Courtesy of Vanity Fair
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, VH1 announced that they would be releasing a spinoff series to “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The original series formerly aired on Logo in 2009 before moving to VH1 at the start of its ninth season. The new series, titled “RuPaul’s Celebrity Drag Race,” is set to air on VH1 and will feature former contestants.
Alyssa Edwards, Nina West, Vanessa “Vanjie” Mateo, Trixie Mattel, Asia O’Hara, Bob The Drag Queen, Kim Chi, Monet X Change, Monique Heart and Trinity The Tuck have been confirmed as participants in the series. RuPaul shared information about the upcoming show during a panel hosted by Whitney Cummings at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit. The celebrity cast has not been publicly revealed, but during the panel, Cummings revealed that she went to a secret taping of the show to support her friend.
The show will involve three celebrity guests, each of whom will undergo full drag transformations with the help of former Drag Race contestants. The contestants will be fighting for the crown and the title of “America’s Next Celebrity Drag Superstar,” in addition to prize money, which will be donated to a charity of their choice.
The spinoff will be produced by World of Wonder Productions, with Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe, Mandy Salangsang and RuPaul serving as executive producers. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is responsible for the success of many well-known drag queens in the entertainment industry today, who have since made headlines.
Edwards, a season five queen known for her signature ‘tongue pop,’ created her own Netflix series in 2018, entitled “Dancing Queen.” The show takes viewers through Edwards’ life as the owner of Beyond Belief Dance Company in her hometown of Mesquite, Texas. Mattel starred alongside Edwards in season seven and was known for her Barbie-inspired makeup and comedy. Mattel recently launched her own cosmetics company called Trixie Cosmetics, which consists mostly of glitter and lipstick.
Mattel wanted to create cosmetics that came in cute packaging, were easy to apply and were affordable. In addition to cosmetics, Mattel recently announced that she will be embarking on her 2020 tour around the U.S. called “Trixie Mattel: Grown Up.” Mattel and Edwards are just two examples of queens who used the exposure they gained from appearing on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to build a name for themselves and stand out in the industry.
At the panel, RuPaul also discussed his upcoming Netflix show, “AJ and the Queen,” which was inspired by his days as a go-go dancer in New York. The show is based on a drag queen who travels around the world alongside an 11-year-old stowaway named AJ.
“RuPaul’s Celebrity Drag Race” is set to premiere in 2020 and RuPaul is already thinking of new spinoff ideas. During the panel with Cummings, RuPaul said, “We’ve done it again,” joking that his team is already dreaming up new spinoffs. “We have a laboratory figuring out other ways – ‘Drag Race Junior,’ perhaps? Or how about ‘Jailbreak Drag Race?’”
