# Lydia B Kollins
**Lydia B Kollins** (full drag name Lydia Butthole Kollins) is an American drag performer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, best known for competing on season 17 of *RuPaul's Drag Race* and returning for the tenth season of *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars*.[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins) Her drag is built on horror and cinema, with a name taken from Lydia Deetz, Winona Ryder's character in *Beetlejuice*, and the middle initial "B" standing for Butthole, a detail that became a fan rallying cry during her original season.[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins) • [2](https://qburgh.com/lydia-b-kollins-unforgettable/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Drag name | Lydia Butthole Kollins; named after Lydia Deetz from *Beetlejuice*, with influences from Tim Burton, John Waters, and David Lynch[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins) |
| Born / based | Born 2001; based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Italian American[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins) |
| Season 17 result | Placed 7th, eliminated in episode 11 by Lana Ja'Rae, with 1 challenge win[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins) |
| All Stars 10 result | Placed 3rd/4th, eliminated in episode 12 by Jorgeous, with 2 challenge wins[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins) |
| Signature style | Horror- and film-inspired drag; every look on *Drag Race* drawn from a movie, seen through a cinematic viewpoint[3](https://pophorror.com/interview-with-lydia-b-kollins-the-horror-queen-of-rupauls-drag-race-season-17/) |
| Book | *Lydia Lydia Lydia: A Collection of Photographs* with Pittsburgh photographer Ava Grace, over 300 photos covering nearly every runway look from two back-to-back seasons[4](https://www.out.com/gay-entertainment/rupauls-drag-race-lydia-b-kollins-ava-grace-book-interview) |
| Touring | ButtTootKing tour with Kori King and Suzie Toot[5](https://www.out.com/drag/kori-king-suzie-toot-lydia-b-kollins) |
## Drag Race Season 17
Kollins entered the season 17 werk room in a *Beetlejuice*-inspired entrance look, bringing what [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) outlet QBurgh described as a punk rock sensibility, a campy heart, and a love of DIY and theater.[2](https://qburgh.com/lydia-b-kollins-unforgettable/) Her middle name became a viral sensation, drawing laughter from RuPaul and turning "Team Butthole" into a fan community.[2](https://qburgh.com/lydia-b-kollins-unforgettable/)
Her run started in the middle tier of placements before her roast challenge win, a set of dry, clever humor that surprised the judges and marked her as a genuine competitor.[2](https://qburgh.com/lydia-b-kollins-unforgettable/) In the season's first episode she performed a Drag Queens Got Talent number in which she and her puppet wore matching sparkly red outfits that tore away burlesque-style, a story about her love of making her own drag.[6](https://outfrontmagazine.com/bedroom-queen-to-rugirl-an-interview-with-lydia-kollins/)
A central storyline was her showmance with fellow contestant [Kori King](https://www.edgepedia.org/kori-king), which culminated in a lip sync showdown to "Kiss Me Deadly" that ended in an in-lip-sync makeout moment.[2](https://qburgh.com/lydia-b-kollins-unforgettable/) Kollins survived that battle; King's elimination followed.[2](https://qburgh.com/lydia-b-kollins-unforgettable/) Kollins was eliminated in episode 11, placing 7th, after a lip sync to "Unholy" by [Sam Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-smith) and [Kim Petras](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-petras) in which she tried to tear open her dress mid-performance and became tangled in her own outfit while Lana Ja'Rae finished with a split.[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins) • [2](https://qburgh.com/lydia-b-kollins-unforgettable/)
## All Stars 10
Fresh off season 17, Kollins returned almost immediately for *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars* season 10, competing in the show's first-ever Tournament of All Stars format and reaching a top 4 spot.[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins) • [4](https://www.out.com/gay-entertainment/rupauls-drag-race-lydia-b-kollins-ava-grace-book-interview) She was eliminated in episode 12 by Jorgeous, finishing 3rd/4th with 2 challenge wins, an improvement on her original season's 7th-place finish.[1](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins)
## Style and influences
Kollins describes movies in general as the influence on her drag: every look she presented on *Drag Race* was inspired by some film, and she says she always looks at drag through a cinematic viewpoint.[3](https://pophorror.com/interview-with-lydia-b-kollins-the-horror-queen-of-rupauls-drag-race-season-17/) She names [Tim Burton](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-burton) first among her fashion inspirations, along with 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s runway shows including Mugler and Gucci, and describes her performance style as emotional acting with [Bride of Frankenstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/bride-of-frankenstein) vibes, "freshly reanimated."[6](https://outfrontmagazine.com/bedroom-queen-to-rugirl-an-interview-with-lydia-kollins/) She went to school for film and has said her first creative love is filmmaking, with an ambition to appear in a horror movie.[4](https://www.out.com/gay-entertainment/rupauls-drag-race-lydia-b-kollins-ava-grace-book-interview)
## Before Drag Race
Kollins came up through the online "teen queen" community on Instagram in the late 2010s, competing in elimination-format drag competitions run on the platform.[6](https://outfrontmagazine.com/bedroom-queen-to-rugirl-an-interview-with-lydia-kollins/) She placed top three in season 3 of *Drag Showdown*, the first video-based teen queen competition on YouTube.[6](https://outfrontmagazine.com/bedroom-queen-to-rugirl-an-interview-with-lydia-kollins/) As a teen queen she performed under the name Lydia Chlamydia, and her favorite look from that era was a [Cannibal Holocaust](https://www.edgepedia.org/cannibal-holocaust)-inspired costume; she says the community's competitions gave her a competitive mindset that carried into her later career.[6](https://outfrontmagazine.com/bedroom-queen-to-rugirl-an-interview-with-lydia-kollins/) Her mother's support nurtured her creativity growing up, which she describes as a strong, safe, comforting presence in her life.[6](https://outfrontmagazine.com/bedroom-queen-to-rugirl-an-interview-with-lydia-kollins/)
## Lydia Lydia Lydia and touring
In 2025 Kollins published *Lydia Lydia Lydia: A Collection of Photographs* with Ava Grace, a Pittsburgh-based photographer who taught herself photography during the 2020 lockdown after years in the city's drag scene.[4](https://www.out.com/gay-entertainment/rupauls-drag-race-lydia-b-kollins-ava-grace-book-interview) The book contains over 300 photos documenting nearly every runway look from her two back-to-back *Drag Race* seasons, along with design sketches, sewing notes, conceptual drawings, and journaling-style entries by both authors.[4](https://www.out.com/gay-entertainment/rupauls-drag-race-lydia-b-kollins-ava-grace-book-interview) Kollins's favorite shoot in the book recreates her black-and-white Ball elimination look, inspired by Giallo film and German Expressionism, including the 1920s film *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari*, and was staged in the barrel of a skate park structure.[4](https://www.out.com/gay-entertainment/rupauls-drag-race-lydia-b-kollins-ava-grace-book-interview)
She tours with Kori King and [Suzie Toot](https://www.edgepedia.org/suzie-toot) as ButtTootKing, a trio formed from bonds made while filming season 17.[5](https://www.out.com/drag/kori-king-suzie-toot-lydia-b-kollins) She and King later discussed their relationship publicly, including their first kiss during a lip sync for your life and the period after filming wrapped.[7](https://www.listennotes.com/et/podcasts/why-wont-you-date/the-truth-about-tv-r-VW95BzJqE/)
## References
1. [Lydia B Kollins, RuPaul's Drag Race Wiki (Fandom)](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_B_Kollins)
2. [Lydia B. Kollins: A Campy, Chaotic, and Unforgettable Run on Drag Race Season 17, QBurgh](https://qburgh.com/lydia-b-kollins-unforgettable/)
3. [Interview With Lydia B Kollins, The Horror Queen of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17, PopHorror](https://pophorror.com/interview-with-lydia-b-kollins-the-horror-queen-of-rupauls-drag-race-season-17/)
4. [For her next act, Lydia B Kollins flips Drag Race on its head — again, Out.com](https://www.out.com/gay-entertainment/rupauls-drag-race-lydia-b-kollins-ava-grace-book-interview)
5. [Suzie Toot, Kori King, & Lydia B. Kollins have one message on tour, Out.com](https://www.out.com/drag/kori-king-suzie-toot-lydia-b-kollins)
6. [Bedroom Queen to Rugirl: An Interview with Lydia Kollins, OUT FRONT Magazine](https://outfrontmagazine.com/bedroom-queen-to-rugirl-an-interview-with-lydia-kollins/)
7. [The Truth About TV Showmances (w/ Lydia B Kollins), Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer, Listen Notes](https://www.listennotes.com/et/podcasts/why-wont-you-date/the-truth-about-tv-r-VW95BzJqE/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Reality television personalities and media celebrities › Competition reality contestants › Drag and talent show contestants*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license