‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Miss Congeniality winners: See the complete list
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Known in some circles as the “fan favorite” award, the title of Miss Congeniality on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is a prize handed out to the queen most representative of kindness and for having strong sisterly bonds with the other girls. Up until Season 10, the award was voted on by the audience, but has since been selected by the cast of queens themselves, and is buttressed by a cash prize that has ranged from $1,500 to $10,000. There have been 14 queens awarded the title so far, nine of whom have returned to compete at least one more time, and on April 14, 2023 the next recipient will be announced at the Season 15 “Grand Finale.” Which “fan favorite” queen is YOUR all-time fave? Scroll through our gallery above (or click here for direct access) to see photos of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Miss Congeniality winners.
Nina Flowers
Season 1 (runner-up)
Aside from being the first to ever win the award, Nina also holds the record for highest placement in the competition while also winning the award. After Nina, the highest spot another Miss Congeniality has placed is fourth. Nina went on to compete a second time in “All Stars 1” where she and partner Tammie Brown were eliminated in the second week.
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Pandora Boxx
Season 2 (fifth place)
Pandora had a strong run on season 2 where she placed in the top of challenges four times (no wins) before back-to-back low placements that resulted in her elimination. As a comedy queen, won over the hearts of fans with her humor and humility and was asked to return for “All Stars” not once, but twice because of it.
SEE ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ winners list
Yara Sofia
Season 3 (fourth place)
Like Pandora, Yara was asked back to the show to compete on “All Stars” twice where she actually competed against Pandora both times. Yara is a high energy, big personality queen that competed well in challenges and managed to remain above the fray during the “Heathers vs. boogers” pettiness that dominated much of the interactions between the queens of her season.
Latrice Royale
Season 4 (fourth place)
Latrice owned the zeitgeist of season 4 by not ever taking herself too personally and for coining still iconic lines like, “Get those nuts away from my face!” that are still referenced by the show and fans today. Latrice’s two runs on “All Stars” were not as strong showings for her (she placed lower than fourth on both), but she remains one of the show’s biggest names to date.
Ivy Winters
Season 5 (seventh place)
Of all the Miss Congeniality winners to compete prior to season 11, Ivy is the only one that has not reappeared for another season of the show. This may be because she is part of the small group of alum that have “quit” drag since being on the show. Still, the sound of RuPaul announcing her name on the runway rings in our ears to this day.
BenDeLaCreme
Season 6 (fifth place)
The artistic embodiment of being congenial, Ben’s drag persona hinges on the mid-century idea of motherly kindness and hospitality, so it’s no wonder that the fans pegged her for the award. Ben went on to further cement her congenial nature when she decided to eliminate herself in “All Stars 3” rather than be forced to vote out one of her fellow queens per the rules.
Katya
Season 7 (fifth place)
Katya took the fandom by storm with a personality out of drag that still lacked confidence and was unassuming and a personality in drag that could be sleazy and confident. Continuing on to her “All Stars 2” run, Katya only further solidified herself as one of the most popular and most booked queens in herstory.
Cynthia Lee Fontaine
Season 8 (tenth place)
Like Ivy, Cynthia is the only winner of the award prior to season 11 that has not returned for a season of “All Stars,” but Cynthia is in fact the only one to return to compete on another regular season of the show. At the time, Cynthia was the earliest eliminated queen to win the award and so she was asked to come back for season 9 so that fans could get more of her “cucu.”
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Valentina
Season 9 (seventh place)
When Valentina was announced as Miss Congeniality at the season 9 reunion, it was after she’d been confronted by her co-stars on a number of things, including not standing up to her fans who had been cyberbullying the other girls in support of her. Aja spoke up about how she didn’t believe Valentina was a congenial person and Farrah Moan challenged Valentina’s absence in their friendship since the show, causing the cast to coalesce around the concept of Valentina being “Fan Favorite,” not Miss Congeniality.
Monét X Change
Season 10 (sixth place)
During the season 10 voting rounds by the public, it became apparent that there was a hack in the system that boosted The Vixen’s numbers to 18 million votes, resulting in a last-minute production decision to switch to the queens voting for the winner themselves instead. With that, Monét became the first queen to be inducted by peer support and the process has remained the same ever since.
Nina West
Season 11 (sixth place)
In the first vote intended from the start to be by the queens themselves, it was no surprise when Nina was announced as their selection. During her time on the show, Nina showed a willingness to assist the other queens and was vocal about her advocacy for the queer community through social activism both on and outside of the show.
Heidi N Closet
Season 12 (sixth place)
Shaded by RuPaul almost the entire season for having a name she did not like and famously by Nicki Minaj who “hate, hate, hated her hair and makeup,” Heidi warmed the hearts of fans and her peers through her grace and kindness despite so much criticism. And if you haven’t heard Heidi whistle through her tooth gap at least ten times, then what are you doing with your life really?
LaLa Ri
Season 13 (tenth place)
LaLa will forever be remembered most for the gift bag dress she made from scratch for the season 13 ball challenge. That dress also won her The Golden Boot for the worst look of the season, making her the only Miss Congeniality to hold both trophies. Though the creation sent her home earlier than fans wanted, it cemented LaLa’s place as a queen to adore.
Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté
Season 14 (twelfth place)
Though Kornbread may be the lowest placed winner of this award in herstory, it comes with the asterisk that she was taken out of the competition due to an ankle injury and not by process of elimination. Prior to her injury, Kornbread was seen as a viable threat to win the season and had already developed close enough relationships with the other queens that her elimination was emotionally disruptive for some of them, like eventual winner Willow Pill.
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