International reality television drag competition format
Drag Race
The main logo styling; each franchise and iteration uses this alongside the local name for said franchise e.g.RuPaul's Drag Race in the UK andCanada's Drag Race in Canada etc.
Drag Race is adrag queenreality competition television franchise, created by American drag entertainerRuPaul with production companyWorld of Wonder. The franchise originated withRuPaul's Drag Race, which premiered in theUnited States in 2009. The objective of that series is to crown "America's Next Drag Superstar" who possesses the traits of "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent".[1] The original series is often credited for bringing drag into the mainstream.[2] The popularity of the original series led to the creation of a media franchise including spin-offs and international adaptations.
Fenton Bailey(left), Randy Barbato(middle) andRuPaul(right) are the three co-creators of theDrag Race franchise.
In mid-2008, it was revealed thatRuPaul had begun producing a newreality televisiongame show.[4] The show was pitched toLogo and they immediately picked the show up for a season, which aired in February 2009, where it was devised as a replacement forRick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World (2007–2009).[citation needed] In preparation for the new series, RuPaul made guest appearances on several shows in 2008, including as a guest judge onseason five, episode six ofProject Runway and as a guest chef onPaula's Party.[5][6] RuPaul revealed that the show's intent was to find a winner possessing the traits of "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent". RuPaul has stated that the show looks for an entertainer who can stand out from the rest.[7] The series premiered on February 2, 2009. The winner of thefirst season ofRuPaul's Drag Race and its franchise isBeBe Zahara Benet.[8]
In March 2012, it was announced that an "all-stars" spin-off from the original show was set to premiere in late 2012 through Logo (which later moved to VH1, then ontoParamount+).[9] It was announced asRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, and the winner for thefirst season wasChad Michaels.[10]
RuPaul's Drag Race was the first international edition of the franchise to be produced and broadcast. The program proved a success for Logo and additionally moved to a higher profile channel:VH1, for theirninth season.[11] However, the reality show remained to air on Logo.[12] In November 2017, World of Wonder launched their subscription streaming serviceWOW Presents Plus.[13] The service provides access to its exclusive library of theDrag Race franchise, and web series from WOWPresents' YouTube channel.[14]
In February 2018, it was announced that a Thai adaptation ofRuPaul's Drag Race was set to premiere in Thailand. TheKantana Group licensed the reality competition series. The show was named asDrag Race Thailand with its judges and co-hosts:Art Arya andPangina Heals.[15] Thefirst season winner forDrag Race Thailand wasNatalia Pliacam.
From 2020 to 2022, seven international adaptations ofRuPaul's Drag Race were revealed and premiered. In North America, aCanadian adaptation premiered on July 2, 2020.[16] In Europe, four adaptations premiered from theNetherlands andFrance. In Australia,RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under premiered on May 1, 2021, with RuPaul, Michelle Visage, andRhys Nicholson judging.[17][18]
In June 2018, the franchise producers hinted that a British adaptation of the series was in the works.[19] It was later confirmed that creators had a meeting with theBBC and that "something is coming, be afraid – be very afraid. Nothing's impossible."[20] A year later, the first season ofRuPaul's Drag Race UK was set to premiere throughBBC Three.[21] RuPaul andMichelle Visage continued to be the main judges of the British adaptation, withAlan Carr andGraham Norton as recurring judges.[22]
In December 2021, a press release by the BBC announced an upcoming "international all-stars" series involving the British adaptation.[23] The first season ofRuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World premiered on February 1, 2022.[24]
In November 2020, a collaboration was made between production companies World of Wonder andAtresmedia, in collaboration with Buendía Estudios.[25] In February 2021, the series was confirmed to be hosted bySupremme de Luxe.[26] The first season ofDrag Race España premiered throughAtresplayer, which marks the seventh international adaptation of the American reality competition series.[27]
In September 2022, the Spanish adaptation opened a casting call for itsthird season and also announced that a Spanish adaption ofRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was in the works.[28]
In 2021, casting occurred with production starting in the summertime.[29] The first season ofDrag Race Italia premiered throughDiscovery+, withPriscilla as the host and head judge of the series.[30] A second season was renewed and premiered in October 2022.[31]
In August 2021, a casting call was made for an upcoming Philippine adaptation of the franchise.[32] In early 2022, it announced thatPaolo Ballesteros would serve as the host,[33] alongsideJiggly Caliente andKaladKaren as permanent judges of the series.Drag Race Philippines premiered on August 17, through Discovery+. This marked the tenth international adaptation of the American reality competition series.
Both franchise adaptations no longer premiere on this streaming service.
In February 2021, after three seasons of airing the "all-stars" spin-off of the United States in VH1,Paramount Global decided to move the series toParamount+. Thesixth season aired on June 24, 2021.[34]
In August 2022, the production company behindRuPaul's Drag Race announced three casting calls onsocial media, taking place inBrazil,Germany, andMexico.[35] Many fans suspected the casting calls were for new potentialDrag Race adaptations.[36] In December,Deadline Hollywood confirmed the casting calls were for theDrag Race franchise. They also announced that World of Wonder partnered withMTV Entertainment Studios to premiere the new adaptations "on MTV/Paramount+ in their respective territories."[37] With this partnership, they moved the American series toMTV from VH1; starting withseason fifteen.[38]
After two seasons premiering onDiscovery+, theItalian adaptation was picked for a third season by Paramount Global and premiered on Paramount+.[39] Casting calls were set up in March 2023.[40] The third season is set to premiere on October 13, with former judgeTommaso Zorzi being replaced byPaola Iezzi and Paolo Camilli.[41][42]
In November 2022,Entertainment Weekly reported that production companies World of Wonder and O4 Media partnered to develop more adaptations of theDrag Race franchise.[43] The franchise will set to expand throughout the Asian continent, such as India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.[44] The expansion also includes a new season ofDrag Race Thailand and an Asian adaptation ofRuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race will be picked up from the partnership.[45]
^Adelino, Saulo (September 30, 2022)."Elenco oficial de Drag Race Italia 2" [Official cast of Drag Race Italia 2].Draglicious (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2022.
^"Drag Race Italia sbarca su Paramount+" [Drag Race Italia lands on Paramount+].Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). March 22, 2023.Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. RetrievedMarch 23, 2023.
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Canada
Philippines
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States
