RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 5
2023 series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK
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The fifth series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on BBC Three on 28 September 2023. RuPaul returned to his role as main host and head judge, and was again joined on the judging panel by Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, all of whom returned for their respective fifth series. The series began filming in Pinewood Studios in January 2023.[1][2] The cast for the fifth series was announced on 11 September 2023 on social media.[3][4][5]
| RuPaul's Drag Race UK | |
|---|---|
| Series 5 | |
Promotional poster for Series 5 | |
| Hosted by | RuPaul |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 10 |
| Winner | Ginger Johnson |
| Runner-up | Michael Marouli |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Three / BBC One (UK) WOW Presents Plus (International) |
| Original release | 28 September – 30 November 2023 |
| Series chronology | |
Production
On 2 September 2022, prior to the beginning of the fourth series, it was announced via the shows social media pages that casting for the fifth series was now open.[6][7] Applications remained open for two weeks until closing on 16 September 2022.[8]
The fifth series of the show began filming in January 2023.[9] Carol Vorderman was revealed to be appearing in a celebrity cameo in the fifth series of the show.[9] Sophie Ellis-Bextor was subsequently spotted arriving to film the show.[9] Sinitta was previously reported to have been signed as a guest judge for the fifth series, with a source stating: "Sinitta is one of the most exciting signings in the show's history. She's a bona fide gay icon and loves outrageous outfits, so she's perfect for Drag Race".[10] Prior to the series, the show came under scrutiny for the contestants not receiving any cash prize compared to the other Drag Race franchises.[11] Willam, who was a contestant on the fourth season of the American version, commented: "They need to pay the girls a prize. That is thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds worth of outfits and hair. Some of these girls are coming out in the red."[11] Danny Beard, who won the previous series, said that they "could have bought a house", with the money spent preparing for RuPaul's Drag Race UK.[11] On 30 August 2023, the BBC revealed the line up of guest judges and special guests for the fifth series including: Vorderman, Ellis-Bextor, Yasmin Finney,[12] Suranne Jones,[13] Kristen McMenamy,[14] Karen Hauer,[15] Aisling Bea, who appeared as a special guest in the previous series,[16] Joel Dommett, Edward Enninful, Alexandra Burke, Cush Jumbo and Daphne Guinness who previously served as a guest judge on the seventh season of the American version spin-off RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[14]
On 12 September 2023 an aftershow, named The After Shave with Danny Beard, was announced. In this series, the equivalent version of the American Whatcha Packin', features series 4 winner Danny Beard and guest, typically a former contestant from British adaptation, discussing the recently aired episode, besides interviewing the most recently eliminated queen about their run on the show.[17]
It has been reported that an eleventh contestant was initially cast on the season, but was disqualified during filming due to alleged misconduct. The contestant was edited out of episodes prior to her disqualification, and was not included in either the cast announcement or any other promotional material relating to the series.[18]
Contestants
Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger Johnson | 34 | Lanchester, England | Winner |
| Michael Marouli | 39 | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | Runner-up |
| Tomara Thomas | 25 | Hartlepool, England | 3rd place |
| DeDeLicious | 20 | Royal Tunbridge Wells, England | 4th place |
| Kate Butch | 26 | Buxton, England | 5th place |
| Cara Melle | 26 | London, England | 6th place |
| Vicki Vivacious | 36 | Redruth, England | 7th place |
| Banksie | 23 | Manchester, England | 8th place |
| Miss Naomi Carter | 23 | Doncaster, England | 9th place |
| Alexis Saint-Pete | 28 | London, England | 10th place |
Contestant progress
Legend:
| Contestant | Episode | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[20] | 2[21] | 3[22] | 4[23] | 5[24] | 6[25] | 7[26] | 8[27] | 9[28] | 10[29] | |
| Ginger Johnson | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Winner |
| Michael Marouli | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | WIN | WIN | Runner-up |
| Tomara Thomas | SAFE | SAFE | TOP2 | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | Eliminated |
| DeDeLicious | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | BTM | SAFE | BTM | ELIM | Guest |
| Kate Butch | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | ELIM | Guest | Guest |
| Cara Melle | TOP2 | SAFE | WIN | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | |||
| Vicki Vivacious | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | Guest | ||
| Banksie | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | Guest | |||
| Miss Naomi Carter | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | Guest | ||||
| Alexis Saint-Pete | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | Guest | ||||||
Lip syncs
Legend:
| Episode | Top contestants | Song | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[20] | Cara Melle | vs. | Vicki Vivacious | "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Gina G) |
Vicki Vivacious |
| Episode | Bottom contestants | Song | Eliminated | ||
| 2[21] | Alexis Saint-Pete | vs. | Miss Naomi Carter | "Hot in It" (Tiësto, Charli XCX) |
Alexis Saint-Pete |
| Episode | Top contestants | Song | Winner | ||
| 3[22] | Cara Melle | vs. | Tomara Thomas | "Remember" (Becky Hill, David Guetta) |
Cara Melle |
| Episode | Bottom contestants | Song | Eliminated | ||
| 4[23] | Cara Melle | vs. | Miss Naomi Carter | "The Only Way Is Up" (Yazz) |
Miss Naomi Carter |
| 5[24] | Banksie | vs. | DeDeLicious | "I Dreamed a Dream" (Susan Boyle) |
Banksie |
| 6[25] | DeDeLicious | vs. | Vicki Vivacious | "Heartbreak on Hold" (Alexandra Burke) |
Vicki Vivacious |
| 7[26] | Cara Melle | vs. | Michael Marouli | "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" (Samantha Fox) |
Cara Melle |
| 8[27] | DeDeLicious | vs. | Kate Butch | "This Hell" (Rina Sawayama) |
Kate Butch |
| 9[28] | DeDeLicious | vs. | Tomara Thomas | "Little Bird" (Annie Lennox) |
DeDeLicious |
| Episode | Final contestants | Song | Winner | ||
| 10[29] | Ginger Johnson | vs. | Michael Marouli | "A Little Respect" (Erasure) |
Ginger Johnson |
Guest judges
Listed in chronological order:
- Kristen McMenamy, model[1][30]
- Yasmin Finney, actress[1][30]
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor, singer-songwriter[1][30]
- Suranne Jones, actress[1][30]
- Cush Jumbo, actress and writer[1][30]
- Alexandra Burke, singer-songwriter and actress[1][30]
- Joel Dommett, comedian, television presenter and actor[1][30]
- Daphne Guinness, designer, actor, producer and musician[1][30]
- Aisling Bea, comedian, actress and writer[1][30]
Special guests
Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.
Episode 1
- Blu Hydrangea, contestant from RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1, and winner of UK vs. the World Series 1
- Jimbo, contestant from Canada's Drag Race Season 1 and UK vs. the World Series 1, and winner of All Stars 8
- Lady Camden, runner-up of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14
- Nicky Doll, contestant from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12, and host of Drag Race France
- Pangina Heals, co-host of Drag Race Thailand, and contestant from UK vs. the World Series 1
- Silky Nutmeg Ganache, contestant from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11 and All Stars 6, and runner-up of Canada vs. the World Season 1
- Sminty Drop, contestant from RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 4
Episode 2
- Edward Enninful, editor and stylist[1][30]
Episode 3
- Ian Masterson, record producer and songwriter
Episode 4
- Raven, runner-up on both RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 and All Stars 1
Episode 5
- Dane Chaflin, director and vocal coach
- Karen Hauer, professional ballroom dancer and choreographer[1][30]
Episode 6
- Carol Vorderman, broadcaster and media personality[1][30]
Episode 10
- Claudimar Neto, dancer and choreographer[1][30]
- Danny Beard, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 4[29]
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 1 | "Tickety-Boo" | 28 September 2023 | |
|
Ten new queens enter the workroom. For the first main challenge, the queens present three different looks: Entrance Looks, Club Tickety-Boo Looks, and Fierce Impressions. On the runway, category is Fierce Impressions Eleganza Extravaganza. Alexis Saint-Pete, Cara Melle, Ginger Johnson, Michael Marouli and Vicki Vivacious receive positive critiques. It is then revealed that Cara Melle and Vicki Vivacious are the top two queens of the week and lip sync for the win. They lip sync to "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" by Gina G. After the lip sync, Vicki Vivacious is announced as the winner of the challenge. RuPaul then announces that no one is going home.
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| 40 | 2 | "Purrfect Looks" | 5 October 2023 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens pass along a handbag while music plays. The queen holding the handbag when the music stops assigns a superlative drawn from the bag to a fellow queen. Tomara Thomas ends up holding the handbag after the final round and therefore wins the mini-challenge. For this week's main challenge, the queens create an outfit from pet store items. On the runway, Banksie, DeDeLicious and Tomara Thomas receive positive critiques, with Banksie winning the challenge. Alexis Saint-Pete, Cara Melle and Miss Naomi Carter receive negative critiques, with Cara Melle being safe. Alexis Saint-Pete and Miss Naomi Carter lip sync to "Hot in It" by Tiësto and Charli XCX. Miss Naomi Carter wins the lip sync and Alexis Saint-Pete is the first queen to sashay away.
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| 41 | 3 | "Club Bangers" | 12 October 2023 | |
|
For this week's main challenge, the queens write, record, and perform verses to "Don't Ick My Yum" in two groups.
On the runway, category is Night of a Thousand Pop Icons. Team Fierce Force Five is announced as the winning team, with Cara Melle and Tomara Thomas being announced as the top two queens of the week, and will lip sync for the win. They lip sync to "Remember" by Becky Hill and David Guetta. After the lip sync, Cara Melle is announced as the winner of the challenge. RuPaul then announces that no one is going home.
| ||||
| 42 | 4 | "DisasterClass" | 19 October 2023 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens pose and deliver a sticky tag line for "S.P.N.K Protein". Tomara Thomas wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens team up and deliver an inspirational seminar called "RuPaul's DisasterClass".
On the runway, category is Slaycation. Team Party is the winning team, with Ginger Johnson, Michael Marouli and Tomara Thomas all winning the challenge. Team Werk and Team Love are the losing teams. Banksie, Cara Melle, Miss Naomi Carter and Vicki Vivacious receive negative critiques, with Banksie and Vicki Vivacious being safe. Cara Melle and Miss Naomi Carter lip sync to "The Only Way Is Up" by Yazz. Cara Melle wins the lip sync and Miss Naomi Carter sashays away.
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| 43 | 5 | "Pant-Oh She Better Don't!: The Rusical" | 26 October 2023 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens read each other to filth. Kate Butch wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens perform in Pant-Oh She Better Don't: The Rusical.
On the runway, category is Mirror, Mirror. Ginger Johnson, Kate Butch, Michael Marouli and Vicki Vivacious receive positive critiques, with Ginger Johnson winning the challenge. Banksie and DeDeLicious receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom two. They lip sync to "I Dreamed a Dream" by Susan Boyle. DeDeLicious wins the lip sync and Banksie sashays away.
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| 44 | 6 | "Snatch Game" | 2 November 2023 | |
|
For this week's main challenge, the queens play the Snatch Game. Alexandra Burke and Carol Vorderman star as the celebrity contestants. The cast consists of:
On the runway, category is Heart-Ons. Ginger Johnson, and Tomara Thomas receive positive critiques, with Ginger Johnson winning the challenge. Kate Butch receives positive critique for her Snatch Game performance and negative critique for her runway presentation. DeDeLicious and Vicki Vivacious receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom two. They lip sync to "Heartbreak on Hold" by Alexandra Burke. DeDeLicious wins the lip sync and Vicki Vivacious sashays away.
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| 45 | 7 | "Melodrama-Rama" | 9 November 2023 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens have a bitchfest with puppets. Ginger Johnson wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens pair up and perform in screen tests for a romantic drama.
On the runway, category is Pajamarama. All queens receive positive critiques; Ginger Johnson and Kate Butch receive the best critiques, with Kate Butch winning the challenge. Cara Melle and Michael Marouli are deemed by RuPaul to have been the least funniest in the challenge and are announced as the bottom two, with DeDeLicious and Tomara Thomas being safe. They lip sync to "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" by Samantha Fox. Michael Marouli wins the lip sync and Cara Melle sashays away.
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| 46 | 8 | "Hotline Makeover" | 16 November 2023 | |
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For this week's main challenge, the queens makeover hotline workers of Switchboard, the UK's second-oldest LGBTQ+ hotline. On the runway, category is Drag Family Resemblance. Ginger Johnson, Michael Marouli and Tomara Thomas receive positive critiques, with Michael Marouli winning the challenge. DeDeLicious and Kate Butch receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom two. They lip sync to "This Hell" by Rina Sawayama. DeDeLicious wins the lip sync and Kate Butch sashays away.
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| 47 | 9 | "The Dragiators' Roast" | 23 November 2023 | |
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For this week's main challenge, the queens perform a roast of the judges and the eliminated queens of season 5. On the runway, category is Poofs on Parade. Ginger Johnson and Michael Marouli receive positive critiques, with Michael Marouli winning the challenge. DeDeLicious and Tomara Thomas receive the worst critiques, and are announced as the bottom two. They lip sync to "Little Bird" by Annie Lennox. Tomara Thomas wins the lip sync and DeDeLicious sashays away.
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| 48 | 10 | "Grand Finale" | 30 November 2023 | |
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For the final challenge of the season, the queens write, record and perform their own verses to a remix of RuPaul's song "Spotlight". On the runway, category is Grand Finale Eleganza, Dripping in Jewels. The eliminated queens all return to the runway. Tomara Thomas is eliminated, leaving Ginger Johnson and Michael Marouli as the top two queens of the season. They lip-sync to "A Little Respect" by Erasure. It is announced that Ginger Johnson is the winner, leaving Michael Marouli as the runner-up.
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