Top 10 Most Successful RuPaul's Drag Race Contestants Who Didn't Win Their Season

As the first openly trans man on “Drag Race,” Gottmik was, in many ways, already a winner. Even before his casting, Gottmik was an established make-up artist, having painted the likes of Paris Hilton, Heidi Klum and Lil Nas X. Although he aced two maxi challenges, the fashion icon lost the finale lip sync, finishing in third place. Since then, Gottmik has performed on Voss Event’s Night of the Living Drag Halloween tour and “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Werq the World tour. He has collaborated with Season 7 winner Violet Chachki, with whom he started the YouTube channel NoGorge. The two also appeared in the music video for Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” as well as its performance at the 2023 Grammy Awards.

Manila Luzon rose to fame as a contestant on the third season of “Drag Race,” where she finished as the runner-up. Upon her return for “All Stars 4”, Manila was seemingly poised to win but a shocking elimination in the makeover challenge sent her home in sixth place. Her career has since blossomed regardless, as the Filipino-American queen has made guest appearances on shows like “General Hospital” and “AJ and the Queen”. She has also released several successful singles and EPs. With multiple international versions of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” being produced, many expected Manila to be the face of a Philippines’ edition. But the queen proved to be two steps ahead, announcing “Drag Den” in August 2021, which she hosts, judges and produces.

This Vietnamese-American queen may not have made that much of an impact when she competed on “Drag Race,” but her global influence today is undeniable. Plastique Tiara made it onto the cast of Season 11, where she won one maxi challenge, before being eliminated in eighth place. As a drag daughter of the legendary Alyssa Edwards, many had high expectations for Plastique and she undoubtedly exceeded them outside the show. Not only has she showcased her fierce performance skills on tours around the world, she has also proven to be the undisputed social media queen. At more than 11 million, Plastique has, at the time of writing, the most followers on TikTok for any “Drag Race” alum.

By the time she appeared on the sixth season of “Drag Race,” Courtney Act was no stranger to the reality competition format. Back in 2003, the Australian queen featured on the first season of “Australian Idol” as her drag persona, reaching the live finals and signing a record deal. Although she lost “Drag Race” to Bianca del Rio, Courtney was apparently not done with reality shows. She was cast on the 21st season of “Celebrity Big Brother UK,” where she won the public’s favor and clinched the top prize. In her home country, she also competed on the 16th season of “Dancing with the Stars,” this time finishing as the runner-up. When it comes to crossover appeal, no one has it like Courtney Act.

After being named Miss Congeniality on Season 6 of “Drag Race,” BenDeLaCreme returned for a record-breaking run on “All Stars 3”. With five maxi challenge wins in six episodes, it was pretty much BenDeLaCreme’s Drag Race, right until the Seattle queen stunned everyone by eliminating herself. Although the decision was met with a polarizing reaction, DeLa has continued to forge her own path. Known for her burlesque performances, she created her own theatrical production company, under which she puts on extravagant holiday shows. She has also formed a successful collaboration with longtime friend and ‘Queen of All Queens’ Jinkx Monsoon, directing their joint show “The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Special” in 2020. The film won them a Queerty Award the following year.

Over her two runs on “Drag Race,” Alyssa Edwards established herself as a dancing queen, a bank of quotable lines and an all-round fan favorite. Although she didn’t win either season, Alyssa found a lot more success outside the show. The Mesquite, Texas queen put her show-stopping dance skills to good use, creating the performance studio Beyond Belief Dance Company in her hometown. Alyssa’s personal and professional life, including the running of her studio, became the subject of the Netflix docuseries “Dancing Queen”. She also produced the Beyond Belief group, who competed on the 16th season of “America's Got Talent”. Arguably Alyssa’s greatest successes are the remarkably talented queens she has nurtured as a drag mother, including Plastique Tiara, Laganja Estranja and Shangela.

Following an impressive run on Season 7, Katya returned for “All Stars 2,” where she became more of a fan favorite and finished as a runner-up. Many consider her to have been robbed, but her fortunes outside the show have more than made up for that. In 2015, Katya began collaborating with Trixie Mattel, with the two hosting the web series “UNHhhh” and the TV program “The Trixie & Katya Show”. Alongside Trixie, Katya also anchors Netflix’s “I Like to Watch,” which features the duo reacting to different films and shows on the streaming platform. Undoubtedly one of the most charismatic queens to grace “Drag Race,” Katya is living proof that you don’t necessarily need a crown to get laid and get paid.

It’s one thing to compete once and lose, but to do so twice and get very close to the crown without winning can be pretty demoralizing. Thankfully, Season 2 and “All Stars 1” runner-up Raven heeded the words of Jinkx Monsoon and let it all roll like water off a duck’s back. During her time on the show, Raven received high praise from the judges for her excellent make-up skills. Those skills have pretty much built a career for the queen who has been RuPaul’s personal make-up artist since Season 9. For her work on the show, she earned an Emmy Award in 2020. Beginning in 2021, Raven has hosted and judged her own make-up competition series “Painted with Raven”.

With international versions of “Drag Race” coming to air, multiple former contestants have found themselves sitting in the judging panel. But it was Brooke Lynn Hytes who pioneered the move. Already a revered drag queen by the time she competed on Season 11, Brooke had a remarkable run, only falling short of the actual win. When “Canada’s Drag Race” was announced in 2019, there was really no other person who could front the series. Stepping into RuPaul’s shoes in the Great White North, Brooke has received acclaim for her judging and hosting styles, which could be attributed to her experience being on the other side. Just like Mama Ru with the Emmys, Brooke has also won consecutive Canadian Screen Awards for this role.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Jaymes Mansfield
From First-Out to Wig Mogul, Jaymes Mansfield Proves That Even When You Sashay Away, You Can Still Slay

Adore Delano
This Season 6 Runner-up Has Reigned Supreme on the Music Charts

Latrice Royale
Her Fierce Performances & Unforgettable Charisma Have Taken Her All Around the World

Bimini
Bimini Has Truly Broken the Cis-tem to Become a Fashion Icon for the Books

Willam
Willam Forged Ahead With Her Acting Career Even After Her Shocking Disqualification

Shangela is one of a few queens on “Drag Race” who have had a true redemption both on and off the show. After going home first on Season 2, Shangela popped her way to the finale on “All Stars 3”. Even though she didn’t win that season, she stole the hearts of millions around the world. Since then, Shangela’s only competition has been herself. The Texas-born queen has appeared in major TV shows and movies, most notably 2018’s “A Star Is Born”. She also co-hosts the Emmy-winning HBO show “We’re Here,” alongside fellow “Drag Race” alum Bob the Drag Queen and Eureka. In 2022, Shangela showcased her performance chops on an ever bigger platform when she competed on “Dancing with the Stars,” placing fourth.