Hi all!
As you know, I’m a massive fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race. I live and breathe it. My Drag Race posts have done really well on here so I wanted to write up another one. As the franchise continues to grow and expand across the globe, first time watchers may feel quite overwhelmed on where to start. I’m here to share a comprehensive guide to the world of RuPaul’s Drag Race and help navigate this superior reality television show. Before we begin, I want to give a huge shout-out to @yourpoortraits on Instagram for allowing me to use their beautiful artwork. I love featuring fan-art on my blog and really appreciate when the artists provide me the opportunity to do so. Without further ado, let’s get to it!
– If you want to check out my past Drag Race related posts, you can do so here.
WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?
If you’re just hopping on board the Drag Race train, you probably have no idea where to begin. There are spin-offs in the UK, Thailand, Canada, Australia/New Zealand, Spain, Holland, International and Chile. There’s also Untucked, All Stars, Queen of the Universe, Celebrity Drag Race, Dragula and more. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules here. You watch what you want, when you want. If you want some guidance however, this is what I recommend…
RuPaul’s Drag Race US & All Stars
This is where it all started. A lot of people online believe you should skip Season 1 and its strange filter but I disagree. You are going to be missing out on a lot of in-jokes and quality moments if you go straight to Season 2. Please watch it. It’s short but worth it. When you get to Season 2, Untucked begins. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the full episode. As RuPaul says: ‘if you’re not watching Untucked, you’re only getting half the story.’ Some of the most quotable lines and dramatic scenes come from Untucked, so I highly recommend it. When you get to Season 5, stop. Go straight to All Stars 1 and the corresponding Untucked. The reason for this, is that the Season 5 finale spoils who won All Stars 1. Refer to the flow chart below.
Season 1 > Season 2 (plus Untucked) > Season 3 (plus Untucked) > Season 4 (plus Untucked) > All Stars 1 (plus Untucked) > Season 5 (plus Untucked) > Season 6 (plus Untucked) > Season 7 (plus Untucked) > All Stars 2 (no Untucked for this season) > Season 8 > Season 9 > All Stars 3 (no Untucked for this season) > Season 10 > All Stars 4 (no Untucked for this season) > Season 11 > Season 12 > All Stars 5 (plus Untucked) > Season 13 > All Stars 6 (plus Untucked) – Airs June 24th 2021 > Season 14 (plus Untucked) Airs 2022.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
If I could recommend only one international season to you all, it would be Drag Race UK. Not only is it hosted by RuPaul himself, it’s full of incredibly talented, creative queens that you can’t help but adore. Drag Race US is the base for the majority of in-jokes and references to other seasons but UK isn’t far behind. I would dare say that I actually enjoy UK more than US. It’s that good!
Season 1 (no Untucked) > Season 2 (no Untucked) > Season 3 (no Untucked) Airs October 2021.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under combines both Australian and New Zealand queens. At the publication of this post, the winner of Season 1 was just announced. It’s also the only other franchise besides UK and All Stars that features RuPaul as the host. As an Australian, this spin-off means a lot to me but I wouldn’t say it’s on the same level as UK or US.
Season 1 (no Untucked) > Season 2? (No announcement made yet)
Drag Race Thailand
This was the first ever international spin-off to not feature RuPaul as a host. It was hosted by iconic drag queens Art Arya and Pangina Heals. Season 2 concluded in 2019 and a Season 3 has not yet been confirmed. It might be cancelled altogether. I have only seen Season 2 because Season 1 is not available anywhere. Believe me, I’ve tried to find it. It is so different to the original series but still excellent. If you do watch it, please be aware, it is entirely in Thai. You need to switch on subtitles. I understand if you don’t wish to watch the show in another language but I do encourage it, because it’s important to see how drag is expressed in different cultures/regions of the world.
Season 1 (no Untucked) > Season 2 (no Untucked) > Season 3? (No announcement made yet)
Canada’s Drag Race
I recommend watching Season 11 US before starting Canada’s Drag Race, as the host is former contestant: Brooke Lynn Hytes. This season really surprised me. I absolutely loved it and have watched it twice the entire way through. Give it a go because it’s pretty amazing!
Season 1 (no Untucked) > Season 2 (no Untucked) Airs 2021 TBC
Drag Race Holland
Drag Race Holland features my favourite spin-off host: Fred van Leer. I was blown away by Season 1 and the ridiculous amount of talent that walked into the Werk Room. This is another series you will need to watch with subtitles but a couple of the queens speak English. It was top-notch and I am so excited for Season 2.
Season 1 (no Untucked) > Season 2 (no Untucked) Airs 2021 TBC
Drag Race Espańa
At the publication of this post, we are halfway through Season 1 of Espańa. Similar to Drag Race Holland, it is in a foreign language, has an excellent host: Supremme de Luxe and features talent like I have never seen before. I remember gasping at some of the first runway looks. The set, costumes, queens and challenges are so vibrant and colourful. Check it out!
Season 1 (no Untucked) > Season 2? (No announcement made yet)
RuPaul’s Drag Race International All Stars
Okay, now let’s talk about RuPaul’s Drag Race International All Stars. Instead of doing All Stars per franchise, it was decided by the production company to bring all of the global queens together. It will be hosted by RuPaul and feature contestants from the US, Thailand, Canada, UK and Holland. I recommend watching all of the spin-offs that involve those queens. However, you could probably skip Thailand because for the first time in Drag Race herstory, the host: Pangina Heals will be competing, not the former contestants. It’s going to be epic!
Season 1 (plus Untucked) TBC
The Switch Drag Race
Similar to Season 1 of Drag Race Thailand, this is the only spin-off I haven’t watched. I recently found it on YouTube but it didn’t really appeal to me. This is the Chilean version of Drag Race. Season 2 concluded in 2018 and was cancelled after that. It has a very different style to the original franchise and the queens compete for the title: The Best Transformista of Chile.
Season 1 (no Untucked) > Season 2 (no Untucked)
DRAG RACE EXTRAS!
Finally, if you haven’t quite had your fill of Drag Race yet and want more, here are some extras I recommend:
Queen of the Universe (Season 1 airs December 2nd 2021)
This is an international Drag Race singing competition based off of Eurovision. Full cast to be announced.
Secret Celebrity Drag Race (Season 1 aired in 2020)
With the help of beloved queens, celebrities undergo a drag transformation and compete in fan-favourite challenges to win prize money for the charity of their choice!
AJ and the Queen (Season 1 aired 2020)
This is an original Netflix series created by RuPaul, that features a lot of the queens as cameos. AJ and the Queen follows “Ruby Red”, a bigger-than-life but down-on-her-luck drag queen who travels across America from club to club in a rundown 1990’s R/V with her unlikely sidekick AJ, a scrappy 11-year-old stowaway. As these two misfits travel from city to city, Ruby’s message of love and acceptance winds up touching people and changing their lives for the better. I loved it so much but unfortunately it was cancelled after one season. Highly recommend!
The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula (Seasons 1-4)
Lovers of horror and drag rejoice because this spin-off pits spooky queens against one another to find the World’s Next Drag Supermonster. I watched Season 1 on YouTube but sadly couldn’t find the rest of the show. It isn’t available to watch here in Australia. Season 4 however, will air on Shudder later this year. It’s great!
YOUTUBE EXTRAS!
These are some Drag Race extras I watch and recommend on YouTube:
Drag Race Fashion Photo Ruview
On the WowPresents channel, you can watch Raja and Raven toot and boot the looks of that week’s runway. It’s fun getting to see what these two style icons think of the other queens. You can check out that playlist here.
The Pit Stop
On the RuPaul’s Drag Race channel, you can watch The Pit Stop. Each week Trixie Mattel or Bob the Drag Queen (they take turns hosting) recap that week’s episode with another surprise guest queen. It’s a lot of fun! You can check out that playlist here.
Watcha Packin’
On the RuPaul’s Drag Race channel, you can watch Michelle Visage sit down with the eliminated contestant of that week and discuss their journey on the show. They also showcase some of the outfits they would’ve worn, had they remained in the competition longer. You can check out that playlist here.
MsMojo
MsMojo is a dedicated countdown channel. It counts down the top 10 best or worst categories on various shows. They have an entire playlist dedicated to Drag Race and I’ve watched every single one! You can check that out here.
I hope this comprehensive guide has helped. It’s no secret that I encourage everybody to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race! Let me know if you’re a fan of the show and if I have missed anything. Once again, a huge thank you to @yourpoortraits for supplying such excellent images! Thanks for reading. Enjoy racers!
Peace & Love xoxo