# Production of RuPaul's Drag Race

The American television series RuPaul's Drag Race has produced seventeen seasons and more than 200 episodes. The series started on Logo TV and later aired on VH1 and MTV. It is among shows with the most Emmy Award wins in television history, with 29 as of 2024. RuPaul is the host. More than 200 contestants have competed on the series. Contestants are eligible to receive monetary and other prizes. The show has created more than a dozen international spin-offs and the Drag Race franchise has seen more than 1,000 episodes.
In addition to the judges and contestants, many notable people have been involved in the show's production. Choreographers have included Candis Cayne and Jamal Sims, who received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. Composers and songwriters have included Lucian Piane, Leland, and Freddy Scott. Make-up artists have included Mathu Andersen and former contestant Raven, who has earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program for her work. Former contestant Delta Work has styled RuPaul's wigs, earning her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program. Zaldy has received multiple nominations and wins for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming. Notable members of the Pit Crew, a group of male models who assist with production, have included Laith Ashley, Shawn Morales, and Simon Sherry-Wood. Director Nick Murray has received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program multiple times.
The series has been licensed to Viacom. The book And Don't F&%k It Up: An Oral History of RuPaul's Drag Race (The First Ten Years) is about the show's production.

## Conception and development

Vulture said in 2017: "The road to Drag Race was paved 32 years ago at a music seminar in Manhattan, when 24-year-old RuPaul met Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, the founders of World of Wonder Productions, who would become his managers and best friends... Barbato started conversations with RuPaul about a reality show in 2004, around the time he and his frequent collaborator, Michelle Visage, began co-hosting a morning radio show in New York... When Tom Campbell, a development executive who had worked at MTV, Warner Bros. Television, New Line Television, and ABC, joined World of Wonder two years later as head of development, he broached the subject with the drag star again."
According to Vulture, Campbell (who became World of Wonder's chief creative officer), "came up with the show's format and its titular pun, while the producers and RuPaul came up with challenges, based on obstacles the drag star faced early in his career". Drag Race borrowed from other reality television show formats, including those of America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, and the World of Wonder series ¡Viva Hollywood!

## Executive production and directing

The show has had several executive producers, including Bailey, Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe, Tim Palazzola, Jen Passovoy, John Polly, Pamela Post, RuPaul, Mandy Salangsang (also co-showrunner), and Michael Seligman have also been producers. Jacqueline Wilson was also a producer, prior to her death.
Nick Murray is a director; his work on the series has earned him seven consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program, winning twice; in 2018 and 2023, for the episodes "10s Across the Board" from the tenth season and "Gettin' Lucky" from the thirteenth season, respectively.
Duncan White has been an assistant director.

## Casting

Thousands of applications to compete on the series are submitted each season. In most cases, hopeful candidates submit audition tapes, though there have been exceptions. Penny Tration, who competed on the fifth season (2013), was cast after being selected "Fan Pick" on social media. Hormona Lisa, who was cast for the seventeenth season (2025), notably gave her audition tape to RuPaul in front of a live audience at a book tour stop. Screen Rant has said, "Unfortunately, many drag performers make the mistake of sending audition tapes showing only what they think Drag Race producers are looking for." RuPaul has said of the audition process, "Everyone does the exact same thing. They behave in a way that they think I want them to behave. But the people who stick out are the ones who are authentic and are really just being themselves."
According to Screen Rant, "Casting decisions are not only hidden from the public. When the contestants arrive, producers separate them until filming begins. Even in the comfort of their own hotel room they have to be careful not to catch a glimpse of their fellow competitors. It is not until they step into the werk room that they discover who they will be competing against. Their surprised reactions to their cast mates are therefore some of the realest moments on RuPaul's Drag Race."
Casting has been directed by Casting Firm, which was founded by Goloka Bolte and Ethan Peterson. Bolte and Petersen were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Petersen, Adam Cook, Michelle Redwine were nominated in the same category in 2024. Additionally, Bolte and Petersen have been recognized at the Artios Awards, given annually by the Casting Society of America, for their work in the series, winning the Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Reality Series award in three ocasions (2022, 2024, and 2025).

## Filming

Contestants are secluded and stay in a hotel during production. According to Screen Rant, "The show tries to keep each season's cast strictly confidential. Contestants cannot tell anyone that they will be participating, and they must make up lies to their loved ones about their whereabouts." Contestants are asked to bring dozens of outfits and cannot use phones, radios, tablets, or televisions while filming. An exception to this rule is the ability to use in iPod with songs planned to be used for lip-sync contests. Contestants must also follow specific production rules. Willam was disqualified for violating rules while taping the fourth season. When filming fashion shows, contestants have two chances to walk the runway on the main stage. Since Mimi Imfurst picked up India Ferrah during a lip-sync on the third season (2011), RuPaul has declared that "drag is not a contact sport", meaning contestants should not be physically aggressive towards each other. Since news leaked about Raja's win ahead of the third season's finale, multiple endings are filmed for each season. Contestants learn who won the season when the finale airs.
The Pit Crew is a group of male models who assist with challenges and other segments on the show. Members wear "modesty cups" in their underwear to hide the silhouettes of genitalia. Notable members have included Laith Ashley, Shawn Morales, and Simon Sherry-Wood.
The show's first season (2009), sometimes called "The Lost Season", is said to have a "Vaseline filter" because "it was virtually impossible to make out the queens through its cloudy haze", according to Screen Rant. The website has said, "The season 1 filter is probably the first thing that comes to mind when fans think back to the very first season of Drag Race. The competition show has since found its aesthetic in crisp and clear high-definition quality imaging and vibrant colors, but the original filter used for the series' opening season was a far cry from what viewers are used to now." During filming of the third season, there was a weeks-long production pause after a confrontation between contestants Mimi Imfurst and Shangela. The main challenge of the ninth season (2017) episode "Makeovers: Crew Better Work" tasked contestants with giving makeovers to members of the Drag Race film crew.
The thirteenth season (2021) was delayed and filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drag Race "made history as one of the first shows to go into production during this period". According to Screen Rant, the production team "quite literally pioneered safe sets for COVID" and "managed to film an entire television season under the new protocols and kept everyone safe". The website's Brad Davis opined, "What's more, they managed to do so while having a ton of fun. Season 13 is kinetic, drama-filled, and a blast for any fan of the show." Special guests like Anne Hathaway and Scarlett Johansson appeared on the show remotely. The special Corona Can't Keep a Good Queen Down showed the challenges faced by contestants and the production team while filming during the pandemic.

### Locations and set

RuPaul's Drag Race is mostly filmed at the Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Some episodes, particularly season finales, have been filmed off-site. The finale of the seventh season (2015) was filmed at Los Angeles' Orpheum Theatre. The finale of the tenth season (2018) was filmed at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles and the finale of the eleventh season (2019) saw a return to the Orpheum. The finale of the twelfth season (2020) was filmed virtually because of the pandemic. The finale of the thirteenth season was filmed at the Ace Hotel and the finale of the fourteenth season (2022) was filmed at the Flamingo Las Vegas, which hosts the residency RuPaul's Drag Race Live! The finale of the fifteenth season (2023) was also filmed at the Ace Hotel. There have also been instances in which challenges have been filmed outside the studio. On the second season (2010), contestants went to Hollywood to perform burlesque for a crowd. On the fourth season, contestants went to Hollywood to collect materials from waste containers. In 2021, Screen Rant said these off-site challenges "forced the contestants operate in a public environment, which challenged them in unique ways that are lacking from the show nowadays".
The workroom used by contestants is referred to as the "Werk Room". Lip-syncs are performed on a main stage, which has also been upgraded over time. There is also a separate room with a green screen, which is used by individual contestants during confessionals. The set has non-functioning clocks, but contestants are given time checks from production staff.
The "Untucked Lounge", which is used to film the companion series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked, has props from the show's past, including a Lil' Poundcake doll created by Alaska Thunderfuck and Lineysha Sparx on the fifth season episode "Draggle Rock", the Ornacia head worn by Vivacious on the sixth season (2014), and a large "shade" button. Two large cockroaches appear on the lounge's walls, a nod to a pink dress worn by Alaska on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars which also inspired an outfit worn by Silky Nutmeg Ganache at finale event for the eleventh season. The lounge also has couches and a mannequin wearing a T-shirt with the words "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent", which is a phrase used by RuPaul on the show. The lounge also has a large trophy at one of the cosmetics stations as a reference to a trophy presented to Anetra during a mini-challenge on the fifteenth season and a stack of RuPaul's hip pad boxes.
Previously, the set had an Absolut Vodka-sponsored Interior Illusions Lounge. The set was upgraded ahead of the seventeenth season.

#### Werk Room

According to Screen Rant, "The Werk Room is where queens, often nervously, prepare for their maxi challenges and converse with their fellow queens. It is also where surviving queens return after the maxi challenge on the runway, where there is typically a winning queen and an eliminated queen." The website said in 2021, "At first, the Werk Room was more of a workroom, a drab, mostly gray space that didn't stand out. For a while during the middle chunk of seasons, the Werk Room was covered in brick wallpaper and had pops of pink throughout. These days, the Werk Room is full of much more glitz and glamour. The colors are brighter and bolder, and the room is more pink than ever before."
The room has mirrors allowing contestants to prepare for main challenges and get into drag. Behind the mirrors is a hallway used by production staff, in order to capture more angles of the contestants. The Werk Room was upgraded ahead of the tenth season. It has been recreated at RuPaul's DragCon LA.

### Recurring challenges and other segments

Recurring main challenges include "balls" (for which contestants must showcase multiple outfits, often including an original design made in the Werk Room), girl groups, makeovers, roasts, "Rusicals" (musical theatre), and Snatch Game. Over time, the ball challenge has replaced the "drag on a dime" challenge. In 2022, Sam Brooks of The Spinoff said the girl group challenge has become a "classic" and a season highlight because "it tests the contestant's ability to write a verse, choreograph a dance routine, remember that choreography, and most crucially, work with others in a team". Rusicals (portmanteau of "RuPaul" and "musical") began on the sixth season and have subsequently become "a highly anticipated staple" of the reality competition, allowing contestants to showcase their talents. Usually occurring midway through each Drag Race season, Snatch Game is widely considered among the most important and memorable challenges of the show and, in RuPaul's own words, separates "the basic bitches from the fierce-ass queens". Contestants are also often tasked with demonstrating their acting and sewing skills on the show.
In 2022, Screen Rant said, "In the first few seasons of Drag Race, given the show's low budget and poor camera quality, the runway, particularly in displaying makeup and fashion looks, were not quite as prominent as it has been in more recent seasons. Instead, mini challenges at the start of the episode took up much more time and effort." Among recurring "mini-challenges", which can give contestants an advantage in the competition, is the "reading" challenge which tasks contestants with playfully insulting each other. The contest comes from the documentary film Paris Is Burning (1990). Played on most seasons of Drag Race, RuPaul introduces the challenge by reminding contestants that "reading is fundamental". Another recurring mini-challenge tasks contestants with using puppets.
The recurring "She-mail" (a play on "Tyra-Mail" on America's Next Top Model) segment was discontinued. RuPaul did not prefer to discontinue use of the catch phrase. According to Vulture, "To replace the segment, RuPaul came up with a new intro to the mini challenges, which premiered in the seventh season and became an instant classic: 'She done already done had herses.' He had overheard a girl at Krystal Burgers in Atlanta say the phrase one night over 30 years ago when another girl tried to pick up her bag of food, and he never forgot it."

## Hosting and judging

Series host RuPaul has won multiple Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program, including in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023; RuPaul was nominated in the same category in 2024. His eight consecutive wins in the category make him the host with the most wins since the inception of the award in 2008, as well as the first and only African-American host to receive the award to date. RuPaul ends episodes by saying, "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?" The phrase was inspired by RuPaul's mother.
In addition to RuPaul, the main judges currently are Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, Michelle Visage, Ts Madison, and Law Roach. Previously, Merle Ginsberg and Santino Rice were judges.

## Choreography

Screen Rant said in 2020, "Whether it is a on lip sync, a Rusical, or a straight-up choreography challenge, contestants are always asked to put their rhythm to test on the show. Thankfully, Drag Race has prominently featured various drag performers who also happen to be fantastic dancers."
Notable choreographers have included Candis Cayne and Jamal Sims. Cayne assisted with choreography on the fourth season episode "The Final Three" (2012), the fifth season episode "The Final Three, Hunty" (2013), and the seventh season episode "And the Rest Is Drag" (2015). Sims was a choreographer on the seventh season episode "Glamazonian Airways" (2015), the eighth season episode "Bitch Perfect" (2016), the finale episode of the eleventh season, the twelfth season episodes "Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical" and "Viva Drag Vegas" (2020), and the thirteenth season episode "Social Media: The Unverified Rusical" and Gettin' Lucky" (2021). Sims was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (2024).
Miguel Zarate has also been a choreographer on the show. According to Deadline Hollywood, "For the dance numbers, Zarate is given a script before each Queen has a role, so he has to create a base for the choreography before they step on stage. As they start to learn the basic movements, Zarate can then tailor the individual performance a bit to make each Queen stand out."

## Cosmetics and hair styling

Australian artist Mathu Andersen was RuPaul's make-up artist until the ninth season. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in the same category for his work on the seventh season episode "ShakesQueer." Former contestant Raven became RuPaul's make-up artist on the show. Raven has held the role since the ninth season and she has earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program for her work on the show.
Former contestant Delta Work styled RuPaul's wigs for seasons nine, ten, and eleven. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program for her work on the show.
Jen Fregozo and Natasha Marcelina have been make-up artists for the show. Both have received one Emmy Award from multiple nominations for their work on the series. Marcelina was the head of the make-up department in 2024. The make-up and hairstyling teams have also been nominated at the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards. In 2020, Fregozo and Marcelina were nominated for Best Contemporary Makeup in a Television Series, Limited or Miniseries or Television New Media Series, while the following year, Fregozo alongside David Petruschin (Raven) and Nicole Faulkner were up for the same award. Also in 2020 and 2021, Curtis Foreman and Ryan Randall were nominated for Best Contemporary Hair Styling in a Television Series, Limited or Miniseries or Television New Media Series.

## Costuming and fashion

Fashion-related expectations by judges and viewers have increased over time; according to Paper magazine, "The shift occurred around season seven, when Drag Race viewership surged and social media took hold: prior to then, appearing on Drag Race did not have the career jolt that it packs today." Screen Rant said in 2022, "Fashion is one of the key pillars when it comes to winning RuPaul's Drag Race. Through the years, the show has had queens who not only know how to turn a look but eat, sleep and breathe fashion." Vogue said in 2023, "Over the years, the various runway challenges have made the competing queens have to exercise creativity and style in the most unlikely of scenarios." RuPaul's outfits are often inspired by the episode's main challenge or popular culture.
American fashion designer Zaldy was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards (2016) for his work on the eighth season's "Keeping It 100!". Zaldy and Perry Meek won in the same category in 2017. Zaldy won the award for Excellence in Variety, Reality-Competition, Live Television from the Costume Designers Guild Awards in 2018, also being nominated for the award the following year. According to Variety, Zaldy's "trust with RuPaul runs so deep, they don't even discuss finale looks prior to fittings". The two have worked together for decades. Zaldy is responsible for creating approximately 80 looks for RuPaul annually.
Designer Marco Morante worked on the Drag Race set for seven years.

## Music

In 2018, Billboard said the show has "spent plenty of time ... highlighting musical talent, be it from the queens, the panel of celebrity guest judges or RuPaul himself. Especially in its most recent seasons, the show has made constant references to world-famous musicians, while also affording the queens on the show their own opportunities to let their music shine." Original songs have been created for Rusicals, finale episodes, and other formats on the show.
RuPaul's music is featured prominently in the series. According to The Guardian, "RuPaul saw a way around mainstream radio by integrating his music catalogue – and his own personal history – into the show. RuPaul's original music and longevity in the public eye is a cornerstone of Drag Race. If you watch regularly, you hear RuPaul's songs, challenge by challenge, for the duration of the season. In a savvy twist on the sneak preview concept, a special album was made available on iTunes of the sixth season contestants covering RuPaul's songs." Contestants also regularly record original verses and perform to remixes of songs by RuPaul.
Leland has written some of the show's Rusicals and has been described as the "resident composer" and songwriter. Freddy Scott has also been one of the songwriters. Previously, Lucian Piane was a composer for the show. Todrick Hall, MNEK, and AB Soto have made musical contributions to the show.

### Lip-sync contests

The music magazine Pitchfork has said, "One aspect at stake is the show's iconic lip sync battles, which decide who goes home and in the process have helped to establish a queer musical canon."
Contestants are given an iPod at the start of filming with songs slated to be used for lip-sync contests. RuPaul is involved in selecting which songs are used for lip-syncs. According to Screen Rant:
   When Drag Race first began to air in 2009, it was hard for producers to obtain the rights to the songs that they wanted to use. [The show] was just getting its start, so nobody really knew much about the series at that time. Now that the VH1 show has become popular, that process has become a lot easier. The series now has artists approaching producers, hoping to get their songs on the show.
Songs used for lip-syncs see increased traffic on music streaming services as episodes air.

## Art direction, production design, and lighting

Allison Spain is an art director. Gianna Costa is a production designer. The duo's work on the show earned them the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series in 2022, as well as a total of four nominations in the category. At the Art Directors Guild Awards, the series has received four nominations for Excellence in Production Design for a Variety, Reality or Competition Series; for James McGowan in 2021, and for Costa in 2022, 2023, and 2024, the latter nomination being alongside Jen Chu.
Jenny Bloom is a lighting director.

## Post-production: editing, sound effects, and audio mixing

Jamie Martin has been an editor. The series has received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program four times; in 2017 to Martin, John Lim, and Michael Roha; in 2020 to Martin, Roha, Paul Cross, Michael Deis and Ryan Mallick; and in 2021 and 2023 to Martin, Cross, Mallick and Roha.
Drag Race has used sound effects. Entertainment Weekly has described the effects as "legendarily shady". The series has been nominated in the Emmy Award category Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program.