Marina Summers. Image: Alan Segui via Instagram/@marinaxsummers
Marina Summers proved she has what it takes to be the first “Filipina Winnah” after making a splash on the first episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs the World,” which was aired on Friday, Feb. 9.
From making her grand entrance to defeating French drag queen La Grande Dame, Marina cemented herself as a powerhouse after winning the show’s first “RuBadge” of the season.
The coveted “RuBadge” is given to a winning queen after having the top overall performance of the competition show where the mini and maxi challenges are counted. On Summers’ stint in the show, as well as other “All Stars” formats, it’s given after the queen wins the titular lip-sync performance by the end of the episode.
Summers made her entrance in a custom-made bronze Filipiniana inspired by the historical Katipunera, complete with a bolo, which was designed by Jude Macasinag.
“Mabuhay b****es. It’s time to give these colonizers, the chop!” she said in her opening message, as seen on BBC’s official Instagram page.
“My name is Marina Summers and I’m the most beloved runner-up of the Philippines. Or some might say the most beloved loser of the Philippines,” said Summers in her backstage interview.
‘Filipinah winnah’
Summers then showcased her singing, dancing, and performance chops during the talent portion with “Amafilipina” — her take on Maymay Entrata’s hit song “Amakabogera.”
“Bringing the Filipina heat to the @dragraceukbbc main stage with my very own rendition of the iconic ‘Amakabogera’ by Maymay Entrata. Hats off to @kumareharvey for helping me write this masterpiece. Thank you @roxsantos for killing this one,” she wrote on Instagram with a snippet of her performance.
The drag queen also showcased more of her “heritage and culture” on the runway in an indigenous ensemble by Roman RS Sebastian which features “indigenous textiles from the Cordilleras.”
In the final part of the show, Summers went up against La Grande Dame for a lip-sync performance to Livin’ Joy’s “Dreamer” where she emerged as the winner. This, along with her RuBadge, gave her the privilege to eliminate American drag queen Mayhem Miller.
Summers was announced as the country’s sole representative to the hit reality show in January. She is also the first Filipina drag performer to be part of the hit franchise as a contestant.
The drag queen gained prominence after finishing as a runner-up of “Drag Race Philippines” season one in October 2022.