RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World
British reality competition television series (since 2022)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World is an international all-stars series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK and its franchise. The all-stars series premiered on 1 February 2022, through BBC Three and WOW Presents Plus.[1] RuPaul acts as the host, head judge, and executive producer of the series.[2]
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| RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Presented by | RuPaul |
| Judges | |
| Theme music composer | RuPaul |
| Opening theme | RuPaul's Drag Race theme |
| Ending theme | "Rock It (To the Moon)" |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Michelle Visage |
| Production locations |
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| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 60–70 minutes |
| Production company | World of Wonder |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 1 February 2022 – present |
| Related | |
The contestants for the first series were announced on 17 January 2022.[3] The first series was won by Blu Hydrangea with Mo Heart as the runner-up.[4] The second series began airing on 9 February 2024 and was won by Tia Kofi with Hannah Conda as the runner-up.[5] The third series began airing on 27 January 2026 and was won by Gawdland with Kate Butch as the runner-up.[6]
Production
On 21 December 2021, a press release by the BBC announced an upcoming international all-stars series involving RuPaul's Drag Race UK; it coincided with the relaunch of BBC Three as a television channel.[7] The first series was filmed in Manchester at the same location as the third series of the main series.[8] The second series was filmed in Pinewood Studios, back-to-back with the fifth series of the main series.
Format
The first two series follow a similar format from seasons two to four of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. In every episode, the two best-performing contestants of the main challenge would compete in the lip-sync. The victor is awarded a golden "RuPeter Badge" and the power to eliminate any of the worst-performing queens from the main challenge.[9] In the finale, the top 4 will battle in a Lip Sync For The Crown tournament to determine the winner.
The third series follow a format similar to the Golden Beaver, as seen on Canada's Drag Race and Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World. In each episode, the best performing queen is awarded a golden "RuPeter Badge" and the power of the Chippy Tea, which the victor can use to save one of the bottom three queens from lip-syncing. The other two queens then lip-sync for their lives, with the loser being eliminated.[10] This continue until six queens remain, at which point the format reverts to the classic Drag Race format, where a winner and a bottom 2 is named by the judges, and the bottom 2 lip-sync for their lives.
Judges
The competition series is hosted and judged primarily by RuPaul, Michelle Visage as a supporting judge, with Alan Carr and Graham Norton returning as alternating judges.[11]
Series overview
| Series | Contestants | Episodes | Originally released | Winner | Runner-up | Miss Congeniality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||||||
| 1 | 9 | 6 | 1 February 2022 | 8 March 2022 | Blu Hydrangea | Mo Heart | — | |
| 2 | 11 | 8 | 9 February 2024 | 29 March 2024 | Tia Kofi | Hannah Conda | Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha | |
| 3 | 10 | 8 | 27 January 2026 | 17 March 2026 | Gawdland | Kate Butch | Serena Morena | |
Series 1 (2022)
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The first series premiered on 1 February 2022, and features nine international queens who have competed in the Drag Race franchise worldwide.[12] The contestants competed to become "Queen of the Mothertucking World" and be featured in a song by RuPaul, as well as winning a crown and a scepter.[13] It ran for six episodes and concluded on 8 March 2022; Mo Heart was the runner-up and Blu Hydrangea was crowned the first series winner.[14]
Series 2 (2024)
After its two-year hiatus, a teaser was released showcasing the second series of the international all stars.[15] The series aired on BBC Three and iPlayer beginning on 9 February 2024. Tia Kofi was the winner, Hannah Conda was the runner up and Marina Summers and La Grande Dame place third. Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha was voted Miss Congeniality.
Series 3 (2026)
Following another two-year hiatus, a teaser was released showcasing a third series of the international all stars on 24 December 2025.[16] The series premiered on 27 January 2026.[17] Gawdland was the winner, Kate Butch was the runner up and Fontana and Mariah Balenciaga place third. Serena Morena was voted Miss Congeniality.
