10 global glamazons are returning to Mama Ru's queendom to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World season 3 — the epic All Stars-esque series based in the U.K. and featuring queens from around the world.
Just like in the past two seasons, RuPaul challenges powerhouse Drag Race UK queens to face off against drag artists from international spinoffs of the series. In the end, only one of them is crowned Queen of the Mother-tucking World and receives a grand prize of €50,000.
Notably, this season features three U.K. queens and only one U.S. queen, which certainly impacts the dynamics within the competition.
Editor's note: All images, personal information, and descriptions are courtesy of BBC/World of Wonder.
Fontana (Drag Race Sweden Season 1)
Fontana on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: Finalist; runner-up (Drag Race Sweden season 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 20, where she quickly established herself 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 splendor blended with fashion, and Scandinavian chic. Praised for her 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.
Fontana says in her own words: "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 Season 3)
Gawdland on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: Finalist; 3rd place (Drag Race Thailand season 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 they have 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 their way to the final. With a flawless face card, razor-sharp drag, and a performance style powered by pure adrenaline, they embody 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 (Drag Race UK Season 5)
Kate Butch on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: 5th place (RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 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 (Drag Race Season 3; All Stars 5)
Mariah Balenciaga on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: 9th place (RuPaul's Drag Race season 3; RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 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, she remains undeterred and views her longevity as her superpower.
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 Season 4)
Melinda Verga on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: 5th place (Canada's Drag Race 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 (look up 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 who appeared on Traitors Canada. Yet again, he famously didn't hold back on that show, either. 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 Season 1)
Minty Fresh on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: 5th place (Drag Race Philippines season 1)
Maxi-Challenge Wins: Talent Show; Design Challenge
Pronouns: he/him (out of drag), she/her (in drag)
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."
Serena Morena (Drag Drag México Season 1)
Serena Morena on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: 8th place (Drag Race México season 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 (Drag Race UK Season 4)
Sminty Drop on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: 9th place (RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 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."
The Only Naomi (Drag Race Germany Season 1)
The Only Naomy on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: 10th place (Drag Race Germany season 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."
Zahirah Zapanta (Drag Race UK Season 6)
Zahirah Zapanta on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
BBC/World of Wonder
Placement: 10th place (RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 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 favorite. 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."
Watch: Meet the queens of RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3.
RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 3 premieres January 27 on WOW Presents Plus.
