RuPaul’s Drag Race

From LoveToKnow Reality-TV

RuPaul’s Drag Race is a Logo Network TV show that pitts drag queens against each other in a competition for the title of "America’s Next Drag Superstar." Arguably the most famous drag queen in the world, RuPaul offers the contestants a chance to learn from both his drag queen character and from the man behind it.

RuPaul loves glamour.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Premise and Themes

To win the show, contestants have to know how to make themselves look good in their drag outfits as well as have the poise and smarts to complete tasks. Each week, the contestants compete in a challenge testing some aspect of drag queen aptitude. A panel of judges – RuPaul, Merle Ginsberg, Santino Rice and a rotating celebrity judge – pick the winners and losers of the challenge. The bottom two contestants are then forced to compete in a lip synch battle to keep their place in the competition. Based on their performance in the lip synch battle, the judges decide who gets to stick around and who is eliminated. The last drag queen standing takes the title.

The challenges depicted on the show in season one were:

Photo shoot with two male models
Destiny’s Child girl group challenge
Oprah impression
Commercial for Mac Viva Glam makeup line
Makeover female fighters into drag queens
Host a drag ball and wear three different looks throughout the event
Record a verse and perform in the video for a new RuPaul song

Season one closed with a final lip sync battle. Contestant Bebe Zahara Bennet was ultimately crowned America’s Next Drag Queen.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Contestants and Cast

The contestants that appeared on season one of the show, in reverse order of elimination, were:

Bebe Zahara Bennet – Nea Marshall
Nina Flowers – Jorge Flores
Rebecca Glasscock – Javier Riveria
Shannel – Bryan Watkins
Ongina – Ryan Ong Palao
Jade – David Sotomeyer
Akashia – Eric Flint
Tammie Brown – Keith Glenshuber
Victoria "Pork Chop" Parker – Victor Bowling

RuPaul, Merle Ginsberg and Santino Rice judged each competition, but a celebrity judge was also thrown in to the mix each week. Some of the celebrity judges who appeared on the show are:

Tori Spelling
Bob Mackie
Michelle Williams
Jenny Shimizu
Lucy Lawless
Robin Antin
Charo

Conflicts and Memorable Moments on the Show

RuPaul promised the audience maximum drama before the show began, and it definitely delivered. There was a great deal of infighting between the contestants, and as the show progressed the personality clashes only increased.

Although many of the drag queens had confrontations with each other, one of the ongoing problems on the show was the rest of cast’s dislike for Rebecca Glasscock. Most of the contestants felt that Rebecca was "fake" and that when she cried or showed emotion, that she was just doing it for attention. Rebecca had a confrontation at one point or another with just about every cast member, however, RuPaul saw a lot of potential in her. Ultimately, Rebecca came in third place in the competition. At the reunion show, the fighting continued, but eventually the contest winner tried to smooth over the relationship between Rebecca and the contestants.

One of the show’s viewers’ favorite moments was when Shannel’s wig fell off during a lip synch challenge. Shannel kept right on lip synching through the wig disaster, which won her lots of respect and eventually convinced the judged to keep her around. At the reunion show, Shannel confessed that the entire incident was staged, much to the shock of RuPaul.