Lawrence Chaney

Lawrence Chaney is by far one of Drag Race's most-loved contestants. Whether it's that loveable Scottish accent, those incredible dresses, or that charming sense of humour, it's no surprise that Chaney is still very much in the running. Following her win in last week's sewing challenge, Chaney highlighted the significant financial shift for Scottish queens [2] on the show. "It's a whole different ballgame because in Scotland there is no money. The normal rate of payment is fifteen pounds for a drag spot," she said.

Following an undeniable rift with friend Ellie Diamond, Chaney and Diamond hashed out their differences in the penultimate episode and will now compete in the final together.

• Status: Crowned the UK's Next Drag Race Superstar

Bimini Bon Boulash

One of two non-binary contestants this series, Boulash has since inspired a tonne of viewers to also come out as non-binary, after watching them express themselves on the show. In the third episode, Boulash opened up about their experiences with sexuality in a conversation with Ginny Lemon. "How we want to self-identify isn't up to anyone else. It's not up for anyone else to have a debate about it, about how we feel inside," they told Lemon.

• Status: Eliminated from the final four

Tayce

Newport's very own Tayce has turned heads since the first episode of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Whether it's the iconic outfits, the flawless makeup, or the sexual tension with fellow contestant A'Whora, we hope she's in it to win it because we can't bear to see her go!

In the penultimate episode, Tayce ended up in the bottom two, in a lip sync with Ellie Diamond. Fortunately, Tayce's stage presence kept her in the competition, and even saw RuPaul keep both queens in the competition for the final.

• Status: Eliminated from the final four

Ellie Diamond

Ellie Diamond is one of the youngest contestants on this year's RuPaul's Drag Race UK, but that's not stopped her from impressing the judges. She told Radio Times [3]that "I might only be 21, but I can do everything that the other queens can. I'm really looking forward to any design challenge as I'm really crafty and creative. I could probably walk into any room and make and make any old thing an outfit! I have danced most of my life from classes to musical theatre, so I'd say my dancing skills are top tier."

In the penultimate episode, following the Beastenders and Panto Dame challenge, Ellie Diamond was put in the bottom two. She lip-synced along with Tayce, and clearly did enough to keep herself in the competition for next week's final.

• Status: Eliminated from the final four

A'Whora

Admittedly, one of the most entertaining things about A'Whora on Drag Race is the flirty conversations between her and fellow contestant Tayce. When asked about their previous history, Tayce told the show's producers "I know what you're thinking and it's not what it seems. We just know each other very... well." According to Bustle UK, it's been confirmed that the pair have at least worked together in the past [4]. Unfortunately, in this week's episode, A'Whora and Tayce battled it out in the bottom two, leaving A'Whora to sadly shantay away.

• Status: Eliminated

Sister Sister

A truly comedic queen, Sister Sister is without a doubt one of the most exciting contestants to watch. Coming from Liverpool — the home of drag royalty Lily Savage — Sister Sister hopes to get through the competition by smiling her way through it. When it comes to her inspiration, she told Radio Times [5] that "I grew up on good, solid, British comedy. I was watching French and Saunders and Victoria Wood since forever," adding that her "comedy style is very dry and I think it sometimes takes a few dim-witted people a couple of seconds to catch on."

• Status: Eliminated

Tia Kofi

Essex-born Tia Kofi is the self-proclaimed "Queen of Clapham", and one of the more recent contestants to face a possible elimination. She was recently dubbed "Baroness Basic" by her fellow contestants, which led to a bit of a surprise turnout in eliminations last week. In episode three, Kofi found herself in a lip sync challenge with Asttina Mandella, who later ended up leaving the show. In an interview with Radio Times [6], she revealed that "I'm quite shy and retiring in real life, and so I'm worried about the other queens. I can't be dealing with fierce queens." So far, so good!

• Status: Eliminated

Joe Black

After leaving the competition during the very first episode, Joe Black's elimination sparked debate all over social media [7], even resulting in Tracy Beaker herself commenting on the judges' wrongdoings. In a recent interview [8] with Gay Times, Black said that "Going out first is always an iconic placement. For people to say, 'This is the most wrong first elimination' is amazing. It's been incredible, all the support online."

In terms of the diversity of this year's show, she added "The fact that I got onto that show, being a little out of the box from what the show would normally have — I'm including Ginny Lemon in this as well — is amazing; that I got on there while not necessarily pertaining to the traditional elements of what the show is."

Joe Black was given the gift of opportunity, and was one of three queens brought back for episode 5, following the departure of Ginny Lemon and Veronica Green. Sadly, Black failed to win the judge's hearts and ended up eliminated once again.

• Status: Eliminated

Veronica Green

Veronica Green joined the drag scene as a way to fully explore her potential. Talking to Radio Times [9] about her past, she said that "my background is musical theatre, I've been in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat for about five years out of the past 10, but ultimately, I found musical theatre too restrictive for my hopes and aspirations."

• Status: Contracted coronavirus and will be returning for season 3

Ginny Lemon

In a recent interview [10] with Gay Times, Ginny Lemon let the world into a little secret about the impact of COVID-19 on the filming of the show. "The drama of the show's first season will 'pale in comparison' due to the impact COVID had on filming", she told the magazine, adding that "I can honestly say this is going to be one of the most dramatic seasons ever." We can't wait to see where it goes.

Ginny left the competition after episode four [11], where she walked out during a lip sync with Sister Sister. She told BBC that [12] "I did it for so many reasons, I think it's even hard to explain what was going through my head at the time."

• Status: Left the competition during a lip sync battle

Asttina Mandella

For Asttina Mandella, drawing attention to queens of colour was a hugely important part of her being on the show. After that icons challenge [13], Mandella spoke to [14] Digital Spy about the importance of queer Black role models. "It was just so wonderful to see the love, that everyone just understood and was just like, 'Let me evaluate my own brain again, let me look back and think, oh my god, not just in terms of representation for Black people and POC, but also representation in queer media, the arts and politics, in all fields of life.' That's what I did not expect and I think it's really wonderful. I'm so happy that happened."

• Status: Eliminated

Cherry Valentine

Cherry Valentine left the show during the second episode. It was a particularly poignant experience for her, as she openly discussed her traveller background with fellow contestant Sister Sister. In an interview with Digital Spy [15], she revealed that "It was a really crazy moment to just sit down with Sister Sister and talk about my family, I got really emotional in the confessionals."

Aside from opening up about her background and the lack of acceptance she had growing up, she also explored the concept of accepting herself. "I used to hate saying 'I'm gay' because I would feel embarrassed about it. But now I'm gay as I come and I don't care who knows it! It's just one of those things you have to go through, you have to take time to accept yourself before you can expect other people to accept you," she told the magazine.

• Status: Eliminated