“Drag Race Philippines” will be the host country for the competition, which will unite Asian queens from around the world for a “Vs. the World”-style contest.
Joella’s iconic impact as “the Slaysian diva of L.A.” on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 has officially gone global, as the franchise has revealed that it will soon debut a new all-stars competition featuring an all-Asian cast of returning queens.
Set to premiere later this year, Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale will unite Asian queens from global Drag Race franchises in one host country, the Philippines, where they’ll engage in an evolved version of the show’s Vs. the World format that currently broadcasts Canadian and United Kingdom iterations.
The cast of queens — which has yet to be revealed — will battle it out for a crown and global bragging rights as the inaugural Slaysian Royale winner when the new show debuts on WOW Presents Plus at an undisclosed date later in 2025.
Production company World of Wonder founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato said of the show in a press statement: “This new version of Drag Race shines a spotlight on Asian drag as never before, celebrating its culture, its history, and creativity in a unique battle royale.”
In addition to casting the aforementioned fan-favorite season 17 queen Joella, the American Drag Race series recently crowned two consecutive winners of Asian descent, with Sasha Colby (who is Native Hawaiian) winning season 15 and Nymphia Wind (a Taiwanese queen who became the show’s first East Asian winner) triumphing on season 16.
Other Asian queens who’ve made a significant impact on RuPaul’s Drag Race include Ongina (season 1, All Stars 5) perennial contestant Jujubee (season 2, All Stars 1, All Stars 5), season 3 winner and All Stars 7 queen Raja, and Manila Luzon, who competed on season 3, All Stars 1, and All Stars 4 before fronting her own Filipino drag competition series Drag Den.
In an exclusive winner interview, Nymphia previously told Entertainment Weekly that she hoped young Asian kids would be able to see hope in her season 16 victory.
“As an Asian kid brought up in Asia, we’re not taught to be vocal or voice ourselves. We’re taught to be subtle, quiet, and keep to ourselves. I’m not one to boast about being good at this or that. I’m a wallflower. Self-confidence has always been a thing throughout my life. Even after winning, you wake up some days and you’re not feeling yourself, and other days you wake up super confident,” she told EW the night of her crowning. “You have to remember to acknowledge the good and the bad and see it as a whole. When you have those bad days, remember the good days are going to come. The bad days aren’t forever. Be graceful, and know that people are out there just like you, even if they may seem confident in themselves. There are things in them you have to find time to see. Winning and this validation is beyond. I always wanted to be the first East Asian queen to win and now I’ve achieved that.”
Drag Race Philippines recently finished its third season in two years, with Maxie winning the competition in October 2024.
Drag Race Thailand also recently returned for a third season after a six-year hiatus, with host (and former UK vs. the World competitor) Pangina Heals crowning Frankie Wonga as the winner in December 2024.