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, WOW Presents Plus, VH1 and, beginning with the fifteenth season, MTV. The show documents RuPaul 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, one of three rotating judges, as well as one or more guest judges, who critique their progress throughout the competition. The title of the show is a play on drag queen and drag racing, and the title sequence and song "Drag Race" both have a drag-racing theme.
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".
The ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race began airing on March 24, 2017, on VH1. The returning judges included RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley. Fourteen drag queens competed for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". The prizes for the winner are a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, a cash prize of $100,000, and a crown and scepter provided by Shandar. The full list of contestants was revealed on February 2, 2017. This season saw the return of season eight contestant Cynthia Lee Fontaine, who finished the competition in 10th place.
"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.
"10s Across the Board" is the first episode of the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Christina Aguilera is a guest judge.
"Born Naked" is the first episode of the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Directed by Nick Murray, the episode originally aired on March 2, 2015. Kathy Griffin is a guest judge. For the fashion show mini-challenge, Mathu Andersen and former contestant Alaska Thunderfuck make guest appearances, the latter impersonating Anna Wintour.
"Glamazonian Airways" is the second episode of the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. The episode aired on March 9, 2015, and features a Rusical. Olivia Newton-John and Jordin Sparks serve as guest judges, alongside regular panelists RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and Carson Kressley. Moby and Jamal Sims also make guest appearances, the former to help judge the mini-challenge and the latter to offer choreography coaching to contestants for the main challenge.
"All Stars Supergroup" is the eighth episode of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. It originally aired on October 13, 2016. Travis Wall is a guest choreographer, and the juding panel includes RuPaul, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, and Todrick Hall. The episode has the final four contestants—Alaska, Detox, Katya, and Roxxxy Andrews—write, record, and perform original verses to RuPaul's song "Read U Wrote U" for the main challenge. After winning a three-way lip-sync to "If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Knight & the Pips, Alaska wins the competition and Detox and Katya are runners-up.
Snatch Game is a comedy challenge recurring across the Drag Race television franchise and a fixture of the reality competition series. Since the second season of the original American RuPaul's Drag Race series in 2010, the challenge has returned for every subsequent season. Typically arranged as a parody of Match Game, the challenge is a test of the contestants' skills at celebrity impersonation and improvisational comedy.
RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race is an American reality competition series that premiered April 24, 2020 on VH1. A spin-off of the television series, celebrities competing for their chosen charity, mentored by fan favourite alumni of the Drag Race franchise.
"Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical" is the seventh episode of the twelfth season of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race, which aired on VH1 on April 10, 2020. The episode has contestants perform a musical about Madonna for the main challenge. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Winnie Harlow serve as guest judges, alongside regular panelists RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and Carson Kressley.
The first season of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race premiered Friday, April 24, 2020, on VH1 (US). The four-part event series judging panel include RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews. The secret celebrities underwent a drag transformation and were mentored by Drag Race Royalty as "Queens Supremes".
"The Pork Chop" is the first episode of the thirteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. It originally aired on January 1, 2021.
"Halftime Headliners" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, which aired on online streaming service Paramount+ on July 8, 2021. The episode has contestants impersonate famous singers and musicians and lip sync to a medley of RuPaul songs, inspired by Super Bowl's Halftime Shows. Jamal Sims served as guest judges, alongside regular panelists RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Carson Kressley.
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 fifteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered January 6, 2023. The reality competition series moved to MTV for broadcast, instead of VH1 in the United States.
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.
"Rate-A-Queen" is the first episode of the sixteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. It originally aired on January 5, 2024. Charlize Theron is a guest judge. Former contestant Derrick Barry also makes a guest appearance, hosting the episode's main challenge, which is a talent show.
"Bathroom Hunties" is the twelfth episode of the sixteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. It originally aired on March 22, 2024. Mayan Lopez is a guest judge, and Norvina from Anastasia Beverly Hills also makes a guest appearance. Plane Jane wins the episode's Tammy Faye Messner-inspired mini-challenge, and Sapphira Cristál becomes the show's first and only contestant to win three consecutive main challenges. Dawn is eliminated from the competition after placing in the bottom two and losing a lip-sync against Morphine Love Dion to "Body" by Megan Thee Stallion.
The seventeenth season of American reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race is set to premiere on January 3, 2025. This marks the third season to air through cable network MTV. The series documents drag queen RuPaul in search of the "Next Drag Superstar" for the United States with a cash prize of $200,000. Michelle Visage remained as a regular judge, alongside with Carson Kressley, Ts Madison, and Ross Mathews reappearing as alternating judges.
