfit, as well as frisbeeing them at the judges (Ru catches a slice) and other queens. It's so utterly unlike the song and dance-based numbers the other queens perform, and so original, that she's declared the top 2 of the week with Pangina.
- Whole Costume Reference: For the Dot Dot Dot runway of episode 3, she presents a dragged-up take on one of Dark Helmet's cueball-headed troopers from Spaceballs, in a green plastic mac covered in black polka-dots.
Pangina Heals (6th)
From: Bangkok, Thailand
Original Appearance: Co-host and judge of Drag Race Thailand
"Ready for Thai T? Because Pangina Heals is in the house!"
- Absurdly High-Stakes Game: Her run in the competition can be described as this. Doing poorly doesn't just risk elimination for her, but could affect her credibility as a judge on Drag Race Thailand. But doing well can expose her to a much wider audience—and higher-profile gigs—than she had before, since the non-Anglophone shows aren't as widely-viewed as their English-speaking counterparts.
- Armor-Piercing Question: When the final four and all of the previously eliminated queens are assembled in the Werk Room prior to the crowning, the elephant in the room is finally addressed by Janey, who notes that the biggest gag of the competition was undoubtedly Blu eliminating Pangina, the strongest competitor. Visibly still very hurt, Pangina simply asks Blu "Why?? I want to know why!" Blu is honest, admitting that she sent home her biggest competition, which provides Pangina with closure — though Jimbo then rounds on her for doing the exact same thing to her the episode prior!
- Bad Impressionists: As Kiara found out on Canada's Drag Race season 1, playing Mariah Carey for Snatch Game is a risk in itself, as there's nothing particularly funny or impersonable about her without going completely over the top. Whilst Pangina's look is spot-on, her responses lack the humour required and she finds herself in the bottom group, where lip-sync winner Blu designates her the queen to go home next.
- Bilingual Bonus: She and Janey are the only queens hailing from non-Anglophone nations, and whilst Pangina's English is perfect, she peppers her speech with the odd bits of her native Thai.
- Boastful Rap: For the Royal Command Performance in the premiere, she serves spot-on vocals to introduce us to her character, complemented by a highly energetic performance that's expertly choreographed and incorporates the spaghetti-limbed moves of the "waacking" dance form that started in the LGBTQ+ clubs of 1970s Los Angeles.
- Break the Cutie: Pangina is an absolute ray of sunshine, constantly cheerful and optimistic and almost never seen without a smile. Once she's eliminated by Blu Hydrangea in the fourth week, you can almost pinpoint the second her heart rips in half. She shuffles off stage in tears without even looking at the judges or fellow queens, devastated, embarrassed, and feeling as though she let her country down.
- Culture Equals Costume: For the I'm a Winner, Baby! runway, she sports a beautiful white pha sin, a traditional Thai women's gown and shoulder wrap.
- Consummate Professional: She is arguably the most professional of the contestants, maintaining objectivity, and routinely doing well in challenges, runways, and lip-syncs, proving that her role as co-host and judge on Drag Race Thailand is well-earned.
- Curbstomp Battle: Her performance in the Royal Command Performance is a high-energy, comic dance number which easily lands her in the top 2. She brings those same skills to the winners' lip-sync to "Say You'll Be There" by the Spice Girls and soundly defeats Jimbo, for whom pop performances aren't her wheelhouse.
- Darker and Edgier: Pangina's elimination was immediately dubbed the darkest in years, firstly since she was so obviously devastated, but also because production chose to leave the sound of her sobbing backstage audible whilst Ru closed the show, which was uncomfortable for many viewers and arguably felt a little undignified, even ghoulish.
- Former Child Star: For the West End Wendys musical theatre maxi-challenge in episode 3, she portrays “Widdle Orphan Fannie”, a humorously grotesque, washed-up take on the plucky red-headed orphan from the eponymous musical, Annie. Exhibiting excellent characterisation, costuming and lip-syncing skills, she goes on to snatch the win, following a brilliantly choreographed winners’ lip-sync to Dutch Eurodance group, The Vengaboys, against Janey (who also smashes it, naturally).
- A Friend in Need: For the RuPaul Ball sewing challenge of episode 2, Baga frets and moans and generally mucks about, complaining about her lacklustre sewing skills. Pangina, who admits that she can't bear to see a badly-presented runway look, steps in and basically finishes Baga's dress for her — something the other queens all give Baga shit over.
- Frontline General: She presents an intriguing Ur-Example of a franchise judge participating actively and on equal grounds in the competition, opening up the possibility for Brooke Lynn Hytes (Canada's Drag Race), Supremme de Luxe (Drag Race España), Fred van Leer (Drag Race Holland), and Priscilla (Drag Race Italia) to throw their own hats into the ring in possible future international crossovers.
- Gracefully Demoted: Whilst queens like Brooke Lynn Hytes, who were originally mere competitors, have graduated to full-on judging status, Pangina reverses the premise, relinquishing her judging role, but relishing the opportunity to compete alongside eight other queens.
- Heroic BSoD: Following a shaky Snatch Game performance as Mariah Carey, winner of the week Blu designates her the queen to go home. Pangina is utterly broken, sobbing and apologising to the Thai nation as she leaves the stage in what undoubtedly counts as one of most emotionally-charged and upsetting exits ever witnessed.
- Inelegant Blubbering: Oh boy, Pangina's elimination is tough to watch. While she tries to keep her composure at first, as soon as she's officially told to sashay away, Pangina breaks down in tears and apologises to her Thai fans that she didn't make it to the finale. When she leaves the stage, you can hear Pangina absolutely wailing in the background as the remaining queens stand on stage gutted. By the time Pangina makes it into the Werk Room to give her goodbye speech, she's virtually cried off all her makeup and can barely speak.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Ironically enough, after Pangina sent front-runner Jimbo home in week 3 for seemingly betraying her alliance with Jujubee, she finds herself on the receiving end the very next week, as she had already opened the door to the possibility of sending home the strongest competitor, rather than the queen with the worst track record. Sure enough, when Pangina finds herself in the bottom for a mediocre Snatch Game, Blu sends her home despite her being the obvious statistical front-runner.
- Mythical Motifs: For the "Kitty Girl" runway of the RuPaul Ball, like Janey, she presents her own take on the cat-headed goddess Bastet, though her design is much freakier, incorporating yards of creased, nude velvet to suggest the wrinkled skin of a hairless Sphynx cat, six prominent nipples, and huge feline Animal Eyes.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Having portrayed Elizabeth II earlier in the competition to humorous effect, when she comes Back for the Finale, she serves a Thai take on her legendary ancestor, the Virgin Queen Elizabeth I.
- Reality Show Genre Blindness: Despite being the host of Drag Race Thailand, she decides to play Mariah Carey in the Snatch Game. Pop diva impressions like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Whitney Houston has been widely known to be ill-advised choices when it comes to the Snatch Game, and Mariah Carey is no different (as Kiara found out in Canada season one). Sure enough, Pangina's impression falls flat, and she ends up being eliminated.
- Sexy Whatever Outfit: For the Luck be a Lady runway of episode 4, Pangina struts down the mainstage dressed as a "casino slag" human slot-machine, emitting a payout of coins from her 'vagina' as she arrives at the end of the runway.
- Shocking Elimination: In-universe. As the statistical front-runner of the competition with two challenge wins, her elimination at the top six was utterly shocking to watch. The judges were all gagged (Ru has never looked more genuinely shocked), the other bottom queens were stunned, and even Blu Hydrangea, the queen who sent Pangina home, was visibly shocked and actually shaking at what she just did. Even Ru's customary command of "Let the music play!" to close the show falls dead flat in the face of such an unexpected exit.
- Swapped Roles: Sportingly (and with arguably the most to lose reputationally) the Drag Race Thailand judge opens herself up for judgement.
- Took a Level in Badass: Pangina came into the competition with the most to prove, as the assembled queens note. Fortunately, her winning performance in the premiere more than proves Pangina is deserving of both her spot in the competition and on the Thailand judging panel, as she delivers comedy, beautiful fashion and high-energy, acrobatic dance moves in spades.
- Whole Costume Reference: Her 80s pageant entrance look, complete with a sash incorporating her national flag, is a tribute to the gown worn by Thai beauty queen Porntip Nakhirunkanok when she won the 1988 Miss Universe contest.
Janey Jacké (5th + Miss Congeniality)
From: Volendam, the Netherlands
Original Appearance: Drag Race Holland Season 1 (2nd)
"Told you I was gonna be back. This time, you won't need your subtitles though."
- Affectionate Nickname: By episode 3, Ru and the girls almost always refer to her as “JJ”.
- As Herself: In-universe example. Janey selects arguably the toughest character for the West End Wendys musical theatre challenge by choosing to play the part of Meryl Streep — not a character part, as per the other girls, just Meryl Streep herself — especially, as Graham notes, there's nothing particularly funny about Meryl, other than her slight smugness, which he notes Janey nails. With her spot-on look, tight lip-sync, and perfectly-observed Meryl-isms, Janey deservedly lands in the top 2.
- Bad Impressionists: For Snatch Game, she portrays James Charles, a Youtuber and beauty blogger who caused considerable controversy over his alleged sexting of minors. Ru encourages her portrayal, and whilst her impression falls flat, following the game itself, Janey's decision to impersonate Charles ignites a lengthy Werk Room discussion on cancel culture and the concept of how far to take a joke, with most of the queens agreeing that they stick on the side of Black Comedy, as opposed to Dude, Not Funny! wherever possible.
- Bilingual Bonus: Janey and Pangina are the only queens hailing from non-Anglophone nations, and whilst Janey's English is flawless — in her own season, she exhibited a penchant for Gratuitous English — she peppers her speech with a touch of Dutch.
- Brutal Honesty: In her Meet The Queens video, Janey concedes that Dutch people are known for being very to the point, though as seen in her own season, she unashamedly takes this up to eleven. It's a quality her competitors come to admire her for, as she never bullshits or tries to weedle her way out of an elimination, but instead always owns her mistakes.
- Do I Really Sound Like That?: Poor Janey, she's completely tone deaf, as seen during rehearsals for the Living My Life In London singing/dancing challenge in the semi-final. Guest judge and Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall struggles to get her to sing anything in key.
- Graceful Loser: Janey takes her elimination at Jujubee's hands just prior to the final incredibly sportingly, and exits the series cracking gags, handing out hugs to her fellow queens, and thanking the judges for the opportunity.
- Gut Feeling: For episode 2's RuPaul Ball challenge, the third runway must not only be self-sewn, but must also be a garment that Ru would personally like to wear. Despite never having been judged by Ru (Fred van Leer is in charge of things on Drag Race Holland), Janey exhibits excellent insight and creates a beautifully pearlescent, disco-themed jumpsuit — complete with an on-brand asymmetrically ruched shoulder detail — that Ru absolutely loves. She deservedly wins the week.
- Land of Tulips and Windmills: When Janey comes Back for the Finale, she sports a sky-blue sequined gown that's adorned with (what else?) multiple tulips in complementary shades all around the hemline in celebration of her home nation of The Netherlands.
- Mythical Motifs: For the "Kitty Girl" runway of the RuPaul Ball, she delivers her own take on the cat-headed Egyptian goddess, Bastet.
- Recursive Crossdressing: She chooses to play male beauty blogger James Charles for the Snatch Game, but it ends up backfiring due to her jokes falling flat, resulting in her placing in the bottom.
- The Stoic: Janey is one of the most composed queens across the franchise, and barely flinches when she lands in the bottom two, exhibiting an "it is what it is" philosophy and never once succumbing to emotion or high drama.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: After a slightly shaky start to the competition, the RuPaul Ball allows Janey to thoroughly Rudeem herself when all three of her looks are subject to good to excellent critiques. She's declared the winner of the coveted Ball challenge alongside master seamstress Jimbo.
- Viva Las Vegas!: For the Luck be a Lady runway of episode 4, Janey presents a gorgeous Vegas showgirl look in hot pink, incorporating a huge statement roulette wheel across her back, and casino chips woven throughout.
- You Can Leave Your Hat On: For the Royal Command Performance in the premiere, she performs a sultry strip-tease, though it unfortunately entails peeling off five layers of Impossibly Tacky Clothes, for which she receives harsh critiques from the judging panel, and ultimately lands her in the bottom 2.
Baga Chipz (3rd=)
From: London, England, United Kingdom
Original Appearance: RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1 (3rd)
"Baga Chipz is stunning, Baga Chipz is class — it's me, the People's Princess!"
- The '80s: Perfectly encapsulated for her Dot Dot Dot runway, where she sports a very Sarah Ferguson-esque pink and white polka-dot 'day at the races' skirt suit, complete with Giant Poofy Sleeves. Doubles up as her second look that's based on a member of The British Royal Family, after her Princess Diana-themed entrance look.
- Aesop Amnesia: On UK Series 1, Baga had a nightmare with the sewing challenge, and just scraped safe with her much-maligned Brillo-pad dress. Despite this debacle, it's clear she's learned nothing since then, as she's still unable to sew properly and has to rely on the charity of Pangina to help her make her mandatorily self-sewn gown for the RuPaul Ball — whilst she takes a quick cat-nap.
- Captain Ethnic: It's widely agreed among the international queens that Baga best represents their perception of British drag: humour-led, campy and unapologetically vulgar with a Pantomime-influenced aesthetic.note
- Catchphrase: Her now iconic "Much bettah!", originally derived from the "Downton Draggy" acting challenge on UK Series 1.
- Combat Pragmatist: For the RuPaul Ball sewing challenge of episode 2, she's unfocused, moans, fannies about with a bit of pink stretch-material, and at one point even takes a nap. Ever the survivor, she plays on Pangina's Big Sister Instinct and pulls a Damsel in Distress ploy, which sees the Thai queen come running to her aid — and basically create her gown for her.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: It’d be easy to write Baga off as a sloppy, unpolished foghorn, who lacks any sense of taste or decorum — which is of course true, and all part of her act. But equally, Baga is also a Master Actor and impersonator, and when it comes time for the hallowed Snatch Game challenge (the downfall of many a talented queen) she’s amongst the strongest queens across the entire franchise, with only her, BenDeLaCreme and Ginger Minj ever winning the challenge twice.
- History Repeats: Baga's defeatist side, shown in her original series when she looked about ready to clock out when it seemed like she was going to be up for elimination, comes back once with a vengeance in episode 2's sewing challenge, where after some struggling she pretty much gives up and just lets Pangina sew her dress for her.
- "I Am" Song: For the Royal Command Performance in the premiere, Baga performs her original song "Much Bettah!", a Call-Back to her role as a hideous parlour maid in the Downton Draggy challenge on UK Series 1, who's now had a glow-up. Guest judge Mel C jokes that she lip-syncs badly (just like the Spice Girls), and that her singing reminds her of Posh Spice, only...much bettah.
- Incoming Ham: It's a given (it's Baga), and her Meet The Queens video is a camp riot, but the below quote takes the cake:
- Large Ham: Baga's an irrepressible foghorn from the minute she arrives back on the show, giving rousing speeches, telling everyone how famous she now is, and arsing about with Jimbo — at one point mounting a wheelie-case and careening into the Werk Room's entrance arch.
- Loony Fan: After a slightly underwhelming start to the competition, in episode 4 Baga Took a Level in Badass and absolutely nails the Snatch Game (again) with her visually and vocally perfect impersonation of Kathy Bates' character Annie Wilkes from the psychological thriller, Misery, presenting her as a crazed RuPaul fan desperately clinging to a copy of Ru's Guru book, with every mad-eyed Reaction Shot she serves accompanied by "Psycho" Strings. Ru declares her performance to be a masterclass in Snatch Game and it's a double-win for the Brit girls, after Blu's equally strong performance as Austin Powers.Baga: This ain't Katie Price!! The gentleman's wearing a cock-a-doody BRA!!
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: For her Final Four Eleganza look, Baga scrubs up surprisingly well, and is at her most glamorous ever in a sequined gown and crown-like headpiece that's a direct Shout-Out to Anglo-American icon Elizabeth Taylor and the ensemble she wore to a ball at Rezzonico Palace in Venice in 1967.
- Recovered Addict: In the semi-final, Baga reveals to Jujubee that for ten years she was a chronic alcoholic, drinking 1.5 litres of gin a day and couldn't function, let alone perform, without a drink. Whilst not teetotal, she's now on top of the problem, and drinks much more sensibly.
- Separated by a Common Language: Whilst having tea in the Werk Room, Baga schools the international girls on a bit of handy British slang — designating Jujubee "the dog's bollocks".note
- Shoddy Knockoff Product: For her I'm a Winner, Baby! runway in the premiere, Baga sports what looks like a medieval knight's armour, though she explains to the confused judges that she was going with an Oscar theme. Ru notes that there's no danger of the show being sued for copyright.
- The Slacker: When episode 2's RuPaul Ball sewing challenge becomes all too much for her, she decides to take a cat-nap rather than work out a usable gown, bleating that she's so famous nowadays that she has people to do the sewing for her.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Baga's always been a bumptious, loud-mouthed queen, but since her original appearance on UK Series 1, it fast becomes clear that she's developed a slightly deluded level of self-confidence, as she's deeply convinced of her fame, ability and belovedness (all of which is up for debate), and makes certain to let her competitors know at every opportunity. Whether she genuinely believes her own hype, or is simply playing The Gadfly and deploying her "I'm too famous" schtick as a gag, is up for debate.
- Spoiled Brat: This element of her personality is in evidence in the first two episodes, but Baga’s pouting, entitled side becomes overtly apparent in episode 3's West End Wendys musical theatre challenge after Jujubee casts her as “Tracy Fatberg”, a vegan, eco-warrior take on Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray. Having whinged on for ages about how unfair she feels her casting is, she annoys her cast-mates even further by Playing the Victim Card when Pangina and Mo (amongst others) finally tire of her entitled windbaggery and take her to task over it, accusing them of ganging up on her and it being "Baga versus the World", before finally apologising for her behavior.
- Stylistic Suck: Baga's not much of a dancer, so when it comes time for her winners' lip-sync against Blu (a competent dancer), she leans into hot-mess comedy. Dressed like a cabaret Judith Chalmers, she mixes up fairly typical 'shout, point, and walk' manoeuvres with flinging herself all over the stage and writhing about with her gusset on full, merciless display whilst Ru looks on in wide-eyed bemusement.
- Whole Costume Reference:
- Baga flies the flag for her entrance look, sporting an excellent replica of the Gem-Encrusted, white silk crepe dress and bolero jacket British icon Princess Diana wore for the 1989 British Fashion Awards.
- For the "Kitty Girl" runway of the RuPaul Ball she sports a dragged-up take on Bagpuss, the eponymous "saggy old cloth cat" from the venerable UK children's TV series.
Jujubee (3rd= + Miss Congeniality)
From: Boston, United States
Original Appearances: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 (3rd), RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 1 (4th=), All Stars 5 (runner-up), Queen of the Universe (14th=)
- Boring, but Practical: Could sum up Juju's wardrobe this series. Nothing she sports is actually awful, off-brief, or overly tacky, it's just all a bit... 'meh' and unembellished for a top-tier drag competition.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Juju is one of the most beloved competitors from the early years, and is responsible for some great moments and famous runways. This is a queen who nearly overshadowed Shea Coulée on All Stars 5, a season where Shea was an almost unstoppable juggernaut. Juju shows up this season and, for whatever reason, seems to coast by with not-elevated, pedestrian looks. The judges immediately get fed up with it in episode 2, calling her out on her lack of effort, and putting her in the bottom, where she narrowly escapes elimination.
- Determinator: It’s a given after previously competing on four different seasons, and this time Juju’s hoping to making it fifth time lucky.
- Flat Joy: Having (as usual) won the Reading mini-challenge, Juju is gifted with the opportunity to assign the roles in the West End Wendys musical theatre maxi-challenge. Having selected the part of “Lally Bowelz” for herself — an opportunity for any seasoned queen to go full-on Liza Minnelli crazy — she mucks it all up by delivering a low-fi performance that lacks all of Liza’s beloved eccentricity. Once again she lands in the bottom 2.
- Forgot About His Powers: It's well known that Juju absolutely loves cats and is a self-confessed and fully embraced Crazy Cat Lady, which means that the "Kitty Girl" cat-themed runway of the RuPaul Ball should have been a shoe-in for her, and a chance to showcase her passion for felines. However, whilst Pangina and even Baga show off some impressively creative cat-related outfits, Juju disappointingly sports a very store-bought-looking dress that barely reads "cat" at all.
- Heroic Fatigue: Seasoned queen Jujubee has something of an underwhelming start to the competition, as she's a little low energy, delivers a series of fairly flat, high-street looks, and is seemingly stuck in her own head. In episode 2, she notes to the other girls that "good Jujubee" has yet to make an appearance.
- History Repeats: Every single time Jujubee has competed in a Drag Race competition, she's landed in 3rd place, with UK Vs The World being no exception, giving her a total of four third places overall.
- Maneki Neko: In keeping with her love of cats, for the Luck be a Lady runway of episode 4, Juju sports a clinging golden look styled so as to suggest a Chinese/Japanese Fortune Cat figurine, commonly seen in Asian-owned shops and restaurants and other places of business, though the look is far too basic, and the reference is lost without explanation.
- Older and Wiser: Blu and Cheryl — less seasoned queens than Juju — come to her for advice prior to the RuPaul Ball challenge, deducing that after such a long time in Ru's orbit, she can advise them on what to deliver.
- Recurring Character: UK Versus The World represents Jujubee's fourth time (fifth if her participation on the Spin-Off series Queen of the Universe is included) competing on a Drag Race series, and she is the only queen across the franchise to have competed so regularly.
- Seen It All: As she's amongst the franchise's most seasoned queens, she's quietly confident that there's nothing her competitors can do to get the jump on her.
- Spoofing Spoofiness: She takes a huge risk for the Snatch Game by portraying Cher — hallowed ground in the gay community and already immortalised by Chad Michaels on the show years prior — though as Michelle notes, she does a great job (whether intentionally or otherwise) of parodying a parody of Cher (tongue licking, mandatory "shhnap oud of it!" etc).
- "They've Come So Far" Song: For the Royal Command Performance in the premiere, she performs her own original song, "Back For More", that details her journey across the multiple series she's competed on, as well as the huge variety of locations she's performed in.
- Took a Level in Badass: After weeks of middling, underwhelming performance, Juju turns it out in the semi-final, delivering a vocally strong showing in the Living My Life In London maxi-challenge, and then killing the winners' lip-sync against Mo to Netta's "I'm Not Your Toy", presenting the silly, yet empowering vibe of the song perfectly.
Mo Heart (runner-up)
From: Los Angeles, United States
Original Appearances: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 (8th), RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4 (3rd=)
"The battle 'ain't yours, sis. Buckle up 'cos imma be here every week. Thank you!"
- Bitch Alert: Mo was fairly plain-speaking on her original seasons but when she arrives on Versus the World it's clear she's come to compete, as she wastes no time on pleasantries, exhibits a standoffish, defensive tone, and instantly begins reading the other girls before anyone's so much as unpacked a suitcase.
- Black and Nerdy: Despite her glamorous, sassy vibe, Mo reveals a surprising penchant for anime and Pixar movies via some of her runway looks — see Whole Costume Reference below for detail.
- Break the Haughty: Mo comes into the competition a little tetchy and cold, giving the already-assembled queens a Chilly Reception, clocking looks straight off the bat (Cheryl's poor leotard!), slagging off all of the other girls in the Werk Room, and generally exhibiting something of a superior tone. However, Blu is having none of it, and having heard her catty comments, which upset Cheryl, she marches up to Mo and tells her that she really didn't like her when they first met backstage at a gig, as she'd frostily handed Blu her garment, as if she were staff, and then barked at her for allowing the hem to touch the floor. A little out of the blue? Perhaps, but if Blu's plan was to deflate Mo's ego, it works, and the previously haughty queen is quite taken aback by Blu's strident words and apologises.
- Chainmail Bikini: She sports a variation on the theme for her Final Four Eleganza look, in a gown that's made up of a chrome-ribbed bustier that sweeps into yards of beautiful orange silk.
- Christian Rock: For the Royal Command Performance in the premiere, she performs her own original song — a soulful, religiously-inspired number in which she shows off her better-than-average singing voice.
- Competition Freak: As soon as the American girls arrive on the scene, Janey, Cheryl and Blu all note that the previously jolly atmosphere changes instantly and becomes suddenly chillier and much more competitive, which is driven entirely by Mo's standoffish tone. In the Werk Room, Mo then proceeds to slag off most of the other girls' looks to Jujubee — something Blu immediately clocks.
- Recursive Crossdressing: For Snatch Game, she portrays Broadway icon Billy Porter and as far as Snatch Game expert Baga is concerned, her spot-on look and witty banter lands her in third place, after her, then Blu.
- Shout-Out: Her Leatherman-themed "butch queen" look for the RuPaul Ball challenge in episode 2 is clearly modelled after Larry Blackmon from Cameo. We even get a nice tight shot of the codpiece.
- The Trope Formerly Known as X: On all her prior seasons and even at the start of this one she was known as Monique Heart. She decides to change it to "Mo Heart" during UK vs. The World to release the "butch man" in her and change to a more gender-neutral name.
- Viva Las Vegas!: For the Luck be a Lady runway of episode 4, Mo sports an amazingly elaborate Las Vegas showgirl look, which incorporates an impressive, pulsing light-show when the studio lights are dimmed. The judging panel are utterly wowed by her look.
- Whole Costume Reference:
- For the "Kitty Girl" runway of the RuPaul Ball she sports a dragged-up take on Luna, the adorable talking cat and constant companion of Usagi from Sailor Moon.
- For the Dot Dot Dot runway of episode 3, she presents a dragged-up take on James P. Sullivan from Disney-Pixar’s Monsters, Inc..
Blu Hydrangea (winner)
From: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Original Appearance: RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1 (5th)
"Well, what's the craic? Haha!"
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Befitting her name, Blu arrives in the competition in an all-blue bodysuit with a fully blue face, complete with a towering Marge Simpson-esque wig.
- Culture Equals Costume: As the series' Irish representation, she presents a glamorous, dragged-up take on a Leprechaun from Irish folklore for the Luck be a Lady runway of episode 4, complete with a pot of gold handbag.
- Doves Mean Peace: For her Final Four Eleganza look, Blu sports an exquisite Princess Classic gown in powder blue that's embellished with a crystalised white dove motif front and centre. In its beak, the dove holds both the Union Flag of the United Kingdom, as well as the Trídhathach flag of the Republic of Ireland, to represent the two (historically conflicted) communities that live in her native Northern Ireland.
- The Gadfly: As per her original appearance in UK Series 1, Blu can always be relied on to poke the bear and stir the pot in the Werk Room, and is never one to shy away from making a leading remark — all delivered with a cheeky-wee-chappy smile on her face.
- The Gloves Come Off: In episode 4, Blu and Baga win the week, following an expert Snatch Game performance from both Brit girls. Sitting down for a pre-lip-sync chat with Pangina, who landed in the bottom, Blu explains to her that she doesn't want to send her home, but is also honest and upfront, noting that she sees her as her biggest competition and sending her home makes good tactical sense — which is exactly what she does after winning the lip-sync.
- Hope Bringer: Blu's the only non-mainland Brit competing, and in her Meet The Queens video, she notes the importance of having prominent Northern Irish representation, as the Home Nation only legalised gay marriage in the last three years (much later than the rest of the UK, and just as she began her run on UK Series 1, in fact) and is, in general terms, less tolerant of queer people and culture than the rest of the UK.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Blu is quickly designated the “horniest queen” by her competitors, and her cherubic facade belies her rabid thirstiness.
- Evidenced via the filthy lyrics she pens for her "I Am" Song talent show number, in which she ponders “which of the judges do I have to blow” before cheerfully miming wanking off multiple cocks.
- In episode 3, she unashamedly propositions Janey for sex during the Reading challenge by playfully patting her own arse — to Janey’s mild consternation.
- She lampshades her new-found sexual liberation when she sportingly typecasts herself as the sex-obsessed Mariah Gon Trappy in the West End Wendys musical theatre challenge, ending her innuendo-laden performance spread-eagled on stage twanging a banjo.RuPaul: What has the show done to you, Blu?Blu: It’s ruined me.
- Marionette Master: For the Royal Command Performance in the premiere, she performs a brilliant Bring It On-style cheerleading routine with two life-size Blu puppets harnessed fore and aft that move in perfect (and hilarious) sync with her own dancing and gestures. Guest judge Mel C designates her performance as the best of the lot.Blu: I'm pretty, I'm cute, and this is my real hair, and if you don't believe me, just ask my friend Claire! *crickets*
- Multiple Head Case: For the Dot Dot Dot runway of episode 3, she presents a twisted-up commedia dell'arte harlequin look, which features two pairs of matching heads incorporated into the outfit’s forearms for a total of five identical heads, including of course her own.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Blu makes the bold move in episode four of eliminating Pangina Heals, the statistical front-runner with two wins. While Blu seems confident in her decision while making it, as soon as she reveals her lip-stick and Pangina starts bawling, "oh shit" is written all over her face and you can see the regret sinking in. When Pangina leaves the stage and you can still hear her howling backstage, Blu is visibly shaking as it dawns on her what she just did.
- Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Despite her excellent talent show performance, her look for the I'm a Winner, Baby! runway, which she describes as a "BDSM troll doll that just had sex with a highlighter pen", is a confusing, off-theme mismatch and it likely costs her a place in the top 2.
- Recursive Crossdressing: For the Snatch Game, she does an excellent job portraying Canadian comedian Mike Myers in his most iconic role of Austin Powers, complete with an Instant Costume Change midway through the game into Powers’ nemesis, Dr. Evil. Despite the character now being considered a Stock Shout-Out, Blu brings something fresh to the table and snatches her first Gold RuPeter badge after winning the lip-sync against fellow top 2 queen, Baga.
- The Strongman: Invoked for her "Butch Queen" runway for the RuPaul Ball, in which she portrays a dragged-up take on a classic Victorian circus strongman, complete with a curly moustache and a black and white striped gown to evoke a strongman singlet.
- Took a Level in Badass: Amongst the best examples in the show's herstory. In her original series, Blu had a decent, but ultimately non-spectacular run, and as she notes she's the only one of the top four who didn't make it to the finale of their season. And yet, this time around she shows much improved challenge performances, great runway looks, and a much more focused competitive attitude, ultimately snatching her the crown.
