The first season of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered in the United States on February 2, 2009, on Logo, and ended on March 23 of the same year. Nine contestants were selected to compete in the running of becoming "America's Next Drag Superstar." The first season was filmed during the summer of 2008. The winner of the first season won a cash prize of $20,000, $5,000 worth of MAC Cosmetics, was featured in an LA Eyeworks campaign, and joined the Logo Drag Race tour. One of the nine contestants to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race, Nina Flowers was determined by an audience vote via the show's official website to be the season's Miss Congeniality. The results were announced in early September 2009.
Chad Michael Storbeck, known professionally as Chad Michaels, is an American drag performer and professional Cher impersonator. He was the runner-up of the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, alongside Phi Phi O'Hara, and the winner of the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. In 2013, he released "Tragic Girl", his debut single and music video.
Stacy Layne Matthews is the stage name of Stacy Jones, a former drag performer who competed on season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race. On the show, she popularized the word "henny", which became a nickname, and she won the Snatch Game challenge for her impersonation of Mo'Nique. Following Drag Race, Stacy Layne Matthews impersonated Mo'Nique in The HoMo'Nique Show, a parody of BET's The Mo'Nique Show, at Manhattan's Laurie Beechman Theater. She has also appeared on season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars and Teen Mom OG.
The second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars premiered on the Logo network on a new night; Thursday, August 25, 2016. Returning judges included RuPaul, Michelle Visage, with Carson Kressley joining the panel, while the space previously occupied by Ross Mathews was filled by Todrick Hall. Cast members were announced on June 17, 2016. This season featured ten All-Star contestants, selected from the show's second season through to its seventh season, who competed to be inducted into the "Drag Race Hall of Fame".
"Divas Lip Sync Live" is the second episode of the third season of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, which aired on VH1 on February 1, 2018. The episode has contestants impersonate famous divas and lip sync to a medley of RuPaul songs. Todrick Hall and Vanessa Williams serve as guest judges, alongside regular panelists RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and Carson Kressley.
The fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was announced by VH1 on August 22, 2018. Prior to the official announcement, RuPaul confirmed, in an episode of his podcast What's the Tee?, that filming for the fourth season of All Stars currently was underway. All Stars Season 3 winner Trixie Mattel, with special guests Katya and Detox, hosted a special called Trixie's Playhouse to announce the cast for the fourth season. It was scheduled to air on November 8, 2018, but was postponed to the following day due to the Thousand Oaks shooting. The season began airing on December 14, 2018, and ran for ten episodes.
The twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on February 28 and concluded on May 29, 2020. The competition was broadcast on VH1 in the United States and saw 13 new queens competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". VH1 renewed both RuPaul's Drag Race and its spin-off RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars for a twelfth and fifth season respectively on August 19, 2019. At the time of the renewal the Drag Race franchise had earned VH1 a total of 14 Emmy nominations. Casting calls were opened in January 2019 while the cast was revealed by season 11 winner Yvie Oddly on January 23, 2020.
The fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was announced by VH1 on August 19, 2019.
The thirteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on January 1 and concluded on April 23, 2021. The cast was announced via Twitter on December 9, 2020. The competition is broadcast on VH1 in the United States and showcases 13 new queens competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". VH1 renewed both RuPaul's Drag Race and its spin-off RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars for a thirteenth and sixth season respectively on August 20, 2020. Casting calls for season 13 were opened in December 2019. In addition to airing on VH1, the premiere episode was simulcast across 5 other channels: Logo, MTV, MTV2, Pop, and The CW, becoming the most-watched episode in the franchise's history.
"The Bitchelor", stylized with the "i" as an eggplant emoji, is the third episode of the third season of the American drag queen-focused reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, which aired on VH1 February 8, 2018. The season's eight remaining contestants impersonate stereotyped characters on a The Bachelor-style improvisation acting challenge. Constance Zimmer and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, both from Unreal, itself a parody of The Bachelor-type shows, serve as guest judges, alongside regular panelists RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and Ross Mathews. Like the rest of the season, the show has a themed fashion runway challenge, and the contestants get feedback on both challenges. The top two queens vie in a lip sync battle with the winner choosing which contestant is eliminated.
The sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars premiered on June 24 and concluded on September 2, 2021. The first two episodes of the season aired on the same day. On August 20, 2020, VH1 renewed both RuPaul's Drag Race and All Stars for its thirteenth and sixth season respectively. On February 24, 2021, ViacomCBS announced the sixth season of the show would move from VH1 to Paramount+, an online streaming service. However, the season is still broadcast by the same networks abroad.
The third series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on 23 September 2021.
The first season of Canada's Drag Race premiered on July 2, 2020. The cast was announced on May 14, 2020. The winner of the first season of Canada’s Drag Race was Priyanka, with Rita Baga and Scarlett BoBo as runners-up.
The fourth series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on BBC Three on 22 September 2022. RuPaul returned to his role as main host and head judge, and was again joined on the judging panel by Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, all of whom returned for their respective fourth series. The series was filmed in Pinewood Studios in February 2022. The cast for the fourth series was revealed on 7 September 2022 on social media. The cast also featured Dakota Schiffer, the first out trans woman to compete in the British version of the show.
The first season of Drag Race Italia premiered on November 18, 2021. The cast was announced on October 28, 2021. The winner of the first season of Drag Race Italia was Elecktra Bionic, becoming the first ever winner in the Drag Race franchise without any maxi-challenge wins, and the first contestant to never lip sync or win a maxi-challenge in the same season, with Farida Kant and Le Riche as runners-up.
The second season of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race premiered August 12, 2022 on VH1. This season featured a major retool of the spin-off, with nine celebrity contestants — concealed by drag personas — competing in a season-length lip sync tournament. RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews returned as judges.
The seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars premiered on Paramount+ on May 20 and concluded on July 29, 2022.
The eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars premiered on Paramount+ on May 12, 2023. The series continues with RuPaul as host and judge, with returning judges Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Mathews joined by Ts Madison on the judging panel. The season's premiere date was announced in a brief teaser trailer aired during the finale of the fifteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. The cast was revealed on April 20.
The sixth series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK aired on BBC Three on 26 September 2024. RuPaul returned to his role as main host and head judge, and will again be joined on the judging panel by Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, all of whom returned for their respective sixth series. The series began filming in January 2024.
The second series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World began airing on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on 9 February 2024. RuPaul returned to his role of main host and head judge, and again was joined on the judging panel by Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, all of whom are judges on RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
