On January 19, the contestants of the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs The World were introduced. UK Vs The World is a spin on the original series that saw talented drag queens compete for the title of Drag Superstar and prizes that increased with each season.
UK Vs The World is exactly how it sounds — contestants from the other country-specific Drag Race franchises compete with UK contestants in an international competition.
| WOW Presents
Included in the second season as a contestant is Marina Summers (real name Adrian Matthew “Yan” Alabado), a queen from the Philippines.
I wanna show the universe, the WORLD rather, that I am a true Filipina Winnah!
And baby this time, I’m taking over the Mother-Tucking WORLD! #DragRaceUK vs The World is coming to @wowpresentsplus (worldwide ex. UK and Canada) and @bbcthree (UK) on Feb 9th! … pic.twitter.com/jC0R5GwrZ8
— Marina Summers (@marinaxsummers) January 13, 2024
Summers, a 27-year-old originally from Nueva Vizcaya, first made “herstory” as a contestant in the Phillippines’ first season of the program. She performed well during the season but ultimately came in second place overall.
Marina Summers | World of Wonder
After her Drag Race appearance, Summers released more music, including “Ride 4 Me,” in April 2023. She was also featured in an ad for Spotify‘s “GLOW” program in NYC and was named an ambassador for Strokes Beauty Lab, among other accomplishments.
Summers is just as gorgeous out of drag, having shared many photos on Instagram, serving face and body.
| @marinasummers/Instagram
UK vs The World‘s second season began on February 9, featuring Summers and the other ten contestants competing in a variety show challenge. Summers’ performance featured her lipsyncing to her version of “AMAKABOGERA” by MayMay, showing pride in her heritage while dancing and performing with lit ribbons.
WORLD, IT’S SUMMERTIME! pic.twitter.com/t2zc0ZFt2I
— Marina Summers (@marinaxsummers) February 10, 2024
Her runway look for the judges also embodied her pride in being from the Philippines, dressing as a glammed-up rice farmer.
As a result of this stunning performance and her gorgeous runway look, Summers made it into the top two and beat out her competitor during a lip sync to win the first episode! This makes her the second Asian queen to win the first episode, following Thai queen Pangina Heals in season 1.
| BBC Three
If she couldn’t be any more iconic, Summers plans to release a full music video for her challenge song, “AMAFILIPINA,” on February 11. The competition may have just begun, but many have placed their bets on this fierce Filipina to bring the crown home!
Marina Summers just made the entire nation of the Philippines proud with this runway look alone #TeamMarina #DragRaceUK pic.twitter.com/Cijuamk9l8
— Ginang Bang (@Ginang_Bang) February 9, 2024
Marina Summers, you have just set the bar so fuckin high. Tangina!! https://t.co/BFCzzsdt1z
— Ms. Eva (@eva_lequeen) February 10, 2024
marina summers never bottomed/lipsync til the finale in drph and i can’t wait for her to lipsync every week! #DragRaceUK pic.twitter.com/siTNfNCZAm
— keila (@suitryspirit) February 9, 2024
Best of luck to her this season!
@marinasummers/Instagram
