Ever since the infamous H&M debacle on the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, the elitism of the show has been called into question. If RuPaul doesn’t want to see ‘any f*cking H&M’ on stage – as he so eloquently put it when Joe Black wore an H&M number for the maxi challenge – then how much does Ru expect contestants to spend while appearing on the show?
According to an investigation by VICE, it’s anything between £2,900 and £30,000 with the winner of season 8, Bob the Drag Queen, telling them she spent around £4,300 when she won in 2016 but if she ‘went back on Drag Race now, I’d probably be spending £15,000 to £30,000.’
While the queen’s budgets all vary, with some winners spending next to nothing having made all their costumes themselves, the shows profile growing over the years seems to have added to the pressure to spend big. Unfortunately, contestants aren’t offered a budget when they appear on the show.
‘I spent more coming into this competition than I did as the down payment on my house,’ Kameron Michaels told Miz Cracker in an episode of Untucked – the show that follows Drag Race contestants behind the scenes. ‘I spent more on this competition than I did on college,’ Cracker replied seriously, in a rare moment of sincerity for an otherwise comical conversation.
Of course, the queens are usually competing for a $100,000 prize, but in the UK version of RuPaul’s Drag Race that’s not the case. Since the show is hosted on BBC Three and the BBC is publicly funded, it seems the broadcaster cannot justify £100,000 prize money. And yet, the expectations of the queen’s remains the same – as evidenced by RuPaul’s detestation for Joe Black’s H&M dress.
Most queens, however, see their big budgets for appearing on the show as an investment. Appearing on Drag Race is a fast way to increase your profile in the drag world, even without winning. The prize for the UK version, for example, is a trip to Hollywood to film their own digital series. That says it all really, the winning prize is further exposure and the opportunity to create your own personal brand beyond the show – something many have done on their own in recent years.
In the past, queens have gone on to star in their own reality shows, Hollywood films, Broadway shows and commercials. They’re influencers overnight, with one of the most popular winners, Trixi Mattel, having now released three albums, a Netflix documentary and gone on tour. It’s a risk, of course, as you could be eliminated in the first episode but it’s one many feel it’s worth taking.
The problem though, is the disparities between people on the show that makes them not receiving a basic budget seem unfair.
‘It's an unfair playing field’” BenDeLaCreme, who started in season six and All Stars season three, told VICE. ‘A lot of these folks who might not have the funds also probably don't have the time. They’re working pay check to pay check. And there's other queens who can afford it, and literally can just be like, “Make me 10 amazing outfits,” and then they pack them in the suitcase and show up”’.
Ultimately, it’s something the show needs to be more open about for queens who want to appear on it. It might be your big break, but you’re going to have to spend a lot to get there.
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