‘Drag Race’ Crowned 11 Winners in 2022; A Guide to All the Current-Reigning Queens from Around the World
RuPaul’s Drag Race has become a global phenomenon, as queens from around the world come together to compete to be the Next Drag Superstar of their respective countries. In 2022 alone, 11 Drag Race crowns were given out to winners from around the globe.
Blu Hydrangea, winner of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World’
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World marked the first time queens from various international franchises came together for an All Stars-style competition. The six-episode season functioned in the same way as older seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, as each week the top two queens lip sync for the power to eliminate one of the bottom queens.
In the end, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 1 alum Blu Hydrangea came out on top, earning the title of Queen of the Mothertucking World. The prize for the season was to record a song with the one and only RuPaul.
Sharonne, winner of ‘Drag Race España’ season 2
Drag Race España has earned a special place in many Drag Race fans’ hearts, and the competition on season 2 of the show was no joke. In the end, veteran queen Sharonne took home the title of Spain’s Next Drag Superstar.
Winning at 45 years old, Sharonne holds the record being the oldest queen in Drag Race herstory to snatch the crown.
Willow Pill, winner of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ season 14
Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race featured what was then the largest cash prize ever for the winner: $150,000. (Season 15 outdid its predecessor with a $200,000 grand prize.)
In the end, Willow Pill was crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar. The daughter of season 11 winner Yvie Oddly, Willow’s win marked the first time two members of the same drag family have won the US version of the show.
Jinkx Monsoon, Queen of All Queens from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ season 7
Jinkx Monsoon has been respected by Drag Race fans everywhere since her underdog win in season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Jinkx came back for the “All Winners” edition of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and triumphed in the end, earning the title of Queen of All Queens.
Gisèle Lullaby, winner of ‘Canada’s Drag Race’ season 3
Canada’s Drag Race season 3 marked the first time a Quebecois queen has taken home the title of Canada’s Next Drag Superstar. Montreal queen Gisèle Lullaby came out on top at the end of the season, winning $100,000 CAD in the process.
Paloma, winner of ‘Drag Race France’ season 1
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12 alum Nicky Doll was placed in charge of hosting duties as she coached and judged the queens of Drag Race France.
Paloma, a queen from the city of Clermont-Ferrand, was declared the season’s winner. She’s been a working drag queen in the country for over a decade and was a worthy recipient of the title.
Spankie Jackzon, winner of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under’ season 2
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under has had many Australian queens compete since its premiere in 2021, but despite the Aussies’ presence, both winners and Miss Congeniality crowned so far have been from New Zealand. Spankie Jackzon, the small-town Kiwi winner of RPDRDU season 2, captured the hearts of fans and of RuPaul with her undeniably charisma and ability to entertain.
It’s not the first time Spankie has won a crown in her career. She previously won season 2 of the New Zealand drag competition House of Drag in 2020. Coincidentally, she was judged and crowned by future Drag Race Down Under alums Kita Mean and Anita Wigl’it, and her win on Drag Race made her Kita Mean’s successor.
Precious Paula Nicole, winner of ‘Drag Race Philippines’ season 1
Drag Race Philippines highlighted talent from all across the Pearl of the Orient Seas, with RuPaul’s Drag Race alum and Pose actor Jiggly Caliente joining the judges’ panel. The show was also the first Drag Race spinoff to have its own accompanying Untucked series.
In the end, Precious Paula Nicole was crowned the winner. She was known in the Philippines from appearing on TV and came out on top after a hard-fought season.
Danny Beard, winner of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ season 4
Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race came down to two well-known and respected queens in the UK going head-to-head for the crown: Danny Beard and Cheddar Gorgeous. Danny Beard was deemed the winner.
Danny Beard’s win was a first in Drag Race herstory, as no other bearded queen has ever taken the title.
La Diamond, winner of ‘Drag Race Italia’ season 2
La Diamond was a well-respected queen in Italy before she arrived on season 2 of Drag Race Italia; when she walked into the werkroom, her fellow competitors questioned if they should go home right then and there.
By the end of the season, she proved that she deserved the hype around her name, snatching the title of Italy’s Next Drag Superstar.
Ra’Jah O’Hara, winner of ‘Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World’
The first and last Drag Race seasons to air in 2022 were both vs. The World spinoffs. Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World highlighted competitors from various Drag Race franchises, with only two representatives from the US series in the form of season 11 and All Stars 6 alumnae Silky Nutmeg Ganache and Ra’Jah O’Hara. In the end, the two Americans made it to the top two.
Ra’Jah O’Hara came out on top, earning the title of Queen of the Motherpucking World.
Other current-reigning queens yet to step down
In addition to the queens crowned in 2022, two other Drag Race winners have yet to step down and hand over their titles to their successors.
Angele Anang, winner of Drag Race Thailand season 2 and the first trans Drag Race winner, has been reigning since April 2019, giving her the longest reign ever in Drag Race herstory. It appears that it will be coming to an end soon, however, as Drag Race Thailand co-host and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World competitor Pangina Heals confirmed in February 2023 that a third season of the Thai spinoff had been greenlit.
Meanwhile, former Miss Continental and Drag Race Holland season 2 winner Vanessa van Cartier has been holding on to her title since 2021, as a third season of Drag Race Holland has yet to be announced. Interestingly, her Miss Continental reign was also unusually protracted, thanks to the pandemic.
