The queens are competing for a $100,000 grand prize, BBC reports, plus the winner also receives a dazzling crown fromFierce Drag Jewels. How much do 'The Circle' contestants get paid? "When Drag Race first started," Tom Fitzgerlad, author of Legendary Children:The First Decade of RuPaul's Drag Race and the Last Century of Queer Life tells Vice, "they were literally coming in off the street to do this TV show. With her frequent collaborator Katya Zamolodchikova, shes published a New York Times bestselling book and had several successful web series (including one that ran on VICE and one with Netflix). Photo by Bennett Raglin / Getty Images. I personally could give a shit if my drag looks more expensive as long as I have a roof over my head, and, like, a future, Yvie said. As such, the document below was publicly available on World of Wonders website, and that is where I obtained it. I remember we would have to make decisions on like, Oh, are we allowed to get some more rhinestones? Competing on Drag Race is expensive. With that, the winning queen will also receive a cash . Popular Days. So, I believe its a myth that you can do Drag Race without money. 364 posts. 1. I spent close to $20,000 just on supplies, fabrics, and wigs and designers and whatnot, and didnt win! It's just what you do with that in the future that really makes the difference., That said, its probably not the best use of thousands and thousands of dollars if youre not really serious about your drag career. For Season 6, the fan site TARFlies found that the team placing 11th and eliminated first was given $1,500. For 12 runway looks, thats $5,400. Going on the show also opens them up to the extended RuPaul and World of Wonder universe, which includes opportunities like the Werq the World world tour, and DragCon, a multi day event that happens in both Los Angeles and New York City. You dont need money, girl, Michelle says. RuPaul's Drag Race UK is back for series 4 - and Mama Ru has now announced the full line-up of queens for 2022. . Bobbie Zlotnik, aka BobbiePinz, has made wigs for many RuPauls Drag Race queens, including Alyssa Edwards, Alexis Michelle, Aquaria, Cameron Michaels, Willam, Jackie Cox, and Ros. 59 votes, 46 comments. I was like, If I go and get eliminated first, at least I can say I was on it, get a couple gigs, get an increased booking fee, and keep working. Photo by Rodin Eckenroth / FilmMagic / Getty. Despite spending $14,000, Yvie said she knew from her first day on set that she had been outspent by everyone else on Season 11. Early on in her drag career, she walked around the East Village asking people for money while wearing literal trash as a drag costume. Youre not there playing patty-cake. She adds, If youre not competitive, why the hell are you there? Trans women and queer men couldnt walk into a department store and buy dresses. Show: RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Ru also seems to genuinely valueand rewardthe charismatic queens who can make something out of nothing. All of this makes the competition steeper each year. " RuPaul's Drag Race " Season 14 will crown America's next drag superstar on April 22 when the finale airs on VH1. Whereas some girls spent 20, 30, 40, even $50,000 on garments, Heidi said. A confident, charismatic queen truly can make an Amazon jumpsuit or a thrift store dress look incredible, particularly if the garment feels authentic to the queens overall personality and vision. While most of the queens who spoke to VICE had budgets that were on the lower end, a little back-of-the-napkin math shows that a lot of queens are likely spending way more. As the shows profile has grown, so too, it seems, has the budget needed to feel competitive. After being on Drag Race, When touring, recording, merchandise and endorsements are factored in, top queens are earning in the low to mid-six figures annually,Jacob Slane, Partner and Associate Manager atProducer Entertainment Group(PEG) told Billboard. One clause says the queens consent to having the production misrepresent them for dramatic purposes., The show may include actual or fictional information of a personal, private, sexual, surprising, defamatory, disparaging, embarassing and/or unfavorable nature., The programs on Logo are described as including themes concerning homosexuality., To avoid having the queens participation fall under union rules, what the queens do on a show is not a performance but instead constitutes appearing as myself., Contestants agree to participate in the creation of Additional Series Materials, and theres a list of possibilities, from remix episodes tovirtual reality environments.. But it also is very dangerous, because that means it can become all about capitalism, right? Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly told VICE. It's not necessarily unusual for participants in a competition show to be paid meager wagers. Although the drag queen competition series is now in its 10th season, and though contractual obligations and rules have been mentioned even on the show, I have yet to see the contracts contents discussed in-deptheven though it was available publicly online. (Bob said she and Derrick have talked about it and are cool now.), Monique Heart pointed out that young queens of color dont always have the kind of community support that allows them to embrace activities like, say, reading Vogue or playing with makeup while they are still in high school. After everyone has walked the runway, queens are sorted. Copyright @ 2000 to 2022 Reality Blurred LLC and individual contributors, reality TV reviews, news, and analysis since 2000, The Mole behind the scenes: how it was produced, Desi Williams on her DQ, rules, theft, and more: not everything in The Challenge is fair, How The Amazing Race started: an oral history of CBSs first race around the world, interviews with producers and reality stars. In a behind-the-scenes video by WOWPresents, queens shared different shocking experiences, such as being blindfolded on the way to their hotels and being forbidden from opening the curtains of their room. But the cost of materials still adds up. podcast, one inside source said the Islanders receive a daily fee of $150 . Welcome! Its the Game of Thrones of reality TV., I think for some people its worth it, she continued. It's not just the winners who make money. As we all know, the winners split 50k between them, and the majority of the cast will go on to secure a wealth of sponsorship . However, the serious money making happens postseason, which is the gift that keeps on giving. It can be all about who has the connections, who is spending the most money. (VH1 declined to answer questions for this article. The judges called it genius and magical.. The queensagree to fully cooperate with recreatedscenes, though that the specific languagerequire me to re-create, re-enact or repeat certain actions, activities, statements etc. The current contract may be different, but while the show moved from Logo to VH1, its parent company (Viacom Media Networks) and production company (World of Wonder) have not changed. The peach-colored plastic flower necklace she is wearing ends a couple of inches above her absolutely enormous cleavage, which is nestled in the bejeweled bra of a pop star. A post shared by RuPaul's Drag Race (@rupaulsdragrace). (Above: never-before-seen footage of Sasha Velour trying on her faux fur runway outfit in her Brooklyn bathroom before going on the show. Following a Drag Race run, many queens use their boosted incomeas well as any prize money they took hometo re-invest in their drag career. The tops and bottoms then receive critiques from the four judges (typically including a celebrity guest judge) on their runway outfit, hair, and makeup, as well as on their performance in the maxi challenge. I don't think having money is a bad thing. Even to just pay for the suitcases to get there was stressful., Contestants may go on Drag Race hoping to strike gold, but before the lucky few get to that point, theyll be paid a per-episode rate of just a few hundred dollars for two to three long days of filming. The second season of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on February 1, 2010, and aired its final episode on April 26, 2010. Meanwhile, Joe Black got loads of love and support from viewers, and from H&M itselfthe retailer sent Joe a cake and flowers, along with free clothing. Go ahead and get that H&M dress or that ASOS jacket and do something with it. A confident, charismatic queen truly can make an Amazon jumpsuit or a thrift store dress look incredible, particularly if the garment feels authentic to the queens overall personality and vision. For those wishing to Drag Race with RuPaul, the out-of-pocket expense can be surprising. The mechanisms of Drag Race make it almost impossible to not spend a fortune. . Back in 2016, when the show was really coming into the nation's attention, Drag Race royalty Alyssa Edwards told Mic that she spends around "$450 for a wig a custom wig that's fitted to your head, and for your face." Producers own the rights and proceeds for anything the queens do on the show, which includes characters, songs, and anything they say about themselves (elements of my life story). Twelve $500 custom runway outfits (which, again, is on the low end) plus wigs and accessories adds up to $7,800. If you haven't watched much Drag Race, here are the basics of how it works: Around 14 performers compete each season to become Americas next drag superstar. Every episode has a maxi challenge, in which contestants will be asked to demonstrate a skill like acting, improv, choreographed dancing, lip syncing, celebrity impersonation, stand-up comedy, or all of the above, while wearing an outfit theyve brought with them. The stakes are just higher.". Essentially, she said, they might be discouraged from participating in the sort of activities that can help a person develop a good eye., I think a lot of times, because of where Black and brown people grow up, they don't have that safety of expression that I think white people have, Monique said. Royale made her first Drag Race appearance on season 4, where she was crowned Miss Congeniality. Even if the winning queen doesn't walk away with 100,000, we are sure they will make it up with increased booking fees after their global exposure. I believe pop culture can both entertain and affect us, and so reality blurred's goal is to amplify the best and hold the worst accountable. Upon her much anticipated entrance into All Stars 5, fan favorite Mayhem Miller got smacked with backlash on social media for wearing a $23 bodysuit from Amazon. Contestants on Idol earn a weekly $450 stipend. There's stuff like that that you really have to learn, because it is a waste of money, she said. After interviewing several former contestants on the show, a reporter for Vice concluded that most participants are spending anywhere from $4,000 to $20,000 on their get-ups for the show. I spent more on this competition than I did on college, Cracker replies solemnly, and a moment of silence falls over both queens. 3. Like, I'm not trying to look like the most flossin bitch getting evicted from my apartment next month, she added with a big laugh. The biggest pitfall of Drag Race to its queens- among the long hours of filming and impending hateful tweets from the fandom - seems to overwhelmingly be the expenses of competing. The men of the Pit Crew are typically dressed only in their underwear, assisting RuPaul and contestants in various challenges on the show. Queens are competing for a pretty significant prize. There are eight reasons given why someone might be disqualified and ejected from the show. (You just need to wear a suit!) Theres an odd line that says the cast is responsible for providing their own food, drink, clothing and personal items. Their own food and drink, really? With that said, as the show continues to see success, the looks become more and more over-the-top and the money spent continues to increase for competitive reasons. To share our perspectives and exchange ideas in a welcoming, supportive space, Ive created these rules for commenting here. The RuPaul's Drag Race winner opens up about her spending, saving, and very glamourous splurging. I wonder if it can be discussed or not. RuPaul's Drag Race contestants, . Many self-fund new projects (like tours, comedy specials, and music videos), and do a big post-show glow-up, appearing at meet-and-greets with better wardrobes and wigs, and, occasionally, new teeth. Cast members are paid $400 per episode for their first season, and their pay increases 5 percent for future seasons: $420 per episode for their second season, $441 for their . 317 posts Former contestants announced that they spent anything between 2,900 and 30,000 to create jaw-dropping looks, so contestants have risked a lot for the . In signing the contract, the participants also give away rights to anything they do on the show, including "characters, songs, and anything they say about themselves.". ), A lot of the looks that have feathers can be expensive, Aquaria said. Im in a bankruptcy, she says to the judges after receiving criticism for her Neon Queen Realness look in Episode 4. Of course, many of the queens have the opportunity to earn lots of money after the show airs. Photo courtesy of Sam Branman. Behind the couches is artfully layered backstage detritus: two megaphones, a couple of directors chairs, a ladder, and a neon light shaped like a pair of lips. Mondo Guerra, a Brooklyn-based designer and Project Runway alum who has outfitted queens like Blair St. Clair, Jackie Cox, and Olivia Lux for RuPauls Drag Race, told VICE that a simple custom dress of hisi.e., a straightforward silhouette without any rhinestonescosts $700$800. But its also the case that some of the more affluent girls can also sew (and some broke queens cant), meaning theres no guarantee that a design challenge will favor the people with less money. Which means if your lip sync for your life performance falls short youll have to sashay away and miss out. The queens are exclusive to Drag Race for 24 months after their last episode airs. But money was constantly on her mind as she prepared for the show. The contract also notes that any appearances after the first season come with a 5% raise. I took a loan out against my asshole to get here, Cracker says, and Kameron snort-laughs. Or you canyou can go, but you wont win.. I had sold them because I needed the money to live, Joe said. Dont waste my time. Every time you travel somewhere, you're spending money; every time you plan a new show, anytime you go to a DragCon or somethingeverywhere you go, everything you do, you are spending money., Yvie Oddly wearing an outfit to DragCon that led to fan backlash. And if they don't like it, then what can I do about it? RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 airs on MTV, which is available to stream on services like Philo TV ,, Sling TV, Hulu+ With Live TV and Fubo TV. After a rough calculation, Mic estimated that she spends somewhere around '$45,000 alone on wigs'. wayiswho . The top 10 richest drag queens in 2022. Social and financial marginalization forced drag artists to be creative. The show promises that will be negotiated in good faith and in accordance with industry standard., If a contestant has a YouTube channel, they have to allow it to become part of the shows channel, and that includes allowing them to receive any and all payments from which the producers will take a customary percentage.. Brooke Lynn Heights, 2019's US runner-up, shares ALL the behind-the-scenes info you need to know. The cost of a given runway look depends mainly on how complicated and unique it is, and the materials used to make it. Rebecca Hendin / Logo / BuzzFeed. Some even higher. At the end of the day, the judgesand, I believe, the audiencemostly want to see authenticity. Monique was invited back for All Stars 4, where, as a runner-up, she was more successfuland also spent more. Bigger builds are in the $1,200$1,400 range, and season finaleworthy looks start at $2,400. Johnny and I didn't sleep for two weeks, she said. RuPaul's Drag Race has become one of the most successful shows on television, but it's not been without its fair share of unresolved scandals. The glamour of the contestants' outfits and make-up suggests opulence and wealth, so it's easy to assume that those competing are among the rich and powerful. This was the case for the late, great Chi Chi DeVayne in Season 8 during an exchange that is fairly representative of these kinds of conversations. Contestants agree to participate in sponsor integrations, which includes naming, identifying, wearing, using, describing, demonstrating or interacting with sponsors products or services. While we dont know what Season 12s top three queens spent (none could be reached for comment for this article), winner Jaida Essence Hall recently said that she made all but two of her costumes herself. These should, in theory, level the playing field a bit, and benefit the DIYers in the group. (Alaska and Trixie Mattel were both wearing BobbiePinz wigs when they were crowned on their respective seasons of All Stars.) And so the price reflects that. Drag queen contestants are paid a salary per episode, plus a sweet cash prize for the winner. Not . 4 Contestants Are Paid Per Episode. The Pit Crew, also known as the Scruff Pit Crew, are a group of muscular men who appear on each season of RuPaul's Drag Race. While the majority of Drag Queens can sew, not all of them sew their own clothes for Drag Race. Naturally, we're all wondering who the 12 new contestants are - well, technically 11 new, 1 old - and cannot wait to see them serve some sassy . With wigs, extravagant costumes, and mountain piles of makeup, the price to go on the show could be as costly as four to five figures! Winning a maxi challenge now nets a $5,000 cash prize, but that only began in Season 12 in 2020; before that, it was gift certificates for wigs and jewelry, and, eventually, in Season 11, nice vacations. Still, phrases like a great eye or can pull off anything are the sort of fashion-industry compliments that are often only applied to people who fit a certain mold: thin and tall, for starters, and likely also white and able-bodied. The Masked Singer UK season . Most drag performers never left their community, and while their local gigs may have been emotionally rewarding, they werent particularly lucrative. And this goes to all of you up here: If it is from H&M, you better glitter the fuck out of it, and make it something special. Up until the 80s and the 90s, drag queens essentially dressed in vintage clothing, Fitzgerald told VICE. Trixie Mattel, one of Drag Races most blessed and booked bitches (to use the term of art), has put out three albums, gone on tour, and been the subject of a Netflix documentary. I think I had a month's worth of time between getting the phone call and leaving. After interviewing several former contestants on the show, a reporter for Vice concluded that most participants are spending anywhere from $4,000 to $20,000 on their get-ups for the show. 2. Well, if you'd ask some of the queens that have sashayed their way onto the "werkroom" themselves, the highly sought after opportunity to compete on Drag Race is quite the pretty penny. Girl. Applying to the show means that the production company has the option to require me to appear in one season, but it also includes options for five more seasons, which producers can decide upon six months after the final episode airs. Now drag artists are cutting albums, selling serious merch, being signed to ad campaigns and movie deals. During casting for season eight, the process required applicants to sign this contract before they even filled out the application or uploaded a video. At the end of each episode, theres a runway competition, where they wear a look tailored to the week's themesay, leather and lace or jetset eleganza., BenDeLaCreme, of Season 6 and All Stars 3, attends an All Stars event. According to Cheat Sheet, after they sign a contract with Reality Blurred, the contestants will receive $400 per episode. Latrice Royale. Photos by Santiago Felipe / Getty Images. . Each one of them scooped 25k. College tuition money. Buying an H&M dress and not doing anything to it says, Not only do I not have my own perspective on this, but I couldn't even alter somebody else's perspective to get my voice out. So I actually agree with the judges overall, Yvie said. But what you don't get to see on "Drag Race" is that all the queens bring their catwalk wardrobe choices with them from day one, meaning that even if a queen goes home during the first week, chances are she brought all the clothes necessary to take her to the final. The weight of her financial setbacks became a key detour of her confidence as she looked around at all the thousand dollar gowns of her competitors. I rented from a costume shop in Queens, and it cost $500, she said. Sussex resident Dakota Schiffer is making Drag Race her-story as the first UK trans contestant. Dave Kotinsky/Getty . My hand-crafted newsletter is sent most Fridays, and is free! She created nearly all of her costumes herself, along with the help of some friends. If bespoke pieces arent in a queens budget, buying something inexpensive off the rack and customizing it (or glittering the fuck out of it, as Ru told Joe Black to do with the H&M frock) might not be a feasible alternative. You still have the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, no matter where you go home. She also said that shed been setting aside money in the hopes of getting on the show, but that her savings was not a lot. And not just the kind of biscuits praised by all-star queen classy queen Latrice Royale. Then she and her drag sisters made all of her looks from scratch. Im Andy Dehnart, a writer who obsessively and critically covers reality TV, focusing on how its made and what it means. (See also: the avant garde hooded dress Utica made out of a sleeping bag for a design challenge.) The contestants also have to prepare looks for the entire season knowing that if they get eliminated early, the outfits wont see the light of day. The full contract is below, annotated with my analysis, but first, here are some key parts of the contract: All reality blurred content is independently selected, including links to products or services. In terms of what The Chasers get paid, that's not as easily discernible as what the contestants make. And here I am. Queens like Ivy Winters, Yuhua Hamasaki and Lashawn Beyond mentioned on their seasons how. And it got worse. (The pandemic decimated live entertainment, including drag performances.) Theres a clause that allows for filming to take place in contestants homes or elsewhere, and the language allows producers to enter and occupy their home or business and place cameras and other recording devices. If a contestant doesnt control a location, they agree tohelp producers get permission. For example . With . In fact, they are getting paid, just like anyone doing any other job, and in the case of RuPaul's Drag Race, it's not too badly paid. Despite putting herself in the "bitter old . # . A source told The Sun: "All the Islanders are getting 200-a-week to be on the show. Contestants may go on Drag Race hoping to strike gold, but before the lucky few get to that point, they'll be paid a per-episode rate of just a few hundred dollars for two to three long days of . Earlier in the episode, Joe had sung and danced his way through the Eurovision girl-group challenge wearing a pink knee-length dress with a high neck and puffy sleeves. Theyre working paycheck to paycheck. The high point for a synthetic would be up to about $1000, Zlotnik said. So it's actually very hard to fit me correctly. Queens who return for additional seasons earn a 5% bump on their weekly episode payout. The contestants on The Bachelor do not get paid to appear on the show - in fact, some have been reported to spend thousands of their own dollars on gowns. Recently, store-bought costumes have become the biggest fashion faux pas for the judging panel and fans alike. However, the few people who are on standby and don't get to be naked in front of the nation, get paid 75 just for . The contestants cant do any other media without permission until a year after the final episode airs, thoughbecause they are drag queensthey are allowed to do live performances and appearances. I do think they give space to the Nina Bonina Browns, the ones that are making stuff, author and blogger Tom Fitzgerald said. In other words, it seems like contract language that acknowledges what many reality shows do: they ask contestants to repeat a conversation or line, or dosomething again if the cameras missed it. She had gotten the dress for free from a vintage store after modeling it for them prior to being cast on the show, and the fabric and yarn for the hat she made cost $50. Monique Heart has 691,000 followers on Instagram as of . The collection of legal documents is 51 pages long, and includes background check and medical release forms, plus basic rules. If a queen returns in an additional season, such as Shangela . Yeah, my garments just arent gonna stand up to their outfits. They cannot, however, mention their connection to RuPauls Drag Race. There's nothing I can do about it. I have to get my stuff made custom if I want my gown to touch the floor, my sleeves to touch my wrist, Bob the Drag Queen said. Much of the language is standard and makes sense, allowing the production to use whats filmed on television and in advertising, and making perhaps obvious things explicitly clear, including that there is no expectation of privacy.. The other mermaid looks like your friends ex-stepmom celebrating her third divorce with a trip to Vegas: Her luscious margarita-green hair is accented by a headband topped with starfish, seashells, jewels, and fake flowers. Though her bubbly, humble personality and abundant talent hoisted her into the Top 4 of the competition, this is not the case for queens that are similarly unfortunate. All from their own pocket, because the show doesnt provide them with any sort of budget. Follow her onTwitter. In response, Joe stage-whispers, Aiiitch and emmmmm, and then laughs. Learn more. She often used her very limited downtime on the show attempting to improve the runway costumes she broughtor make new pieces on the spotand spent so much time doing that, she said, that she didnt have time to learn the lyrics for the weeks lip sync. 8. Photos via VH1, I know a lot of those girls have never sewn before, Tom Fitzgerald said. As the onslaught of negative critiques from the judges panel towards homemade or store-bought costumes grew much harsher, prospective contestants began running to local fashion designers the second they got the call to be on the show. Cast members are paid $400 per episode for their first season, and their pay increases 5 percent for future seasons: $420 per episode for their second season, $441 for their third, and so on. Courtesy of VH1. Week 9 - Pixie Polite Drag Race UK star Pixie Polite. U.S. fans can watch RuPaul's Drag Race season 14 episode 3 on Friday, January 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on VH1 (which is available in most cable packages). The queens are not paid for promotional appearances, but if they have to go more than 50 miles from their home, they get an airline ticket, hotel, and $75 per day. As drag has gotten more mainstream, its gotten further from its DIY rootsand performing on the biggest stage is becoming prohibitively expensive. OBSESSED with the fact that there's no cash prize for Drag Race UK, just the WOWPresents series that most US queens get just for showing up Lex (@lexfirth) October 3, 2019 So, the longer they stay in the competition, the more money they will have. However, participating in "Drag Race" is often so demanding and expensive that it's easy to wonder if the salary is worth it. Heart appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10, finishing in eighth place, and was a finalist on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 4. And Drag Race contestants received $400 per episode, . A $100,000 check from RuPaul can buy you a house, pay off student debt, or the entire menu at Cheesecake Factory 600 times over. Now, she seems to truly believe, in the way only a very wealthy person who was once very poor can, that you dont need money to succeed. Bob the Drag Queen, winner of Chi's season, told Vice, "If I went back on Drag Race now, Id probably be spending $2040,000." Im sitting up here spending between $4,000 and $5,000 on everything. Heidi N. Closet makes her entrance on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12.