Today I'm finally going to talk to you about 'RuPaul's Drag Race', easily the most fun you'll have watching TV at the moment and my favourite reality TV series HANDS DOWN. I did not realise, however, how much of a hard sell the show would be, until I was compiling my arguments for why you should be watching it. In essence, it's a satirical, campy, hilarious, sassy, reality TV competition about drag queens trying to become America's 'next drag superstar'.
Before you go any further, I'm going to insert what I'm calling a 'Drag Race' filter - if you don't enjoy this 12 second clip, you will not enjoy the programme:
If you've made it this far, you're in for a heap of fun, and also context.
That clip is like the show - stuffed to the brim with puns and innuendo. The challenge set by RuPaul in that week was to star in a sitcom about woman who were always getting into trouble, testing the girls' ability to act under pressure.
RuPaul Charles is generally considered to be the world's most famous drag queen, and the mastermind behind this TV gold. The programme pits twelve drag queens against each other, as they strive to show the Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve & Talent (think about it) to be an ambassador for the profession. And boy does Ru test them.
The show has been described as "the best of Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model, only instead of same-ol’ same ol’ challenges and clichés, add some actual parody, old-fashioned dirty humor and about 5,000 pounds of makeup and sequins, and there you go." The challenges are hard. Here are some examples from the latest season:
- The queens design a post-apocalyptic couture outfit from items looted from drag queen zombies (aka Queens from the previous seasons).
- Create a wrestling storyline, with "backstage" clip and entertaining match in the ring
- Celebrity impersonations in a Match Game-style setting
- Participate in a Presidential debate as the 2012 Wig Party candidate
- Turn a DILF into a pregnant drag diva. (I am not shitting you.)
- Design three outfits for the runway in the categories: Daytime Dog Park, Pooch in a Purse and Canine Couture, an outfit inspired by an actual dog.
It is imperative that the queens be all-round entertainers, which makes the challenges entertaining and brings the most excellent personalities to the foreground. Oh, did I forget to mention the hilarious mini-challenges? That can be a nice surprise.
I think it's also worth mentioning that this is the most fabulous thing you will ever see - in both senses of the word. (But seriously this is the gayest thing you will ever see.) There is everything you could want from a reality TV show, including catty villains and endearing characters with really heart-breaking back stories that emerge throughout the course of the season. Drag really is a family, and there are some wonderfully touching moments amongst the ludicrous hilarity.
Plus, the outcome every week is decided not by a boring public vote, but by RuPaul herself after the bottom two contestants from the challenge have to 'lip-sync for their lives!'. This show is so great!
By now you probably know whether you'll like the show or not, but I will say one more thing - it is so much fun to watch how liberated all these people are. 'RuPaul's Drag Race' is all about loving who you are no matter what, and it's a delight to behold. So I'll end with the line Ru does every episode -
"If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?! Can I get an AMEN up in here?!
Amen.
Tara x
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FYI
- The show is not available in the UK (it was briefly on E4) so I would suggest you start watching season 4 online here.
- The AV Club do some really great coverage of Drag Race and it's worth reading their recaps after every episode.
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