All the RuPaul's Drag Race Winners: RANKED

With her strong looks and a fierce attitude, Tyra Sanchez took the season two crown through hard work. Sanchez consistently placed high, and notably won two multi-outfit challenges in one episode. While her stats and performances held up, her bickering with fellow queens rubbed viewers and peers the wrong way. Continued spats and violent threats outside the show have further distanced Tyra from her fandom, as well as work. Sanchez’s win was also hotly debated at the time, especially given that runner-ups like Raven have created their own shows within the community. Her toxic behavior and a reported departure from drag as a whole has left Tyra as a winner the community has moved away from.

Before Sharon Needles, most contestants avoided spooky and otherwise intentionally ugly looks. Needles rode the line between simply being shocking and actually pushing boundaries with her looks, all without becoming one-note. Her bickering with Phi Phi O’Hara provided gripping drama throughout her season, and her ability to overcome it to win challenges was inspiring. Sharon took risk after risk in her fashion challenges and made a brand out of her dark look rather than a gimmick. She’s also started a winner’s dynasty through her friends Alaska and Aquaria. Sadly, allegations of abusive behavior, and racist comments have tarnished her legacy. By highlighting the power of personality through both style and her act, Sharon opened up the doors for strange drag.

Trinity Taylor aka Trinity the Tuck always found a way to bring sex appeal to her looks, and wasn’t shy to show off some body-oddy-oddy. This said, her tastes balanced a sharp sense of class in her princess and Lady Gaga-inspired runways. Trinity’s humor rounded out her assets for giggle-inducing performances on “9021-Ho” and her self-deprecating Caitlyn Jenner on All Stars. On top of countless comedy challenge wins, she put so many goofy moves into frantic lip syncs that viewers were always laughing or gagging. Sadly, pandemic-era performances and repeated allegations surrounding transphobic remarks have damaged her reputation with fans.

Despite the blurry production of Season one, Bebe Zahara Benet captured everyone’s attention and became the show’s first winner. Her uniquely international flavor of drag felt unique on the show, and she prompted one of the series’ earliest catchphrases. [“Cameroon”] Over a dozen seasons later, Benet’s looks and act as a whole haven’t completely held up. Though she did provide some avant-garde moments on her All stars run, her off-and-on success there showed she hadn’t changed enough with the times. Benet has exuded a classic glamor, but her drag hasn’t aged as well as Ru yelling “Cameroon” has.

In her appearance on Season ten, Monét X Change was hilarious and full of promise. Monét wowed viewers with her eye-grabbing sponge dress, and shockingly survived for six episodes after her initial bottom-two placement. Though she ultimately faced a late elimination, she vastly refined her fashion and stage presence to co-win All Stars 4. This was largely thanks to how well she learned from critiques, and ultimately helped her become the most-improved queen for All Stars. Monét’s humor would put her ahead in the All Stars roast, and allowed her to charm fans on both of her seasons. Plus it didn’t hurt that she won her lip-sync assassin guest-spot, and had a Miss Congeniality award. Rocky starts aside, Monét blended fun and glam into a winning package.

Violet Chachki stole the show on Season seven with jaw-dropping outfits that managed to leave judges genuinely shocked. Case in point, her two-in-one debut look was so unbelievable that it left fashion guru Carson Kressley dazed. Chachki’s frocks repeatedly knocked us out, whether it was a painful-looking cinch or a Hello Kitty headpiece. Her finale looks from season seven and eight were both regal enough to remind viewers how much she deserved her win. Though Chachki did have us laughing enough to never place in the bottom, her less friendly demeanor and muted personality stood out less next to other champions. Violet Chachki has continued to shine at Milan Fashion Week and the Met Gala, but her Drag Race run just wasn’t as memorable.

Aquaria brought the fire to her Drag Race season, with a sense of style that was truly fearless. Her stellar runways week after week blew everyone away, and saved any subpar challenge performance she had. Her surrealist choice for Best Drag was arguably the season’s peak, and her “double-trouble” runway had a unique fierceness worthy of a fashion show. Not every acting challenge was a home run, but she stuck the landing with a winning Melania Trump impression for the Snatch Game. Aquaria’s intensely professional run on the show put her ahead of even Kameron Michaels and Eureka. Due to a less exciting season however, Aquaria’s achievements were overshadowed.

There’s a confidence that time-tested queens like Jaida Essence Hall bring that put them ahead of their peers. Hall was hilariously candid with her fellow queens and judges, always bearing her entire soul in and out of drag. She brought lots of pageant-style frocks to the runway, and still managed to fit sillier looks into her repertoire. She kept us laughing in every piece of commentary she dropped, and in acting challenges... well she made us look over there. [“Look over there” clip] Hall’s motherly help to her competitors and female makeover partner showed her talent and warmth could overflow to others. And she played off her mistakes in moments like the medical drama for bigger laughs. Jaida’s kindness and polish were a winning combo for a champion.

Season seven had a lot of sharp queens going for it, so much that the lovable Trixie Mattel was eliminated twice. Yeah, that happened. Mattel’s quirky candor earned her such a strong following that she easily returned on season seven and then All Stars. It was this latter season that saw her fully realize her zany character, and bring plenty of wild looks to match, such as her “Red For Filth” runway. Trixie has fully embraced her fame with drag series like UNHhhh, The Trixie and Katya show and a podcast, while also putting out music and cosmetics. Trixie Mattel celebrated her weirdness to make a winner that always felt authentic.

Whether it was that amazing entrance outfit or her reads, Yvie Oddly served us a powerful drag mix. She brought the frightening aesthetics of Sharon Needles, and the art-pop sensibilities of Sasha Velour. Oddly slayed the runway most weeks, and impressed us with her fringe and Leo-themed zodiac outfits. She came out on top with only one challenge win, as her side-splitting “Get Out” parody showed off her acting chops. It was the frantic energy and back-bending insanity of her lip syncs, particularly in the finale, that really sold Oddly as a queen with everything. Her fashion tied in with this energy in both her own season and as an All Star assassin has allowed Yvie Oddly to overcome minimal wins.

From her debut on Season Four, Chad Michaels exuded an air of professionalism that many contestants were still working on. Michaels’ confidence reflected her status as a drag veteran, and translated into multiple wins across both of her seasons. She injected a lot of glamor into a largely campy season, particularly in the “Inaugural Ball” where she brought a Julie Andrews energy. Michaels also had an amazing Cher impression, that felt both eerily accurate and hysterically funny. This surreal level of talent and her supportive energy to her competitors could have easily won her debut season as well. As a result, her All Stars comeback was extremely satisfying. Chad ultimately used her experience as one of the series’ oldest competitors to leave us always wanting more.

No one served shade like Raja, in person or on a confession cam. Her against-the-grain approach to drag provided a lot of goofy looks that doubled as chic. More importantly, Raja had the signature runway walk of a professional model that sold her and her outfits to viewers. She left fans in stitches with her Tyra Banks Snatch game, and her elaborate Carrie-themed standup routine. Raja even spun this knack for style and reading queens into “Fashion Photo RuView” where she has wonderfully celebrated and roasted the series’ frocks. This Heathers member kept the show full of surprises and left us wanting to hear her opinion on everything.

Comedy is one of the central pillars of drag, and Bob the Drag Queen had enough jokes to fill each week of her season. From her explosive clothing reveal on RuCo’s Empire, Bob had everyone transfixed on what she would do next. Beyond hysterical performances in her campaign ad and a reading challenge, Bob’s endless bag of confessional comments were a riot. She even pulled double-duty with Carol Channing and Uzo Aduba for Snatch Game, and still cleverly roasted her competitors. Whatever she lacked in iconic looks was improved throughout the season, to the point that she could inject humor into her clothes. Purse or one-liners first, Bob the Drag Queen earned her win by delivering in every minute of every episode.

Sasha Velour established her beautiful and avant-garde take on drag by entering the show with a scream. Velour represented the cultural crossroads of New York City, which manifested into a Warhol-inspired hometown drag to remember. This knack for surprising drag left us gagged at her Rainbow runway, where she laughably subverted a wig reveal with a house. Velour boldly rocked baldness as a signature look, which touchingly doubled as a tribute to her mother’s fight with cancer. She matched this artfulness with the comic power of her witty puppet and TV news skits. And of course her flowery power move in the finale proved so memorable that it secured her crown. Sasha Velour’s risky choices paid off for an iconic season.

In her season nine appearance, Shea Couleé dominated the competition winning four maxi challenges. Despite Couleé’s elegant looks, and standout performances in both comedy and musical challenges, Sasha Velour’s niche style and flower lip sync won out in the finale. Shea would get to shine even brighter on All Stars, where she got to show off her earthshaking lip syncs more. Her runways were more consistently jaw-dropping as well, especially her more personal “Skin you’re in” and finale frocks. And her hilarious Flavor Flav Snatch Game pulled off the rare male-drag challenge win. Shea Couleé was such a funny and talented competitor that her redemption season felt more like a victory lap.

Jinkx Monsoon was part of a very competitive season of Drag Race, and was noticeably self-deprecating instead of loud. Her banter and occasional uncontrolled sleeping sessions added an unexpected fun to a very dramatic werkoom. Jinkx’s runways were chic, artsy, weird, and in the case of her Latin Eleganza, a creative mix of all three qualities. Her “water off a duck’s back” chant provided a hilariously empowering way to handle critiques. She shed this nervous energy in a show-stopping stand-up challenge, and proved she could roast the judges better than her fellow queens. And Jinkx’s ability to stand out in a season with Roxxxy Andrews, Alaska, Detox and Alyssa Edwards was a feat worthy of its own crown.

In-your-face and extremely unique, Alaska had us gripped the second she spun Ongina’s classic hello into her own. Within the overwhelming competition of season five, she turned heads with out-there challenge ideas like her Lil’ Poundcake doll and a cotton candy runway. Her Rolaskatox alliance with Detox and Roxxxy Andrews allowed for great collaborations. Alaska’s Mae West Snatch Game on All Stars was so funny that RuPaul was gasping for air, and all her outfits that season were equally shocking. Alaska’s ability to remix her ideas like Lil’ Poundcake into runways highlighted how much of a brand she’d crafted for herself. Her bottomless passion turned every challenge into exciting TV, and enamored viewers to Alaska’s winning talent.

By the time Bianca Del Rio hit season six of Drag Race, she was a fully-formed comedy queen with a distinctly classic aesthetic. All of her snarky confessionals were gold, whether she was critiquing Laganja or deflecting attacks from other queens with memorable one-liners. [“Not today Satan!”] After reading BenDeLaCreme and Adore Delano to filth in the library, Bianca hilariously roasted her audience and her own heritage in a series-best stand-up challenge. Her Judge Judy played off of competitors and even tied in puppets to leave us crying with laughter. Bianca ditched her meanness to support former enemies like Trinity K. Bonet through turmoil, which earned love from viewers. Bianca left no one safe from her humor, and ended her season with virtually no critiques.