RuPaul’s Drag Race is a competition held by drag veteran RuPaul to find ‘America’s next drag superstar’. Past winners have gone on to build successful careers as solo drag performers, including Season 9 champion Sasha Velour who is the creator and host of new show Nightgowns. In general though, even the queens who don’t win the competition gain fame and a boost to their careers by being on the show.

Ad

The hit series has attracted stellar ratings and has been praised for raising awareness of LGBTQ+ issues. Several famous guest judges including Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Alba have also featured.

Where to watch RuPaul's Drag Race?

You can watch RuPaul's Drag Race on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. You can also buy episodes on iTunes or purchase the DVD box set for each season.

What is RuPaul's Drag Race about?

RuPaul’s Drag Race couldn’t be further from the hyper-masculine tradition of drag racing - the name of the show is a play on words using the term 'drag queens'. In reality, the show follows the style of a traditional American beauty pageant, with a twist - all the competitors are drag queens. Bringing in a diverse array of contestants, the show teaches new audiences about the art of drag and questions what it means to be feminine.

RuPaul's Drag Race logo
RuPaul season 10, Netflix, TL Netflix

How does RuPaul's Drag Race work?

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByqcLrNJD1c/

Each episode consists of mini challenges, a maxi challenge, and a runway walk. The mini challenges typically include photoshoots with a twist, from having to jump on a trampoline to a themed photoshoot with a model. A popular mini challenge is ‘reading’, which sees RuPaul announce that ‘the library’ is open, prompting the contestants to insult each other in the most comedic way possible.

The maxi challenges are more complex, often involving creating a look with limited materials and/or giving makeovers to other people - in the past, the drag queens have given older gay men a drag makeover, and were judged both on the look they produced and on how they treated their model.

Each episode concludes with a catwalk where the queens show their glamorous runway looks tailored to the theme of the episode. RuPaul and his guest judges rank the contestants by giving scoring each individual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGpYou-RuPI

The show works via progressive elimination, where the drag queens who score the lowest in each episode are liable to be removed from the competition by RuPaul, who dresses in drag as a judge, but also appears as a man in a more supportive capacity as coach and host of the show. RuPaul’s decides who is to be removed each episode, and the drag queens who are vulnerable must ‘lip sync for their lives’.

How many seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race are there?

There have been 11 seasons so far.

Where is RuPaul's Drag Race filmed?

The series is filmed in The Hollywood Center Studios.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVsnArDLV1/

Ad

When is RuPaul's Drag Race back?

RuPaul’s Drag Race will return to our screens for its first ever UK series in Autumn 2019.

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Overall rating

Ad
Ad
Ad
Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

RT offer

Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

hello
An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

summer

Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

More