RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 1)

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RuPaul's Drag Race UK
Series 1
RuPauls-Drag-Race-UK-S1.jpeg
Promotional poster for series one
Hosted byRuPaul
Judges
  • RuPaul
  • Michelle Visage
  • Alan Carr
  • Graham Norton
No. of contestants10
WinnerThe Vivienne
Runner-upDivina de Campo
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes8
Release
Original networkBBC Three (UK)
WOW Presents Plus (International)
Original release3 October (2019-10-03) –
21 November 2019 (2019-11-21)
Series chronology
Next →
Series 2
List of episodes

The first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on 3 October 2019 on the BBC Three section of BBC iPlayer and WOW Presents Plus's WOW Presents Plus streaming service.[1] It ran for eight episodes.

The winner of first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK was The Vivienne, with Divina de Campo as the runner-up.[2][3]

The song "Break Up (Bye Bye)", which was featured in the fifth episode, was released as a single and reached number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] It also peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the US.[5]

Contestants[]

The cast was announced on 21 August 2019 via YouTube and Instagram.[6]

Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.

Contestants of Drag Race UK Series 1
Contestant Age Hometown Outcome
The Vivienne 26 Liverpool, England Winner
Divina De Campo 35 Brighouse, England Runner-up
Baga Chipz 29 East London, England 3rd Place
Cheryl Hole 25 Essex, England 4th Place
Blu Hydrangea 23 Belfast, Northern Ireland 5th Place
Crystal 34 East London, England 6th Place
Sum Ting Wong 30 Birmingham, England 7th Place
Vinegar Strokes 34 North London, England 8th Place
Scaredy Kat 19 Wiltshire, England 9th Place
Gothy Kendoll 21 Leicester, England 10th Place

Contestant progress[]

Legend:

  The Vivienne won RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
  Divina De Campo was the runner-up.
  WIN indicates the contestant won the challenge in that episode.
  SAFE indicates that the contestant was declared safe by the judges in that episode.
  BTM (Bottom) indicates that the contestant had to lip sync in that episode.
  ELIM (Eliminated) indicates that the contestant was eliminated in that episode.
  Guest indicates that the contestant returned as a guest in that episode.
Progress of contestants including rank/position in each episode
Contestant Episode
1[7] 2[8] 3[9] 4[10] 5[11] 6[12] 7[13] 8[14]
The Vivienne WIN SAFE SAFE WIN BTM WIN SAFE Winner
Divina De Campo SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE WIN SAFE WIN Runner-up
Baga Chipz SAFE WIN SAFE WIN WIN SAFE BTM Eliminated
Cheryl Hole SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE BTM ELIM Guest
Blu Hydrangea SAFE BTM SAFE SAFE WIN ELIM Guest
Crystal SAFE SAFE SAFE BTM ELIM Guest
Sum Ting Wong SAFE SAFE BTM ELIM Guest
Vinegar Strokes BTM SAFE ELIM Guest
Scaredy Kat SAFE ELIM Guest
Gothy Kendoll ELIM Guest


Lip syncs[]

Episode Contestants Song Eliminated
1 Gothy Kendoll vs. Vinegar Strokes "New Rules"
(Dua Lipa) 		Gothy Kendoll
2 Blu Hydrangea vs. Scaredy Kat "Venus"
(Bananarama) 		Scaredy Kat
3 Sum Ting Wong vs. Vinegar Strokes "Would I Lie To You?"
(Eurythmics) 		Vinegar Strokes
4 Crystal vs. Sum Ting Wong "Spice Up Your Life"
(Spice Girls) 		Sum Ting Wong
5 Crystal vs. The Vivienne "Power"
(Little Mix) 		Crystal
6 Blu Hydrangea vs. Cheryl Hole "Call My Name (Wideboys Remix)"
(Cheryl) 		Blu Hydrangea
7 Baga Chipz vs. Cheryl Hole "Tears Dry on Their Own"
(Amy Winehouse) 		Cheryl Hole
8 Divina De Campo vs. The Vivienne "I'm Your Man"
(Wham!) 		Divina De Campo
  The contestant was eliminated after their first time lip-syncing.
  The contestant was eliminated after their second time lip-syncing.
  The contestant was eliminated after the final lip-sync of the season.

Guest judges[]

Listed in chronological order:

  • Andrew Garfield, actor
  • Maisie Williams, actress, internet entrepreneur
  • Twiggy, model, actress, and singer
  • Geri Halliwell, singer, songwriter, author, actress, fashion designer, model and television personality
  • Jade Thirlwall, singer, songwriter
  • Cheryl, singer, television personality, dancer, and author[15]
  • Michaela Coel, actress, singer[16]

Special guests[]

Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.

Episode 3

Episode 4

  • Stacey Dooley, investigative journalist
  • Lorraine Kelly, TV presenter

Episode 5

  • MNEK, singer

Episode 6

Episode 8

Episodes[]

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleOriginal air date
11"The Royal Queens"3 October 2019 (2019-10-03)

Ten new queens enter the workroom. For the first mini-challenge, the queens will do a "off with your heads" photoshoot. Scaredy Kat wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens must show off two looks, a look explaining that they are the queen of their hometown and a look inspired by Queen Elizabeth II.

On the runway, Baga Chipz, Sum Ting Wong and The Vivienne receive positive critiques, with The Vivienne winning the challenge. Cheryl Hole, Gothy Kendoll and Vinegar Strokes receive negative critiques, with Cheryl Hole being safe. Gothy Kendoll and Vinegar Strokes lip-sync to "New Rules" by Dua Lipa. Vinegar Strokes wins the lip-sync and Gothy Kendoll is the first queen to sashay away.

  • Guest Judge: Andrew Garfield
  • Alternating Judges: Alan Carr
  • Mini-Challenge: "Off with your heads" photoshoot
  • Mini-Challenge Winner: Scaredy Kat
  • Main Challenge: Create two looks for the runway
  • Runway Themes: Queen of Your Hometown and a look inspired by Queen Elizabeth II
  • Challenge Winner: The Vivienne
  • Main Challenge Prize: RuPeter Badge
  • Bottom Two: Gothy Kendoll and Vinegar Strokes
  • Lip Sync Song: "New Rules" by Dua Lipa
  • Eliminated: Gothy Kendoll
  • Farewell message: "I'm the UK's Porkchop! Love you, friends for life! x x x Gothy"
22"Downton Draggy"10 October 2019 (2019-10-10)

At the start of the episode, previous challenge winner The Vivienne was asked to rank the queens from top to bottom. The Vivienne placed herself first and placed Scaredy Kat last. They were both then declared team captains for the main challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will star in different drag film adaptions of Downton Abbey called "Downton Draggy". Scaredy Kat chooses Blu Hydrangea, Cheryl Hole, Crystal and Divina De Campo. The Vivienne chooses Baga Chipz, Sum Ting Wong and Vinegar Strokes for her team.

On the runway, category is Bond Girl Glamourama. Team The Vivienne is declared the winning team, with Baga Chipz winning the challenge. Team Scaredy Kat is the losing team. Blu Hydrangea, Cheryl Hole and Scaredy Kat receive negative critiques, with Cheryl Hole being safe. Blu Hydrangea and Scaredy Kat lip-sync to "Venus" by Bananarama. Blu Hydrangea wins the lip-sync and Scaredy Kat sashays away.

  • Guest Judge: Maisie Williams
  • Alternating Judges: Graham Norton
  • Main Challenge: Perform in drag film adaptations of Downton Abbey, called "Downton Draggy"
  • Runway Theme: Bond Girl Glamourama
  • Challenge Winner: Baga Chipz
  • Main Challenge Prize: RuPeter Badge
  • Bottom Two: Blu Hydrangea and Scaredy Kat
  • Lip Sync Song: "Venus" by Bananarama
  • Eliminated: Scaredy Kat
  • Farewell message: "Scaredy the whole way. 19 now, what's gonna happen when I'm 35. :P Thanks girls. Cya later! Meowx"
33"Posh on a Penny"17 October 2019 (2019-10-17)

For this week's mini-challenge, the queens do intriguing dance moves around a maypole. Cheryl Hole wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens must create a show-stopping outfit from junk found at a car boot sale.

On the runway, Crystal, Divina De Campo and The Vivienne receive positive critiques, with Divina De Campo winning the challenge. Cheryl Hole, Sum Ting Wong and Vinegar Strokes receive negative critiques, with Cheryl Hole being safe. Sum Ting Wong and Vinegar Strokes lip-sync to "Would I Lie To You?" by Eurythmics. Sum Ting Wong wins the lip-sync and Vinegar Strokes sashays away.

  • Guest Judge: Twiggy
  • Special Guest: Raven
  • Alternating Judges: Graham Norton
  • Mini-Challenge: Do some intriguing dance moves around a maypole
  • Mini-Challenge Winner: Cheryl Hole
  • Main Challenge: Create a show-stopping outfit from junk found at a car boot sale
  • Challenge Winner: Divina De Campo
  • Main Challenge Prize: RuPeter Badge
  • Bottom Two: Sum Ting Wong and Vinegar Strokes
  • Lip Sync Song: "Would I Lie To You?" by Eurythmics
  • Eliminated: Vinegar Strokes
  • Farewell message: "Long live the OG RPDRUK SLAAAAGS! You're all amazing ♥️ Hodge Podge FOREVER! xxx"
44"Snatch Game"24 October 2019 (2019-10-24)

For the main challenge, the queens play the Snatch Game. Lorraine Kelly and Stacey Dooley star as guest judges. The cast consisted of:

  • Baga Chipz as Margaret Thatcher
  • Blu Hydrangea as Mary Berry
  • Cheryl Hole as Gemma Collins
  • Crystal as Rue McClanahan
  • Divina De Campo as Julia Child
  • Sum Ting Wong as Sir David Attenborough
  • The Vivienne as Donald Trump

On the runway, category is Weird Science. Baga Chipz and The Vivienne receive positive critiques and both are declared the winners of the challenge. Crystal, Divina De Campo and Sum Ting Wong receive negative critiques, with Divina De Campo being safe. Crystal and Sum Ting Wong lip-sync to "Spice Up Your Life" by Spice Girls. Crystal wins the lip-sync and Sum Ting Wong sashays away.

  • Guest Judge: Geri Horner
  • Guest Snatch Game Participants: Lorraine Kelly & Stacey Dooley
  • Alternating Judges: Alan Carr
  • Main Challenge: Snatch Game – their best celebrity impersonations
  • Runway Theme: Weird Science
  • Challenge Winners: Baga Chipz and The Vivienne
  • Main Challenge Prize: RuPeter Badge
  • Bottom Two: Crystal and Sum Ting Wong
  • Lip Sync Song: "Spice Up Your Life" by Spice Girls
  • Eliminated: Sum Ting Wong
  • Farewell message: "Love you ALL! Believe in yourselves more than I believe in me you've got in the bag ♥️ Love you long time xoxo STW"
55"Girl Group Battle Royale"31 October 2019 (2019-10-31)

For this week's mini-challenge, the queens read each other. Crystal wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will team up and write original lyrics and perform them to "Break Up (Bye Bye)". Team 1 consisted of Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea and Divina De Campo and they form "The Frock Destroyers". Team 2 consisted of Cheryl Hole, Crystal and The Vivienne and they form "Filth Harmony".

On the runway, category is Day at the Races. Team "The Frock Destroyers" are declared the winning team, with Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea and Divina De Campo all winning the challenge. Team "Filth Harmony" is the losing team. Cheryl Hole is declared safe, with Crystal and The Vivienne landing in the bottom two. They lip-sync to "Power" by Little Mix. The Vivienne wins the lip-sync and Crystal sashays away.

  • Guest Judge: Jade Thirlwall
  • Alternating Judges: Graham Norton
  • Mini-Challenge: Reading is Fundamental
  • Mini-Challenge Winner: Crystal
  • Main Challenge: Write original lyrics and perform them to "Break Up (Bye Bye)"
  • Runway Theme: Day at the Races
  • Challenge Winners: Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea, and Divina De Campo
  • Main Challenge Prize: RuPeter Badge
  • Bottom Two: Crystal and The Vivienne
  • Lip Sync Song: "Power" by Little Mix
  • Eliminated: Crystal
  • Farewell message: "YOU'RE A BUNCH OF UGLY, TALENTLESS LITTLE WITCHES – I'M GOING TO MISS YOU!! X"
66"Thirsty Werk"7 November 2019 (2019-11-07)

For this week's mini-challenge, the queens play Boxers, Briefs or Commando with the pit crew. Divina De Campo wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will campaign, market and design their own brand of bottled water.

On the runway, category is Rainy Day Eleganza. Divina De Campo and The Vivienne receive positive critiques, with The Vivienne winning the challenge. Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea and Cheryl Hole receive negative critiques, with Baga Chipz being safe. Blu Hydrangea and Cheryl Hole lip-sync to "Call My Name (Wideboys Remix)" by Cheryl. Cheryl Hole wins the lip-sync and Blu Hydrangea sashays away.

  • Guest Judge: Cheryl
  • Special Guest: Katya Zamolodchikova
  • Alternating Judges: Graham Norton
  • Mini-Challenge: Boxers, Briefs or Commando
  • Mini-Challenge Winner: Divina De Campo
  • Mini-Challenge Prize: A video call and insider advice from RuPaul's Drag Race Royalty Katya
  • Main Challenge: Campaign, market and design one's own brand of bottled water
  • Runway Theme: Rainy Day Eleganza
  • Challenge Winner: The Vivienne
  • Main Challenge Prize: RuPeter Badge
  • Bottom Two: Blu Hydrangea and Cheryl Hole
  • Lip Sync Song: "Call My Name (Wideboys Remix)" by Cheryl
  • Eliminated: Blu Hydrangea
  • Farewell message: "Not just a look Queen! BLU came, BLU slayed, BLU conquered for N.I.♥️ Love you ALL! BLU Hydrangea ♥️"
77"Family That Drags Together"14 November 2019 (2019-11-14)

For this week's mini-challenge, the queens have a bitchfest with puppets. Divina De Campo wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will give a member of their family a drag makeover.

On the runway, Divina De Campo and The Vivienne receive positive critiques, with Divina De Campo winning the challenge. Baga Chipz and Cheryl Hole receive negative critiques and are the bottom two. They lip-sync to "Tears Dry on Their Own” by Amy Winehouse. Baga Chipz wins the lip-sync and Cheryl Hole sashays away.

  • Guest Judge: Michaela Coel
  • Alternating Judges: Alan Carr
  • Mini-Challenge: Everybody Loves Puppets
  • Mini-Challenge Winner: Divina De Campo
  • Main Challenge: Give a member of your family a drag makeover
  • Challenge Winner: Divina De Campo
  • Main Challenge Prize: RuPeter Badge
  • Bottom Two: Baga Chipz and Cheryl Hole
  • Lip Sync Song: "Tears Dry on Their Own” by Amy Winehouse
  • Eliminated: Cheryl Hole
  • Farewell message: I'm all gamed out! You're finally get rid of me! Kill it top 3 – So Proud! May the best GIRL win XOXO Cheryl Hole ♥
88"Grand Finale"21 November 2019 (2019-11-21)

For the final challenge of the season, the queens will write, record and perform their own verses to RuPaul's song "Rock It (To The Moon)". The queens walk the runway one last time. All the previously eliminated queens make an appearance. RuPaul then tells Baga Chipz that she has been eliminated, leaving Divina De Campo and The Vivienne as the final two. They lip-sync to "I'm Your Man" by Wham!. The Vivienne is crowned the winner, leaving Divina De Campo as the runner-up.

  • Alternating Judges: Alan Carr & Graham Norton
  • Main Challenge: Write, record and perform their own verses to RuPaul's song "Rock It (To The Moon)"
  • Runway Theme: Final Three Eleganza Extravaganza
  • Eliminated: Baga Chipz
  • Top Two: Divina De Campo and The Vivienne
  • Lip Sync Song: "I'm Your Man" by Wham!
  • Runner-up: Divina De Campo
  • Winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series One: The Vivienne

Reception[]

The series received very positive reviews from critics, with The Guardian describing the series as having "saved RuPaul's Drag Race" as the recent seasons have had a less than positive reception.[17] In their review of the series, iNews awarded the series "five stars" and described it as a "roaring success", despite criticising its omission of a stand-up comedy challenge.[18]

In a more critical review, Vulture stated in its review of the finale that although the season "may have hit some true highs... it couldn’t save Drag Race from its worst impulses".[19]

Future appearances[]

In 2022, Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea, and Cheryl Hole were announced as three of the nine contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World.

RuPaul's Drag Race[]

Contestant Year Season Role Outcome Notes
Baga Chipz 2022 RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World Contestant TBA
Blu Hydrangea 2022 RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World Contestant TBA
Cheryl Hole 2022 RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World Contestant TBA

References[]

  1. ^ "'Graham Norton and Alan Carr confirmed as celebrity judges for RuPaul's Drag Race UK – series to air on BBC Three in 2019". BBC. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  2. ^ "HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media". consent.yahoo.com. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. ^ Welsh, Daniel (10 March 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Scaredy Kat Takes On 'Bedroom Queen' Critics". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ^ "CAST OF RUPAUL's DRAG RACE UK | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  5. ^ "EDM Music & Dance Songs Chart – November 16, 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  6. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Meet the queens for the first UK series". BBC News. BBC. 21 August 2019. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  7. ^ "The Royal Queens". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 1. Episode 1. 3 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Downton Draggy". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 1. Episode 2. 10 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Posh on a Penny". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 1. Episode 3. 17 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Snatch Game". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 1. Episode 4. 24 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Girl Group Battle Royale". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 1. Episode 5. 31 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Thirsty Werk". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 1. Episode 6. 7 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Family That Drags Together". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 1. Episode 7. 14 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Grand Finale". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 1. Episode 8. 21 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Episode 6". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Episode 7". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  17. ^ Bromwich, Kathryn (22 November 2019). "Fierce competition: how a Brit makeover saved RuPaul's Drag Race". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  18. ^ Baker, Emily (21 November 2019). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK's first series was outstanding — all thanks to the queens". iNews.
  19. ^ Curto, Justin (21 November 2019). "RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. Finale Recap: The Queen of England". Vulture. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
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