Meet the Queens of RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE UK VS THE WORLD Season 3

Ten new queens have been revealed for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World S3, which is coming soon to WOW Presents Plus in the US and will debut January 27 on BBC Three and iPlayer in the UK. In the same fashion as past seasons, RuPaul will welcome standouts from across the global Drag Race Universe to battle it out against some of Drag Race UK’s most celebrated drag talent. 

The high-stakes spin-off takes the iconic recipe and elevates the gameplay to the highest level. With international pride on the line, a cash prize of €50,000, and the title of Queen of the Mothertucking World up for grabs - which Queen will reign supreme?

The 10 competing queens are Fontana (Sweden), Gawdland (Thailand), Kate Butch (UK), Mariah Balenciaga (US), Melinda Verga (Canada), Minty Fresh (Philippines), The Only Naomy (Germany), Serena Morena (Mexico), Sminty Drop (UK), and Zahirah Zapanta (UK). Learn more about each one below.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World is a World of Wonder production for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Interim Director of Unscripted and Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC. The Executive Producers for World of Wonder are Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, RuPaul Charles, Bruce McCoy, Matt Green, and Johnni Javier and the BBC Commissioning Editor is Ruby Kuraishe.

MEET THE QUEENS OF RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE UK VS THE WORLD SEASON 3

FONTANA
DRAG RACE SWEDEN

Placement:  Finalist - Runner-Up (Series 1)
Maxi Challenge Wins: Girl Group Challenge
Pronouns: Any (Out of Drag), She/Her (In Drag)
This Swedish Brazilian firecracker left São Leopoldo behind for world domination.

Born in Brazil, Fontana moved to Sweden aged twenty, where they quickly established themselves as one of Sweden’s finest drag queens serving up high octane performances, and a vibrant look inspired by their Brazilian roots. Fontana’s drag aesthetic is Brazilian splendour blended with fashion, and Scandinavian chic. Praised for their beauty skills, and polished looks, Fontana is a passionate and formidable racer, who made it all the way through to the final of their race. 

In their own words Fontana says: “I’m not here to play dirty, but I am here to take out the trash. I am ready to fight…”

GAWDLAND
DRAG RACE THAILAND

Placement: Finalist – Third Place (Series 3)
Maxi-Challenge Wins: The Rusical, The Makeover Challenge
Pronouns: He/Him (Out of Drag), They/Them (In Drag)
This Bangkok beauty is stunning, and unpredictable !

Gawdland may be petite, but he has a colossal reputation on Bangkok’s drag scene. A formidable glamazon, Gawdland sailed through Drag Race Thailand, with only a brief stumble in the Snatch Game, collecting wins in the Rusical and the Makeover challenge, on his way to the final. With a flawless face card, razor-sharp drag, and a performance style powered by pure adrenaline, he embodies the creativity that Thai drag is celebrated for.

Now entering the UK and global arena for the first time, Gawdland plans to be “as crazy as possible,” adding: “This is not RuPaul’s best friend race… I’m here to win.”

KATE BUTCH 
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK

Placement: 5th place (Series 5)
Maxi-Challenge Wins: Acting Challenge
Pronouns: They/Them (Out of Drag), She/Her (In Drag)
The comic sans of drag is ready to glamp again.

Kate Butch wheeled into the Werk Room with an effervescent theatrical flourish, firmly establishing themself as a comedy Queen, making all the judges laugh heartily, and most crucially, Mama Ru. A master of perfectly judged silliness, the Yorkshire beauty thrived in the acting and comedy challenges, serving up “a WILD Kate Bush” for their Snatch Game, and taking home a RuPeter badge win for their melodramatic acting skills in Holedark. Kate exited the race after a little stumble on the makeover challenge, but they’ve been winning in life ever since with a flourishing stand up and theatre career, and multiple film and TV appearances. Kate has even made their mark on the TV quiz scene. With the Shrek films as their specialist subject, Kate took home the winning trophy on Celebrity Mastermind – whilst dressed as the Dragon from Shrek, because, why not?!

Kate is ready to slay for the UK! Describing their drag as “glamour and camp: glamping” Kate is indeed the Queen of glamping.

MARIAH BALENCIAGA
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE (US)

Placement:  9th place (Series 3) | 8th place RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (Series 5)
Pronouns: He/Him (Out of Drag), She/Her (In Drag)
This veteran ballroom beauty is ready for her Ru-demption moment.

Representing America and the mothership, here comes Mariah! A polished glamazon with an acerbic wit, Mariah is an OG legend in every sense. Aged 18, she made her debut on New York’s ballroom scene in 1999, where she quickly became a legend of the scene. And in 2011, when Drag Race was still in its early infancy, Mariah was chosen by Ru to compete in season three.  The Atlanta beauty served up glamourpuss and one-liners in equal measure, establishing herself as one of the famed “early season girls”.  Nine years later, All Stars came knocking and Mariah returned to the mainstage, bringing grace, class, and maturity to the proceedings. Her self-penned powerful song “Stains on the Wall” left an indelible mark on many and garnered a showering of praise from Ru, and guest judge, Ricky Martin. In spite of a shock early exit, the she remains undeterred and views her longevity as her super power. 

At 44, Mariah is the eldest of the cast, but with 27 years of drag evolution under her belt, she’s undoubtedly the most experienced of the cast: “Y’all are going to get Mariah 3.0,” she says. “I don’t care what it takes, I’m doing it!”

MELINDA VERGA
CANADA’S DRAG RACE

Placement: 5th place (Season 4)
Maxi-Challenge Wins: Snatch Game
Pronouns: He/Him (Out of Drag), He/Him (In Drag)
Oh Canada! This showgirl is 100% faithful to winning.

Melinda Verga is an old-school entertainer with bags of charisma, as evidenced by his chosen drag name- see the Spanish translation!

Storming his season to become one of Canada’s most talked-about queens, Melinda Verga is a force to be reckoned with. His meltdowns and unfiltered interviews made him instantly meme-able. Melinda showcased adept comedy skills by securing the Snatch Game win and after surviving lip sync after lip sync, the audiences admired his passion and nerve. Since Drag Race, the Filipino-Canadian queen has become a Canadian Reality TV star, appearing on Traitors Canada where yet again, he famously didn’t hold back. The experience has clearly informed his game tactics.

As Melinda puts it: “I’m ready for some backstabbing and manipulation, I’ll send these b*****s home.”

MINTY FRESH
DRAG RACE PHILIPPINES

Placement: 5th place (Season 1)
Pronouns: He/Him (Out of Drag), She/Her (In Drag)
Maxi-Challenge Wins: Talent Show and Design Challenge
This Filipino powerhouse is ready to claim the win!

In 2022, Minty Fresh walked into Drag Race Philippines and made an immediate impact. A frontrunner from the start, Minty sealed an immediate win for THE TALENT SHOW and went on to take another win for the Design Challenge. Garnering huge praise for his ultra stylish stunning looks, it was only a fateful girl group challenge that led to his exit at the semi-finals. Famed for serving a stunning face card and polished looks, Minty is a proud representative of the fierce Filipino drag scene. In fact, for Minty, it’s a matter of national pride. 

Minty promises to serve a spectacle: “It’s a full production, baby. You’ll be obsessed. I’m not a showgirl, I’m a headliner.”

THE ONLY NAOMY
DRAG RACE GERMANY

Placement: 10th place (Series 1)
Pronouns: He/Him (Out of Drag), They/Them (In Drag)
The only Naomy can’t wait to meet THE ONE and only Mama Ru!

The Only Naomy - Naomy for short - is a German supermodel.  You may have already guessed that their name is inspired by another famous supermodel, with whom they share many similar traits including a beautiful face, and a statuesque presence. Naomy made their Drag Race debut on the first ever season of Drag Race Germany in 2023, where they received praise for their deft make-up artistry and edgy looks. Exiting at the Rusical challenge, Naomy didn’t get the chance to show off their full bag of tricks, but this time round they are ready to go the full distance for Germany. 

Naomy issues this warning: “Don’t mess with me, I might be the villain of the season.”

SERENA MORENA
DRAG RACE MÉXICO

Placement: 8th place (Series 1)
Pronouns: He/She/They (Out of Drag), She/Her (In Drag)
This Mexican lady is ready to fiesta forever -  all night long!   

Serena Morena had an unforgettable run on the first ever season of Drag Race México. Finishing eighth and winning legions of fans with her charisma, uniqueness, and a fondness to shock audiences, Serena is a cheeky gal, who still lives with her mum! An enthusiastic siren, Serena is more than ready to represent Mexico in the Olympics of Drag.

Thrilled to be in the UK “especially for the men”, Serena brings the promise of chaos, warning the competition: “I’m a nasty lady. I’m Mexican. Don’t mess with me!”

SMINTY DROP
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK

Placement: 9th place (Series 4)
Pronouns: He/Him (Out of Drag), She/Her (In Drag)
This Lancashire hotpot is set on global domination, one sad-twerk at a time.

Sminty Drop burst onto RuPaul’s Drag Race UK with a cocktail of chaos, and ice cool fashion. Constantly praised by Ru and the judges for her creative avant-garde runway looks, Sminty’s look was certainly unique, with her BBC runway take on the Antiques Road Show proving to be a memorable hit with the judges. 

The Lancashire lass also brought a lot of charisma to the race and even after a fateful improv challenge, Sminty turned her saddest moment to joy, by bidding the cast and judges farewell with an unforgettable sad twerk as her final exit. 

The “sad-twerk exit moment” caught fire with the Drag Race community, and thus, a Drag Race icon was born. Since then, Sminty has sad- twerked her way around the world, releasing music and strutting the runways of Paris Fashion Week. 

Ready to represent her country in drag, Sminty Drop is back with a vengeance: “I’m never going to be Miss Congeniality. They need to know who the top dog is.”

ZAHIRAH ZAPANTA
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK

Placement: 10th place (Series 6)
Pronouns: He/Him (Out of Drag) She/Her (In Drag)
Re-enter the void with Nottingham’s finest Filipino beauty queen!

Zahirah Zapanta entered the Werk Room dripping in furs and diamonds -a befitting entrance for the Nottingham beauty queen, who went on to showcase herself as a talented seamstress, and a magician with the make-up brush. Often the loudest in the workroom, Zahirah is no wallflower, and her unfiltered commentary and team spirit made her a firm fan favourite. However, a ghoulish girl band challenge turned out to be Zahirah’s undoing.  

Born in the Philippines, Zahirah’s drag aesthetic is inspired by the stunning Filipino beauty pageant queens of her youth mixed with a little bit of modern-day British club kid. Zahirah is undoubtedly a powerhouse of a beauty queen, and with her initial Drag Race journey cut short, she plans to bring out the big guns for an epic comeback.

Zahirah has a clear game tactic, declaring: “I ain’t scared of none of these girls. This time, I’m ready to fight tooth and nail.”