Top 10 Dark Truths About RuPaul's Drag Race
#10: Queens Are Isolated From Each Other
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Many may wonder how the “Drag Race” producers are always able to capture the riveting interactions between the queens. Well, for one, contestants are reportedly isolated from each other when they are outside the werkroom. It is said that the queens are housed in separate hotel rooms and prevented from interacting with one another when the cameras aren’t rolling. In order to ensure strict adherence to this rule, the producers apparently place tape over their doors to know if anyone snuck out. Even more, the contestants are completely cut off from the outside world, with no phones to contact their loved ones. Now you know why they get so excited to see their family videos.
#9: Seasons Are Filmed in Roughly Four Weeks
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It takes anywhere from 12-14 weeks for a regular season of “Drag Race” to air in full. But that doesn’t mean the show is filmed in the same amount of time. Although each episode is regarded as a “new week,” in reality, they are shot over a much shorter period. It has been widely reported that each season of “Drag Race” wraps up after roughly four weeks, with the average episode taking about two to three days to film. This would mean that the queens only have hours to sew and design exquisite dresses, come up with hilarious commercials and write sickening verses. Boy, it really do take nerve!
#8: RuPaul’s Bad Memory
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Anyone who’s a fan of “Drag Race” can attest to the fact that RuPaul has a pretty remarkable recollection of pop culture moments. So it’s quite surprising, and maybe a little shady, that Mother’s memory becomes a little faulty when it comes to her own children. RuPaul has been captured multiple times forgetting the names of past “Drag Race” contestants. Sure, there have been a gajillion seasons at this point, and about a dozen times that number of queens, but the least Mama Ru can do is remember the winners’ names, right? Well, wrong apparently. Fans were stunned when RuPaul seemingly forgot that of the Queen of All Queens at DragCon 2022.
#7: Multiple Crownings Are Filmed
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In the early seasons of “Drag Race,” the finale and crowning of the winner was shot in the studio, months before airing. However, after the season 3 winner was leaked by internet blogger Perez Hilton, producers of the show decided to alter the format. These days, a live grand finale is filmed in front of an audience, only a few weeks before it actually airs. In order to prevent spoilers, the producers film multiple endings, with each finalist being announced as the winner. RuPaul then picks the actual champion afterwards, which is only revealed when the episode airs. Hence, the winning queen gets to find out they’ve won at the same time as the viewers.
#6: Merle Ginsberg Is Replaced by Michelle Visage
RuPaul and Michelle Visage have been squirrel friends for decades. The two reportedly first met in the late ‘80s and have worked closely together ever since. Although Visage is now a staple on “Drag Race,” she was noticeably absent from the judging panel during the first two seasons of the show. According to the multi-talented entertainer, she was contacted by RuPaul to be a judge right from the start. However, at the time, Visage had just signed a five-year contract with CBS Radio and wasn’t permitted by her boss to appear on “Drag Race”. After going over her boss’ head to the VP of CBS Radio, she was given the go-ahead and replaced Merle Ginsberg from the third season onwards.
#5: The Strange Connection With Charles Manson
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“RuPaul’s Drag Race” is a reality series centered around drag queens competing for the ultimate prize. So what in the world would such a show have in common with the cult leader and serial killer Charles Manson? Well, you can relax a bit. Manson has never been a guest judge on any of the episodes. However, some seasons of “Drag Race” have been filmed on soundstages in Simi Valley. Situated within Ventura County, California, the valley was reportedly once home to the Manson family and was the location of some of their despicable crimes. When asked about the connection in a Vanity Fair interview, Mama Ru said “We’ve come to cleanse the whole area of its checkered past.”
#4: “You’ve Got She-Mail”
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RuPaul has come under fire in the past for some statements that have been viewed by many as transphobic. In the formative years of “Drag Race,” episodes began with a pre-recorded video from RuPaul that opened with the line [Ooh girl, you’ve got she-mail]. Regardless of the intentions behind this, the term was clearly a pun on the transphobic slur “she-male”. After a controversial season 6 episode, in which the slur was used in a mini-challenge, the show was called out for the lack of oversight. As a result, the mini-challenge was removed from the episode, and the opening line of the pre-recorded video was changed to the less controversial: SB
#3: Grueling Production Hours
Anyone who’s worked on a film or TV show will not hesitate to let you know that production hours can be long. And while that’s arguably harder for the technical crew on an average set, you have to take into consideration that the “Drag Race” queens need to be in full drag for the better part of the episode. According to some sources, a production day typically takes around 11-12 hours. This means that queens have to be tucked, wearing heels, hair and make-up, and be fully dressed for practically half a day. It’s pretty understandable now why they’re quick to take off as much as possible as soon as they hit the werkroom for “Untucked”.
#2: Production Manipulations
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Since its premiere, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has been widely celebrated as a cornerstone of queer representation. But at its most basic, it is still a reality TV show, a genre that is apparently notorious for being heavily manipulated. “Drag Race” seems to be no exception. Reports have long made it online that the show favors certain queens to win, and sometimes sets up other contestants to fail, up to the point that they allegedly know beforehand that they’ll be going home. While there may be no way of confirming this, fans have pointed out the perceived unfair treatment of Max and the unfavorable edit given to Jaremi Carey, formerly known as Phi Phi O’Hara, as indicators.
#1: Willam’s Disqualification
In the history of “Drag Race,” there have been quite a few shocking eliminations. One of the very first in that category was the disqualification of Season 4 contestant Willam. After winning the “Frenemies” episode alongside Latrice Royale, Willam was sent home for reportedly breaking the rules. It was later revealed that Willam had received unauthorized visits from her partner during filming, which constituted a breach of contract. Although the queen has maintained that there was another more shady reason for her disqualification. Since her exit, Willam has consistently spilled behind-the-scenes tea about the show, including claims that the queens were not properly fed, and the presence of safety hazards on set.
