It hasn’t been confirmed in the slightest, but let’s get real: it’s coming. Since 2009, the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise has aired 13 seasons and five All Star editions, with other countries such as Thailand, UK, Canada, Australia and Spain adapting their own iterations (Italy and Brasil will also be sashaying onto our screens in the near future). Now that we have a plethora of winners to choose from, there’s been high demand for a Quarter Quell-esque season with just champions. The thought alone makes us wanna piss ourselves with excitement, but there’s also a bit of anxiety there: how can we choose one queen to root for? We did some extremely important research to find out if each of the queens in the Drag Race winners’ circle would return to the fold to win the crown of all crowns.
Bebe Zahara Benet (season 1)
Could Bebe Zahara Benet be the first Drag Race winner to compete on three separate seasons? The fierce queen bested Nina Flowers and Rebecca Glassock to become the franchise’s first ever crowned queen in 2009, and made an unprecedented comeback in 2018 for the third season of All Stars, where she placed joint third/fourth with Shangela – thanks to the abominable jury twist. When we asked the Jungle Kitty if she would rakatatititata back into the werkroom for a winners’ season, she told us: “Many years ago, if I was asked to go back for All Stars 3, it would’ve been a no. For a winners’ season… never say never. It would depend on where I am, and what I’m doing. Right now, that’s my frame of mind.”
Tyra Sanchez (season 2)
Out of all the queens on this list, Tyra Sanchez is the least likely to ruturn. Although the performer boasts a flawless Drag Race run with three maxi-challenge wins and zero bottom placements, she’s had a complicated history with the show since her win; threatening fans and fellow alumni – such as Tatianna and Jaremi Carey (Phi Phi O’Hara) – over social media. Tyra issued a heartfelt apology for her actions last year, but later disabled all of her social media accounts and announced her retirement from drag. In June 2020, the queen told fans over Twitter that she wants “nothing to do with your toxic community” and requested for them to “stop tagging me in your posts,” and to “stop including me with your winners.” She added: “Just forget me.”
Raja (season 3)
It’s been nine years since Raja conquered over Manila Luzon and Alexis Mateo to the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar, yet her performance on the series is still singled out for praise, thanks to her high-fashion runways and commanding catwalk. She’s maintained relevance amongst fans due to her iconic web series with Raven, Fashion Photo RuView, in which they critique the looks from the Drag Race main stage. Last year, Raja said she would “definitely” come back for a winners’ season because she would “love to go back on TV”. Speaking with Instinct, Raja explained: “It would be interesting to see how it would play out because now it’s nine years later and I’m 45 years old. So I don’t know if I have the same energy as I had before. I think it’s a good idea—I think the fans would love it! If there was any question on who would participate I would certainly be one of them, I just don’t know how long I would last—I’m quite grumpy now.”
Sharon Needles (season 4)
Drag Race was catapulted further into the mainstream in 2009 with the help of Sharon Needles. Her offbeat personality and Elvira-esque aesthetic won praise from Lady Gaga, while her relationship with Jaremi Carey – formerly known as Phi Phi O’Hara – still stands as the greatest rivalry on reality television. She also earned four maxi-challenge wins, becoming the first ever queen to achieve this feat, so she’d undoubtedly be touted as a frontrunner pre-season. In an interview with Digital Spy, Sharon said: “If there was an All Winners All Stars, absolutely. Just for the fact that my time in RuPaul’s Drag Race is the funnest time I’ve ever had. It’s ridiculous, fun and let’s face it, the worst thing I ever did for my career was win the first f**king time. Those who receive second chances tend to propel further than those who were just so f**king perfect the first time.” She continued to say that it would be “so strange to see the 10 who are plotted as the ‘best in the world’ have to humble ourselves because we might not be that great this time around.”
Chad Michaels (All Stars 1)
Sadly, we couldn’t find any evidence to confirm whether or not Chad Michaels would return for a winners’ season, but she’s a consummate professional – do you really think she’d turn down another life-changing opportunity? Speaking about her time on season four of the series, Chad told SocialiteLife that she’s “grateful for the life-affirming experience” she had on RuPaul’s Drag Race, adding of her future: “The sky is the limit at this point. I plan to do what I have always done, entertain people. Everything else is icing! My mind and heart are open to the possibilities!” We’re going to take that as OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION.
Jinkx Monsoon (season 5)
As one of the most beloved queens in herstory, Jinkx Monsoon’s comeback has been anticipated ever since her triumphant run on season five. She’s made sporadic appearances here and there, but is yet to channel her inner Bebe Zahara Benet for a second crown. However, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to. “I go back and forth. It depends on my mood, so I say it depends on where I’m at when they ask me,” she told us at DragWorld in 2018, before admitting – to the elation of fans everywhere – that a comeback is actually pretty likely. “I honestly would love to do it, only to show the fanbase how much I’ve grown, and how much Drag Race catapulted me into evolving and taking my drag as far as I possibly could. I’d do it for that reason, to show everyone what a fierce ass bitch I am!”
Bianca Del Rio (season 6)
The legendary comic recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly for their BINGE podcast series with fellow fan-favourite Adore Delano, who she memorably competed against on the sixth season before scooping the crown. Discussing the show’s evolution in recent years, which has catered towards a younger aesthetic thanks to the influx of queens with large Instagram followings, Bianca said she wouldn’t return to the franchise for All Stars or a winners’ season because it’s now a “different element”. “First of all and foremost, I’ll say it here, no one has ever officially asked me from World of Wonder,” she revealed. “In interviews I’ve always said no. Why would I go back to high school? There’s a reason each person won their season. It’s a different vehicle. I don’t think I’d be cast, I don’t think I’d be interested in doing it now, because the game has changed… It’s just a different world. So rather than saying I don’t get it because I’m old, I’ll say it’s not for me! I don’t think I’d survive this time around!”
Violet Chachki (season 7)
Although the 28-year-old performer triumphed on the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2014, conquering over fierce competition from Ginger Minj, Pearl, Katya and Kennedy Davenport, Violet is still – to this day – trying to prove her worth as an entertainter. When we spoke to the fashion powerhouse for our digital cover, Violet said she’s eager to return because she wants to showcase where she’s at in her career. “Drag is something that should be fun and not taken so seriously, so I don’t think it’s that serious of an issue about me going back and losing, doing poorly or being edited badly,” she said. “I have said that I wasn’t going to do a winners’ season, but I think it would be fun and it would be nice to do it and have it documented. That’s kind of my thought process on it. I’d love to have as much documentation of me at my height as possible, and I think it would be great entertainment. I’d love to come back and do a talent show challenge, so that would be good motivation! If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, I don’t fucking care anyway. It would be a nice ending to the Drag Race legacy and I don’t know how much longer they can go on. I don’t know how much longer Ru has.”
Bob the Drag Queen (season 8)
We’re happy to report that when we sit down to watch Drag Race Winners (whatever they call it), Bob and her purse will be there. “I love competing. It really energises me, it keeps me going, I wake up and drink the blood of my competitors,” she told Radio Times. “If it would fit into my schedule, I would honestly love to go and slay.” Bob also discussed the potential for the season with Monét X Change on an episode of Pit Stop, telling the All Stars 4 winner that she’s “thought very long and hard” about it. “I honestly don’t know if I could send you home. Being on Drag Race is the most emotional thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she said. “Bitch, I had basically just met Acid Betty and when she got eliminated, I was balling. I was crying so hard, Acid Betty had to stop production and be like, ‘Bob, stop. This is insane.’ If I was there with you on ‘Drag Race Superstars’ and someone sent you home, I would wreck them.”
Alaska (All Stars 2)
Alaska lives and breathes Drag Race – she’s in.
Sasha Velour (season 9)
In 2017, Sasha beat out competition from accomplished queens such as Shea Couleé, Trinity the Tuck, Peppermint, Valentina and Alexis Michelle, and blessed fans with one of the most gag-worthy lip-syncs of all time with her So Emotional, rose-petal extravaganza. She’s gone on to receive critical acclaim for her one-queen tour Smoke and Mirrors, as well as for her Quibi docu-series Nightgowns. With so many projects in the works, does Sasha even want to shriek back into the werkroom? “I don’t know! I don’t know if they want me back, to be honest,” she told GAY TIMES. “They’re not beating down the door to ask me to return, I’ll tell you that.” Although Sasha “loves being on television” she admitted to not being a “huge believer in the value of competition”. She continued further: “There’s no reason to return to competitions when you’ve already won your crown. But I also, philosophically, think it’s better to talk about everyone’s strengths than to pick a single winner. I say that as someone who has gone through it, but also someone who has experienced what it’s like to compete against artists that I really care about and respect. It’s not my favourite situation, necessarily. “
Trixie Mattel (All Stars 3)
Trixie is a hard no. The Wisconsin-born performer and optimistic realist has said on numerous occasions that she wouldn’t return for a third time due to the competitive nature of the series. “No,” she revealed in our 2018 interview. “Never. I would never go back and do it. I’m not very competitive.”
Aquaria (season 10)
It’s only been three years since Aquaria stomped her way to the season 10 finale, following iconic performances in maxi-challenges such as The Last Ball on Earth, Breastworld and Snatch Game, the latter of which saw the entertainer deliver a pitch perfect impersonation of Melania Trump. As one of the select few queens who hasn’t fallen into the bottom two, Aquaria would be another major threat to her sisters. Despite this, she has no interest in doing so. “I don’t necessarily need to. I enjoy sharing my art to those that enjoy me and not trying to appeal to those who don’t,” she revealed to Cosmopolitan, adding of her drag career: “I don’t see myself doing it forever. I love being involved in nightlife and in the art world, so I’d love to do some marriage of those two.”
Trinity The Tuck (All Stars 4)
Trinity has a deep respect for both drag and RuPaul’s Drag Race, and not only is she a fierce entertainer, she’s a businessWOMAN. She knows her brand and delivers at all times – she’s aware that fans will kick off if her name wasn’t on the line-up. In a recent interview, The Tuck said she had reservations about returning once more, but would if the opportunity arises. Also, she wouldn’t miss out on a chance to win a solo crown – especially because it’s the crown of all crowns.
Monét X Change (All Stars 4)
Monét X Change is absolutely down for a winners’ season, because there’s one specific former champion that she wants to beat. Can you guess who? “Absolutely, just so I can fucking beat Bob,” she admitted. The two queens are besties, and they host a podcast together called Sibling Rivalry, but there’s always been an element of healthy competition between them (like with all sisters). In her Pit Stop conversation with Bob, she also joked that she would send her “Black ass home” without hesitation. Imagine seeing these two compete against each other?
Yvie Oddly (season 11)
This is when it starts to get a bit trickier. Because all of the following queens have earned their crowns within the past year or so, there’s not been much talk of a winners’ season, as it’s a bit too soon. So for a few of them, we’re going to have to guess. For Yvie, we’re optimistic. Following her win against Brooke Lynn Hytes, the star has collaborated with the franchise on several occasions: Queen to Queen, Yvie’s Odd School, Werq the World and Vegas Revue. She also made a comeback on All Stars 5 as a lip-sync assassin, where she once again embraced her inner Cirque de Soleil in a sickening display of acrobatics and ruveals for Livin’ La Vida Loca. So, we’re definitely not counting her out.
The Vivienne (Drag Race UK season 1)
The UK’s First Drag Race Superstar had a near-flawless run on the first season of the British spin-off, serving look after look and Academy Award-winner realness with her impressions of Kim Woodburn, Cilla Black and, of course, Donald Trump. Although the series catapulted her and the rest of her season one sisters to fame, Viv would undeniably benefit – popularity wise – from a second stint on the US version. We asked her about the potential for a UK vs US spin-off following her win, to which she responded: “Oh my god, imagine that? How good would a UK vs US season be? Or the whole world? Thailand, Canada, Australia, everywhere. A global Drag Race would be amazing.” Again, we’re going to take that as official confirmation because she sounds eager for another battle.
Jaida Essence Hall (season 12)
During a special guest appearance on GAY TIMES’ original podcast series Snatched, which is dedicated to all-things RuPaul’s Drag Race, season 12 champion Jaida Essence Hall said she always thought she would wait “forever” to return to All Stars if she didn’t win, but would return due to her enjoyable time shooting the first round. Now that Jaida knows how the production aspect of reality television works, and how she’s portrayed on-screen, she’s eager to make a comeback to take advantage of what she knows and to show the world how she’s transformed since her first iconic stint. “I think it would be cute,” she told us. “I would just go and be stupid the entire time.”
Shea Couleé (All Stars 5)
As we all know, Shea is focused on slaying. Playing? She just doesn’t have the time. With four maxi-challenge wins on season nine, more than winner Sasha Velour, two maxi-challenge wins on All Stars 5 (as well as the crown), Shea has proven to be one of the most formidable competitors we’ve ever seen on the franchise. However, she took her time returning to All Stars, and she’s only just been inducted into the Drag Race Hall of Fame. In our 2020 Winter issue, we asked the star if she would return within the next five years, to which she replied: “Five whole years? Like, what if it was sooner? A winners’ season in five years, I feel like it would be on like, season four. But you know what, season four of Drag Race is always really good. So maybe, okay. Five years from now a winners’ season, let’s do it.”
Lawrence Chaney (Drag Race UK season 2)
Yes, we know it’s only been seconds since Lawrence Chaney triumphed over Tayce and Bimini Bon Boulash on UK season two, but we had to ask if she’s down for a winners’ season, just because we wanted to update this article. Sue us! When we proposed such a season to the queen, who made herstory as the franchise’s first Scottish winner, she told us: “No. I will never ever do Drag Race ever again.” When we pushed for a reason, Lawrence went on to explain: “It’s stressful! I was exhausted by episode two. That takes stamina! RuPaul’s 60-years-old and doing it better than all of us. How has RuPaul still got enough energy to walk the runway, host and do all of that stuff, and we’re exhausted halfway through the series? It’s mental!”
Symone (Season 13)
TBA!
Kita Mean (Drag Race Down Under season 1)
“Honestly, fuck yeah. I wanna do it now,” Kita Mean told us shortly after her win on Drag Race Down Under, saying she wants to “get that ball rolling” and bring together queens from all around the world. “In a heartbeat, I would do it.” When we asked the Kiwi about which previous winners she would be scared or excited to compete against, she added: “I would be excited to compete against every single one of them. I wouldn’t be scared to compete against any of them. Imagine going and doing it with all of those girls?!” After we declared the upcoming winners’ season as the Avengers: Endgame of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Kita continued: “Yes! It needs to happen. There’s enough winners who would do it, right? I’ve been so invested in this fantasy, it’s definitely played out in my brain already.”
Natalia Pliacam (Drag Race Thailand season 1), Angele Anang (Drag Race Thailand season 2), Priyanka (Canada’s Drag Race season 1), Envy Peru (Drag Race Holland season 1)
If RuPaul includes champions from spin-offs that he hasn’t personally appeared on as host/main judge, then we are FULLY expecting for Natalia Pliacam, Angele Anang, Priyanka and Envy Pery to sashay into that werkroom. For Natalia and Angele, the exposure to the US fanbase would be major for their careers, so we’d be stunned if they refused. When we spoke to Priyanka, she confidently stated: “I’m in and I win. Could you imagine me against Sasha Velour? Oh god, it would be so good.” Envy also told us: “I would love that! Why not? That would be very pressure-cooking! I think I’m just gonna enjoy my reign for as long as I need. I look up to all those amazing queens. It would take balls!”
Related: These are the 10 legendary queens rumoured for Drag Race All Stars 6.
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