2022 is one the busiest years in herstory for the ever-growing RuPaul’s Drag Race universe, and we’re about to get more crowned queens than ever before.
From the newly-introduced Versus the World spin-offs to the first-ever all-winners edition of Drag Race to the regular season 14 cycle, Mama Ru has been busy at work expanding her empire around the world and through multiple spinoffs. This year alone, the franchise will air shows set in Australia/New Zealand, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, and the UK, with more international editions rumored to be happening as well.
Before 2022 ends, it is very likely that Drag Race will have crowned over 10 winners within this global franchise – which would be a record-breaking number of crowned winners within the same calendar year. What’s more, this year will also feature a lot of “first winners” on different international series such as Drag Race France, Drag Race Belgique, Drag Race Philippines, and Drag Race Sverige.
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After becoming a fan-favorite on Drag Race UK season one, Blu Hydrangea came back to compete on the first-ever RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World. In the end, she competed against finalists Baga Chipz, Jujubee, and Mo Heart. Hydrangea and Heart got to the top two and lip synced for the crown, with Hydrangea being ultimately crowned Queen of the Mother-Tucking World.
Sharonne won the second season of Drag Race España after competing against fellow finalists Estrella Xtravaganza and Venedita Von Däsh, becoming Spain’s Next Drag Superstar. As the oldest queen in the entire cast, Sharonne’s victory was a massive win for veteran queens who choose to compete on Drag Race.
Willow Pill publicly came out as trans while RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 was still airing. By the time she lip synced for the crown against Lady Camden at the grand finale, Pill was already crowned as the first-ever trans winner of a regular Drag Race season. Another interesting fact about Pill’s crowning is that she joined a list of queens who were crowned on Drag Race after only having won a single maxi challenge throughout their respective seasons.
After winning a whopping five maxi challenges on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7 and earning herself four Legendary Legend stars, Jinkx Monsoon was crowned the Queen of All Queens. At the finale, Monsoon went up against her fellow finalists Monét X Change, Shea Couleé, and Trinity The Tuck in a lip sync smackdown for the crown. The All Stars 7 winner is currently the highest-earning queen in the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise.