The fifth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...

'' began airing on January 28, 2013, with a 90-minute premiere episode. The winner of season five headlined Logo's Drag Race Tour featuring Absolut Vodka, won a one-of-a-kind trip, a lifetime supply of Colorevolution Cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. Santino Rice and Michelle Visage were back as judges at the panel. The theme song playing during the runway every episode is "I Bring the Beat", while the song playing during the credits is "The Beginning". Both songs are from RuPaul's album '' Glamazon''. This is the first-ever series in the show's history to feature a double elimination or a double sashay between two contestants,

Honey Mahogany Honey Mahogany (born December 30, 1983) is an American activist, politician, drag performer, and singer. She first came to national attention on the fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', followed by releasing her debut EP ''Honey Love''. She w ...

and Vivienne Pinay. It is also the first series to feature a queen, Coco Montrese, lip-sync for their life four times and send 3 people home. This is also the first series where RuPaul allowed fans to vote for a winner. The winner of the fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' was

Jinkx Monsoon Jerick Roman Lamar Hoffer (born September 18, 1987), better known by the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag performer, actor, comedian and singer best known for winning the fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and the seventh seas ...

, with

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and

Roxxxy Andrews Michael W. Feliciano, known by his stage name Roxxxy Andrews (born September 23, 1983), is an American drag performer who came to international attention on the fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and the second season of ''RuPaul's Drag Rac ...

being the runners-up, and

Ivy Winters Ivy Winters (born October 5, 1986) is the stage name of Dustin Winters, an American drag performer, singer and actor. She is best known for competing on the fifth season of the reality-show ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', later winning the Miss Congenia ...

being crowned season 5's Miss Congeniality by fans.

Contestants

''Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.''

Contestant progress

Lip syncs

Legend:

Guest judges

Listed in chronological order: *

Camille Grammer Camille Grammer Meyer ( Donatacci) is an American actress, dancer, model, and television personality. She is known for appearing on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills''. Grammer started her career as a dancer, model and actress, and worked ...

, television personality *

Mike Ruiz Mike Ruiz is a Canadian photographer, director, television personality, former model, spokesperson, creative director, and actor. Early life Ruiz, who is of French Canadian and Spanish Filipino ancestry, was born in Montreal in 1964, but raised ...

, photographer *

Kristen Johnston Kristen Angela Johnston (born September 20, 1967) is an American actress. Best known for her work on television sitcoms, she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sally Solomon in ...

, actress *

Juliette Lewis Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress and alternative rock singer. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark themes. Lewis became an "it girl" of American cinema in the early 1990s, ...

, actress and singer *

Coco Austin Nicole Natalie Marrow ( Austin; born March 17, 1979), NOTE: Archived version specifies: "the couple dated a few months and then was married in January 2002." commonly known as Coco Austin, Coco, Coco Marie Austin, Coco Marie, and Coco-T, is an A ...

, model *

Paulina Porizkova Paulina Porizkova (born Pavlína Pořízková, ; 9 April 1965) is a Swedish model. Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Sweden, Porizkova became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated'' swimsuit issu ...

, model and actress *

Chaz Bono Chaz Salvatore Bono (born Chastity Sun Bono; March 4, 1969) is an American writer, musician and actor. His parents are entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher, and he became widely known in appearances as a child on their television show, ''The Sonny ...

, writer and activist *

Travis Wall Travis Michael Wall (born September 16, 1987) is an American dancer, instructor, and choreographer specializing in contemporary and jazz dance styles. He rose to international attention in 2006 as a competitor on the second season of the Fox te ...

, dancer *

Julie Brown Julie Ann Brown (born August 31, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, and television director. Brown is known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl charac ...

, actress-comedian *

Downtown Julie Brown Julie Dorne Brown, better known as Downtown Julie Brown, is an English-born actress, television personality, SiriusXM DJ and former MTV VJ. Brown is best known as the host of the television music show ''Club MTV'', which ran from 1987 until 19 ...

, actress and MTV VJ *

La Toya Jackson La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and television personality. The fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, Jackson first gained recognition on the family's variety television series, ''The Jacksons'', ...

, singer * The Pointer Sisters (Anita and Ruth), girl group *

Leslie Jordan Leslie Allen Jordan (April 29, 1955 – October 24, 2022) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and singer. His television roles include Beverley Leslie on ''Will & Grace'' (2001–2006 and 2017–2020), several characters on television in ...

, actor *Jeffrey Moran,

Absolut Vodka Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. Absolut is a part of the French group Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard bought Absolut for €5.63 billion in 2008 from the Swedish state. Absolut is one of the largest brand ...

marketing/branding executive * Aubrey O’Day, singer *

Joan Van Ark Joan Van Ark (born June 16, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Valene Ewing on the primetime soap opera ''Knots Landing.'' A life member of The Actors Studio, she made her Broadway debut in 1966 in ''Barefoot in the P ...

, actress *

María Conchita Alonso María Concepción Alonso Bustillo (born June 29, 1957), better known as María Conchita Alonso, is a singer, actress and former beauty queen. She has participated in film and television productions, and was nominated for the Independent Spirit ...

, singer/songwriter and actress *

Jamie-Lynn Sigler Jamie-Lynn Sigler (born May 15, 1981) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Early life Jamie-Lynn Sigler was born in Jericho, New York, on May 15, 1981, the daughter of Ste ...

, actress and singer * Clinton Kelly, fashion stylist *

George Kotsiopoulos George Kotsiopoulos (born November 18, 1968) is an American magazine editor, fashion consultant, stylist and television personality. He is style editor at large for ''Cardinal Courier Media, C'' magazine and was a fashion associate at ''The New Yo ...

, editor and fashion consultant *

Marg Helgenberger Mary Marg Helgenberger (born November 16, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career in the early 1980s and first came to attention for playing the role of Siobhan Ryan on the daytime soap opera ''Ryan's Hope'' from 1982 to 1986. She is ...

, actress *

Bob Mackie Robert Gordon "Bob" Mackie (born March 24, 1939) is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Cher, Doris Day, Marlene D ...

, fashion designer

Special guests

Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage: Episode 4: *

Nick Lazzarini Nick Lazzarini (born August 4, 1984) is an American dancer. He is best known as the first season winner on the Fox reality show ''So You Think You Can Dance''. He is a trained dancer in jazz, lyrical, hip hop, ballet and modern dance styles. ...

, dancer and winner of

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...

Season 1 Episode 5: *Ian Drew, Entertainment Director of

Us Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...

Episode 6: *

Lucian Piane Lucian Piane (born October 4, 1980), also known by the Internet nickname RevoLucian, is an American composer and music producer. He has composed music for several films, television shows, theater productions and singers, and received a RIAA Plati ...

, composer and record producer Episode 7: *

Deven Green Deven Green (born January 31, 1975) is a Canadian comedian who produces comedy parody videos, including as the satirical character Mrs. Betty Bowers, "America's Best Christian". Early life and career Green was born and raised in Thompson, Man ...

, comedian and musician * Nadya Ginsberg, comedian, actress, and writer *

Bruce Vilanch Bruce Gerald Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on ''Hollywood Squares'', as a celebrity participan ...

, writer and actor Episode 9: *

Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( , ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and television personality. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Agustín Madrigal in ''Encanto'', and as Carlos ...

, actor Episode 11: *Davina Foxx, drag queen expert *Kiera Grice, Mountain Dew Rep Episode 12: *

Gloria Allred Gloria Rachel Allred ( Bloom; born July 3, 1941) is an American attorney known for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particularly those involving the protection of women's rights. She has been inducted into the National Women's ...

, lawyer *Mathu Andersen, make-up artist and photographer *

Candis Cayne Candis Cayne (born August 29, 1971) is an American actress and performance artist. Cayne performed in New York City nightclubs in drag since the 1990s, and came out as transgender in 1996; Cayne came to national attention in 2007 for portraying ...

, actress and performance artist Episode 13: *

Latrice Royale Timothy K. Wilcots (born February 12, 1972), better known by the stage name Latrice Royale, is an American drag performer, recording artist, and reality television personality. She is best known for her appearances on the fourth season of ''RuPa ...

, contestant on

season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughte ...

and ''All Stars'' 1 *

Willam Willam Belli (, born June 30, 1982), mononymously known as Willam, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, reality television personality, author, and YouTuber. Willam came to prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of ''R ...

, contestant on season 4 *

Sharon Needles Sharon Needles (born November 28, 1981) is the stage name of Aaron R. Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. A self-described "stupid genius, reviled sweetheart, and PBR princess", Needles rose to international attention on the ...

. winner of season 4 Episode 14: * Latrice Royale, contestant on season 4 and ''All Stars 1''

Episodes

Reception

The overnight ratings for the fifth-season premiere of ''Rupaul's Drag Race'' reinforced the show's position as Logo's juggernaut. "Monday night's 9PM season five premiere of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' worked the ratings runway, averaging a .8 rating in the P18-49 demo. This number represents a 33% increase over Logo's previous top-rated season premiere (fourth-season premiere of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'') and clocks in as the highest-rated season premiere in Logo history. Additionally, the 90-minute premiere tallied 565,000 total viewers tuning in to meet the new cast of 14 drag queen hopefuls who will fight it out to be crowned "America's Next Drag Superstar". The fifth-season premiere night of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and companion series ''RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked'' delivered over 1.3 million viewers. Furthermore, ''RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked'' was the most-watched premiere ever averaging 291,000 total viewers and a .5 rating P18-49. On social media platforms for premiere night, ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and ''Untucked'' showed a 136% increase in social activity versus the fourth-season premiere – this includes tweets, Facebook posts and Get Glue check-ins.

References

External links

* (U.S.)
Official website
(Canada)
Official Facebook page
{{Authority control 2013 American television seasons RuPaul's Drag Race seasons 2013 in LGBT history