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RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality television series produced by World of Wonder for Logo. RuPaul plays host, mentor and inspiration for this series, which details RuPaul's search for "America's next drag superstar."

The show was greenlit in May 2008, according to a press release by MTV Networks. It premiered in the U.S. on February 2, 2009 on Logo. It premiered in Canada on the MuchMore network on Sunday, February 15, 2009. The show also airs at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the VH1 network, but due to contractual obligations with Logo, this is not being promoted.

The first season was marked as the most successful launch for the three-year-old Logo network. Traffic to the show's web site broke records. A second season was taped in late 2009. Casting began May 1, 2009. It started airing in February 2010; promotional videos featuring each of the new contestants were released on the LOGO website.

The title of the show is play on drag queen and drag racing, with the title sequence and music video for RuPaul's song "Covergirl (Put the Bass in Your Walk)" both having a drag racing theme.

Format

RuPaul plays dual roles in the show. USA Today's Lifeline describes as follows: "RuPaul the drag queen will be the final word in judging and eliminations, while RuPaul the man will offer guidance to contestants for each challenge." In an episode of The Insider, RuPaul describes the series: "you have to remember... we're queens. So, there's gonna be drama. Lots of it!"

RuPaul also describes what qualities the contestants must have to be crowned winner of the show. "We're really looking for charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent... These are people who have taken adversity and turned it into something that is beautiful and something powerful." The phrase "charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent" is used repeatedly on the show, the running gag being that the first letters of each word spell out the word "cunt." RuPaul adds:

"Tell Tyra that the Queen has returned, and while you’re at it have Heidi clear the runway. I’m going to pump some ‘realness’ into reality. To be a winner on this show the contestants need to be a fashion designer, an American Idol, and a top model all rolled up into one. And they definitely have to be smarter than a fifth grader.”

As of Season 3, fashion designer Santino Rice and Radio/TV host Michelle Visage are the staple judges alongside RuPaul. The two are joined by a celebrity guest judge and an extra-special guest judge each week. Fashion journalist Merle Ginsberg is a former judge.

One of the contestants of each season to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race was determined by an audience vote via the show's official website, with the exception of season three.

Seasons

After the queens have completed a challenge (often in groups) they must then present their own unique costumes in a beauty-contest-style runway strut. Though the judges help RuPaul decide who fared the best and worst each week, ultimately the final decision is RuPaul's. She allots the queens one final opportunity to prove their worth to her as she announces that "The time has come for you to lip-sync for your life!" She follows up this announcement by saying, "Good luck... and don't fuck it up." The two bottom contestants then face off head-to-head by dancing and lip-syncing the same song. RuPaul determines the better performance, telling the winner "Chante, you stay," denoting that the queen remains in the contest; she tells the loser to "sashay away."

Music

The Drag Race theme, as well as the song "Cover Girl (Put the Bass in Your Walk)" both appear on RuPaul's 2009 album Champion. In addition, a new mix of "Cover Girl" featuring a rap by contestant BeBe (which was the focus of an episode of the show) was included on the RuPaul single "Jealous of My Boogie".

The Drag Race soundtrack, released to iTunes and other digital markets, is composed of remixes from RuPaul's Champion album.

1. Main Event (Matt Pop 80's Tribute) (4:16)
2. Let's Turn the Night (Matt Moss' Vidon Remix) (5:11)
3. Never Go Home Again (Moss Moss' Vidon Remix) (3:20)
4. J.O.M.B.2.0. (RevoLucian's Redux) (3:35) - featuring Tilly Key
5. Destiny is Mine (Matt Moss' Vidon Remix) (3:35)
6. Hit the Floor (Matt Moss' Vidon Remix) (3:20)
7. Champion (DJ BunJoe's Olympic Mix) (3:42)
8. LadyBoy (DJ BunJoe's Bangkok Booty Mix) (3:08)
9. Main Event (Joe Carrano's TKO Mix) (3:41)
10. Let's Turn the Night (Matt Pop Bootleg Mix) 6:43)
11. Never Go Home Again (Matt Pop Amsterdam Jam) (4:01)
12. Main Event (Matt Pop 80's Tribute Extended) (8:37)
13. Cover Girl (Matuchi's Taterz Deep Edit) (4:49)
14. Main Event (Chris Thomas' Hi-NRG Mix) (5:07)

Awards & Nominations

International airings

During Summer 2009, TIMM - a gay television channel from Germany - aired the first season every Friday night.

The show was also first aired on E4, a UK entertainment channel, in September 2009, with the first episode airing on Wednesday 9 September 2009 at 11:00pm. The first season was also aired in Australia on cable television channel Lifestyle YOU.

RuPaul's Drag Race has also been aired in Denmark, on the channel TV2-zulu, where the two first seasons have been aired in the time-frame of a couple of weeks, including the "extras" of the show.

In Summer 2010,the season aired on yes stars Next, an Israeli satellite channel.

In Finland the programme started airing on TV Viisi as Huippu- drag queen haussa ("Searching for the Top Drag Queen") on Thursday, 18 November 2010 at 20.00.

In Hungary the show aired on FEM3 channel as RuPaul - Drag Queen leszek! ("RuPaul - I'll be Drag Queen!").

In Latin America Season 2 made its premiere in January 2011 on VH1 Latin America.

The series airs on OUTtv in Canada.

References

1. "Logo caught up in RuPaul's 'Drag' net". The Hollywood Reporter. 404: 6. 15 May 2008. Retrieved 18 Match 2009. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
2. ^ RuPaul Leads Hopefuls in 'Drag Race.'USA Today. Lifeline. Sec. D. 1 December 2008
3. "rupauls drag race Vh1 Blog". Blog.vh1.com. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
5. RuPaul's Drag Race Insider Clip (2008-10-08). "WOW TV". Wow.wowtv.tv. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
6. "The Search For America's Next Tranny". Perez Hilton. 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
7. Gorman, Bill (28 April 2010). "Logo Renews 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and "Untucked"". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
8. RuPaul's Drag Race on TIMM
9. RuPaul's Drag Race at e4.com
10. RuPaul's Drag Race at lifestyleyou.com.au
11. http://plaza.fi/tv/ohjelma/2467918
12. http://www.port.hu/pls/fi/films.film_page?i_film_id=113186

External links

• Official website
• RuPaul's Drag Race at IMDb

• 2009 American television series debuts
• 2000s American television series
• 2010s American television series
• American reality television series
• English-language television series
• Logo original programs
• Transgender in film and television