RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World
RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World is a spin-off series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. The series premiered on 1 February 2022.[1] RuPaul acts as both the host and main judge,[2] with Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr returning as supporting judges.[3]
| RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| 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 | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Michelle Visage |
| Production location | |
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Running time | 60–70 minutes |
| Production company | World of Wonder |
| Distributor | World of Wonder |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Three |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
| Original release | 1 February – 8 March 2022 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | RuPaul's Drag Race UK |
The contestants for the first series were announced on 17 January 2022.[4]
The winner of the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World was Northern Ireland's Blu Hydrangea, with Mo Heart of the USA as the runner-up.[5][6]
Production
On 21 December 2021, World of Wonder announced that RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World would premiere in February 2022, with the BBC adding that the series would coincide with the relaunch of BBC Three as a television channel.[7][8] The series features nine international queens who have competed in the Drag Race franchise around the world. The series was filmed in March 2021, in Manchester at the same location as the third series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.[9][10]
This series the two best performing queens of the challenge "Lip Sync for the World", with the winner of the lip sync earning a gold "RuPeter Badge"[11] and choosing which one of the bottom queens to eliminate.[12]
Contestants
(Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.)
| Contestant[4] | Age | Hometown | Original season(s) |
Original placement(s) |
Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blu Hydrangea | 25 | Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom | UK series 1 | 5th Place | Winner |
| Mo Heart[lower-alpha 1] | 34 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | US season 10 | 8th Place | Runner-up |
| All Stars 4 | 3rd Place | ||||
| Jujubee | 36 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | US season 2 | 3rd Place | 3rd Place |
| All Stars 1 | 3rd Place | ||||
| All Stars 5 | Runner-up | ||||
| Baga Chipz | 31 | East London, England, United Kingdom | UK series 1 | 3rd Place | |
| Janey Jacké | 29 | Volendam, Netherlands | Holland season 1 | Runner-up | 5th Place |
| Pangina Heals | 32 | Bangkok, Thailand | Drag Race Thailand | N/A[lower-alpha 2] | 6th Place |
| Jimbo | 37 | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Canada season 1 | 4th Place | 7th Place |
| Cheryl Hole | 27 | Essex, England, United Kingdom | UK series 1 | 4th Place | 8th Place |
| Lemon | 25 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Canada season 1 | 5th Place | 9th Place |
- Monique Heart, as she was known on season 10 and All Stars 4, announced her name change to Mo Heart in the third episode; the name was also used in promos for the show
- Pangina Heals has never previously competed on a Drag Race franchise; Heals co-hosted seasons 1-2 of Drag Race Thailand
Contestant progress
Legend:
| Contestant | Episode | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[13] | 2[14] | 3[15] | 4[16] | 5[17] | 6[18] | |
| Blu Hydrangea | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | BTM | Winner |
| Mo Heart | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | TOP2 | Runner-up |
| Baga Chipz | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | TOP2 | BTM | Eliminated |
| Jujubee | SAFE | BTM | BTM | BTM | WIN | Eliminated |
| Janey Jacké | BTM | WIN | TOP2 | BTM | ELIM | Guest |
| Pangina Heals | WIN | SAFE | WIN | ELIM | Guest | |
| Jimbo | TOP2 | TOP2 | ELIM | Guest | ||
| Cheryl Hole | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | |||
| Lemon | ELIM | Guest | ||||
Lip syncs
| Episode | Contestants (Pick for Elimination) |
Song | Winner | Up for Elimination | Eliminated | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimbo (Janey Jacké) |
vs. | Pangina Heals (Lemon) |
"Say You'll Be There" (Spice Girls) |
Pangina Heals | Janey Jacké Lemon |
Lemon |
| 2 | Janey Jacké (Cheryl Hole) |
vs. | Jimbo (Jujubee) |
"Supermodel (You Better Work) (El Lay Toya Jam)" (RuPaul) |
Janey Jacké | Cheryl Hole Jujubee |
Cheryl Hole |
| 3 | Janey Jacké (Jujubee) |
vs. | Pangina Heals (Jimbo) |
"We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" (Vengaboys) |
Pangina Heals | Jimbo Jujubee |
Jimbo |
| 4 | Baga Chipz (Pangina Heals) |
vs. | Blu Hydrangea (Pangina Heals) |
"Let It Go" (Alexandra Burke) |
Blu Hydrangea | Janey Jacké Jujubee Mo Heart Pangina Heals |
Pangina Heals |
| 5 | Jujubee (Janey Jacké) |
vs. | Mo Heart (Janey Jacké) |
"Toy" (Netta) |
Jujubee | Baga Chipz Blu Hydrangea Janey Jacké |
Janey Jacké |
| 6 | Baga Chipz | vs. | Mo Heart | "Domino" (Jessie J) |
Mo Heart | N/A | Baga Chipz |
| Blu Hydrangea | vs. | Jujubee | "The Reflex" (Duran Duran) |
Blu Hydrangea | Jujubee | ||
| Blu Hydrangea | vs. | Mo Heart | "Supernova" (Kylie Minogue) |
Blu Hydrangea | Mo Heart | ||
- The contestant was eliminated after their first time in the bottom.
- The contestant was eliminated after their third time in the bottom two.
- The contestant was eliminated after the first round of the finale lip-sync smackdown for the crown.
- The contestant was eliminated after the second round of the finale lip-sync smackdown for the crown.
Guest judges
- Melanie C, singer
- Daisy May Cooper, actress
- Jonathan Bailey, actor
- Clara Amfo, radio presenter
- Michelle Keegan, actress
- Jade Thirlwall, singer
Special guests
Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.
|
Episode 3
Episode 4
|
Episode 6
|
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [19] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Global Glamazons" | 1 February 2022 | 0.93 | |
|
Nine queens from across the Drag Race franchise enter the competition. RuPaul informs them that for the main challenge, the queens must perform a talent show in front of the judges.
On the runway, category is I'm a Winner, Baby. Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea, Jimbo and Pangina Heals receive positive critiques, with Jimbo and Pangina Heals being the top two queens of the week. Janey Jacké and Lemon receive negative critiques and are the bottom two of the week. Jimbo and Pangina Heals lip-sync to "Say You'll Be There" by Spice Girls. Pangina Heals wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Lemon from the competition.
| ||||
| 2 | "RuPaul Ball" | 8 February 2022 | 0.77 | |
|
The queens enter the workroom and Jimbo reveals she would have sent home Janey Jacké from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For the main challenge, the queens will design three looks for the RuPaul Ball, with categories being Kitty Girl, Butch Queen and U Wear It Well, an outfit that would make RuPaul want to wear it. On the runway, Janey Jacké, Jimbo, Mo Heart and Pangina Heals receive positive critiques, with Janey Jacké and Jimbo being the top two queens of the week. Cheryl Hole and Jujubee receive negative critiques and are the bottom two queens of the week. Janey Jacké and Jimbo lip-sync to "Supermodel (You Better Work) El Lay Toya Jam" by RuPaul. Janey Jacké wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Cheryl Hole from the competition.
| ||||
| 3 | "West End Wendys" | 15 February 2022 | 0.69 | |
|
The queens enter the workroom and Jimbo reveals she would have sent home Jujubee from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For this week's mini-challenge, the queens read each other to filth. Jujubee wins the mini-challenge and gets to assign the roles for the main challenge. For the main challenge, the queens performed in "West End Wendys - The Rusical".
On the runway, category is Dot Dot Dot. Janey Jacké and Pangina Heals receive positive critiques and are the top two queens of the week. Jimbo, Jujubee and Mo Heart receive negative critiques, with Jimbo and Jujubee being the bottom two queens of the week. Janey Jacké and Pangina Heals lip-sync to "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" by Vengaboys. Pangina Heals wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Jimbo from the competition.
| ||||
| 4 | "Snatch Game" | 22 February 2022 | 0.75 | |
|
The queens enter the workroom and Janey Jacké reveals she would have sent home Jujubee from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For this week's main challenge, the queens will play the Snatch Game. As a twist, the queens will be playing in families, captained by Michelle Visage and Katie Price. The cast consisted of: Team Katie Price:
Team Michelle Visage:
On the runway, category is Luck Be A Lady. Baga Chipz and Blu Hydrangea are announced the top 2 queens of the week. RuPaul then announces from here on out, if you are not the top 2 queens of the week, you are in the bottom and are at risk of getting eliminated. Janey Jacké, Jujubee, Mo Heart and Pangina Heals are the bottom four queens of the week. Baga Chipz and Blu Hydrangea lip-sync to "Let It Go" by Alexandra Burke. Blu Hydrangea wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Pangina Heals from the competition.
| ||||
| 5 | "Semifinals" | 1 March 2022 | 0.78 | |
|
The queens enter the workroom and Baga Chipz reveals she would have sent home Pangina Heals from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For this week's main challenge, the queens will write, record and perform their own versus to RuPaul's song "London". On the runway, category is Werk of Art. Jujubee and Mo Heart are announced as the top 2 queens of the week. Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea and Janey Jacké are the bottom three queens of the week. Jujubee and Mo Heart lip-sync to "Toy" by Netta. Jujubee wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Janey Jacké from the competition.
| ||||
| 6 | "Grand Finale" | 8 March 2022 | 0.74 | |
|
The queens enter the workroom and Mo Heart reveals she would have sent home Janey Jacké from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. The eliminated queens all return to the workroom to discuss everything that went down this season. The queens walk the runway one last time in their Grand Finale Eleganza Extravaganza. RuPaul then announces that the queens will take part in a lip-sync smackdown for the crown. The first lip-sync is between Baga Chipz and Mo Heart. They lip-sync to "Domino" by Jessie J. Mo Heart wins the lip-sync and Baga Chipz is eliminated. The second lip-sync is between Blu Hydrangea and Jujubee. They lip-sync to "The Reflex" by Duran Duran. Blu Hydrangea wins the lip-sync and Jujubee is eliminated. The final lip-sync is between Blu Hydrangea and Mo Heart. They lip-sync to "Supernova" by Kylie Minogue. It is announced that Blu Hydrangea is the winner, leaving Mo Heart as the runner-up.
| ||||
Discography
| Title | Series |
|---|---|
| "West End Wendys: The Rusical" | 1 |
| "Living My Life in London" (Cast Version) | |
| "Champion (Ru x Blu)" (RuPaul and Blu Hydrangea) | |
References
- Yossman, K. J. (11 January 2022). "'RuPaul's Drag Race: U.K. Versus The World' Sets Launch Date with BBC Three's Broadcasting Return". Variety. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "RuPaul takes all-stars international on RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World". EW. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Nolfi, Joey (21 December 2021). "RuPaul takes all-stars global on 'RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- Nolfi, Joey (17 January 2022). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Versus the World cast adds international all-stars to new competition". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Drag Race UK vs the World just crowned a winner, baby". 8 March 2022.
- RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World [@dragraceukbbc] (8 March 2022). "Your Queen of the Mother-Tucking World 🌍👑 #DragRaceUK @BluHydrangea_ t.co/5KzRC0GScU" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022 – via Twitter.
- "New BBC Three commissions for a new BBC Three channel". BBC. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Ali, Mishti (21 December 2021). "Drag Race announces UK All Stars edition – with a gag-worthy twist". Pink News. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Maidment, Adam (21 December 2021). "RuPaul returns to Salford for new 'UK Versus' BBC Three show". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Ramachandran, Naman (21 December 2021). "'RuPaul's Drag Race: U.K. Versus The World' to Kick Off Relaunched BBC Three Channel". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- James, Michael (3 February 2022). "Where's the money honey? No Prize money for Drag Race: UK vs The World winner". QNews. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- Damshenas, Sam (15 February 2022). "Drag Race fans react to "shady" UK vs the World elimination". GAY TIMES. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- "Global Glamazons". RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World. Season 1. Episode 1. 1 February 2022.
- "RuPaul Ball". RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World. Season 1. Episode 2. 8 February 2022.
- "West End Wendys". RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World. Season 1. Episode 3. 15 February 2022.
- "Snatch Game - UK vs The World Season 1". RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World. Season 1. Episode 4. 22 February 2022.
- "Semi Finals - UK vs The World Season 1". RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World. Season 1. Episode 5. 1 March 2022.
- "Grand Finale - UK vs The World Season 1". RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World. Season 1. Episode 6. 8 March 2022.
- "BARB Four Screen Dashboard". BARB. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
