Drag Race UK vs the World's second series has truly been the renaissance of Filipina drag queen Marina Summers who has won three challenges during the show's eight weeks and reached the final in a strong position.
Marina has shone in practically every challenge that has come her way and she was even told that she was "born to do drag" by show host RuPaul – and if anyone knows, then it has to be RuPaul. And fans seem to be agreeing with Marina backed by the majority of the fanbase to snatch the crown during tonight's final.
However, speaking exclusively to HELLO!, the performer admitted that she didn't have much of a strategy for the final challenge. She joked: "Well, my strategy this time is not to lose.
"Lip syncing is what I do and every time there's a lip sync challenge, I'm down to do it. This time, I'm was more confident and more relaxed coming into the finale because I've won three lip syncs prior to that. That made me feel like, 'Okay, even if I lose, I have solidified my place as a lip sync assassin'."
© Guy LevyAnd speaking about what it would mean for her to take home the crown to the Philippines, she added: "Representing an entire country and being the first one to do so on an international level, is a lot of responsibility, but also a lot of pride and honour.
"Especially for someone from Asia, representation matters and I'm really happy that I made it to the finale and we have this chance to win. When any of us go home to our respective countries, we have millions of people rooting for us and I think it would be the best Easter Sunday gift for them."
© Guy LevyMarina continued: "Representing a country is less of a pressure and more of a pride to do, especially for us who haven't been judged by RuPaul. I was really excited to come into the competition and show what I'm made of and to have an entire country at your back just boosts your confidence."
Marina was undoubtedly thrilled to be judged by the Queen of Drag, RuPaul, and in an emotional moment, the star was told she was "born to do drag" by the host, an honour rarely bestowed. Taking us inside that moment, Marina shared: "My mistake on Season One of [Drag Race] Philippines is that I didn't let my emotions fall freely from my chest or from my eyes.
© Guy Levy"I was really emotional getting that validation as a brown, queer person from a faraway nation. Just to have that seal of approval from her, it meant the world to me and I've felt like I could take on any challenge moving forward. No matter what happened after that episode, I know that I made a mark."
Speaking more about how RuPaul impacted her during the series, Marina added: "It was like doing Drag Race again for the first time. The hosts have different preferences, different humour, different cultural backgrounds and there was a lot of recalibrating your drag to be able to impress not only the audience but also RuPaul this time around.
© Guy Levy"When we were filming, we were just having a great time with RuPaul, so that mindset that strategy to make sure you make RuPaul laugh, to make sure she loves your drag was just out of the window. I learned to just live in the moment."
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And with the fan response to her drag, Marina concluded: "I am really happy that we get this amount of respect and reverence when it comes to our drag from the UK fans."
