Welcome to RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Power Rankings! Every weekend, we’ve debriefed the week’s new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 4 to determine which queens were riding high, and which needed she-mergency care. As we reflect on the season finale, it’s time to assess our final four one last time.
3rd/4th: Black Peppa (last week: 4)
I’m still not exactly sure what happened with Peppa in this competition. She was such an immediate force in the premiere, and never stopped serving on the runway. But in the challenges, she consistently underwhelmed, often because she talked herself into doing so ahead of time. She managed to survive so many lip syncs, but I don’t think we can call any of them a classic performance. By the time this finale came around, it was just so clear she wouldn’t be able to win no matter how great her RuMegaMix performance might be.
In the end, Peppa was solid in the performance, and I enjoyed her up-cycled final runway look. But there was no beating Danny or Cheddar, and based on the season alone, that’s a justifiable result. I’m excited to keep up with Peppa’s looks and music off the show, but I’m not sure if coming back to Drag Race would be the best plan—at least immediately. Plentiful All Stars and vs. The World seasons have made it easier than ever to return, but if Peppa waits a beat and builds up her repertoire, I think she could make a much stronger impact down the line.
3rd/4th: Jonbers Blonde (last week: 3)
I’ll repeat what I said in my recap: Jonbers’s remade mug is a prize in and of itself for her this season. She truly is walking out of this competition transformed—I was truly gagged by how stunning she looked in the finale. Her adherence to notes and willingness to truly commit to the process clearly endeared her to Ru and the judges this season. I find it odd that, in spite of all this, she was never given a win, but I’ll admit it gives her a potential arc should she ever return to the show.
In fact, thinking about it, I actually think Jonbers has one of the biggest potential upsides should she return. She was a finalist this season, yes, but with no badges, she was not a realistic contender for the crown. She’d have nowhere to go but up, and even a single win on an All Stars-formatted season could be huge. And with Ru already invested in her, further growth could only stand to boost her. In writing this, I’ve managed to talk myself into a Jonbers comeback arc—now let’s see if the show thinks the same.
RUNNER-UP: Cheddar Gorgeous (last week: 2)
It’s funny: I was so confident going into the finale that Danny Beard had it all wrapped up, but the finale made me question my expectations. Cheddar’s narrative was just so compelling: the legend who didn’t need to win Drag Race, but committed fully to the competition anyway. She’d have been a different kind of champion, akin to Bianca Del Rio circa Season 6 of the American series. But I think that’s ultimately what likely deterred Ru from giving her the crown—that, and how Danny’s performance had just been so dominant.
I don’t think we’re likely to see Cheddar on another season, and I think that’s okay. She got what she wanted out of the Drag Race experience, and, as she put it, she was happy with either herself or her friend taking home the crown. She’ll continue to be a drag legend off the show—as she said, she’ll be doing the same thing as she would have been doing with the win. For that reason, it’s probably correct that the season ended this way.
WINNER: Danny Beard (last week: 1)
Congratulations to our first bearded queen RuPaul’s Drag Race champion, Danny Beard! Looking back, this season really was all about Danny’s dominance—other than an off-kilter Cilla Black in Snatch Game, she really never made a mistake. Her performance reminds me of Bob the Drag Queen’s on Season 8: even when she wasn’t winning challenges, she never lost the air that she would be our winner. So as much as this season felt like a duel between Danny and Cheddar, I ultimately never truly doubted that Danny would win out.
Danny joins a winner’s circle of The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Krystal Versace: all poised, all professional, but all queens willing to have fun. It’s clear that the UK franchise has settled into what to expect of a winner—and it’s given us quite a champion’s circle so far. But I wouldn’t mind seeing the show throw a bit more of a curveball in 2023. As I alluded in the recap, only when the show pushes forward can it really see the future of drag.
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