The second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on 14 January 2021 on the BBC Three section of BBC iPlayer and WOW Presents Plus streaming service.[1] The series was confirmed and casting was closed on 15 November 2019.[2] Production was suspended mid 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed late 2020. The cast of 12 new queens was announced on 16 December 2020 and the series premiered on 14 January 2021.[3] It was also announced a special episode RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Queens on Lockdown would air, following the queens during the first lockdown.[4] This special episode was released on 12 February.
| RuPaul's Drag Race UK | |
|---|---|
| Series 2 | |
 Promotional poster for series two | |
| Hosted by | RuPaul |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 12 |
| Winner | Lawrence Chaney |
| Runners-up | |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Three / BBC One (UK) WOW Presents Plus (International) |
| Original release | 14 January – 18 March 2021 |
| Series chronology | |
The winner of the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK was Lawrence Chaney, with Bimini Bon-Boulash and Tayce as the runners-up.[5]
The United Kingdolls version of "UK Hun?", which featured in the fifth episode of the series, reached number 27 in the Official UK Charts.[6]
Cherry Valentine died on 18 September 2022 at the age of 28. Their cause of death was originally undisclosed but a coroner's inquest ruled it a suicide in February 2023.[7] They are the first contestant from RuPaul's Drag Race UK to pass away.[8]
Contestants
editAges, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Chaney | 23 | Glasgow, Scotland | Winner |
| Bimini Bon-Boulash | 26 | Great Yarmouth, England | Runners-up |
| Tayce | 25 | Newport, Wales | |
| Ellie Diamond | 21 | Dundee, Scotland | 4th place |
| A'Whora | 23 | Worksop, England | 5th place |
| Sister Sister | 31 | Liverpool, England | 6th place |
| Tia Kofi | 30 | South London, England | 7th place |
| Joe Black | 30 | Brighton, England | 8th place[a] |
| Veronica Green | 34 | Rochdale, England | 9th place[b] |
| Ginny Lemon | 31 | Worcester, England | 10th place[c] |
| Asttina Mandella | 27 | East London, England | 11th place |
| Cherry Valentine | 26 | Darlington, England | 12th place |
Notes:
- ^ Joe Black originally placed twelfth before being asked back to the competition.
- ^ Veronica Green was forced to withdraw from the competition after testing positive for COVID-19. Veronica was however given an open invitation for series 3.
- ^ Ginny Lemon forfeited the lip sync by exiting the stage at the beginning of the performance.
Contestant progress
editLegend:
| Contestant | Episode | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[9] | 2[10] | 3[11] | 4[12] | 5[13] | 6[14] | 7[15] | 8[16] | 9[17] | 10[18] | |
| Lawrence Chaney | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | WIN | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Winner |
| Bimini Bon-Boulash | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | SAFE | WIN | WIN | Runner-up |
| Tayce | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | BTM | BTM | BTM | Runner-up |
| Ellie Diamond | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | Eliminated |
| A'Whora | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | WIN | ELIM | Guest | |
| Sister Sister | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | ||
| Tia Kofi | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | BTM | ELIM | Guest | |||
| Joe Black | ELIM | ELIM | Guest | |||||||
| Veronica Green | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | WDR | Guest | ||||
| Ginny Lemon | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | QUIT | Guest | |||||
| Asttina Mandella | WIN | SAFE | ELIM | OUT | Guest | |||||
| Cherry Valentine | SAFE | ELIM | OUT | Guest | ||||||
Lip syncs
editLegend:
| Episode | Bottom contestants | Song | Eliminated | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[9] | Bimini Bon-Boulash | vs. | Joe Black | "Relax" (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) |
Joe Black |
| 2[10] | Cherry Valentine | vs. | Tayce | "Memory" (Elaine Paige) |
Cherry Valentine |
| 3[11] | Asttina Mandella | vs. | Tia Kofi | "Don't Start Now" (Dua Lipa) |
Asttina Mandella |
| 4[12] | Ginny Lemon | vs. | Sister Sister | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Kim Wilde) |
Ginny Lemon |
| 5[13] | Joe Black | vs. | Tia Kofi | "Don't Leave Me This Way" (The Communards) |
Joe Black |
| 6[14] | Lawrence Chaney | vs. | Tia Kofi | "Touch Me (All Night Long)" (Cathy Dennis) |
Tia Kofi |
| 7[15] | Sister Sister | vs. | Tayce | "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself" (Jess Glynne) |
Sister Sister |
| 8[16] | A'Whora | vs. | Tayce | "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (Dusty Springfield) |
A'Whora |
| 9[17] | Ellie Diamond | vs. | Tayce | "Last Thing on My Mind" (Steps) |
None |
| Episode | Final contestants | Song | Winner | ||
| 10[18] | Bimini Bon-Boulash vs. Lawrence Chaney vs. Tayce | "I'm Still Standing" (Elton John) |
Lawrence Chaney | ||
Guest judges
editListed in chronological order:
- Elizabeth Hurley, actress, businesswoman and model[19][20]
- Sheridan Smith, actress and singer[19][21]
- Jourdan Dunn, model and actress[19]
- Lorraine Kelly, television presenter[19]
- MNEK, singer and music producer[19][22]
- Jessie Ware, singer[23]
- Maya Jama, television presenter[23]
- Dawn French, actress, comedienne, writer and presenter[23][24]
Special guests
editGuests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.
Episode 1
- Kevin McDaid, photographer
Episode 2
- Dane Chalfin, vocal coach
- Jay Revell, choreographer
- Kieran Daley Ward, choreographer
Episode 3
- Jodie Harsh, drag queen and DJ music producer
Episode 5
- Ian Masterson, producer and songwriter
Episode 6
- Gemma Collins, media personality and businesswoman[25]
- The Vivienne, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1
- Baga Chipz, third place contestant of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1
Episode 7
Episode 9
- Natalie Cassidy, EastEnders actress[26]
Episodes
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Royalty Returns" | 14 January 2021 | |
|
Twelve new queens enter the workroom. For the first mini-challenge, the queens do a tennis photoshoot. Lawrence Chaney wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens present two looks on the runway: UK Gay Icons and Queen of Your Hometown. On the runway, Asttina Mandella, Ellie Diamond and Lawrence Chaney receive positive critiques, with Asttina Mandella winning the challenge. Bimini Bon-Boulash, Joe Black and Sister Sister receive negative critiques, with Sister Sister being safe. Bimini Bon-Boulash and Joe Black lip-sync to "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Bimini Bon-Boulash wins the lip-sync and Joe Black is the first queen to sashay away.
| ||||
| 10 | 2 | "Rats: The Rusical" | 21 January 2021 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens elect a Drag Race cabinet in the categories Secretary of Shade, Trade Minister, Leader of the House of Loading It Up and Baroness Basic. A'Whora, Tayce, Lawrence Chaney and Tia Kofi win the mini-challenge, respectively. For the main challenge, the queens perform in Rats: The Rusical.
On the runway, category is Surprise, Surprise. Ellie Diamond, Tia Kofi and Veronica Green receive positive critiques, with Veronica Green winning the challenge. Cherry Valentine, Lawrence Chaney and Tayce receive negative critiques, with Lawrence Chaney being safe. Cherry Valentine and Tayce lip-sync to "Memory" by Elaine Paige. Tayce wins the lip-sync and Cherry Valentine sashays away.
| ||||
| 11 | 3 | "Who Wore It Best?" | 28 January 2021 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens participate in a limbo extravaganza. Tayce and Veronica Green win the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens create a look with the same colors and fabrics as your drag sister.
On the runway, category is Who Wore It Best? A'Whora, Bimini Bon-Boulash, Lawrence Chaney, Sister Sister and Veronica Green receive positive critiques, with Lawrence Chaney winning the challenge. Asttina Mandella, Ginny Lemon and Tia Kofi receive negative critiques, with Ginny Lemon being safe. Asttina Mandella and Tia Kofi lip-sync to "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa. Tia Kofi wins the lip-sync and Asttina Mandella sashays away.
| ||||
| 12 | 4 | "Morning Glory" | 4 February 2021 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens present a cake as if it was their own. Bimini Bon-Boulash wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens host in the new daytime show "Morning Glory"
On the runway, category is Monster Mashup. A'Whora, Bimini Bon-Boulash and Lawrence Chaney receive positive critiques, with Lawrence Chaney winning the challenge. Ginny Lemon, Sister Sister and Veronica Green receive negative critiques, with Veronica Green being safe. Ginny Lemon and Sister Sister lip-sync to "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Kim Wilde. During the lip-sync, Ginny Lemon walks off stage and quits the competition. Because of this decision, Sister Sister wins the lip-sync.
| ||||
| 13 | 5 | "The RuRuvision Song Contest" | 11 February 2021 | |
|
After a seven month lockdown break, the queens returned to the competition, with the exception of Veronica Green, who was removed from the competition after testing positive for COVID-19, although she received an open invitation to return for season three. Previously eliminated queens, Asttina Mandella, Cherry Valentine and Joe Black, return to win a spot back in the competition. The remaining queens will vote for one of the eliminated queens to return to the competition. Joe Black receives the most votes and officially returns to the competition. For this week's main challenge, the queens write, record, and perform verses to "UK Hun?".
On the runway, category is A Day at the Seaside. Team United Kingdolls is the winning team, with A'Whora, Bimini Bon-Boulash, Lawrence Chaney and Tayce all winning the challenge. Team Bananadrama is the losing team. Joe Black, Sister Sister and Tia Kofi receive negative critiques, with Sister Sister being safe. Joe Black and Tia Kofi lip-sync to "Don't Leave Me This Way" by the Communards. Tia Kofi wins the lip-sync and Joe Black sashays away.
| ||||
| 14 | 6 | "Snatch Game" | 18 February 2021 | |
|
For this week's main challenge, the queens play the Snatch Game. Gemma Collins and Michelle Visage star as the celebrity contestants. The cast consisted of:
On the runway, category is Preherstoric. Bimini Bon-Boulash and Tayce receive positive critiques, with Bimini Bon-Boulash winning the challenge. A'Whora, Lawrence Chaney and Tia Kofi receive negative critiques, with A'Whora being safe. Lawrence Chaney and Tia Kofi lip-sync to "Touch Me (All Night Long)" by Cathy Dennis. Lawrence Chaney wins the lip-sync and Tia Kofi sashays away.
| ||||
| 15 | 7 | "Lockdown Supersheroes" | 25 February 2021 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens read each other to filth. Sister Sister wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens create a "Lockdown Supershero" outfit made from unconventional materials. On the runway, category is Lockdown Supersheroes. A'Whora and Ellie Diamond receive positive critiques, with A'Whora winning the challenge. Lawrence Chaney, Sister Sister and Tayce receive negative critiques, with Lawrence Chaney being safe. Sister Sister and Tayce lip-sync to "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself" by Jess Glynne. Tayce wins the lip-sync and Sister Sister sashays away.
| ||||
| 16 | 8 | "Stoned on the Runway" | 4 March 2021 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens do a butch performance of RuPaul's song "Kitty Girl". Ellie Diamond wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens perform a stand-up comedy act about love in front of the judges. On the runway, category is Stoned on the Runway. Bimini Bon-Boulash and Lawrence Chaney receive positive critiques, with Bimini Bon-Boulash winning the challenge. A'Whora, Ellie Diamond and Tayce receive negative critiques, with Ellie Diamond being safe. A'Whora and Tayce lip-sync to "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield. Tayce wins the lip-sync and A'Whora sashays away.
| ||||
| 17 | 9 | "BeastEnders" | 11 March 2021 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens have a bitchfest with puppets. Bimini Bon-Boulash wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens act in the BBC's newest soap opera "BeastEnders".
On the runway, category is Panto Dame. Bimini Bon-Boulash and Lawrence Chaney receive positive critiques, with Bimini Bon-Boulash winning the challenge. Ellie Diamond and Tayce receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom two. They lip-sync to "Last Thing on My Mind" by Steps. They are both declared the winners of the lip-sync and no one goes home.
| ||||
| 18 | 10 | "Grand Finale" | 18 March 2021 | |
|
For the final challenge of the season, the queens write, record and perform their own verse to RuPaul's song "A Little Bit of Love" On the runway, category is Final Four Eleganza Extravaganza. The eliminated queens all return to the runway. Ellie Diamond is eliminated, leaving Bimini Bon-Boulash, Lawrence Chaney and Tayce as the top three queens of the season. They lip-sync to "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John. It is announced that Lawrence Chaney is the winner, leaving Bimini Bon-Boulash and Tayce as the runners-up.
| ||||
References
edit- ^ Nolfi, Joey (15 December 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 2 sets premiere, will air alongside season 13". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ Ashurst, Sam (2 December 2019). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 2 audition, casting air date, trailer and everything you need to know". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ Harp, Justin (18 March 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 2 halts filming due to coronavirus pandemic". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ a b Damshenas, Sam (16 December 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 2: Meet the 12 fierce contestants". Gay Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ "Drag Race UK winner: I'd love to be the first 'drag queen Doctor Who'". BBC Three. 18 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "United Kingdolls Full Official Chart History". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Cherry Valentine: Drag Race star George Ward 'struggled with fame' - inquest". BBC News. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Cherry Valentine: Drag Race UK star George Ward dies". BBC News. 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Royalty Returns". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 1. 14 January 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Rats: The Rusical". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 2. 21 January 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Who Wore It Best?". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 3. 28 January 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Morning Glory". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 4. 4 February 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "The RuRuvision Song Contest". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 5. 11 February 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Snatch Game". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 6. 18 February 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Lockdown Supersheroes". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 7. 25 February 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Stoned on the Runway". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 8. 4 March 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "BeastEnders". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 9. 11 March 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Grand Finale". RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Season 2. Episode 10. 18 March 2021. BBC iPlayer / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b c d e "First celebrity guest judges Ru-vealed for second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Elizabeth Hurley, Lorraine Kelly, Sheridan Smith, MNEK and Jourdan Dunn". BBC Media Centre. 16 December 2020. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ Smith, Reiss (17 December 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 2 confirms Elizabeth Hurley as first guest judge". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 29 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ Miller, Adam (22 January 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 2: Sheridan Smith weeps as Cherry Valentine and Tayce break hearts with emotional lip sync". Metro. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "MNEK Joins Upcoming RuPaul's Drag Race UK as Guest Vocal Coach". Billboard. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Adds Jessie Ware, Maya Jama and Dawn French to Guest Judge Line-Up". The Huffington Post. 27 December 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 2: Dawn French makes shady joke about Jennifer Saunders". Metro. 4 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 October 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ Smith, Reiss (14 December 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK signs up TOWIE star and legendary diva Gemma Collins for Series 2". Pink News. PinkNews. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Cameo appearances from some extra special guests". Instagram. RuPaul's Drag Race UK. 28 December 2020. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2020.