It’s hard to believe, but there was an era when you’d be lucky to see one season of RuPaul’s Drag Race a year. In ancient times, you’d only get a season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars every four years. But over the last decade, Drag Race has completely taken over the world, as international editions have popped up from Canada to the Philippines. The endless variations of the show have led fans to fantasize about theoretical All Stars seasons where queens from all over the world would compete with each other. That’s become something of a reality with the UK vs. the World and Canada vs. the World seasons, but the brand spanking new Global All Stars is taking things to a whole new level.
For the first time, 12 queens from 12 different countries will be competing for a spot in the Drag Race International Hall of Fame, and a $200,000 prize. While it used to be easy to catch up on Drag Race, the sheer number of franchises has made it all but impossible to know every drag queen who’s been on every variation of the show. By the time Global All Stars begins on August 16, there will be no fewer than four franchises airing simultaneously.
But we’ve got you covered: Here’s your guide to the 12 competing queens on the inaugural Global All Stars, including their highs, lows, and most iconic moments.
Alyssa Edwards (RuPaul’s Drag Race season five, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season two)
Placement: 6th (Season 5), 5th (All Stars 2)
Wins: 3 (Season 5 — 1, All Stars 2 — 2)
Best Moment: “Shut Up and Drive†lip sync
Insta: alyssaedwards_1
She’s back back back again! Representing America, Alyssa Edwards is ready to put on a show. Her personality and performance abilities are undeniable. She’s delivered some of the most iconic moments in Drag Race herstory, from “Back Rolls?†to fighting with Coco Montrese, to delivering some of the greatest lip syncs of all time (especially “Shut Up and Drive†versus Tatianna). Heck, there’s even a 40-minute video of her best moments on the Drag Race YouTube page. Her runway looks, including one then-judge Santino Rice called the ugliest dress in series history, held her back on her original season. But that was a long time ago — don’t be surprised if Alyssa is the runway queen of the season. If there was ever a frontrunner out of the gate, it’s Alyssa. She’s appeared on America’s Got Talent, had her own Netflix show, and recently starred on the Amazon reality series The G.O.A.T. She’s a phenom, and she’s coming for gold.
Athena Likis (Drag Race Belgique season one)
Placement: 2nd
Wins: 2
Best Moment: Talent Show
Insta: athena.likis
Formerly known as Athena Sorgelikis, Athena is back from a great run on Drag Race Belgique to compete with a new name (presumably so Ru can say it easily). From the jump, Athena showed off her ability to think outside the box, delivering an ingenious talent show in Belgique’s first episode, doing a Mr.Bean-like routine simulating a bad date. She’s a queen who thrives on the unexpected, as her creative runways regularly express, including her backward suit look or her fabulous makeover look, which earned her a well-deserved second win. There’s an androgynous, edgy, and underground element to Athena’s drag. In her original season, her only stumble came during a comedy/public speaking challenge, but she was redeemed in a clever lip sync to “Le Banana Split†where she ate a banana onstage.
Eva Le Queen (Drag Race Philippines season one)
Placement: 3rd/4th
Wins: 0
Beat Moment: Snatch Game
Insta: eva_lequeen
She’s your majesty, so call her Miss Eva, to paraphrase her epic girl-group verse. Eva Le Queen (a pun on “evil queenâ€) is a charming and exceptionally well-rounded artist with a sparkling personality and charm to match. Her mug is undeniable (just look at her Global All Stars promo!) and her looks are consistently stunning — her indigenous extravaganza look is particularly impressive. Eva may be one of two competitors on Global Drag Race without a win, but don’t let that fool you, as she excelled in all the top challenges, including the girl groups, Snatch Game, makeover, and talent show, and easily could have won any of them.
Gala Varo (Drag Race Mexico season one)
Placement: Runner-Up
Wins: 1
Best Moment: Girl Groups
Insta: gala.varo
She entered the werk room dressed as a burglar, and regularly stole the show on Drag Race México — an impressive feat since the winner, Christian Peralta, walked away with an incomparable five challenge wins. Gala calls herself the dangerous lady, and watching her lip sync it’s clear why: She’s a lethal assassin. Her physical stunts are remarkable but she can also connect with the energy so effortlessly. Seriously, just watch her lip sync for her life to Gloria Trevi’s “Ãbranse Perras,†complete with a ruveal that would impress Sasha Velour herself. The girl groups episode was an amazing showcase for Gala, who dominated the challenge with tricky choreo and great lyrics, and then stormed the runway with an exquisite couture floral look. To top it off, she has a Ph.D. in biomedicine and was a professor at the University of Guadalajara before leaving to pursue drag full-time. Gala has the talent, but she also has the wisdom to make a serious run for the crown.
Kitty Scott-Claus (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season three)
Placement: Runner-Up
Wins: 2
Best Moment: Girl Groups
Insta: kittyscottclaus
An all-out comedy queen with a glamorous twist, Kitty Scott-Claus was one of the undeniable stars of Drag Race UK season three. It’s going to be wonderful to have Kitty back on our screens, and there aren’t many that can match her bubbly, high-energy persona and endless charisma. She performed fantastically on her season, never placing below safe, winning a ball and an acting challenge, and slaying every comedy challenge. Kitty may not have won the girl group challenge thanks to her disastrous teammates’ performances, but it was a perfect showcase of her abilities — she’s born to be a pop diva. Her looks sometimes left a bit to be desired, but Kitty’s been booked and blessed since her season, so a big glow-up is to be expected, and her promo look certainly suggests she’s bringing fashion to Global All Stars.
Kween Kong (RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 2)
Placement: Runner-Up
Wins: 2
Best Moment: The most chaotic lip sync in herstory
Insta: kweenkongofficial
To start season two of Drag Race Down Under, Kween had a rough time, placing in the bottom in the first two episodes as she struggled to find her confidence. But when she found it, she became the underdog hero we loved to root for, winning two challenges: the girl group and a terrific and emotional makeover. The best way to describe Kween’s magnetic performance style is acrobatic, as displayed in her completely unhinged lip sync to “Born Naked†by RuPaul versus Beverly Kills. Her specialty move is a barrel roll where she throws herself across the stage — it’s got to be seen to be believed. She’s stunning and fierce, serves creative looks, and perhaps most importantly, RuPaul totally adores her.
Miranda Lebrão (Drag Race Brazil season one)
Placement: Runner-Up
Wins: 1
Best Moment: The Ball
Insta: mirandalebrao
A theater queen who’s never afraid to use her voice, be it for activism or shade, Miranda Lebrao performed exceptionally well, not having to lip sync until the penultimate episode. In comedy challenges, she regularly excelled, particularly in the Snatch Game (as chef Paola Carosella) and the acting challenge. Her runways were always impressive, offering high-concepts with a dash of theatricality and camp. Oh, and she can design too, delivering a stunning all-black work of art that got her a glorious win in her season’s ball challenge. But despite looking like a glamazon, Miranda is never afraid to be vulnerable. She had a tough upbringing, including being put in conversion therapy as a teenager, and she’s emerged through it like a phoenix, delivering devastating looks and top-tier comedy. In Global All Stars, it’s hard to see her as anything other than a front-runner.
Nehellenia (Drag Race Italia season two)
Placement: Runner-Up
Wins: 1
Best Moment: The Rusical
Insta: nehellenia.90
Hailing from Drag Race Italia, Nehellenia is one of the kindest queens to compete in any franchise — and the only Miss Congeniality winner to participate in Global All Stars. Nehllenia is also a sensitive soul, quickly getting a reputation as a lovable crybaby. But she’s far more than just a congenial queen: Nehellenia never placed below safe on her original season, an impressive feat few queens have equaled. She delivered an all-timer of a makeover challenge (inspired by the sport of fencing) that earned her a well-deserved win, and she just missed out on a Rusical victory. Outside of Drag Race, She’s also appeared on the Italian talent show Tú sà que vales.
Pythia (Canada’s Drag Race season two)
Placement: Runner-Up
Wins: 2
Best Moment: Circus Runway
Insta: pythia.queen
You can always count on Pythia to deliver a creative concept on the runway and deliver it flawlessly — her two-headed circus runway is one of the most impressive looks to walk the main stage, and her Greek heritage is always present in her art like her wonderfully executed Greek column look for the finale. Pythia claimed a decisive victory for her breakout performance as Hennywise (think Pennywise) in the Rusical, and a heartwarming win in the lovely makeover challenge. She probably would have won a design challenge if she wasn’t against the unstoppable Icesis Couture, as creativity practically oozes out of her pores. She’s charming and humble, but knows how to serve with the best of them. Pythia’s only real stumble was the roast, in which she was lucky to escape the bottom two. She might be in trouble if there’s a Global All Stars roast, but Pythia has the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to make the finale.
Soa de Muse (Drag Race France season one)
Placement: Runner-Up
Wins: 2
Best Moment: Talent Show
Insta: soa_de_muse
You do not want to lip-sync against France’s Soa de Muse, the only queen from Martinique to ever be on the show. Soa was the lips sync assassin of her season, winning all three of her lip syncs. Being an assassin on Drag Race is usually code for “is in the bottom a lot,†but Soa picked up two well-earned wins in the talent show and girl group. Soa possesses an infectious energy and joyful spirit, along with a well-earned confidence in her talents. Her performance abilities are top-tier, and she has her own cabaret, Le Bouche, in Paris. Soa also appeared on the Polish miniseries Queen before getting on Drag Race.
Tessa Testicle (Drag Race Germany season one)
Placement: 8th
Wins: 0
Best Moment: Lying onstage about re-wearing her tights
Insta: tessatesticle
Of all the queens cast on Global All Stars, Tessa Testicle is easily the most surprising choice (insert Tatianna saying “choices†here). She’s the only queen besides Alyssa Edwards to not make the finale. That’s not to say she isn’t deserving – she’s hilarious, has a winning personality, and her promo look for GAS is the best of the bunch, so she’s evidently had a glow-up. But in her five episode run on Drag Race Germany, she lip-synced a whopping four times. Her best challenge was a design challenge, which she easily could have won for her gorgeous pink fetish look. Tessa is actually from Switzerland, and she’s a polyglot, speaking French, Italian, and English in addition to German (and Swiss German). She’s got the smarts to win, and if she can elevate her runways and work on her comedic timing, she could easily be the surprise queen of the season. She’s so much fun to watch in the werk room, so fingers crossed she sticks around.
Vanity Vain (Drag Race Sverige season one)
Placement: 3rd
Wins: 1
Best Moment: “Every Queen†Performance in the Finale
Instagram: vanityvaiin
Hailing from Sweden, Vanity Vain exudes star power. The Drag Race universe has given us some quality singers, but Vanity might be the best of them all. Watching her perform is arresting, and if she gets the chance to sing in a Rusical, talent show, or girl group, the other queens better watch out. Vanity channels ’80s rock stars in her drag, giving her looks a sharp punk edge and a grungy, yet polished, touch. She made the finale of her season, winning a design challenge along the way by turning a doormat into a gag-worthy couture look. She lip-synced twice thanks to poor performances in the talent show (going for a high-concept show where you’d need to be high to grasp the concept) and an acting challenge. Alexander Skarsgård seems to be a big fan of Vanity, confirming he’s a man of great taste.