20 LGBTQ+ Reality TV Stars That Made Us Feel Seen & Proud in 2023

This year had amazing LGBTQ+ representation on reality TV!

Images: ABC; MTV; Netflix; CBS

​2023 has been an incredible year for queer fans of reality TV.

First and foremost, we’re getting more LGBTQ+ representation than ever on long-running, mainstream reality competitions like Survivor, Big Brother, Dancing With the Stars, The Amazing Race, and even Love Island. We’re also getting brand-new shows that are already inclusive of queer and trans people from the start – no biases and no questions asked! Moreover, the ever-growing expansion of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise keeps introducing us to queer talent and drag artists from all over the world.

As we wrap up this year, let’s celebrate some of the most wonderful, complicated, fierce, lovable, courageous, and competitive reality TV stars who represented our community this year.

Scroll through to learn more about the LGBTQ+ contestants in reality TV that made us feel represented in 2023!

Sasha Colby (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 15)

Image: MTV

Sasha Colby (mother/goddess) entered the Drag Race season 15 werk room as a legend. Four maxi challenge wins later, she was crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar. Her reign might be coming to an end with season 16, but this will always be Sasha Colby’s world that we’re living in.

Ian & Joe (‘The Amazing Race’ Season 35)

Image: CBS

It’s not rare for The Amazing Race to give us great LGBTQ+ cast members, and season 35 delivered it yet again. Gay couple Ian and Joe were one of the most entertaining pairs to compete on Amazing Race this year – always making sure that they were having fun, doing their best, and having amazing experiences together.

Kyra Green (‘Love Island Games’ Season 1)

Image: Peacock

​Listen up. Since making her reality TV debut on CBS’ Love Island USA season one, Kyra has been out here living her best bisexual life to the fullest. She returned a few years later to compete on MTV’s Ex on the Beach season five and had Emily Salch come in as her ex. Kyra then competed in the first-ever Love Island Games on Peacock – which felt like an all-stars for Love Island – and jumped on the opportunity to couple up with other girls. Kyra is hacking the dating show system to bring us bisexual representation, and we are LIVING.

Katurah (‘Survivor 45’)

Image: CBS

Katurah opened up about being a queer Black woman on Survivor 45 and working as a lawyer to advocate for people in her community. She made it all the way to final four on Survivor but was unfortunately taken out due to a strategic mistake. All season long, though, Katurah was an absolute queen that we loved to meet on the show.

Kate Butch (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ Season 5)

Image: BBC/World of Wonder

Kate Butch was an absolute fan-favorite for the fans watching RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season five. It felt like a long time that we didn’t get a queen like this on the show, and we were just cracking up with everything she said in the werk room, in the confessionals, and on the main stage. Did we feel that Kate should’ve gotten even further in the competition? Yes. But we loved meeting her anyway!

Andie (‘The Traitors’ Season 1)

Image: Peacock

Not only was Andie universally beloved by all the viewers watching The Traitors, but even fellow competitors and the traitors themselves vouched for Andie to get to the very end. Yes, it’s true that our hearts broke watching the conflict between Andie and Cirie at the reunion, but we literally couldn’t make a list like this without including this lovable player (and absolute stud!) from the first American season of The Traitors.

Jimbo (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8’)

Image: Paramount+

From Canada’s Drag Race to UK vs the World to All Stars 8, Jimbo slowly solidified herself as a drag superstar who earned her spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame. It was a joy to follow along Jimbo’s journey in reality TV, and it feels like this drag clown is only getting started.

Hisam (‘Big Brother 25’)

Image: CBS

​Hisam had a roller-coaster journey on Big Brother 25. He first aligned himself with the older people of the house, but was then also eager to play along with the younger crowd. With that said, it was very refreshing for Big Brother to cast a gay doctor in his 40s who was also incredible at competitions. LGBTQ+ people who aren’t in their 20s and 30s also deserve to be seen in reality competition shows!

Keiona (‘Drag Race France’ Season 2)

Image: World of Wonder

Drag Race France has grown so much as a standalone show that it had the budget to put together a live grand finale at the end of its second season on TV. Keiona was a frontrunner throughout the entire competition, but winning season two came down to a final lip sync for the crown. In the end, Keiona did what needed to be done, and judge Nicky Doll crowned her as the winner of season two.

Frannie (‘Survivor 44’)

Image: CBS

By the halfway point of Survivor 44, Frannie was the absolute frontrunner, biggest threat, and the standout competition beast of the season. Frannie was such a good competitor – and so well-liked by everybody – that she had to get voted out due to how well she was doing. That’s what we call a Survivor legend!

Anetra (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 15)

Image: MTV

On literally any other season of Drag Race that didn’t include Sasha Colby, there was a high likelihood that Anetra was going to snatch the crown. This fierce performer and charismatic queen made us fall in love with her in and out of drag. Trust us when we say that we’ll keep “walking that f*cking duck” well into 2024.

Phill (‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Season 1)

Image: Netflix

​It didn’t take long for us to realize that Squid Game: The Challenge had a lot of LGBTQ+ contestants in the series, even if they didn’t have time (or screen time?) to open up about their gender identities and sexual orientations. Phill, a polyamorous genderfluid player, competed fiercely and made it to the top two of the competition!

Sam (‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Season 1)

Image: Netflix

​Our hearts broke hearing Sam opening up on Squid Game: The Challenge about his struggles growing up as a gay kid. But just as Sam talked about the rejection that he faced from his family, he also highlighted the importance of “chosen family” in the LGBTQ+ community. Sam made it to the top three of Squid Game: The Challenge along with Phill, and we loved watching their alliance (and real friendship) getting so far on the show.

Melinda Verga (‘Canada’s Drag Race’ Season 4)

Image: Crave/World of Wonder

Speaking of standing out, Melinda Verga has been flipping season four of Canada’s Drag Race on its head! As Melinda brings us a sense of old-school Drag Race drama, she’s creating new memes, catchphrases, and points of reference that we already know are going to be repeated for years to come. Thank you, Melinda, for being so Vivienne Westwood… inspired!

Mal Wright (‘The Ultimatum: Queer Love’ Season 1)

Image: Netflix

What we loved the most about The Ultimatum: Queer Love was the queer chaos and queer mess featured on the show, which has thankfully been renewed for a second season on Netflix! But even bigger props go to Mal Wright for keeping it cool and staying true to themself at all times. While we all have flaws, Mal did prove that they were clearly marriage material.

Jordan Sangha (‘Big Brother UK 20’)

Image: ITV

Diehard reality TV fans were starving for Big Brother UK to come back, and the show finally made its grand return in 2023 with season 20. While this UK series had always been pretty diverse, this new cast had more LGBTQ+ players than ever… which culminated in Jordan, who came out as queer while competing on the show, to be voted by the public to win Big Brother UK 20!

Organzza (‘Drag Race Brasil’ Season 1)

Image: Paramount+/World of Wonder

Fans might not know about the six-year journey that it took for Drag Race Brasil to finally premiere in 2023. With so much built-up anticipation for the show, it was a real joy to watch a queen like Organzza deliver us gag-worthy looks, sickening performances, and then get crowned Brazil’s First Drag Superstar.

Jason Mraz (‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 32)

Image: ABC/Disney+

Jason Mraz recently updated his relationship status to “single” and started to fully embrace his identity as a bisexual man. To celebrate this more colorful period of his life, Mraz went on Dancing With the Stars season 32 and ended up being one of the top contenders of the show. Mraz even got to the grand finale, finished as the runner-up, and had fans saying that he was “robbed.” Now that’s what we’re talking about!

Yam Yam (‘Survivor 44’)

Image: CBS

Yam Yam won Survivor 44 this year, becoming the first gay man of color to win the series. He also won by a nearly unanimous jury vote of 7-1-0. The 36-year-old salon owner from Puerto Rico was, by far, one of the most entertaining reality TV personalities of the year.

Jessica Wild (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8’)

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Jessica Wild first competed in the second season of Drag Race over 10 years ago. Some fans questioned how she’d do on All Stars 8, but she only became an even bigger drag legend on the show and represented the Latine/Latinx LGBTQ+ community in the fiercest way possible.