It’s unclear how long the stay at home orders that have been put in place across much of the nation will remain in effect. For many people, it’s easy to forget what day of the week it is. But when the weekend comes? It’s often hard to recreate the escape from work or the pre-coronavirus daily grind. Well, VH1 is looking to help alleviate that with a welcome distraction, four weeks of “Celebrity Drag Race.” Y’all ready for a twist?
First, some backstory.
As previously announced, “RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race” will feature well-known competitors from the worlds of film, music, television, and comedy. According to a release from VH1, each week, a trio of baby queens will “open up their heart and mind to the transformative power of drag, embracing the inner fierce queen inside of them. They all step onto the runway feeling beautiful, powerful and inspired in their own way, realizing that drag doesn’t change who they are, but reveals who they are.”
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The twist, however, is that “Celebrity Drag Race” won’t air following the final episode of the current 12th season of “Drag Race.” Instead, each episode of “Celebrity” will air after “Drag Race” beginning at 9:30 PM on April 24. “Untucked,” the Emmy-nominated “Drag Race” aftershow, will move to 11:00 PM. That means, yes, three and a half hours of “Drag Race” content to help you endure staying home during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Assisting the celebrities are “Queen Supremes” Alyssa Edwards (Netflix’s “Dancing Queen”), Asia O’Hara, Bob the Drag Queen (HBO’s “We’re Here”), Kim Chi, Monét X Change, Monique Heart, Nina West, Trinity the Tuck, Trixie Mattel and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo. Each contestant will undergo a drag transformation and compete in fan-favorite challenges to win prize money for the charity of their choice. At the end of every episode, RuPaul will crown “America’s Next Celebrity Drag Race Superstar” (we’ll assume no prize money is involved).
Four-time Emmy winner RuPaul Charles was quoted in the release as noting, “‘RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race’ is a blast. We put these celebrities through it! Because no matter how famous your charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent is, you still put your pantyhose on one leg at a time.”
VH1 did not disclose who the contestants participating in the event are. In the vein of “The Masked Singer,” the promo embedded in this post hypes it as RuPaul’s “secret” celebrity drag race.
The ratings for the current season of “Drag Race” are up 17% in viewers 18-49 over last year, a remarkable feat considering its timeslot and the fact a contestant was disqualified after production. In fact, last week’s episode was the highest-rated overall in almost two years.
Friday’s episode features guest judges super-fan and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and supermodel Winnie Harlow.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” is the reigning two-time winning Competition Series Emmy winner. It is the presumptive favorite for the upcoming season despite the addition of new fashion contenders “Next in Fashion” and “Making The Cut.”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” airs Fridays at 8 PM on VH1. “Celebrity Drag Race” will air immediately following at 9:30 PM beginning Friday, April 24.