The Winner of Canada’s Drag Race is a Work of Art

Written by | Entertainment, The Lens

Conjure up the coolest characters in the history of film and literature. They’re twisted, they’re dark, they’re fascinating… They’re villains, right? Now think about the goody-two-shoes heroes who swoop in and save the day. Boring!

We crave conflict, and Van Goth served it up week after week on Season 6 of Canada’s Drag Race. “If you think about it, I was the main character of every single episode, one to nine, and then I took the crown.”

Despite her reputation, Van doesn’t say these things in a malicious way. Instead, she’s just spitting facts. Fact: she dominated every design challenge. Fact: she racked up more wins than anyone in the history of CDR. Fact: she appreciates every damn moment of her rise to the A-list of drag royalty.

“The one I keep thinking about would definitely be the Brooke Lynn Design Challenge when I got to make an outfit for her. I just will never forget the feeling of like zipping it up on her and her just being like…” Van vamps for emphasis. “Not saying a word, but just being like, ‘Yeah. That’s real good.’ And just, like, having the moment on stage with her where I, like, shot my shot and was, like, ‘Hey, can I make a look for you for season seven?’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, of course.’ So I feel like I’m trying to manifest that’s going to actually become a reality.”

Forward thinking and visualizing victory are essential ingredients in Van’s playbook, and she attributes her success to her athletic upbringing. “I grew up playing sports my whole life. I started playing rugby when I was 10 years old. And my parents were just really big into sports, so I feel like in sports, it’s all about practice, practice, practice. So then when game day comes, you’re ready to go. I think that’s just like the mentality I’m taking in life all the time, which is like, I may not get it the first time, but I will work so hard to get it.”

Van’s armor is fierce, but it’s her vulnerability that makes her a true warrior. In one pivotal scene from S6, she revealed her HIV status to the other queens, and her resilience echoed all the way from the Werk Room to her showstopping finale number. “It was scary for me. I think that comes across in my conversation in the Werk Room. I was terrified. And not only terrified, but I had all this guilt and shame that I was holding. And I felt like when I got to talk about it on the show, I got to release a lot of it there. I think I have never felt the same about it since I filmed the show because it was very healing just to be open about it and to let go of so much of that. And I think so much of it, even in my final song, when I said ‘positive status, won’t let it define me,’ – I’m much more than that. And I’m undetectable now. I feel like I don’t think about it at all. I just take my pill, and I keep pushing. I think to show people that, yes, it happened, that’s unfortunate. I think there’s ways that you can keep pushing past that and not let that one thing hold you down or define the rest of your life.”

One of the most engaging arcs of the series had to be Van’s relationship with runner-up Eboni La’Belle. “We were just always in each other’s orbits. I think that that’s so special. And I think fans really love that about us, because in a lot of ways, too, we are so opposite. We’re so polar opposites. But yeah, we found this like common ground together in the competition. And not only that, I think we were each other’s support systems throughout it. I think that’s why what you saw in the finale episode was so intense, because it just felt deeper than what the competition was. And that’s really what you saw. You saw real friends having an argument that we found a way to push past that.”

While she’s out here giving shout-outs, Van takes the opportunity to thank the first person she called to publicize her win. “My partner. We’ve been together for five years.” Softening her demeanor, she continues, “I started dragging a year before we started dating. He’s seen my drag evolve and go through phases. He’s seen me audition year after year after year, and I finally get on and then to win the whole thing, it’s like, I mean, he just couldn’t be more proud of me.”

Well, get ready to keep the pride flowing, mister, because Van Goth is just getting warmed up. “Eboni and I are actually working on a show together, and we’re hoping to tour Canada in the coming months, and then hopefully around the world. I mean, that’s always gonna be my sister.” Van also teases her one-woman show, which sounds transcendent from the jump. “I’m, like, this giant rose and all these little petals come out. And they all fall away, and then it comes apart in this very surrealist, romantic way. I think that those kind of things, this campy style, burlesque, that is super surrealist would be something that you could expect from a show of mine.”

As much as Van relishes being the new Miss Canada, she’s also misunderstood. “So many artists in their lifetime have this experience where they make great art, but often are not understood until they pass. And I think that’s what draws me to artists, I think it’s interesting. I think even my run on Drag Race, I think some people would say I’m not deserving of the crown. I think some people would say that I can only win design challenges. But I think in a couple of years, maybe in a couple months, people will look back on this and be like, ‘oh, actually, no, no, she really turned that.’ Because I really did.”

Pivoting from grandeur to graciousness, Van concludes, “Season 6 was iconic. And I could not have been happier to be there with this cast of 11 other amazing drag artists that are so unique and I am so honored to be the winner.”

All hail your not-so-evil Evil Queen. Being bad never felt so good. Congrats, Van Goth!

Last modified: January 19, 2026

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