The first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race started airing on February 2nd, 2009. 15 years later, there’s RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and other international franchises. RuPaul’s Drag Race is the most popular and mainstream representation of queer art. It has housed many pop culture references and allowed for important conversations. Many of the queens on the show started their drag career because of the earlier seasons of Drag Race. Drag Race has showcased so many queens of color, queens with non-traditional body types, queens who are transgender, and the list goes on.
The main U.S. franchise is airing its sixteenth season and filming the ninth season of all-stars and I got to thinking… how many people haven’t gotten to experience this fierce reality competition show? In this article, I am giving you a guide on where to start if you’ve never touched an episode. I’m only focusing on the U.S. franchise but I highly encourage you to watch the international franchises too!
RuPaul’s Drag Race has evolved so much since 2009. I would recommend starting at season three. In this season, you can understand the basic format of the show and get exposed to different styles of drag. Some big-hitting names featured in this season are Raja, Shangela, and Manila Luzon. Seasons two through six also showcase queens who are willing to bring the drama to the show without caring about what fans will say on social media- you’ll see in later seasons that some queens hold back from speaking their minds because they fear backlash from fanbases. In season two and four through six, some big hitting names are Jinkx Monsoon, Tatianna, Raven, BenDeLaCreme, Alyssa Edwards, Alaska, Willam, and the list goes on. These seasons are really jam-packed with star quality.
For viewers interested in watching All Stars, I 1000% recommend season two (watch season five of the main franchise first)!!!! The format for All Stars is established here with a few tweaks made later on. This season of all stars has mega-talent and mega-drama. A lot of fan favorites are in here and it really is a comforting season for me to go back and rewatch. I do not recommend watching All Stars season seven until you get to season twelve of the main series as it is an all-winners season.
If you’re wondering where to watch, all seasons can be streamed on Paramount+ and Wow Presents Plus. The current season is airing on MTV.
I really hope that this information will allow you to get started on your own Drag Race journey. Please remember that this show is a reality competition show. Many things are edited and misconstrued. Do not send hate to any queen on the show!
