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''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American
reality competition Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for
Logo TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progr ...
(season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the fifteenth season,
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. The show documents
RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series '' RuPaul's Drag Race ...
in the search for "America's next drag superstar". RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week. Contestants are judged by a panel that includes RuPaul,
Michelle Visage Michelle Lynn Case (nee Shupack), better known as Michelle Visage (born September 20, 1968), is an American singer, television host, actress, radio DJ and producer. She first gained recognition as a member of the musical group Seduction whic ...
, an alternating third main judge of either Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, or Ts Madison, and one or more guest judges, who critique their progress throughout the competition. The title of the show is a play on
drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...
and
drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most ...
, and the title sequence and song "Drag Race" both have a drag-racing theme. ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' has spanned fifteen seasons and inspired the spin-off shows '' RuPaul's Drag U'', '' RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'', and '' RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race''; the companion series '' RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked''; and numerous international franchises including British and Australian and New Zealand versions hosted by RuPaul as well as Chilean, Thai,
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
, Dutch, Spanish, Italian,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and
Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
editions, upcoming Belgian, Swedish, Mexican, German, and Brazilian installments, and international ''vs. the World'' competitions hosted in
The United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. The show has become the highest-rated television program on Logo TV, and airs internationally, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Israel. The show earned RuPaul seven consecutive
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
(2016 to 2022) for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program. The show itself has been awarded as the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reailty Competition Program is handed out for reality-style, skill-based competition formats during the primetime telecast since 2003. The award goes to the producers of the program. ''The Amazing Race'' w ...
4 consecutive times (2018 to 2021), and the Outstanding Reality Program Award at the
GLAAD Media Awards The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affe ...
. It has been nominated for four Critics' Choice Television Awards including Best Reality Series – Competition and Best Reality Show Host for RuPaul, and was nominated for a
Creative Arts Emmy Award The Creative Arts Emmys are a class of Emmy Awards presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming. They are commonly awarded to behind-the-scenes personnel such as production designers, set ...
for Outstanding Make-up for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic). Later in 2018, the show became the first show to win a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reailty Competition Program is handed out for reality-style, skill-based competition formats during the primetime telecast since 2003. The award goes to the producers of the program. ''The Amazing Race'' w ...
and a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program is an award that was first awarded in 2008. On July 27, 2008, it was announced that the category's five nominees would all co-host the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards t ...
in the same year, a feat it has since repeated three times.


Format

Prospective ''Drag Race'' contestants submit video auditions to the show's production company, World of Wonder.
RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series '' RuPaul's Drag Race ...
, the host and head judge, views each tape and selects the season's competitors. Once the chosen pool of performers is on set, they film a series of episodes in which they compete against each other in various challenges. Each episode typically concludes with the removal of one contestant from the competition. Rarely, the outcome of an episode has been a double elimination, no elimination, contestant disqualification or removal of a contestant on medical grounds. Each episode features a so-called maxi challenge that tests competitors' skills in a variety of areas of drag performance. Some episodes also feature a mini challenge, the prize of which is often an advantage or benefit in the upcoming maxi challenge. Following the maxi challenge, contestants present themed looks in a
runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete ...
walk. RuPaul and a panel of judges then critique each contestant's performance, deliberate amongst themselves, and announce the week's winner and bottom two competitors. The bottom two queens compete in a so-called Lip Sync for Your Life; the winner of the lip sync remains in the competition, and the loser is eliminated. Generally, the contestant that the judges feel has displayed the most "charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent" (C.U.N.T.) is the one who advances. The final three, or four depending on what RuPaul chooses, contestants remaining compete in a special finale episode wherein the season's winner is crowned. In early seasons, the finale was pre-recorded in the studio with no audience. More recently, the finale has taken the form of a lip sync tournament before a live audience. The season 12 finale was filmed remotely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The whole season is typically filmed in four weeks.


Mini and maxi challenges

Mini challenges are quick, small assignments that RuPaul announces at the beginning of an episode. One of the most popular mini challenges, which recurs from season to season, is the reading challenge. In it, contestants satirically criticize one another in a process called "reading", which was popularized by the film ''
Paris Is Burning Paris Is Burning may refer to: * ''Paris Is Burning'' (film), a 1990 documentary film * "Paris Is Burning" (''Gilmore Girls''), the eleventh episode of ''Gilmore Girls first season * "Paris Is Burning", a song from the 1983 album '' Breaking the Ch ...
''. Maxi challenges vary in the skill they test; some are group challenges that involve singing and acting, while others feature comedy, a talent of choice, dancing, or makeovers. The winner receives a material or monetary prize. Until the show's sixth season, the winner sometimes also received
immunity Immunity may refer to: Medicine * Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease * ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press Biology * Immune system Engineering * Radiofrequence immunity de ...
against elimination the following week. ''Drag Race''s most popular seasonal maxi challenge is
Snatch Game Snatch Game is a challenge on the ''Drag Race'' reality competition television franchise. Beginning with the second season of the original American series '' RuPaul's Drag Race'', the challenge has taken place on every season since. It has also ...
, a spoof on '' Match Game'' wherein contestants impersonate celebrities or famous fictional personas.


Judging

RuPaul has been the series' head judge since its premiere. For the first two seasons, Merle Ginsberg joined him on the panel; she was replaced in season 3 by longtime friend of RuPaul and co-host of ''
The RuPaul Show ''The RuPaul Show'' is an American talk/variety show that premiered on VH1 in 1996. Hosted by the drag performer RuPaul, the show had many famous musical guests and was notable as being one of the first national television programs in the United ...
''
Michelle Visage Michelle Lynn Case (nee Shupack), better known as Michelle Visage (born September 20, 1968), is an American singer, television host, actress, radio DJ and producer. She first gained recognition as a member of the musical group Seduction whic ...
. Santino Rice served as a judge from season 1 through season 6. From season 7 onward, Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley have occupied Rice's former seat. New York City makeup artist Billy B held a regular judging spot in the third and fourth seasons when Rice was absent. Most weeks, one or two celebrity guest judges join the panel. After appearing as a recurring guest judge in seasons 13 and 14, Ts Madison became a regular member of the judging panel from the fifteenth season.


Companion series

The first season of ''Drag Race'' was accompanied by a seven-episode
web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...
titled ''Under the Hood of RuPaul's Drag Race'', which Logo TV made available for
streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content i ...
on its website. The series featured behind-the-scenes and deleted footage from the main show's tapes. From
season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...
onward, a companion show called '' RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked'', which has the same premise, has aired instead. ''Untucked'' largely focuses on conversations and drama that occur between contestants backstage while the judges deliberate on each episode's results. In most seasons, it has aired on TV following the main show, but it was available only online for season 7 through season 9. A number of smaller web series also accompany each episode of ''Drag Race''. ''Whatcha Packin'', which began at the start of the sixth season, features Michelle Visage interviewing the most recently eliminated queen about their run on the show and showcasing runway outfits they had brought but did not have the opportunity to wear. In 2014, the web-series Fashion Photo Ruview aired for the first time, co-hosted by Raja Gemini and Raven who evaluate the runway looks of the main show. Since season 8, a five- to fifteen-minute (later eighteen- to thirty-minute) aftershow called ''The Pit Stop'' has also been produced. It involves a host and guest, typically past competitors of ''Drag Race'', discussing the recently aired episode. Each season's host (or hosts) are different; to date, these have included the YouTuber Kingsley,
Raja Gemini Sutan Ibrahim Karim Amrullah ; (born June 14, 1974), often shortened to Sutan Amrull, is an American drag performer and make-up artist who also uses the stage name Raja Gemini or simply Raja. He is best known for winning the third season of ' ...
,
Bob the Drag Queen Christopher D. Caldwell, better known as Bob the Drag Queen and Caldwell Tidicue, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, and reality television personality. He is best known for winning the eighth season of ''RuPaul's D ...
, Alaska Thunderfuck, Trixie Mattel, Manila Luzon,, Monét X Change, and Bianca Del Rio.


Series overview


Seasons 1–8 (2009–2016): Logo TV

Season 1 premiered in the U.S. on February 2, 2009, on
Logo TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progr ...
. Nine contestants competed to become "America's Next Drag Superstar". The winner won a lifetime supply of
MAC Cosmetics MAC Cosmetics, stylized as M·A·C, is a Canadian cosmetics manufacturer founded in Toronto, Canada in 1984 by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. The company is headquartered in New York City after becoming a subsidiary of Estée Lauder Companies ...
, was featured on the cover of ''
Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribu ...
'' and in an LA Eyeworks campaign, joined the Absolut Pride tour, and won a cash prize of $20,000. One of the nine, Nina Flowers, was determined by an audience vote via the show's official website. The winner of season 1 was BeBe Zahara Benet, with Nina Flowers winning Miss Congeniality. In late 2013, Logo re-aired the season as ''RuPaul's Drag Race: The Lost Season Ru-Vealed'', featuring commentary from RuPaul. For
season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...
(2010), 12 contestants competed for a lifetime supply of NYX Cosmetics and be the face of nyxcosmetics.com, an exclusive one year public relations contract with
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...
firm Project Publicity, be featured in an LA Eyeworks campaign, join the
Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...
Drag Race Tour, and a cash prize of $25,000. A new tradition of writing a farewell message in lipstick on the workstation mirror was started by the first eliminated queen, Shangela. Each week's episode is followed by a behind-the-scenes show, ''RuPaul's Drag Race Untucked''. The winner of season 2 was Tyra Sanchez, with
Pandora Boxx Michael R. Steck (born May 2, 1972), better known by the stage name Pandora Boxx, is an American drag queen, comedian, and reality television personality from Rochester, New York. Boxx competed in the second season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', pl ...
winning Miss Congeniality. On December 6, 2011, Amazon.com released season 2 on DVD via the CreateSpace program. Season 3 (2011) had
Michelle Visage Michelle Lynn Case (nee Shupack), better known as Michelle Visage (born September 20, 1968), is an American singer, television host, actress, radio DJ and producer. She first gained recognition as a member of the musical group Seduction whic ...
replacing Merle Ginsberg on the judging panel as well as Billy Brasfield (commonly known as Billy B),
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 ...
, and Jeffrey Moran (courtesy of
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 brands ...
) filling in for Santino Rice's absence during several episodes. Due to Billy B's continued appearances, he and Rice are considered to have been alternate judges for the same seat on judges panel. Other changes made included the introduction of a wildcard contestant from the past season, Shangela; an episode with no elimination; and a contestant,
Carmen Carrera Carmen Carrera (born April 13, 1985) is an American reality television personality, model, burlesque performer, and actress, known for appearing on the third season of the Logo reality television series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', as well as its s ...
, being brought back into the competition after having been eliminated a few episodes prior. A new pit crew was also introduced consisting of Jason Carter and Shawn Morales. As with the previous season, each week's episode was followed by a behind-the-scenes show, ''RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked''. The winner of the season 3 was
Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...
, with
Yara Sofia Yara Sofia is the stage name of Gabriel Burgos Ortiz (born May 8, 1984), a Puerto Rican drag queen, professional make-up artist, and reality television personality. She is most known for appearing on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' season 3, where she ...
winning Miss Congeniality. On December 6, 2011, Amazon.com released this season on DVD via their CreateSpace program. Season 4 began airing on January 30, 2012, with cast members announced November 13, 2011. The winner headlined Logo's Drag Race Tour featuring Absolut Vodka, won a one-of-a-kind trip, a lifetime supply of NYX Cosmetics, a cash prize of $100,000, and the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". Like the previous season, Rice and Billy B (Billy Brasfield), shared the same seat at the judges table alternatively, with Brasfield filling in for Rice when needed. The winner of season 4 was
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 ...
, with Latrice Royale winning Miss Congeniality. Season 5 began airing on January 28, 2013, with a 90-minute premiere episode. Fourteen contestants competed for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" along with a lifetime supply of Colorevolution Cosmetics, a one-of-a-kind trip courtesy of AlandChuck.travel, a headlining spot on Logo's Drag Race Tour featuring
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 brands ...
and a cash prize of $100,000. Rice and Visage were back as judges on the panel. The winner of season 5 was Jinkx Monsoon, with Ivy Winters winning Miss Congeniality. Season 6 began airing February 24, 2014. Like season 5, season 6 saw 14 contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". For the first time in the show's history, the season premiere was split into two episodes; the fourteen queens are split into two groups and the seven queens in each group compete against one another before being united as one group in the third episode. Rice and Visage returned as judges at the panel. Two new pit crew members, Miles Moody and Simon Sherry-Wood, joined Carter and Morales. The winner won a prize package that included a supply from Colorevolution Cosmetics and a cash prize of $100,000. The winner of season 6 was Bianca Del Rio, with BenDeLaCreme winning Miss Congeniality. Season 7 began airing on March 2, 2015. Returning judges included RuPaul and Visage, while the space previously occupied by Rice was filled by new additions Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley. Mathews and Kressley were both present for the season premiere and then took turns sharing judging responsibilities. Morales and Simon Sherry-Wood did not appear this season and were replaced by Bryce Eilenberg. Like the previous two seasons, this one featured fourteen contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. The season premiere debuted with a live and same-day viewership of 348,000, a 20 percent increase from the previous season. On March 20, 2015, it was announced that Logo had given the series an early renewal for an eighth season. The winner of season 7 was Violet Chachki, with
Katya Katya is a feminine given name. It is a very popular name in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, and North Macedonia. It is a Russian diminutive form of Yekaterina, which is a Russian form of Katherine.This name is also can be spelled Katia.MFn ...
winning Miss Congeniality. Season 8 on began airing on March 7, 2016, with cast members announced during the NewNowNext Honors on February 1, 2016. Visage returned as a main judge, while Kressley and Mathews returned as rotating main judges. The first episode celebrated the 100th taping of the show, and the 100th drag queen to compete. Similar to season 2, this season had twelve contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. The winner of season 8 was
Bob the Drag Queen Christopher D. Caldwell, better known as Bob the Drag Queen and Caldwell Tidicue, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, and reality television personality. He is best known for winning the eighth season of ''RuPaul's D ...
, with Cynthia Lee Fontaine winning Miss Congeniality.


Seasons 9–14 (2017–2022): VH1

Season 9 began airing on March 24, 2017 on VH1, with cast members being announced on February 2, 2017. Visage returned as a main judge, while Kressley and Mathews returned as rotating main judges. This season features fourteen contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. The ninth season aired on VH1, with encore presentations continuing to air on Logo. This season featured the return of Cynthia Lee Fontaine, who previously participated in the season 8. Season 9 featured a top four in the finale episode, as opposed to the top three, which was previously established in season 4. The winner of season 9 was Sasha Velour, with Valentina winning Miss Congeniality. Season 10 began airing on March 22, 2018. Visage returned as a main judge, while Kressley and Mathews returned as rotating main judges. This season features thirteen new contestants, and one returning contestant, competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. Eureka O'Hara, who was removed from the ninth season due to an injury, returned to the show after she accepted an open invitation. Season 10 premiered alongside the televised return of ''Untucked''. The tenth season featured a top four following the previous season's finale format. The winner of season 10 was Aquaria, with Monét X Change winning Miss Congeniality. Season 11 began airing February 28, 2019. This season had fifteen contestants, whereas previous seasons typically had fourteen contestants. Visage returned as a main judge, while Kressley and Mathews returned as rotating main judges. This season features fourteen new contestants, and one returning contestant, competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. This season saw the return of
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, sometimes known as Miss Vanjie or simply Vanjie, is the stage name of José Cancel, an American drag performer known for competing on the tenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and placing fifth on the eleventh season of ...
, who was the first contestant eliminated in season 10. Season 11 again featured a top four in the finale. As with season 10, each week's episode was followed by an episode of the televised return of ''RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked''. The winner of season 11 was Yvie Oddly, with Nina West winning Miss Congeniality. On January 22, 2019, casting for Season 12 (2020) was announced via YouTube and Twitter and was closed on March 1, 2019. On August 19, 2019, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a twelfth season. The season began airing on February 28, 2020. This is the first and only season to have the reunion and finale recorded virtually from the contestants' homes due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The winner of season 12 was Jaida Essence Hall, with
Heidi N Closet Heidi N Closet is the stage name of Trevien Anthonie Cheek, an American drag queen from Ramseur, North Carolina, best known for competing on the twelfth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', where she placed 5th and won the Miss Congeniality award. ...
winning Miss Congeniality. On December 2, 2019, casting for Season 13 (2021) was announced via YouTube and Twitter. The casting call closed on January 24, 2020. On August 20, 2020, it was announced the thirteenth season had been ordered by VH1. It began airing on January 1, 2021. The winner of season 13 was Symone, with
Kandy Muse Kandy Muse is the stage name of Kevin Candelario, an American drag queen and performer most known for being the runner-up on the thirteenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and for being part of the House of Aja. Career Kandy Muse was part o ...
as runner-up, and
LaLa Ri LaLa Ri is the stage name of LaRico Demetrius Potts (born August 28, 1990), an American drag performer most known for competing on season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Career LaLa Ri competed on season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Prior to app ...
as Miss Congeniality. Casting for Season 14 began on November 23, 2020. In August 2021, it was announced the fourteenth season had been ordered by VH1. The cast for the fourteenth season was revealed through VH1 on December 2, 2021. The season started airing on January 7, 2022. The season welcomed Maddy Morphosis, the show's first heterosexual, cisgender male contestant. The season notably also featured five transgender contestants: Kerri Colby and Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté (both of whom entered the competition openly trans), Jasmine Kennedie (who came out as a trans woman during filming of the show),
Bosco Bosco may refer to: People Given name Bosco * Bosco (drag queen) (born 1993), Drag Queen * Bosco Lin Chi-nan (born 1943), Taiwanese bishop * Bosco Frontán (born 1984), Uruguayan soccer player * Bosco Hogan (born 1949), Irish actor * Bosco Low ...
(who also came out as a trans woman as the season aired), and Willow Pill (who came out as trans femme as the season aired). The winner of season 14 was Willow Pill, with
Lady Camden Lady Camden is the stage name of Rex Wheeler, an English drag queen resident in the United States who competed on season 14 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', placing as the runner-up and winning a cash prize of $50,000. Early life Wheeler was born in ...
as runner-up, and Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté as Miss Congeniality. The winning queen received a cash prize of $150,000, the highest amount awarded to date in a regular season. The runner-up received a $50,000 cash prize. Casting for Season 15 began on November 4, 2021, and closed on January 7, 2022.


Season 15 (2023): MTV

On December 12, 2022, it was announced that season 15 would premiere on January 6, 2023, on MTV.


Contestants

More than 150 contestants have competed on the U.S. version of the show.


Specials

*''RuPaul's Drag Race: Green Screen Christmas'' (2015): On December 13, 2015, Logo aired a seasonal themed episode of ''Drag Race''. The non-competitive special was released in conjunction with RuPaul's holiday album ''
Slay Belles ''Slay Belles'' is the ninth studio album and second Christmas album from American singer and drag queen RuPaul. It was released exclusively via iTunes and Amazon on 23 October 2015, through RuPaul's label RuCo. It was also made available to stre ...
'' and featured music videos for songs from the album. The cast included RuPaul, Michelle Visage,
Siedah Garrett Deborah Christine "Siedah" Garrett (born June 24, 1960) is an American singer and songwriter who has written songs and performed backing vocals for many recording artists in the music industry, such as Michael Jackson, the Pointer Sisters, Brand N ...
, and Todrick Hall, and former contestants
Alyssa Edwards Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson (born January 16, 1980), best known by the stage name Alyssa Edwards, is an American drag performer, choreographer, and businessperson. Edwards was known for competing in drag pageantry (notably Miss Gay America 2010) ...
,
Laganja Estranja Jay Evan Jackson, known professionally as Laganja Estranja (born December 28, 1988) is an American choreographer and drag queen based in Los Angeles. Laganja competed on the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', finishing in eighth place. She ...
, Latrice Royale,
Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...
, and Shangela. *''
RuPaul's Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular ''RuPaul's Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular'' was a holiday television special, which aired on VH1 on December 7, 2018. The hour-long ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' special, announced on November 1, had former ''Drag Race'' contestants Eureka O'Hara, Jasm ...
'' (2018): On November 1, 2018, VH1 announced a seasonal themed special episode of ''Drag Race'' scheduled to air on December 7, 2018. The special saw eight former contestants compete for the title of "America's first Drag Race Christmas Queen". Competitors included Eureka O'Hara,
Jasmine Masters Martell Robinson (born October 16, 1976), known by the stage name Jasmine Masters, is an American drag queen, internet celebrity, YouTuber, and stand-up comedian. He is best known for competing on the seventh season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and ...
, Kim Chi, Latrice Royale, Mayhem Miller, Shangela, Sonique, and Trixie Mattel. * '' RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race'' (2020 - Present): On April 10, 2020, VH1 announced a celebrity edition of ''Drag Race'' scheduled to air for four weeks beginning on April 24, 2020. The series featured a trio of celebrities receiving makeovers from former contestants. After receiving help from "Queen Supremes"
Alyssa Edwards Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson (born January 16, 1980), best known by the stage name Alyssa Edwards, is an American drag performer, choreographer, and businessperson. Edwards was known for competing in drag pageantry (notably Miss Gay America 2010) ...
,
Asia O'Hara Antwan Mason Lee (born July 7, 1982), better known by the stage name Asia O'Hara, is an American drag queen, reality television personality, and costume designer. She is most well known for competing on the tenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', ...
,
Bob the Drag Queen Christopher D. Caldwell, better known as Bob the Drag Queen and Caldwell Tidicue, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, and reality television personality. He is best known for winning the eighth season of ''RuPaul's D ...
, Kim Chi, Monét X Change,
Monique Heart Mo Heart, previously Monique Heart, is the stage name of Kevin Richardson (born May 22, 1986), an American drag queen, reality television personality, and recording artist best known for competing on the tenth season of '' RuPaul's Drag Race'' ( ...
, Nina West,
Trinity the Tuck Ryan A. Taylor, known professionally as Trinity "The Tuck" Taylor or just Trinity the Tuck (born December 10, 1985),Taylor in is an American drag queen and recording artist best known for competing on the ninth season of '' RuPaul's Drag Race' ...
, Trixie Mattel and
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, sometimes known as Miss Vanjie or simply Vanjie, is the stage name of José Cancel, an American drag performer known for competing on the tenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and placing fifth on the eleventh season of ...
, the celebrities competed in fan-favorite challenges and on the runway to be named "America's Next Celebrity Drag Race Superstar" and prize money for choice charities. * '' RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue'' (2020): On July 22, 2020, it was announced that a docu-series would premiere on August 21, 2020. *''RuPaul's Drag Race: Corona Can't Keep a Good Queen Down'' (2021): On February 26, 2021, the one hour special aired on VH1 in between episodes 8 and 9 of Season 13 and detailed the contestants' journeys with filming the season amid the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.


Spin-offs

*'' RuPaul's Drag U'' (2010–2012): In each episode, three women are paired with former ''Drag Race'' contestants ("Drag Professors"), who give them drag makeovers and help them to access their "inner divas". *'' RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' (2012–present): Past contestants return and compete for a spot in the ''Drag Race'' Hall of Fame. The show's format is similar to that of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', with challenges and a panel of judges. *''
Dancing Queen "Dancing Queen" is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, '' Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvae ...
'' (2018): In April 2013, RuPaul confirmed that he planned to executive-produce a spin-off of ''Drag Race'' that stars season five and ''All Stars'' season two contestant
Alyssa Edwards Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson (born January 16, 1980), best known by the stage name Alyssa Edwards, is an American drag performer, choreographer, and businessperson. Edwards was known for competing in drag pageantry (notably Miss Gay America 2010) ...
. Alyssa Edwards has confirmed that the spin-off's title is ''Beyond Belief'' (later retitled as ''Dancing Queen''), and that his dance company in
Mesquite, Texas Mesquite is a suburban city located east of the city of Dallas, Texas, in the United States. Most of the city is located in Dallas County, though a small portion extends into Kaufman County. As of 2019 census estimates, the population was ...
is the setting. The series aired on Netflix on October 5, 2018. *Feature film: In August 2015, RuPaul revealed that a movie featuring all of the contestants was in the works. "We've got a director for it, we've got a light script, but it just needs a little more retooling and scheduling." *''RuPaul's Drag Race Superstar'' is a mobile app by World of Wonder and Leaf Mobile's subsidiary East Side Games, which was released on October 25th, 2021.


International versions

*'' The Switch Drag Race'' (2015–2018): This licensed
glocalization Glocalization or Glocalisation (a portmanteau of ''globalization'' and '' localism'') is the "simultaneous occurrence of both universalizing and particularizing tendencies in contemporary social, political, and economic systems." The notion of gloca ...
of ''Drag Race'' premiered in October 2015 on Chilean television channel Mega. As in ''Drag Race'', queens compete in "mini-challenges" and a main challenge and are evaluated by a panel of judges. Similar to ''Drag Race'', ''The Switch'' requires contestants to lip-sync, dance, and perform impersonations. * ''
Drag Race Thailand ''Drag Race Thailand'' is a Thai reality competition show based on the American version with RuPaul. The series was licensed by the Kantana Group and premiered on 15 February 2018. The show is hosted by fashion stylist Art Arya, while drag per ...
'' (2018–present): In October 2017,
Kantana Group Kantana Group is a production company established in Bangkok, Thailand in 1951 by Pradit and Somsook Kaljaruek. Kantana took its first step from radio dramas to films, television dramas, variety programs, and eventually moved on to become an int ...
acquired the rights to produce its own version of ''Drag Race''. Season 1 of ''Drag Race Thailand'' was met with successful ratings on Thai television. It was later announced that the first season will premiere in the U.S. in May 2018. The first season also made stirs in the Asian LGBT community, the most prominent of which was a campaign to establish versions of ''Drag Race'' in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
as well, two of the most LGBT-accepting nations in
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
. * ''
RuPaul's Drag Race UK ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. T ...
'' (2019–present): On December 5, 2018, it was announced that the British version of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' would be an eight-part series filmed in London based on local drag queens and would air on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
in 2019. Visage confirmed via social media that she would appear as a judge. * '' Canada's Drag Race'' (2020–present): On June 27, 2019, OutTV and
Bell Media Bell Media Inc. (French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies. Establishment (2011–13) On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...
's streaming service Crave announced that they had co-commissioned a Canadian version of ''Drag Race''. Rights to the series, as well as the U.S. and British versions, will be shared by OutTV and Crave. Additionally, season 11 runner-up
Brooke Lynn Hytes Brooke Lynn Hytes is the stage name of Brock Edward Hayhoe (born March 10, 1986), a Canadian drag queen, ballet dancer, performer, and television personality. After working as a dancer with Cape Town City Ballet and Les Ballets Trockadero de Mo ...
was confirmed as one of the judges, becoming the first ''Drag Race'' contestant to serve as a permanent judge. The show premiered on July 2, 2020. * ''
Drag Race Holland ''Drag Race Holland'' is a Dutch reality competition streaming television series based on the American '' RuPaul's Drag Race''. The television series is produced by Vincent TV and World of Wonder. The show is the fifth international version of ...
'' (2020–present): A Dutch version of ''Drag Race'' was announced on July 26, 2020. The series debuted on Videoland in The Netherlands, and aired on WOW Presents Plus internationally. The show is hosted by
Fred van Leer Fred van Leer (born 18 September 1976) is a Dutch stylist and presenter. Van Leer is best known for mentoring and judging on the Dutch television program '' Holland's Next Top Model''. In 2020, van Leer was appointed as host for the Dutch ada ...
and premiered . * ''
RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under ''RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under'' is a reality competition streaming television series based on the American television series of the same name produced by World of Wonder and Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand. The ...
'' (2021–present): On August 26, 2019, an Oceanic version was announced to be in production and said to air in 2020, but was likely delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Filming began in
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
, New Zealand in January 2021. The series premiered on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand in New Zealand, Stan in Australia, and on WOW Presents Plus internationally on 1 May 2021. The judging panel features RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and
Rhys Nicholson Rhys Nicholson (born 22 April 1990) is an Australian comedian and known for being a judge on ''RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under'' from 2021 onwards. Career In 2014, Nicholson featured in the ABC documentary ''GayCrashers'', alongside Joel Crease ...
. * '' Drag Race España'' (2021–present): On November 16, 2020,
Atresmedia Atresmedia Corporación de Medios de Comunicación, S.A., previously Grupo Antena 3, is a Spanish media group, present in the television, radio and filmmaking industries. Significant shareholders include Grupo Planeta and Bertelsmann. On 6 Mar ...
announced that they would produce a Spanish version of ''Drag Race'' together with Buendía Estudios after reaching an agreement with Passion Distribution in favour of World of Wonder. The series debuted on Atresmedia's pay streaming service
ATRESplayer Premium Atresplayer Premium (often stylized as ATRESplayer Premium) is a Spanish paid subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service of Atresmedia. History and description It was launched in Spain on 8 September 2019. The first origin ...
on 30 May 2021, and aired on WOW Presents Plus internationally. It is hosted by Supremme de Luxe. * ''
Drag Race Italia ''Drag Race Italia'' is an Italian reality competition streaming and television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race,'' and is the Italian edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by Ballandi Arts Studios. In a simila ...
'' (2021–present): An Italian version of ''Drag Race'' was announced on June 30, 2021. The series debuted in November 2021 on
Discovery+ Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discove ...
. * '' RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Vs the World'' (2022): On December 21, 2021, World of Wonder announced that a spin-off series of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race UK ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. T ...
'' would premiere in February 2022. Filmed in the United Kingdom, the series features international queens who have competed in the ''
Drag Race Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most ...
'' franchise around the world. *'' Drag Race France'' (2022–present): On November 17, 2021, a
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
version of ''Drag Race'' was announced. *''
Drag Race Philippines ''Drag Race Philippines'' is a Philippine reality competition television series. It is a spin-off of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. The series is produced by World of Wonder and Fullhouse Asia Production Studios. The series airs on Discovery+ and HBO ...
'' (2022–present): On August 17, 2021, a Filipino version of ''Drag Race'' was announced. *'' Drag Race Sverige'' (Sweden): Announced on April 5, 2022 to broadcast on
Sveriges Television Sveriges Television AB ("Sweden's Television Stock Company"), shortened to SVT (), is the Sweden, Swedish national public broadcasting, public television broadcaster, funded by a public service tax on personal income set by the Riksdag (national ...
and stream on WOW Presents Plus. *''
Drag Race Belgique ''Drag Race Belgique'' (sometimes called ''Drag Race Belgium'') is a Belgian French-language reality television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. The series is broadcast through Tipik in Belgium, and airs on WOW Presen ...
'' (Belgium) (TBA): Announced on April 29, 2022. *'' Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World'' (2022): an upcoming "international all-stars" season of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, slated to premiere via Crave and WOW Presents Plus in 2022. The series is the second edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise to feature queens from numerous international versions of the competition. It follows the same format as RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World. * '' Drag Race España All Stars'' (TBD): a spin-off of '' Drag Race España'', it is the first international version of the '' All Stars'' format. It was announced in September 2022 and is scheduled to air following the forthcoming third season of ''Drag Race España''. * Drag Race Brasil (TBA): Announced on December 12, 2022. * Drag Race Mexico (TBA): Announced on December 12, 2022. *
Drag Race Germany ''Drag Race Germany'' is a Germany, German Reality television, reality competition series, based on the original American series, ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. The series is broadcast on MTV Germany, MTV and Paramount+ in Germany, Austria, and Switze ...
(TBA): Announced on December 12, 2022.


Home media

Full seasons of shows in the Drag Race franchise are available to stream on WOW Presents Plus in over 200 territories. The show is also currently available on the following streaming platforms: *United States —
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...
(seasons 3–8; All Stars 1–4);
Paramount Plus Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...
(seasons 1–12, All Stars 1–6, Untucked seasons 9–11, All Stars Untucked seasons 5–6), WOW Presents Plus (Untucked seasons 7–8, Thailand season 2, and all other international series) *Canada —
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
(seasons 1–12, All Stars 4, Untucked seasons 11 and 12), Crave (all seasons, All Stars 1–6, UK series 1–3, Canada season 1 and 2, Down Under season 1), WOW Presents Plus (seasons 1–10, Untucked seasons 1–10, All Stars 1–4) *UK & Ireland — Netflix (all seasons, Untucked seasons 11–12, All Stars 4 & 5, Celebrity season 1),
BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...
(UK series 1,2 and 3, Canada season 1 and 2, Down Under season 1), WOW Presents Plus (seasons 1–10, Untucked seasons 1–10, all episodes of All Stars and Holland) *Australia — Stan (all seasons of original, All Stars, Untucked, UK, Canada, Down Under and Thailand Season 2), WOW Presents Plus (UK series 1, Canada season 1)


Awards and nominations

''RuPaul's Drag Race'' has been nominated for thirty-nine
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s, and won twenty-four. It has also been nominated for nine Reality Television Awards, winning three, and nominated for six
NewNowNext Awards The NewNowNext-Awards is an American annual entertainment awards show, presented by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-themed channel Logo TV. Launched in 2008, awards are presented both for LGBT-specific and general interest achievements ...
, winning three.


Critical reception

'' Thrillist'' called ''Drag Race'' "the closest gay culture gets to a sports league". In 2019, the TV series was ranked 93rd on ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.


Controversy

In March 2014, ''Drag Race'' sparked controversy over the use of the term " shemale" in the season 6 mini challenge "Female or She-male?".
Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...
has since removed the segment from all platforms and addressed the allegations of transphobia by removing the "You've got she-mail" intro from new episodes of the series. This was replaced with, "She done already done had herses!" RuPaul additionally came under fire for comments made in an interview with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', in which he stated he would "probably not" allow a transgender contestant to compete. He compared transgender drag performers to doping athletes on his Twitter, and has since apologized. Sasha Velour (season 9) disagreed, tweeting "My drag was born in a community full of trans women, trans men, and gender non-conforming folks doing drag. That's the real world of drag, like it or not. I thinks it's fabulous and I will fight my entire life to protect and uplift it".


Relationship with the trans community

For the first twelve seasons, RuPaul would say, "Gentlemen, start your engines, and may the best woman win," before the contestants' runway looks for the episode were shown. When season 13 introduced the show's first ever transgender male contestant, Gottmik, RuPaul's catchphrase was changed in order to promote inclusivity: "Drag racers, start your engines, and may the best drag queen win." In season 6 of ''All Stars'', an altered version of the show's opening theme was introduced with the new tag line. Performers of any sexual orientation and gender identity are eligible to audition, although most contestants to date have been gay,
cisgender Cisgender (often shortened to cis; sometimes cissexual) is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. The word ''cisgender'' is the antonym of '' transgender''. The prefix '' cis-'' is L ...
men.
Transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
competitors have become more common as seasons have progressed; Sonique, a season two contestant, became the first openly trans contestant when she came out as a woman during the reunion special. Sonique later won '' All Stars 6'', becoming the first trans woman to win an English-language version of the show and the second overall. Monica Beverly Hillz (season 5) became the first contestant to come out as a trans woman during the competition.
Peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantb ...
(season 9) is the first contestant who was out as a trans woman prior to the airing of her season. Other trans contestants came out as women after their elimination, including
Carmen Carrera Carmen Carrera (born April 13, 1985) is an American reality television personality, model, burlesque performer, and actress, known for appearing on the third season of the Logo reality television series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', as well as its s ...
,
Kenya Michaels The fourth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' began airing on January 30, 2012, with cast members announced November 13, 2011. The winner of season four headlined Logo (TV channel), Logo's Drag Race Tour featuring Absolut Vodka, won a one-of-a-kind ...
, Stacy Layne Matthews, Jiggly Caliente,
Gia Gunn Gia Gunn is the stage name of American drag performer Gia Keitaro Ichikawa (born May 10, 1990). She is known for competing on the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', the second season of ''The Switch Drag Race'', and '' RuPaul's Drag Race: ...
,
Laganja Estranja Jay Evan Jackson, known professionally as Laganja Estranja (born December 28, 1988) is an American choreographer and drag queen based in Los Angeles. Laganja competed on the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', finishing in eighth place. She ...
and
Gigi Goode Gigi Goode (born December 2, 1997) is an American drag queen and reality television personality known for being a runner-up on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12), twelfth season of the Drag (clothing), drag competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Rac ...
. Additionally,
Gottmik Kade Gottlieb (born August 19, 1997), better known as Gottmik, is an American drag performer and make-up artist. He became the first openly trans man to compete on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', tying for 3rd place on the thirteenth season. Early li ...
(season 13) was the first AFAB and currently the only openly transgender male contestant in the franchise's history. Various contestants have come out as
non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...
as well, including Jinkx Monsoon and Adore Delano. Season 14 is the first regular season to feature five transgender women in the cast— Kerri Colby, Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté,
Bosco Bosco may refer to: People Given name Bosco * Bosco (drag queen) (born 1993), Drag Queen * Bosco Lin Chi-nan (born 1943), Taiwanese bishop * Bosco Frontán (born 1984), Uruguayan soccer player * Bosco Hogan (born 1949), Irish actor * Bosco Low ...
, Jasmine Kennedie, and Willow Pill. While Kerri Colby and Kornbread entered the show openly trans, Bosco and Willow came out after the show's taping, and Jasmine Kennedie came out in episode 7 of Untucked.


Broadcast

* Australia: In Australia, lifestyle channel LifeStyle YOU regularly showed and re-screened seasons 1–7, including Untucked. In addition, free-to-air channel SBS2 began screening the first season on August 31, 2013. On March 13, 2017, it was announced that on-demand service Stan would fast-track season 9 (including Untucked). As of 2020, Stan streams all seasons since Season 1, as well as Untucked, All Stars, All Stars Untucked, Canada's Drag Race, Secret Celebrity, Drag Race UK and Season 2 of Drag Race Thailand. * Canada: The series airs on OutTV in Canada at the same time as the US airing. Unlike Logo, OutTV continues to broadcast ''Untucked'' immediately after each ''Drag Race'' episode."New owners, CEO for Canadian LGBT net"
. ''TBI Vision'', January 12, 2017.
Beginning with season 12, OutTV has shared its first-run rights to the main series (but not ''Untucked'') with the more widely subscribed Crave streaming service, with episodes available on Crave shortly after they premiere on OutTV, in connection with Crave and OutTV's co-production of '' Canada's Drag Race''. Past seasons are also available on Netflix in Canada, with each season released there shortly before the next season begins. * Ireland: In Ireland, season 2 to season 8 of the programme were available on Netflix; as of the release of Season 10, only seasons 8 & 9 are available. Netflix has started airing season 10 episodes one day after they air in the USA. All seasons of the show have been made available on Netflix since October 2018 * Indonesia: In Indonesia, season 1 to season 13 of the programme were available on Netflix, alongside the Christmas spectacular; As of the release of ''All Stars'', only season 4 and 5 is available. Netflix also aired ''Untucked'' season 10 episodes one day after they air in the USA. * UK: E4 aired season 1 in 2009, followed by season 2 in 2010. Since its success on Netflix in the UK,
TruTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that ...
acquired the broadcast rights for all eight seasons of the show including ''Untucked'' episodes. In June 2015, TruTV started airing two episodes of the show a week, starting with season 4, followed by ''All Stars'', then season 5. As of May 2018, the series airs on VH1 UK Monday–Thursday at 11pm, beginning with All Stars season 3. *Israel:
Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talent ...
has broadcast all seasons and ''Untucked'' episodes. Seasons 1–12, ''All Stars'' seasons 4–5 and ''Untucked'' seasons 11–12 are also available on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
.


Discography


See also

*
List of reality television programs with LGBT cast members This is a List of reality television programs that include real life lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, pansexual, or otherwise LGBT, persons in the cast.  Reality programs that feature an LGBTQ+ theme, with or without LGBT c ...
* List of Rusicals *
LGBT culture in New York City New York City is home to one of the largest LGBTQ populations in the world and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of ''Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day,'' wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most power ...
* ''Paris Is Burning'' (film)


References


External links

* * * *Edgar, E. (2011). "Xtravaganza!": Drag Representation and Articulation in "RuPaul's Drag Race". Studies in Popular Culture,34(1), 133–146. Retrieved fro
"Xtravaganza!": Drag Representation and Articulation in "RuPaul's Drag Race"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rupaul's Drag Race 2009 American television series debuts 2000s American reality television series 2000s LGBT-related reality television series 2010s American reality television series 2010s LGBT-related reality television series 2020s American reality television series 2020s LGBT-related reality television series American LGBT-related reality television series English-language television shows Logo TV original programming MTV original programming Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Television series by World of Wonder (company) Transgender-related television shows VH1 original programming Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program winners 2000s American LGBT-related television series 2010s American LGBT-related television series 2020s American LGBT-related television series