I, rupaul,
Was born a poor black child
In the brewster housing projects
Of san diego, california.
But, baby, you better work!
Look at me now.
As the original supermodel
Of the world, I've had
All my dreams come true.
And now, it's time for me
To share the love.
I'm looking for america's
Next drag superstar.
Thousands applied, but only 9
Have been invited to compete
For the crown.
- [Kiss]
- And as beautiful
As these dolls are...
- Oh!
[Judges oh]
- It's not always
Gonna be pretty.
- Baby, I just don't get it.
- We don't need this pressure.
- [Sobbing]
This means so much to me.
- [Humming dance b*at]
- Whether they're putting
It together backstage...
- I'm gonna have to put my balls
Behind my frickin'
Body today.
- Strutting their stuff
On the runway...
- It looks like you're
Ready to give a $20 hand job.
- Or facing
The ultimate challenge...
The time has come...
For you to lip sync
For your life.
- ♪ The greatest love
Of all... ♪
- And just when you think
These queens have gone as far
As they can go...
- Do I have security?
[Laughter]
They push it
One step further.
[Sound effect of
Brakes squealing]
- How dare you?!
I flew you first-class
To this competition.
- Whoo!
- Are you ready
For the ride of your life?
Gentlemen, start your engines.
- [Imitating
Engines revving]
[Sound effect
Of brakes squealing]
- "Rupaul's drag race"
Is about to get real.
- Can you kneel, please?
- In 3, 2, 1.
- ♪ "Rupaul's drag race" ♪
♪ Gentlemen ♪
♪ Start your engines ♪
♪ "Rupaul's drag race" ♪
♪ May the best woman win ♪
- ♪ "R-r-rupaul's drag race" ♪
- ♪ Gentlemen ♪
♪ Start your engines ♪
- ♪ "Rupaul's drag race" ♪
- ♪ May the best woman,
Best woman win ♪
[Horn honks]
[Vehicles rush past]
[Engine revs]
- Whew!
My god. Look at this.
Wow. Crazy, crazy, crazy.
My name is bryan.
I'm 29 years old, and I've
Had a show at a nightclub
In las vegas for
About six years now.
This is sickening.
My persona has always tried
To be a little more
On the realistic side
By wearing costuming
That is super couture.
People call me
The barbra streisand of drag.
This is gonna be fun.
Fun, fun, fun!
Because I've heard she's
A real bitch
And she's a**l retentive
About everything.
That's kind of, I guess
You could say, how I am.
- Hi...
I am jorge flores
Aka nina flowers.
Ow!
- You are just painted,
Painted out of your mind.
- I started, like,
Around 5:00 in the morning.
- Did you really?
- Yes, girl.
I don't consider myself
As a female impersonator.
I like to be more androgynous.
It's an extravaganza.
You are beautiful.
- Oh, thank you.
Thank you...
- You're really
Beautiful, girl. Work it!
Like, whoa.
This bitch is fierce.
I can't wait to see who
Else is coming to compete.
- Hello. What's up?
- Hey, gorgeous!
- What's your name, darling?
- Rebecca glasscock.
- Oh, my god.
- Pleasure.
- Nice meeting you, darling.
- Whoo!
- Where are you from?
- I'm javier,
And I'm 26 years old.
- Beautiful.
- Yes. Oh, my goodness.
- This is crazy,
Isn't it, though?
- I'm just a small-town girl
From sunny florida
With a big dream
Of becoming
The next drag superstar.
- Hi. You guys are fabulous.
[Laughter]
- Thank you!
- Fabulous.
- Hi, darling.
- Mwah. Mwah.
- I'm ryan,
Also known as ongina.
Hi. Ongina.
- Nice meeting you, ongina.
- My middle name's ong,
And god didn't bless me
With a certain "ina."
- Hi. I'm rebecca.
- Mwah. Mwah.
- Amazing.
- And I'm really excited
To meet everyone else
So that I can scope
Up the competition,
So that I know who
I would be saying good-bye to
On a weekly basis.
- Hello, fabulous.
- Hi!
- Hey, girls.
- What's going on?
- Rebecca. Nice to meet you.
- And I'm victoria.
I'm victor.
My stage name
Is victoria porkchop parker.
Victoria is very
Different from victor.
Victoria's very outgoing.
She's very flirtatious.
She likes to meet men,
And she likes to entertain,
And I can do things as victoria
That I could never get away
With as victor.
[Laughter]
I want a snickers.
- Great!
- Oh, I've been doin'
This 21 years.
[Laughs]
It's a definite advantage.
- Whoo!
- Ow!
- Work it. Work it...
- My name is eric.
I'm 24 years old.
My name's akashia
When I'm in drag.
My drag persona would
Be crazy rambunctious.
I'm sitting here
All primped and ready...
If I was a girl, I would
Be a stripper
Or a slut and pregnant
With a whole bunch a children.
- We both decided to do
The whole naked feel.
- When I saw shannel,
I was like oh, another skank
With her butt hangin' out.
I thought I was gonna be
The only one that had
My butt hangin' out.
- Work it!
- Hers is a little flabby.
It jiggles.
Mine is solid muscle, so
It doesn't, ,like move at all.
So, I mean, it just depends
On what you're into.
- Hello!
- Hi!
- Hi, my dear.
- Hello, darling!
- How are you?
- Hi there. My name is
Tammie brown, with an i-e.
- Ongina.
- Hi.
- Nice to meet you. Hi.
- Nice to meet you.
- My real name is keith.
If I'm in drag or out of
Drag, I'm an entertainer.
I am the character.
- What's going on?
- Well, this show.
- Crazy, huh?
- Popcorn and cr*cker jack.
- Ok.
- My eyes are wanderin' across
The room,
And I was checking
Everyone out.
Kind of sizing up
The competition.
But every time I look
At tammie,
She was staring at me,
And she was winking.
And she was creepy.
- Hello!
- Hi!
- Hi!
My name's david.
I'm 24 years old.
Jade.
- Jade, shannel.
Nice to meet you.
- Hi, sister.
- Jade is definitely
My alter ego.
Basically, she has
More balls than I do.
- Mwah.
- Nice to meet you. Mwah.
Not only am I gonna be able
To show myself as jade,
But I'm also gonna be able
To showcase
My talents as a dancer,
As a performer,
As everything all in one.
- Hello!
- Hey! Work it!
- Shannel. How are you?
- Bebe. Nice to meet you.
- Ongina.
My name is nea marshall kudi.
I'm from west africa,
Precisely, cameroon.
Bebe. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- I'm also known
As bebe zahara benet.
- A career girl on the go.
She's been traveling...
- I walked into the room,
My first impression was,
I thought all the girls
Were really stunning.
But I bring a lot of
International influence.
And I feel like right now
I'm really ahead of the game.
[Sound effect of
Vehicle racing past]
- Hello, racers,
And welcome to the starting line
Of "rupaul's drag race."
[Contestants cheering]
- Work it!
- To win this competition,
You're gonna need to be
More enterprising
Than donald Tr*mp,
To give bigger than oprah,
And to be hotter than tyra
Wearing a fat suit in july!
- Whoo!
- But when it's all over,
Only one of you can drive away
With the fierce title
Of america's
Next breakthrough
Drag superstar.
Mm-hmm.
- Work it.
- So put your stiletto
To the metal,
And let's take this mother
From zero to fabulous
In 3.5 seconds.
[Cheering]
- Work it.
- Whoo-whoo!
- Hello, hello, hello!
Hi! Well, hello!
Look at how beautiful you are.
- When I saw rupaul walk in,
Shivers just went down my spine.
It was just seeing a superstar.
- All right.
- Definitely,
Rupaul influenced me.
She was doing things
That I've always wanted to do.
She was on talk shows.
She was on videos.
- Enchante.
- Mwah.
- She's made people view us
In a different light
And has really opened doors
For a lot of drag artists,
Like me.
- How beautiful are you girls!
It is my pleasure to have you
All here at rupaul's drag race.
You've come from all around
This great country.
And thanks to
Southwest airlines,
You arrived here safe and sound
To compete for the crown.
From thousands of submissions,
You are the chosen 9.
- Whoo!
- Cheers.
- The winner of rupaul's
Drag race is gonna be
One lucky lady.
The winner will receive
A feature photo spread
In "paper" magazine, which
Was my first national cover...
- Whoo!
- Ah!
A portrait taken by renowned
Photographer greg gorman
To be used in an l.a. Eyeworks
Legendary designer
Eyewear campaign.
And the winner will headline
The absolut vodka pride tour
Across the u.s.
- Yes!
- Whoo!
- Plus a cash prize of $20,000
Courtesy of absolut vodka
And mac cosmetics.
- Whoo!
- Awesome!
- I'm so excited,
I just drip.
- Now enough talk.
Are you ready to play?
- Yes.
- Yes, we are.
- The tension is k*lling me
Because I really want to
Know what's gonna happen.
- There's somebody I
Want you to meet.
Say hello to a world
Renowned celebrity photographer,
Who's photographed dolly parton
And beyonce,
And a very good friend,
Mike ruiz.
- Whoo!
- Whoo!
- Hi, mike.
- Mwah! Mwah.
- Oh! Oh!
- Wow!
You guys are amazing.
- Aren't they gorgeous?
- Gorgeous.
- Now, mike is here for
Your first official
"Drag race" photo sh**t.
The judges will be
Evaluating the photos
As part of the elimination.
He'll be sh**ting you
One-on-one.
Are you ready?
- Whoo!
- Whoo-hoo!
- Tighten
Those tucking panties.
It's gonna be a bumpy ride.
- Ha ha!
- We're gonna have
A sexy paris hilton moment.
- Ok.
- So these two hot studs are
Gonna be washing the car...
- Ok.
- While I'm sh**ting you...
What I'm hoping to get out
Of the girls is a connection
To the camera, a connection
To their bodies,
And a connection
To their aesthetic
And to assimilate well
Into this situation,
Which is gonna be hypersexual.
I would think
A little sexier...
This photo sh**t is
Definitely gonna separate
The amateurs
From the professionals.
Beautiful.
- This is my first challenge.
You know, it's kind of exciting.
- And hit it! Gorgeous!
Beautiful! Work it!
Oh, ho, ho! That's
What I'm talking about.
[Laughing]
Ok, and we got the sh*t.
All right.
[Camera shutter clicks]
- Darlings!
- Now I want you to club...
- Hello, everybody!
[Wolf whistle]
- We've got our next model!
- Mamacita!
- What's up, boys?
- Hey, shannel, you forgot
The back of your outfit!
- They were half off.
I had to have 'em.
- Oh, I see!
- What can I say? What can i...
[Laughter]
- Ooh!
- Oh, yeah!
- Dirty car.
- Yes! Wash her!
Beautiful.
- Ooh, shannel, I'm gonna
Write you a ticket, girl.
- Ha ha! Yes!
[Camera shutter clicks]
- This is your car,
And you want them to clean it,
Every bit of it.
- I thought to myself,
I've got two gorgeous men
To go stand in between,
And I'm gonna make
The most of this.
- Oh! She's got you all wet!
Oh, my goodness!
- Hey! Why don't you scrub him?
Why don't you wash him?
- Scrub him down. He's dirty.
- I loved feeling
On their bodies,
And I helped wash their backs,
And whew! It was fabulous.
[Camera shutter clicks]
- Ooh! Yes, mami.
- Ohh, yes!
- Oh, nina!
- Yeah. Work it out!
- Yes, mami. Gorgeous!
- I went wild. I went for it.
I wasn't thinking about
My makeup or my outfit,
About my wig.
It was incredible.
- Watch out
For that hose, nina!
- Ha ha! Oh, yeah.
- Ooh! We got our cover!
- Whoo! Yes!
- All right.
[Camera shutter clicks]
- This is the cover
Of "drag race" magazine.
- Oh, yes! That's what
I'm talking about.
- Oh, yes. What's all that junk
In your trunk, akashia?
- Sex sells, baby!
- Yes, baby. Yes.
- Oh! Make love to the camera.
- Eat your heart out,
Naomi campbell.
- The minute akashia walked away
From the camera,
I could tell she was pissed
For being doused with water.
- Ohh!
- Get the cameras rolling...
- Oh, the sh**t's still going!
Whoo-hoo!
- That's the outfit.
- My vag*na got wet.
- It's illegal
In this state, akashia!
[Laughter]
- Girl, that was
An interesting experience.
- Literally, we have just taken
A bath in water in full drag.
Everything is
Just nasty and disgusting.
Fortunately,
We could take it all off,
And I thought, oh, thank god.
- Look at those titties.
They're stuck to you.
- Do you love them?
Do you love them? Ebay.
My talent usually relies
On my shock value.
I love the attention. I do.
I love it, crave it.
- Akashia is a little edgy,
But I think that's just
The way she wants to be.
- Just for you.
What if she sneaks up and...
- [Laughing]
- Akashia's kind of childish.
- f*ck you, porkchop.
f*ck...f*ck you!
- Ooh, I like it! I like it!
Slap me.
Everyone's kind of young.
And everyone's wants
To have a good time.
And I think they need
To realize
That they might not be here.
[Laughs]
- When I saw the car
And the buckets of soap
And the hoses, I just took over.
- Oh! Ooh! This ain't
No truck stop, honey.
- Oh, ho ho! Yes, momma!
Hose ongina down!
[Camera shutter clicks]
Beautiful. Guys,
Get it a little tighter.
- Cameroon!
- Yes, don't be shy.
- Yeah.
- All right!
- Yes, honey, put
It into cruise control!
[Camera shutter clicks]
- Beautiful! All right!
We got it.
- Oh, my god!
[Sobbing]
- [Chuckles]
- Aw.
- This is such a sad story.
- Ohh...
Give me every bit of
Sex that you have.
- Give me j lo, honey.
- Yes! Yes, yes...
- Yes, mami, use those props!
Use that hose, honey. Ooh!
- Ooh! Ha ha!
- Pull up to the bumper, honey.
- Beautiful!
Yeah, play to the camera.
- Remember, they're here
To serve their queen
In any way you need.
[Laughter]
- I got to get that sh*t!
Wet t-shirt contest!
Yeah, now, interact with them,
But you're playing it to me.
Like, they're just
Your boy toys.
[Camera shutter clicks]
All right! We got it!
- Give 'em a big round
Of applause.
- Beautiful!
- Oh, my god. Oh, my god...
- It was kind of nice to see
All the girls out of drag
Because you never really
Meet someone
Until you meet
'Em out of drag.
And you really meet
The person behind the mask.
- Oh, you look like
A lesbian right now.
[Laughter]
- When it came to all
Of us getting out of drag,
Nina surprised me because
She is covered in tattoos.
All right.
So you all tatted up.
- Yeah.
- Oh. Oh...
- She's rough trade over there.
You know that I like
That kind.
- Ok. You said you were not
A lesbian.
[Laughter]
- I don't know
What you're talking about.
- The largest transformation,
To me, was nina flowers.
When she got out of drag,
She had on a wife beater
And was tattooed from head
To toe.
She looks like a dude.
Look how thick
Her eyebrows are.
- Tammie, her eyebrows...as
A boy are just out of whack.
Uh, you just want
To take a weed whacker
And just att*ck them.
Jade is very cute.
I might be a lesbian with him.
- That was hot.
- After rebecca took
Her makeup off,
I thought she might have
Had her lips done.
Rebecca, did you get
Your lips pumped?
- No, they're mine.
We all think that you
Done had some work done.
- My nose is real,
And my lips are real as well.
You can tell that they're...
- Realness.
- Well, hey, dolls.
- Whoo!
- Well, look at you.
[Applause]
Look at you!
You arrived here
All sticky and sweet,
And now you've been
Washed clean,
Baptized by miss paul!
- Yes.
- Now, today's challenge
Is drag on a dime.
You have to recreate
Your glamorous drag look
Using hand-me-downs
From the studio wardrobe
Department on highland.
And to help you accessorize,
We went to the dollar store and
Got you a whole bunch a crap.
[Laughter]
- This might be a recipe
For disaster.
Making anything from garbage
To couture never happens.
- Now, you can wear your own
Wigs, heels, and undergarments.
And as far as makeup is
Concerned, mac has that covered.
[Cheering and applause]
But after that, your outfit
Needs to be 100%
Recycled fashion.
- I have probably got
About $25,000 in costuming
And rhinestones with me.
I've got headpieces
And headdresses,
And 16 pairs of shoes,
Things with versace buckles
On them.
And our challenge is
Create a fabulous outfit
From some of the ugliest,
Tackiest,
Most horrible thrift
Store clothing
That your grandmother
Wouldn't even wear.
- Now, most importantly,
This outfit has to scream you.
You have the rest of the day
To work.
And, remember,
You will be judged
On both your
Drag on a dime outfit
And your photo
From today's sh**t.
When you present yourself
Tomorrow on the main stage,
In addition to being beautiful,
The judges will be looking
For your charisma,
Uniqueness, nerve, and talent.
Say it again with me.
- Charisma, uniqueness,
Nerve and talent!
- Again, tina! No, no.
- Charis...
[Laughter]
- Gentlemen, start your engines.
May the best woman win.
Go!
[Contestants speaking excitedly]
- Oh, god. Watch your eyes.
- The first challenge came.
It actually hit you in the face,
Like guess what!
This competition, people
Switch from being nice
To, "oh, I don't care
About what you're doing
"Right now.
I am going because I need
To take care of myself."
So it was like a reality
Check to your face.
- Ouch! Ha ha!
I can sew on a button.
I can sew a hole up in a dress.
And that's about it.
- I think if maybe I had
A couple yards of very pretty
Fabric, I could make
Something out of it.
But literally, we had crap.
- They took the noodles
And everything.
- It was really funny that,
Soon as this challenge started,
That everybody got quiet
And didn't say a word for
About 30 minutes.
- When we started constructing
Our garments and I looked at
Rebecca, she kept going back
And forth
Like she didn't know what
She wanted to wear,
What kind of idea she was
Trying to create and stuff.
So I think it was a little
Bit challenging to her.
- So, miss victoria, when
Did you start doing drag?
- I did drag my first time
On january 16, 1987.
- Oh!
- How was that scene?
- Wasn't as open
As it was now.
Back then, guys used
To ride by,
And I've I've been sh*t at.
I've had things thrown at me.
- Really?
- And had to go to
The emergency room in drag
Just because I was a female
Impersonator, and I was
Standing in front of a gay bar.
Y'all have it easy,
All you young girls.
- I'll say.
- Porkchop does have the most
Experience, but sometimes
Experience doesn't really
Get you where you want to be.
- Hello, hello, hello!
Hey, ladies.
- Hi there.
- Just checking in.
We're gonna start over
Here with the nina.
Now, it looks like you've
Chosen to do a whole dress.
- To me, it has a sense
Of the eighties.
- It's very "dynasty."
- Right?
- Darling.
- Exactly.
- So now, nina,
When I see the dress,
I feel like it's not
Quite nina enough yet.
- Ok. I'll work on that.
Definitely.
- Ok.
- Ok. Thank you.
- All right.
- Thank you very much.
- So tammie, this is
Your station over here?
- Yes.
- Now, what is this you
Are working with?
- This is from
The 99 cent store.
- Yeah.
- And it's the clean
The house stuff.
- Yeah. And were they
In these circles already?
- No. I made the circles
With a little tortilladora.
Would you like some tortillas?
Keeps your tortillas nice
And warm.
- Oh, oh, gorgeous.
Now, are you gonna use the
Tortillas on your outfit, too?
- No. I was gonna take
'Em back to my room,
Put some cheese in there,
And iron 'em.
- Work it out, mami.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Ooh, boy. Look at that.
Tina marie,
Eat your heart out.
I love that you like
To show off your body.
- I do.
- You're not afraid of
That, are you?
- No, I'm not.
It's kind of not much of
A dress,
'Cause there's not
Much fabric since I
Don't like to wear much clothes.
- What from the 99 cent store
Are you gonna use
On this outfit?
- I'm not sure yet.
I'll have to go and scrape
Through the stuff
And see what's left.
- Mm-hmm.
- I went through
All the 99 cent store stuff,
And I literally thought, "um,
What the hell am I supposed
To do with this crap?"
- I need you to think
About how you'd incorporate
The items from the dollar store.
Because that that's a really
Big part of the final score.
All right, kiddo. Good luck. -
Thank you.
- All right. Jade...
Now, I love what
You're doing here.
You haven't had a lot of time,
But you've made a lot
Of headway here.
You've got some braiding
Going on here.
You've reconstructed
This sort of african print.
Now, listen, jade,
I'm gonna encourage you
To take some more chances
With your makeup.
You know, you got
A gorgeous face.
Just a more sophisticated look.
- Ok.
- Ok?
- Definitely.
Ongina.
- Hi.
- I see lots of plastic
And ruffles...
- Yes.
- And lace over there.
- Yes.
- Really, really wonderful.
What was it originally,
This plastic?
- This was a tarp thing.
- Oh, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah. And then this
Is for shower...
Like, the shower thingies.
- These? Oh, yes!
- Yeah. And so I unraveled
Them and made them
Into, like, my little ruffle.
- Very nice.
- And from the thrift store,
I have...i cut out a zipper.
- Yeah.
- Because this is actually
Gonna be a high-waisted skirt.
- Mm-hmm.
- What I do for work is
Visual.
And what I see visually
Kind of reflects
On how ongina becomes.
It's gonna be genius.
- It looks beautiful.
- Thank you.
- All right.
- I wanted to create
A very nude illusion.
- Yeah.
- So this actually will go
All the way through the leg...
And come up and literally
Give complete bottom here.
- Yes.
- Very low cut in the back.
- Because you feature
The back door a lot, don't you?
- Yes, I do. Yeah, I do.
- Yeah!
- I do.
- Well, you have to use
The skills to what?
Pay the bills.
- There you go. There you go.
- That's right.
- Shannel is one of those who
Is more into the sex appeal.
You know, she likes showing
A lot of her body.
It's different than my style.
It doesn't mean I cannot
Do it, but I choose not to.
- Bebe.
- Hi, ru.
- Now, I know you're
Very crafty.
I am.
- Oh, my goodness.
You're gluing wood chips...
- I am.
- To a pant leg.
- Ha ha! Yeah.
I'm trying to do the beauty
Of a blend of culture
And also elegance meets raw.
That's why I decided
To use the wood chips.
- The wood chips.
- So I want to keep it very
Simple and right to the point
And very tasteful
Because that's
The kind of person I am.
- Ok.
- I think that bebe realized
When we started the challenge
That maybe she didn't
Have as much together
As she thought.
I wouldn't mind if bebe
Went home actually.
[Laughs]
- Now...ha ha!
This is a lot goin' on,
Isn't it?
- It is a lot going on.
- I'm getting bette midler
Luau here.
- Kind of. It's kind of
A drag queen at the beach.
I'm a lot of woman.
I've incorporated
A lot of outfits.
I've took 3 outfits apart,
Put 'em all back together.
- Now, are you afraid
That it's gonna be more costume
Than sort of fashiony at all?
- Well, it could be. Um...
- Well, you want to
Wear the dress.
You don't want the dress
To wear you.
Hi, rebecca.
- Hi.
- What you got here?
- This is a look that
Reflects on my attitude
And the way that I am.
So I like to call this a little
Bit of glamour with punk.
- This looks like
It's all from the thrift store.
What here is
From the 99 cent store?
- Well, I wanted the neck
To stand up,
So inside, there is
A fly swat...swatter.
- Mm-hmm.
- Inside.
I'm so behind.
And when I thought that
Maybe I had something,
That's when rupaul came around.
And I was like, oh, sh*t.
- You know, honestly, rebecca,
I hear what you're saying
And I get the concept.
But it seems like it's
Just taken from the hanger
And put onto the dress form.
I really want to see
A little bit more creativity.
If I were you, I would think
A little bit more about this.
- Ok.
At that point, I felt
Like complete failure.
However, I had to keep
Myself together
Because I am not going home
Just because I made
An ugly garment.
- Ladies...
I will see you tomorrow
On the main stage.
Make me proud.
And, remember,
Don't f*ck it up.
[Applause]
- Just wear it out.
- I'm kind of worried
About rebecca and akashia.
They're all freaked out,
And I'm kind of concerned
'Cause I like
Both of 'em a lot. So
I don't want 'em to go home.
[Exhales]
I'm extremely nervous.
- Oh, my god. What happened
Here? A tornado hit it.
Today is elimination day.
Someone is going home,
And I'm really scared.
- Straight to work, girls.
Straight to work.
- Walking into the workroom
This morning was
Kind of overwhelming.
Everything just laying
There on the mannequins,
And on the tables.
It was like,
"Wow. This is a mess."
- Who's not done
With their stuff yet?
- You.
- I'm not done.
- I'm saying, "besides me,"
So I don't have to be
The only one who's not on...
- No, girl, it's all you.
- Me. I'm not done yet.
- Oh, you're not?
- No.
- I decided to trash the first
Outfit completely
And start from scratch.
Hopefully rupaul likes it.
- It's really
Hot in here.
- Really! Really! Wow!
- Can you all turn the air on?
It's hard to put on makeup
When it's running off.
- Maybe the makeup's just
Scared to stay on your face.
- Whoo!
- Ay, yi yi.
- Oh, jeez. Catfight.
- We were given an hour
And a half this morning
To completely
Get ourselves into drag.
[Contestants humming loudly]
[Excited chatter]
- Every time I go to stage,
I take from two to three
Hours to do my makeup.
I can do makeup in
Less than two hours.
It's just not gonna be
Like I would love it to be.
- These girls, you know,
They're hot, you know?
They're rocking their sh*t,
And they're doing really good.
So I'm nervous about that,
But I think i...
I think I'm gonna
Dust a couple of 'em.
- [Laughs]
- Ha ha ha!
- ♪ Cover girl ♪
♪ Put the bass in your walk ♪
♪ Head to toe,
Let your whole body talk ♪
♪ Walk, now, walk ♪
♪ Walk ♪
♪ Now, walk ♪
♪ And what? ♪
How do you like my outfit?
- Whoo!
[Applause]
- Gorgeous.
- I want to welcome
My regular judges.
First, fashion journalist
And bestselling author
Merle ginsberg.
- I'm very happy to be here.
And hello to my pal,
The shamelessly
Outspoken designer
Who's no stranger
To the runway.
Shake the dice and steal
The rice...santino is here!
Mwah!
- Mwah!
- And our guest judge this
Week is celebrity photographer
Mike ruiz.
- Hey ru.
- And our extra special
Surprise guest judge this week...
A living legend.
Welcome one of my idols,
Mr. Bob mackie.
- Hey, ru, you're gorgeous.
- Thank you, darling.
The challenge this week
Is drag on a dime.
Let's see how they did.
Gentlemen, start your engines.
May the best woman win!
- I'm pretty sure
That some people
Are not very comfortable about
The kind of drag that I do.
- Ooh. It's severe up in here.
- But that is exactly
What makes me stand out,
That I'm different.
- Akashia,
Part of a wholesome breakfast.
- I felt fierce, honey.
I said, "mmm! Mmm! I look good."
I did smile at the end
Of the runway to show them
My pearly whites, 'cause
I have a gorgeous smile.
- My dress is dynamite.
I knew exactly what I was
Gonna do on the runway.
And all the nervousness kind
Of went away the minute
That I hit that plexiglas.
- Ooh.
[Laughter]
- Work!
- Oh, goodness...
[Indistinct] chic.
- This is victoria parker
For your consideration.
- I hate my outfit.
But this is what I've
Got to work with.
So I've got to make
The best of what I've got.
And the charisma that I've
Got inside of me,
I'm trying to express it
To the judges' panel.
- Brigadoon!
Cameroon!
- I look at the set,
And I look at ru
And all the judges,
And I was like, oh, my god!
- How much would could
A woodchuck chuck?
Oh! Table for two?
Ooh. Miss got the body.
- I have a feeling
That the judges in their mind
Already think, "oh, she
Thinks she's gonna win this.
"So we're going to give
Her no reaction
"As to not boost her
Confidence level
Any more than it
Probably already is."
- Ooh. Lion queen.
- I was dead nervous.
I was shaking inside.
But I went out there, and I
Kind of just did my thing.
And, you know, it works.
[Laughter]
- Let them have it,
Miss rebecca.
She's no longer on the farm.
Rebecca has escaped!
- After all the drama
And freaking out and everything,
I love my outfit.
It describes me
From top to bottom.
- Tammie brown's in town.
- I think bette davis
Is in town.
Yes. She's very, very
Bette davis.
- As I'm walkin' down the
Runway, I acted like a model,
More so a fit model
From the thirties.
- [Laughing]
Oh, um, that's
My entrance and exit, dearie.
[Laughter]
Ladies, the judges
Have calculated your scores.
Will the following girls
Please take one step forward?
Jade...
Shannel...
Bebe...
Tammie brown.
The four of you are
Safe for now.
You can leave the stage.
You're still in the race.
The five of you represent
The best and the worst
Of the week.
One of you will
Win this challenge.
And one of you will
Be sent home.
First up is ongina.
Tell us what's going on
With your outfit.
- These are loofahs.
So I unraveled them,
And then I hand-stitched them
So that the ruffle
Would kind of be perfect.
- When I heard the name
Ongina, I thought, oh, my dear.
This just sounds like
A cross between a heart att*ck
And a yeast infection.
I was like...
I have to admit.
When I put it together with
The look and the whole loofah,
Kind of carrie bradshaw
Goes to rio...
It's very, very, very
Charming.
- Thank you so much.
[Camera shutter clicks]
- You know exactly
How you want to look.
And it's so obvious.
You wear it like,
"This is mine."
- I was very impressed,
Although, when I see you,
I still see a little boy.
I I would love to see more
Of a little lady.
- Ok.
- Thank you.
You may join the other girls.
Rebecca glasscock...
[Camera shutter clicks]
Looks like you're about
To take a bite out of crime.
- This rebecca is
Very female, "take me."
I would think that was
A girl.
This rebecca here
Is very boy as girl.
Were you not a little
Worried
About how short your dress is?
- I knew it was going to
Be at least, safe
Where the goodies
Weren't exposed. So...
[Laughs]
- I'm curious about your
Costume today, your outfit.
What are the materials
You used for this?
- This is all barbecue,
Tinfoil cutouts.
- I think this outfit would
Even have gone over more
If your body language
Was a little better.
- I think you could've
Come lower in the front
And made it a little
More provocative.
And your your belly button
Looks adorable.
- [Laughs]
- Thank you, rebecca.
Miss victoria parker.
- This is the first outfit
I've ever made in my life.
I've never sewed a stitch.
- I'll applaud your
Color combination
On your outfit today,
But I feel like it looks
A little disjointed.
- Porkchop looked like
A football field.
[Camera shutter clicks]
- Not a lot of focus
Here, victoria.
Were you just swept away by
The chocolate thunderstorm
That was in the area?
- Well, I was kind
Of having a good time.
[Laughter]
- I think you have to keep
Looking at the camera,
Make sure that you're
Focusing at the camera,
So you don't get lost
In the picture.
- It looks like
A double stuffed oreo.
- [Laughs]
- Akashia. Here, you are
Like, "come get me, ok?"
But here, you're
A little demure.
- I'm not being demure.
- You just seemed a little shy,
Mainly when you walked
The runway.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- Ok.
- It it looked like you
Were uncomfortable.
- The dress, I think,
Is just unflattering.
- It just looks a little cheap.
It looks like you're ready
To give a $20 hand job
Or something.
I mean, it's like, it's not...
- That's not a bad thing.
- You know, it's a...
[Laughter]
- All right.
- I kind of get mixed
Messages from you.
I kind of feel like you want
To be here, and then I
Kind of feel like sometimes
You don't want to be here.
[Needle scratches on record]
- Bitch, I'm here.
I took off of work.
Oh, I want to be here.
- All right. Keep it 'hood.
Keep it real, akashia.
Nina.
- Hola.
- Santino, what'd you think?
- Uh! Mami.
I can't get over your outfit.
And it's got, like,
That real aggression
And a real twisted beauty
About it.
- I love the kind of, you
Know, ribbon across the face.
It's dramatic,
And it's a little scary.
And I like that.
- You know what I love,
Is that it's it has
All this hard edge
And this drama
And yet it has the sweetness
Of little flowers
Cascading on the shoulders.
You really took the whole
Thing and made it your own.
- Thank you.
- Your image is so strong.
I'd love to see a softer
Side of miss flowers.
I want to see the flower.
[Camera shutter clicks]
- Ooh!
- Your photo sh**t,
You connected completely
With the camera.
You were amazing.
You gave a lot of intensity.
- I think you may need
To take a pregnancy test.
[Laughter]
While you all go and wait in
The interior illusions lounge,
The judges and I
Will deliberate.
Thank you.
[Sound effect of
Engine starting]
All right. Deliberations.
Between us, what do
You think of ongina?
- I loved her.
I thought she had so much spirit
And so much kind of
Different style.
- But I have to say,
I see a little boy.
And it's not an illusion to me.
- Rebecca glasscock. Do you
Believe that nose of hers?
- Her nose is as real
As her name.
Excuse me. I know nose jobs, ok?
- Ha ha!
- She needs to take more risks.
Because just being
Beautiful isn't enough.
- Yeah, she hasn't figured
Out what to do with her body.
- You know, that might
Work against her.
Victoria...porkchop.
- She doesn't know how
To pull it all together
And be really amusing.
- It's like a visual joke,
But there's no...
- There's no payoff.
- Yeah.
- We are looking for
An international breakthrough
Star, and she just may
Be too regional. Perhaps.
Let's talk about akashia.
- Tragic.
- Wow. So much potential.
- A huge amount of potential,
But you know
What's holding her back?
That wall of anger.
- Nina flowers.
- Love her.
- The best.
- Utterly original.
- Yes.
- I've never seen somebody
Do that kind of punk thing
With a little road warrior.
- It all worked so well.
I mean, it was so
Consistent from head to toe.
- My concern is, I don't
Think she could do, like, a very
Super soft, elegant...
- I'd like to see her try.
- So you think you know who
We're gonna be sending home?
- Uh, yeah.
- Well, you don't know anything
Because it's my decision.
[Laughter]
Welcome back.
One of you will be named
Winner and receive immunity
In next week's elimination.
The winner will also
Receive a three-day stay at
The paris hotel
In las vegas, nevada,
With airfare provided
By southwest airlines.
And one of you will leave
Rupaul's drag race for good.
Ongina, you're still
In the race.
Nina flowers...
You are the winner
Of this week's challenge.
- Whoo!
- Whoo!
- Thank you so much.
- This means you will have
Immunity next week.
Congratulations.
You're still in the race.
- I am ready to be the next
Drag queen superstar.
Work it, honey. Work it!
Work it!
- Rebecca...
You started off slow, but
You turned it out in the end.
Congratulations.
You're still in the race.
- Whoo!
- [Exhales]
Thank god.
- So we're down to two dolls.
Akashia...
Now, in your photo,
You really gave it.
But I don't need to tell
You, your drag outfit
And your runway
Presentation were
Not a hit with the judges.
- I don't think that
I deserve to be the top ho,
But I know my outfit's not
Bad enough to be in the bottom.
But the judges proved me wrong.
- Victoria...
You told us this is the first
Outfit you've ever made.
And it shows.
You have a lot of charisma,
Which we all love.
We're all rooting for you.
But do you have the potential
To be great?
- I think akashia needs
A little bit more help,
And a little bit more training.
I've been doing
This a long time.
- In a moment, I will
Ask one of you to "shante,"
Which means you can stay
And ask one of you
To sashay away.
I've consulted with the judges,
My lawyers, and housekeeper,
But the final decision
Is mine to make.
Prior to tonight, you were
Asked to prepare a lip sync
Performance of a song that
Is near and dear to my heart
And is paying the mortgage on
Several homes around the world,
"Supermodel."
This is your last chance
To impress me
And to save yourself
From elimination.
The time has come for you
To lip sync for your life.
Good luck and don't f*ck it up.
Let the music play.
- ♪ You better work ♪
♪ You better work ♪
♪ Cover girl! ♪
♪ Work it, girl,
Give a twirl... ♪
- I've always been taught,
In any situation,
Whatever's going on around you,
Whatever you've got on,
Entertain.
- ♪ Don't matter
What you wear ♪
♪ Don't matter
What you wear ♪
♪ You're checking out
Yourself up there... ♪
- I said, f*ck it.
This is gonna be me, and I don't
Give a f*ck what's going on.
I'm just serving it up.
- ♪ Work, turn to the left ♪
♪ Work ♪
♪ Now turn to the right ♪
♪ Work ♪
♪ Sashay ♪
♪ Shante ♪
♪ Work ♪
♪ Supermodel ♪
♪ You better work ♪
♪ Work ♪
♪ Work ♪
- I was surprised
Because victoria
Was all over the place,
Falling.
- ♪ I have one thing to say ♪
♪ You better work ♪
[Cheering and applause]
- Akashia, victoria,
I've made my decision.
Akashia, shante. You stay.
- I do think that they
Should look out for me,
Because I'm gonna try
And bring it 10 times more
Than I was already gonna
Try and bring it before.
- Victoria, I'm sorry.
And I want you to know
How glad I am I met you.
I hope you take this
Experience back home with you
And continue to do
What you do best
And inspire the children.
- Hey, it was a pleasure
Meeting all of you.
Thank you for the opportunity.
And I've had a great time,
And I wish all of the
Contestants the best of luck.
[Applause]
I got selected in the top
Nine from thousands of people,
So I have nothing
To be upset about.
- Thank you, victoria.
Now sashay...
Away.
[Applause]
I would like to send out
To the plus size community,
Live your dreams.
Don't let anyone stop you.
Don't let your size stop you.
Unfortunately, I'm the first
To go, but I made it here.
- Ladies, congratulations.
And remember,
If you can't love yourself,
How in the hell you
Gonna love somebody else?
Can I get a "amen" in here?
- Amen.
- All right.
Let the music play.
[Song starts]
♪ Cover girl ♪
♪ Put the bass in your walk ♪
♪ Head to toe,
Let your whole body talk ♪
[Mike laughing]
- ♪ And what? ♪
01x01 - Drag on a Dime
Watch/Buy Amazon Merchandise
RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week.
RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week.