Athena Likis represented Belgium in the first-ever edition of RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars. However, after impressing the judges with a hilarious and dazzling burlesque number at the grand premiere and showcasing her interpretations of "Boss Lady in Charge," "She-Vil Villain," and "International Queen of Mystery" in episode 3, Athena still became the first-eliminated queen of the series.
"We were all so stressed about the ball challenge," Athena tells Out in an interview. "Except people like Pythia, and maybe Vanity Vain, because they knew how to sew. I was like, 'Oh, let's be friends' [laughs]. It's about construction and respecting the theme, of course... but we still see, almost every season, people who know how to sew and land in the bottom."
She adds, "Because it's not only about the technique… it's also about the storyline. It's about the whole thing. In my head, I was like, 'Okay, I think I have a bit of a sense of style, so maybe I can manage to do something.' But that's me: when I start panicking, I blank, and then I'm not doing good stuff."
The first season of Drag Race Belgique introduced fans to Athena as a creative and fierce drag artist who won that season's Talent Show and makeover challenge. Athena then made it all the way to the grand finale, but ultimately lost the crown to Drag Couenne and finished as runner-up.
Going into Global All Stars, fans expected that Athena would be a force to be reckoned with — and, indeed, she was! Moreover, the Belgian queen was excited to compete with queens from around the world and to be featured on this global platform.
"I was very excited," Athena recalls. "I already knew Pythia and Soa de Muse, so I was like, 'My sisters are here!' At the same time, I was like, 'Oh, damn. They all look so good.' And then, of course, when Alyssa Edwards came in, I was like, 'Oh, all right, let's go.'"
The judges had a blast with her Variety Show performance, and her ball looks got high praise from the overall Drag Race fandom. Unfortunately, though, Athena's take on the ball categories didn't resonate with the judging panel, which landed her in the bottom 2 along with Soa de Muse.
After lip syncing for their lives to "Bad Idea Right?" by Olivia Rodrigo, Mama Ru told Soa de Muse to shantay, meaning that Athena had to sashay away. This wasn't at all the outcome that many fans had predicted for Athena on Global All Stars, and Belgian drag artists also took to social media to defend the Drag Race Belgique superstar.
Athena Likis' ball looks on 'RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars' episode 3.
Paramount+
When asked to explain what she'd like fans to know about Belgian drag, Athena tells Out:
"I want the world to know that the drag scene in Belgium is very political and very experimental. We don't have a lot of history of pageantry, or a similar drag history like that. We try very hard to experiment what we want to do, and to express ourselves the way we want… that's what I like so much about the drag scene in Belgium."
"My Global All Stars journey was intense. Intense and short. But I had fun," she says. "The queens in the cast are really good friends now. I'm glad that I met these really cool queer artists, and that we were able to share our cultures and stories on the show. That was amazing."
Looking ahead, Athena is daydreaming of doing a solo show. She also hopes that Drag Race viewers can follow her on social media to "learn a bit more of my story, my past, and how I've come to this," adding that fans "can become a part of the Goddesses community."
If you want to support Athena as a drag artist after her Global All Stars exit, you can start by following her on Instagram, TikTok, and X/Twitter — but that's not all!
Athena's commitment to showcase Belgium's "experimental drag" on a global platform and get fans excited to learn more about that particular scene sparked an idea to turn this moment into a big celebration of Belgian drag excellence.
As a result, Out spoke with Drag Race Belgique season 2 winner Alvilda and asked her to recommend a list of drag artists that Drag Race fans might not know yet but who greatly represent the drag scene in Belgium.
Keep scrolling to discover and celebrate a list of fierce drag artists from Belgium — and make sure to watch new episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars every Friday on Paramount+.
