Drag Race Fans have chosen Their Fame Games Winner

For the first time in Drag Race history, an eliminated contestant has been awarded the title of ‘Queen of the Fame Games’ by fan vote.

On the first episode of the 8th season of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” RuPaul announced that there would be two ways for queens to win by the end of the season; the first, being the obvious route of winning the competition itself, and the second, being a competition within a competition.

Dubbed ‘The Fame Games,’ eliminated queens were given the chance to showcase the looks they would have worn for each week’s specific runway category at the end of each ‘Untucked’ episode, barring any makeover and sewing challenges. And while the winner of the main competition would join the All Stars Hall of Fame and $200,000, the winner of the Fame Games would get $50,000, later increased to $60,000. All they had to do was showcase their looks and get fans to vote for who their favorite queen was on the runway.

In the penultimate episode, after tying with James Mansfield in their joint lip sync to Lady Gaga’s ‘Rain on Me,’ LaLa Ri was given a multiplier for any votes she received from fans in the Fame Games, increasing her votes by multiple of 3. With the polls closing and the episode airing, LaLa Ri made history by being named the first queen to receive the title of ‘Queen of the Fame Games.’

“I need to do a little few more push-ups because this scepter is kind of heavy,” the newly crowned queen said. “But it feels amazing to have it in my hand. […] I won. I’m going to cry.”

Drag Race All Stars is often seen as a chance for redemption for many queens by fans, and, considering that LaLa Ri was originally awarded for having the worst dress in her original season where she wore a black leotard with pink and lavender party favor bags hot glued to it (a moment that was both confusing and iconic), it’s very fitting that she would be the queen to win a competition for who was the best dressed according to fans.

LaLa Ri just might be the most decorated queen in all of Drag Race’s many franchises and spin-offs when it comes to awards. She won both the golden boot, an award given to queens for having the worst outfit on their season, the title of Miss Congeniality on season 13, an award where queens vote for which of their fellow contestants is the most “congenial,” and now the title of Queen of the Fame Games, given to her by the fans. Specifically, because of her Fame Games crowning, no other queen in any of the franchises has this combination of accolades, and that makes LaLa Ri a force all her own.

Before voting closed, LaLa Ri took some time to thank her fans for their votes.

“I want to thank each and [every one] of you for going so hard for me,” she tweeted. “I’ve been feeling ALL OF THE LOVE! […].”