Filipina drag queen Marina Summers ended her run in RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs The World (Season 2) as one of the top four contestants, along with eventual winner Tia Kofi of the United Kingdom, Hannah Conda of Australia and La Grande Dame of France.
Summers, who captured the hearts of local and international fans with her captivating looks and performances, expressed her heartfelt gratitude while reflecting on her journey on the show that has American drag superstar RuPaul as the main judge and host.
“Philippines, Asia, World, thank you so much for giving this little Filipina a BIG chance to win your hearts. This was such a magical run for me and I couldn’t be anymore prouder,” she said in an Instagram post showing her garbed in “Bomba 80s bold-star fantasy” gown by Leo Almodal. She wore that gown in the final runway walk to the category Finale Eleganza Extravaganza
“I will always and forever be your Filipina Winnah!” she added. Indeed, she showcased the best of Filipino culture and artistry in every episode.
Summers also stated that she had the best time with fellow drag queens who competed on the show with her: “I am so so damn honored to be part of this amazing show.”
In the final episode streamed early Saturday morning (Philippine time), Summers earned the right to select her challenger for the first round of the lip sync smackdown, and she chose Hannah Conda. RuPaul declared Conda as the winner. Conda then advanced to the ultimate round to face Kofi, who prevailed upon La Grande Dame.
Kofi won this season’s title of “Queen of the Mothertucking World” and took home a cash prize of £50,000. She succeeded fellow Briton Blu Hydrangea, who won the inaugural season of the show in 2022.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha was voted Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants, which also included UK’s Choriza May, Gothy Kendoll and Jonbers Blonde; United States’ Scarlet Envy and Mayhem Miller; and Holland’s Keta Minaj.
Summers is the second Asian candidate after Thailand’s Pangina Heals to have been invited to join RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World. It’s a spin-off of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, which in turn is one of the international editions of the original American reality TV series created by RuPaul in 2009.
Drag Race Philippines debuted in 2022, with Summers placing second to winner Precious Paula Nicole in the first season. That’s where the petite but powerhouse performer got the attention of the producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World.
Summers was the lone Asian contestant and the only one who won three Ru badges during the show’s run. A Ru Badge is awarded to the winner of the lip sync battle between the two top contestants in an episode.
She was also the fourth contestant across all Drag Race shows to have received RuPaul’s “born to do drag” comment. It happened after Summers earned her second Ru badge in the “Rusical” episode, where she showed off not only her exceptional dancing talent but also her songwriting, singing and rapping skills.
“Maraming salamat (Thank you very much), world! We fought hard on this one,” she said in her Instagram post.