RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World series 3
| RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World | |
|---|---|
| Series 3 | |
_poster.jpg) Promotional poster for Series 3 | |
| Hosted by | RuPaul |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Three / BBC iPlayer (UK) WOW Presents Plus (International) |
| Original release | 27 January 2026 |
| Series chronology | |
The third series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World began airing on 27 January 2026.[1]
Production
In December 2025, the BBC announced that RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World would return for a third series.[2][3]
Contestants
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Original season(s) | Original placement(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fontana | 32 | Stockholm, Sweden | Sverige season 1 | Runner-up | TBA |
| Gawdland | 24 | Chiang Mai, Thailand | Thailand season 3 | 3rd place | |
| Kate Butch | 29 | Buxton, United Kingdom | UK series 5 | 5th place | |
| Mariah Balenciaga[b] | 43 | Los Angeles, United States | US season 3 | 9th place | |
| All Stars 5 | 8th place | ||||
| Serena Morena | 37 | Aguascalientes, Mexico | México season 1 | 8th place | |
| Sminty Drop | 26 | Clitheroe, United Kingdom | UK series 4 | 9th place | |
| The Only Naomy | 25 | Cologne, Germany | Germany season 1 | 10th place | |
| Zahirah Zapanta | 29 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | UK series 6 | 10th place | |
| Minty Fresh | 35 | Quezon City, Philippines | Philippines season 1 | 5th place | 9th place |
| Melinda Verga | 47 | Edmonton, Canada | Canada season 4 | 5th place | 10th place |
Contestant progress
Legend:
| Contestant | Episode | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[5] | 2[6] | 3[7] | 4 | |
| Fontana | WIN | SAFE | BTM | TBA |
| Gawdland | TOP2 | WIN | WIN | |
| Kate Butch | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | |
| Mariah Balenciaga | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | |
| The Only Naomy | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | |
| Serena Morena | SAFE | SAFE | CT | |
| Sminty Drop | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | |
| Zahirah Zapanta | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | |
| Minty Fresh | SAFE | CT | ELIM | |
| Melinda Verga | SAFE | ELIM | ||
Lip syncs
Legend:
| Episode | Top contestants | Song | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[5] | Fontana | vs. | Gawdland | "Tattoo" (Loreen) |
Fontana |
| Episode | Contestants | Song | Eliminated | ||
| 2[6] | Melinda Verga | vs. | The Only Naomy | "I Begin to Wonder" (Dannii Minogue) |
Melinda Verga |
| 3[7] | Fontana | vs. | Minty Fresh | "Angel of My Dreams" (Jade) |
Minty Fresh |
| 4[8] | TBA | vs. | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Chippy Tea
Legend:
| Episode | Chippy Tea Gifter | Bottom Queens | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2[6] | Gawdland | Melinda Verga, Minty Fresh and The Only Naomy | Minty Fresh |
| 3[7] | Gawdland | Fontana, Minty Fresh and Serena Morena | Serena Morena |
| 4[8] | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Guest judges
Listed in chronological order:
- Loreen, Swedish singer and two-time Eurovision Song Contest winner[9]
- Kristen McMenamy, American model[9]
- Jade Thirlwall, English singer[9]
- Sara Dallin, English singer-songwriter and member of Bananarama[10][11]
- Keren Woodward, English singer-songwriter and member of Bananarama[10][11]
- Anastacia, American singer-songwriter[10][11]
- Will Poulter, English actor[10][11]
- Lucy Punch, English actress[10][11]
Special guests
Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.
Episode 3
- Ashley Roberts, American singer, dancer, and television personality[10][11]
- Kimberly Wyatt, American singer, dancer, and television personality[10][11]
- Raven, runner-up of both RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 and All Stars 1
TBA
- Jayde Adams, English comedian and actress[9]
- Russell T Davies, Welsh screenwriter and television producer[10][11]
- Rag'n'Bone Man, English singer[9]
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | "RuRuvision Song Contest" | 27 January 2026 | |
|
Ten queens from across the Drag Race franchise enter the competition. RuPaul informs them that for the main challenge, the queens must perform an original song in a talent show in front of the judges.
On the runway, category is "For Queen and Country". Fontana, Gawdland, Kate Butch, Sminty Drop, and The Only Naomy receive positive critiques. It is announced that Fontana and Gawdland are the top two queens of the week and will lip-sync for the win. They lip-sync to "Tattoo" by Loreen. After the lip sync, Fontana is announced as the winner of the challenge. RuPaul then announces that no one is going home.
| ||||
| 16 | 2 | "Runway Ru-Mix" | 3 February 2026 | |
|
For this week main challenge, the queens present two looks on the runway: "RuDemption" and "The RuMix", with the latter made in the work room using another queen's outfit from a previous season.
On the runway, Fontana, Gawdland, and Mariah Balenciaga receive positive critiques, with Gawdland winning the challenge. Melinda Verga, Minty Fresh, and The Only Naomy receive negative critiques. RuPaul then announces that the winner of each challenge moving forward, will win the Chippy Tea. The recipient will get the power to save one of the bottom three queens from lip-syncing. Gawdland saved Minty Fresh from the bottom two. Melinda Verga and The Only Naomy lip-sync to "I Begin to Wonder" by Dannii Minogue. The Only Naomy wins the lip-sync and Melinda Verga is the first queen to sashay away.
| ||||
| 17 | 3 | "The Miss Snatch Game Pageant" | 10 February 2026 | |
|
For this week's main challenge the queens will play a special version of the Snatch Game, the "Miss Snatch Game Pageant". The queens have to compete in three rounds: Grand Entrance, Question & Answer and Swimwear. Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt star as the celebrity contestants and pageant judges. The cast consisted of:
On the runway category is, Let them eat Capes. Gawdland, Sminty Drop and The Only Naomy receive positive critiques with Gawdland winning the challenge. Fontana, Minty Fresh and Serena Morena receive negative critiques and are announced as the bottom three queens of the week. As the winner Gawdland uses the Chippy Tea to save Serena Morena from the bottom two. Fontana and Minty Fresh lipsync to "Angel of My Dreams" by Jade. Fontana wins the lipsync and Minty Fresh sashays away.
| ||||
| 18 | 4 | "TBA" | 17 February 2026 | |
Footnotes
References
- ^ Goldbart, Max (2025-12-29). "'The Bear' Star Will Poulter Named Extra Special Guest Judge On 'RuPaul's Drag Race UK Vs The World'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
- ^ "An early present, from us to the world 🌍🎁 RuPaul's Drag Race UK VS The World series 3, coming soon to iPlayer". x.com. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
- ^ James, Michael (2025-12-27). "Drag Race UK Vs The World Season Three Is Officially Confirmed". Star Observer. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
- ^ "Meet the RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World series 3 Queens". BBC. January 8, 2026. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ^ a b "RuRuvision Song Contest". RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World. Season 3. Episode 1. January 27, 2026. BBC Three / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b c "Runway Ru-Mix". RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World. Season 3. Episode 2. February 3, 2026. BBC Three / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b c "The Miss Snatch Game Pageant". RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World. Season 3. Episode 3. February 10, 2026. BBC Three / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
episode4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e "Final celebrity guest judges and special guests revealed for new series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs. the World: Series 3 celebrity guest judges and special guests revealed". BBC Media Centre. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Black Mirror's Will Poulter among RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World: Season Three guest judges". PinkNews. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2026.