Since 1989

 Rupaul's Drag Race Fandom

Rupaul's Drag Race Season 15 Promotional Photoshoot. 
MTV (n.d.)

    Rupaul's Drag Race [RPDR] is a long running competition series that features all things Drag. The show has been around since 2009, with over 20 global franchises related to RPDR. There are fans all over the world who love drag, and are able to watch it live at a bar, or at home. A panel of judges critique the queens, and determine if they will win or go home. Each Episode challenges each queen to something different, comedy, acting, singing, dancing, lip syncing, sewing, etc. The winner that withstands each episode will win a cash prize of 200,000 dollars, a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills Cosmetics, and the title of America's Next Drag Superstar. 

Viewing Parties

An advertisement for the viewing party.
Roscoe's Tavern (n.d.) 

    Fans of RPDR go to bars that hold a viewing party to watch the show. A bar that is known for viewing parties is, Roscoe's Tavern in Chicago, Illinois. There are hosts that would invite queens from that particular season to spill the untold drama. A lot of fans enjoy seeing the behind the scenes, so that they know the real things that are happening on the show.  The hosts would post their hour long interview to Youtube as well. Many people who are unable to go to Chicago would tune into Youtube to hear about the untold drama. The featured queens that week would perform for the bar. People who get tickets to go to this viewing party look forward to seeing their newly beloved queens perform. These performances prove to be an amazing experience.

Drag Vernacular

    Drag Queens have an extensive colorful vocabulary. Fans of RPDR have words/phrases ingrained into their memory from drag queens on the show. The Rupaul's Drag Race Wiki provided a dictionary (Drag Dictionary) for viewers of the show to learn more about the words/phrases the queens have said. My personal favorite is the word Party that Adore Delano popularized. Queens who have used the word Party have used it in almost any situation that seems fit. According to Adore Delano Wikia (n.d.), Adore said what party could mean, "'party' could mean anything including 'cool', 'work', 'girl' and whatever you want it to be" (para, 2).  If I were to say party I would most likely use it if one of my friends decided to do something dumb, you can connect the dots. A lot of memes have streamed from the colorful vocabulary drag queens have, and many people do not even realize it. @theballoura (2023, January 23) has their favorite moments from drag race, which includes drag vernacular. 

Gag-Worthy Looks

On the left is a Boot and on the right is a Toot
@morcille (2020), @gottmik (2021 April, 23)

    When referring to a gag-worthy look that would mean it is jaw-dropping, can't take your eyes off of the outfit someone is wearing. Fashion Photo Ruview is a show where two drag queens named Raja and Raven toot or boot an outfit a queen is wearing on an episode of RPDR. Many people watch this show after seeing RPDR to see what Raven and Raja think of the outfits on that episode. A toot would be a gag-worthy outfit, a boot would be the complete opposite of a gag-worthy outfit. Looks are a very important aspect of RPDR. Every episode features a runway portion where the queens have an outfit that is fit for the category that was assigned. There are videos all over Youtube where fans of RPDR rate the looks to their own standards. These looks are very creative, and the fans would want to know what the queens are wearing. The viewers are interested to see more of an analysis on the look. 

Rupaul's Drag Race Live 

   Queens from previous seasons perform at a venue in Las Vegas, Nevada. The select queens have a residency in Vegas, and they perform 5 days out of the week. The show would feature the queens performing insane numbers that are exclusive to this residency. The queens do many things, other than dancing, Rupaul's Drag Race Wiki (2023) mentions what a viewer can expect, "performances include original music, lip syncs, comedy and dance numbers" (para, 2). Rupaul himself directs the show, and Jamal sims is the choreographer. All ages are welcome at this event as well, which normally is not the case in Vegas. Taylor (2020) highlights, that this show is all things drag, and it is a unique experience for fans. They have a mini and a maxi challenge, which is the format of the show, but the audience can be the judge and vote for the top two queens (para, 3-4). I personally would want to go see this show in person, I think it would be like drag on broadway in full effect. The TikTok user @wavygravy1990 (2022) posted a video of the opening scene of Rupaul's Drag Race Live. 

Rupaul's Drag Race Superstar

    Rupaul's Drag Race Superstar is an app version of RPDR. The game's main priority is to collect outfits from different categories, i.e. eleganza, pop, glitz, fierce, etc. The categories influence how many points you can get for the challenge at hand. There are episodes (challenges) within the game where you collect werk, lipsticks, and cards (currency only for the episodes). The playstyle seems more like a idle tycoon game, because it takes time to get werk. In order to make an outfit and win that episode, you have to complete tasks related to getting werk, cards, and lipstick. In order to get more werk you upgrade the stations and pit crew producing werk with lipstick and cards. You can participate in daily/weekly challenges while you wait for werk to be produced. These daily/weekly challenges are fit to different categories, and you can win a Rupaul Badge and Rudollas. Rudollas are used to buy clothes in the store, and Rupaul Badges are used to get random rewards. I recently got this game, and I think it is very fun. I spend a lot of time on it, and I wish it did not take so long to get werk, but it is an idle tycoon afterall. The game also has its own interactive website (Rupaul's Drag Race Superstar Website) with news, faq, and support. A lot of fans play this game, because it is a different way to be involved with all things Rupaul's Drag Race. There are Facebook groups dedicated to showing looks that other players have done. This Facebook group in particular talks about all things RPDR Superstar (RPDRS Facebook Group). This game is a good way for fans to be a part of drag without actually having to be a drag queen. 

Rupaul's Dragcon

    If you wanted a convention that features meeting your favorite drag queens in person, then Rupaul's Dragcon is the place to be. Rupaul's Dragcon is an event that is held in New York City, Los Angeles, and the United Kingdom. The Rupaul's Dragcon LA 2023 website (2023) features exactly what a fan can do at this event. You can meet your favorite queens at a booth that they hold. There are countless shopping opportunities. Like most conventions you can find your tribe, the people at this convention are fans of drag, so a person would be able to meet people that are fans of the same thing. Stellar performances are held all weekend long by select featured queens. After parties are also a featured thing at this event, where other performances can be held after the scheduled convention hours (p.1). I would enjoy meeting a lot of queens that I personally am a fan of. This event would be a great experience for fans of all ages to experience. 

Rupaul's Dragcon UK
Rupaul's Dragcon LA 2023 (2023)

My Time as a Fan

Me with drag queens in NYC!

    I have not been able to experience many of the live events pertaining to RPDR, so I watch things at home and stay in the loop. Many RPDR events are solely bar experiences, or they are not accessible for me to travel to. When I am 21, and have the means of travelling to these experiences, I will go to these events. My roommate can attest that I watch RPDR religiously, I am not planning on stopping anytime soon. I have went to two drag shows, but they were not RPDR queens. I have thoroughly enjoyed these shows, and tipped them a lot of my money. Both of the shows I have went to were drag brunches, so it is more family friendly, since it is during the day. My favorite drag show was at Brewskis in Bloomsburg where Trixy Valentine hosted a show along with other queens. I have several images/videos of my indoctrination of loving live drag performances. 

References

Adore Delano wikia (n.d.). Party. Fandom. https://adoredelano.fandom.com/wiki/Party#:~:text=Background,you%20want%20it%20to%20be. 

@gottmik (2021, April 23). Eleganza. [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/COB-Rdwgfix/ 

@Morcille (2020). I think about Jiggly Caliente's hot potato couture almost on a daily basis. [Online forum post].

 Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/hjcd2k/i_think_about_jiggly_calientes_hot_potato_couture/ 

MTV (n.d.) Rupaul's Drag Race Untucked. MTV. https://www.mtv.com/shows/rupauls-drag-race-untucked 

Roscoe's Tavern (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved May 3, 2023 from, https://www.facebook.com/RoscoesTavern/ 

Rupaul's Dragcon LA 2023 (2023). Drag's biggest weekend ever!. Rupaul's Dragcon. https://la.rupaulsdragcon.com/ 

Rupaul's Drag Race Wiki (2023). Rupaul's Drag Race Live!. Fandom. https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/RuPaul%27s_Drag_Race_Live! 

Taylor, S. (2020, January 31). 'Rupaul's Drag Race' is right at home in Las Vegas: Everything you need to know about new live show. Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/rupauls-drag-race-live-las-vegas-recap-8549802/ 

@theballoura (2023, January 23). Favorite moments from drag race. [video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@theballoura/video/7192294299537509675?q=theballoura%20&t=1683570976958 

@wavygravy1990 (2022, October 5). Rupaul live vegas opening. [video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@wavygravy1990/video/7151214813819964714?q=rupauls%20drag%20race%20live&t=1683058397932