At this point in history, RuPaul’s Drag Race has had what feels like 479 seasons across 80% of the world’s continents. There is no doubt it’s a global phenomenon, but at the end of the day, it all started here in the good ol’ USofA. With Willow Pill just announced as the Season 14 winner, we have 14 winning Queens to rank against each other since Season 1 aired in 2009, baby!
During that time fans have seen queens from a variety of scenes represented; from comedy queens like Bob the Drag Queen to those who deliver more alternative fashion like Yvie Oddly. Not any two have been alike, a reason they’ve been able to stand out and make it to the end for the grand prize, but after over a dozen winners it’s time to see just how much they stack up when placed next to one another based on not only how well they fared their season, but what they did once they got to go home with the crown. So from the least likely to win again to the queens who made their presence known, it’s time to see where the RuPaul’s Drag Race winners rank.
14. Tyra Sanchez - Season 2
Biting the hand that feeds doesn’t leave the best taste in the mouths of fans who once rooted a queen on. This is why Tyra Sanchez is not it for the Drag Race fandom. She went on social media rants which led her to be banned from the annual RuPaul's DragCon. She may have been drop dead stunning on the second season when she came in young and ready to win, but her toxic behavior after leaving the show has made her a queen many would like to forget.
13. Sharon Needles - Season 4
Speaking of toxic, well, let’s start by saying that Sharon Needles was part of the season that took the show from niche to a weekly trending topic. Her fights with Jaremi Carey (formerly known as Phi Phi O'Hara) were iconic, as was the fact that she brought alternative, Hot Topic couture to the show and shook things up in a big way. However, one cannot hide from their past and fans were able to dig up some not-so-great things Needles had said and done in the past that tainted her legacy among the Drag Race fandom.
12. BeBe Zahara Benet - Season 1
Not every first season of a show can be perfect, right? Even looking back at Kelly Clarkson on American Idol can leave people feeling like it was made in 1982. Drag Race though? Its first season looked even older with what fans have dubbed the “Vaseline filter.” It’s hard to watch, literally, because of the hazy glare but those who have been there since day one or have gone back and endured the infamous filter know all too well that BeBe Zahara Benet and company paved the way. She became the first Drag Race winner ever and no one can ever take that away from her but because she was on that odd debut, many newer fans have yet to embrace the grace that is BeBe Zahara Benet. She did appear on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars years later but didn’t manage to win again.
11. Jaida Essence Hall - Season 12
Some queens walk into the Werk Room and viewers immediately know they’re going to make it to the finale. Then there are queens like Jaida Essence Hall who are slow burners. She worked her way from the safe zone to the tippity top. Unfortunately, at no fault of her own, Season 12 aired in early 2020. What was supposed to be a grand finale was shot in the queens’ homes with RuPaul wearing a facekini. It was all sorts of weird, but what wasn’t in that year? Also, when queens win - they can expect to tour soon after. Jaida Essence Hall didn’t have that luxury, so while she is a fierce queen…she’s yet to truly make her mark on the world due to unforeseen circumstances but she will get there thanks in part to appearing on All Stars 7. It’s the first season in the franchise to feature an all-winner cast!
10. Willow Pill - Season 14
Willow Pill walked into the 14th season of Drag Race with a real angle, and it showed. She was the poker player of the season, never revealing all the dynamic talents hiding underneath her larger than life flip-flops. She was funny, could act, and never struggled with the choreo - a skill that has taken out some of the best - and she never, ever fell short on the runway. Her looks truly went above and beyond all season, making them a trending topic week after week and while her unique fashion kept her on the lips of many fans are excited to see what’s to come for the most recent winner.
9. Aquaria - Season 10
By the time Aquaria came through, it was clear how long the show had been on because doing the math, Aquaria was a mere child when the show had started. She’d grown up immersed in the art of drag and fashion, and it showed throughout the show as she turned looks that were more than runway ready. She also surprised a lot of viewers when she was able to pull off a “Snatch Game” win against comedy queens and personality standouts like Miz Cracker and Eureka. Since the show, Aquaria has kept up her title as the lewk queen serving continuous must-see fashion, but other than that, she has yet to branch out even more so than her fellow winners.
8. Sasha Velour - Season 9
Sasha Velour didn’t really do too much actual winning until the very end, but she was consistent and that’s sometimes all one needs. Obviously, that worked in her favor. An artsy queen from NYC, Sasha brought avant-garde with a pristine level of creativity that has allowed her to make an even bigger name for herself outside of Drag Race with appearances on Broad City, The Bold Type, and an original Quibi series, Nightgowns.
7. Raja - Season 3
There are several queens from earlier seasons that just have it and Raja is 100% one of those queens. She came in with an eye on the prize with her entrance look and managed to win in a season that had Manila Luzon, Alexis Mateo, and Carmen Carrera - all of which have gone on to do amazing things in their careers. Raja, however, has been a friend to the franchise in recent years keeping the new queens’ looks in check on “Photo Fashion RuView” on YouTube in which she and another queen go over and critique the runway looks from each episode weekly. She’s even taking another go at the crown as part of All Stars 7 as well.
6. Yvie Oddly - Season 11
By the eleventh season, fans had seen their fair share of kooky queens but none quite like the rightfully named, Yvie Oddly. From the depths of Denver, she rose to the top with only one big win under her belt. She also only found herself in the bottom two once, and that resulted in one of the most well-deserved double Shantays in the herstory of the franchise against Season 11 runner-up, and Canada’s Drag Race co-host, Brooke Lynn Hytes. Although Yvie didn’t do much winning until the end, she has done so after the show. She’s currently part of the RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue in Las Vegas, part of the All Star 7 cast, and has a Drag family all her own that includes Season 14 winner, Willow Pill.
5. Jinkx Monsoon - Season 5
Like water off a duck’s back, Jinkx Monsoon just went with the flow during their time on the show. Something insanely hard to do considering there was a whole Mean Girls situation going on during her season that left her sitting far from the supposed cool kids' table. The beloved underdog triumphed with comedic charm not only during Season 6 but long after she won the fifth season. Jinkx has done countless tours, released albums, and even done a Netflix holiday special alongside fellow Pacific Northwest queen, BenDeLaCreme. Now fans are ready to cheer her on once more on All Stars 7.
4. Symone - Season 13
Symone may be one of the newest queens to win, but her impact was high and mighty. Everything Symone did on the show felt next-level. Every week Symone brought high-concept looks that were unapologetically Black and proud. Challenges? Symone won four. That's an incredible feat and made everyone overlook those two times she wound up in the bottom. Luckily for Symone, her win came as the world was starting to get back into a semi-normal setting in 2021 so she was able to tour and take on a lot of opportunities right after her win like starring in a Kacey Musgraves video, and doing a great deal of modeling.
3. Violet Chachki - Season 7
Wait, did someone say modeling? It’s hard to deny any other winner is as fashion as Violet Chachki. She cemented her claim to fame in the franchise long before even winning with her infamous, jaw-dropping Fall Look in the first episode of Season 7 that left the judges shooketh. She won that episode and two more after. Violet and her itty-bitty corseted waist also never wound up in the bottom, and today, she’s a permanent fixture in the fashion industry both as a model and a spectator, having been a staple at various fashion weeks. She’s even walked in the Moschino show in Milan, as well as attended the Met Gala in 2019.
2. Bianca Del Rio - Season 6
Only a handful of queens have come on the show and been the front runner from day one, and one of them is Bianca Del Rio. She never stumbled and proved to be a natural talent through and through, especially when it came to comedy. This is why she’s a widely popular standup comedian today who is on the road more than a Walmart delivery driver performing for consistently packed shows. When the world gets a Drag Hall of Fame, rest assured, Bianca Del Rio will be in it for pulling off a win in the same silhouette. No shade, it’s iconic.
1. Bob the Drag Queen - Season 8
Was Bob the Drag Queen serving looks 24/7 on Season 8? No, but the Amazon robot bodysuit and American Apparel tights didn’t matter in the end because Bob did that. Bob won in the wildest off-the-rack looks and for that, respect. Like Bianca, Bob was a front runner through and through, so much so it was like the other queens were sort of just fighting for second place the entire time. Since the show, Bob has been busy with well, a lot. Bob’s dominated YouTube recapping Drag Race on “First Purse Impressions,” and owned the podcast realm alongside All Stars 4 co-winner and All Stars 7 queen Monét X Change. Bob has also released music, and even landed a HBO reality series in which she, Season 10’s Eureka, and Season 2 and 3’s Shangela bring drag to small-town America on We’re Here.