15 of the best queens ever on RuPaul’s Drag Race

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 13: Sasha Velour attends Rihanna’s 4th Annual Diamond Ball benefitting The Clara Lionel Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street on September 13, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Diamond Ball)

Sasha Velour

Sasha Velour may not wear a wig, but she still wears a crown! Compared to some of the winners on this list, Sasha didn’t immediately come out as a front-runner on her season, but she fought her way to the top and after an iconic lip sync in the finale, she grabbed that crown and ran with it.

Sasha was one of the queens on season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she became known for her avant-garde, artistic looks as well as her ability to deliver in comedy challenges. She did consistently well on the show, but still floated somewhere near the middle of the group.

She definitely started rising up to the top by the finale, which is when she really showed her power as a performer. To the song “So Emotional” by Whitney Houston, Sasha delivered an amazing performance full of emotion and with a surprise reveal where she pulled off her wig and a shower of rose petals rained over her head. ICONIC!

Since the show, Sasha has continued to reign over the New York drag scene with her monthly Brooklyn drag show Nightgowns, which she’s been hosting since 2015. The show has only gotten bigger and better since.

She also appeared on the runway for Opening Ceremony’s New York Fashion Week presentation in 2018 (and helped curate the show), where she appeared along with 40 LGBTQ models, drag performers and even Christina Aguilera. She had another landmark when she got to do the artwork for a Google Doodle inspired by Marlene Dietrich on the actress’ 116th birthday in 2017.

Sasha Velour proved you don’t need to be conventional to take home the crown, and that brains will get you a long way.