‘The reign of terror has begun!’: Tia Kofi reacts to winning RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs The World season 2

Tia Kofi was announced as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs The World season 2. The final episode of the show aired on March 29 and RuPaul crowned Kofi as the winner after a battle among the top four candidates - Tia Kofi, La Grande Dame, Hannah Conda, and Marina Summers.

Kofi won prize money of £50,000 along with the title of the Queen of the Mothertucking World. The drag queen has participated in various shows hosted by RuPaul. She first appeared on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2021 but did not win.

Kofi reacted to her win in a confessional, calling it a culmination of "so much hardwork." She also joked that the "reign of terror" has begun with her win.

“It’s the culmination of so much hard work. So much focus and so much determination. I’ve realised that I am so much stronger than I ever thought I was. The reign of terror has begun! I’m just kidding! We’re going to have a camp time.”

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Tia Kofi says her Drag Race UK win means the "absolute world" to her

Tia Kofi described her win as the "absolute world" to her. She said that it is game-changing to be the first winner of color in the UK.

“It means the absolute world to me to win, it’s perfect culmination of years of dedicating myself to drag and working hard at myself inside and outside. Being the first winner of color in the UK is game-changing."

Tia Kofi continued that she wanted to give people who look like her that "representation". She wants to be the "beacon" to show that irrespective of one's looks, they can "achieve their dreams."

"To give people who look like me that representation, it’s really special, and something that I take extremely seriously. I want to be that beacon that shows we can all, no matter where we come or what we look like, achieve our dreams.”

RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs The World is an international reality show within the Drag Race UK franchise. Season 1 of the all-stars segment premiered on February 1, 2022. Season 2 premiered on February 9, 2024.

UK vs The World season 2 has been airing for the last eight weeks, with 11 contestants competing for the Queen title. Before the showdown, the entire cast got together in the finale to witness the winning moment.

The finale of the show aired on Friday, March 29, where Kofi competed with three other finalists, namely Grande Dame (France), Hannah Conda (Australia), and Marina Summers (The Philippines). The four finalists competed in a lip-sync showdown for the title.

The first face-off was between Hannah Conda and Marina Summers, who lip-synced to Anastacia's I'm Outta Love. RuPaul chose Hannah as the winner. The next face-off was between Tia Kofi vs La Grande Dame, who lip-synced to Booty Luv's Boogie 2night. Tia won the round, leading to the final face-off between her and Hannah Conda.

Tia Kofi and Hannah Conda lip-synced to Your Disco Needs You by Kylie Minogue for the final round. Finally, RuPaul declared Kofi as the winner. She was representing the UK.

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Tia Kofi was named "Baroness Basic" in series 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2021

Before appearing on UK vs The World, Tia Kofi participated in series 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2021. The UK vs The World segment is a sequel to the original reality show, RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

The drag queen was specifically appreciated for her performance as a laboratory rat in Rats the Rusical in Drag Race UK. However, her fellow contestants voted her as "Baroness Basic" of the show.

Tia Kofi participated in three lip-syncs in the show but did not win any. She was eventually eliminated from the show in seventh place. Three years later, she won the Queen of the Mothertucking World title in the UK vs The World season 2, along with two RuPeter badges.

Kofi was also widely appreciated for her runaway looks and unique wedding roast and The Snatch Game, for which she won the Anne Boleyn award.