Exclusive: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 10 Set Visit Suggests The New Queens Have Come to Slay

“We’re a priority in VH1 and it’s like a word of mouth show,” Campbell says. “It’s like any good pop culture thing from the gay sub-culture that bubbles up. It’s reaching more and more people. And as much as we had to go with a formula and keep the bones and spirit of the show locked in, it’s the queens every season that keep the show fresh. It’s not this isn’t a nostalgic show about RuPaul in the 90’s.”

At the Emmy Awards in September, RuPaul and the nominated producers found love from fans such as Kate McKinnon, Lily Tomlin (a former guest judge) and “Modern Family’s” Eric Stonestreet, among others (Elisabeth Moss reportedly volunteered she’d voted for the show).  The move to VH1 hasn’t resulted in a marked increase in familiar faces wanting to stop by as a guest judge in Campbell’s eyes, but has the Emmy recognition?  It’s possible.

“On Logo we had Gigi Hadid and Ariana Grande and it’s so much about [availability],” Campbell notes. “If Ariana Grande is not available on Tuesday for 12 hours she won’t be here.  I do think, again, more people are seeing it. We do have some cameo appearances by people you would never imagine being on ‘Drag Race’ who drop by.  I think the Emmy Awards to a certain part of Hollywood says, ‘Hey, this is a legitimate show.’ I ‘m hearing from people on my staff.  I’m watching it myself. But the people that sit on the judges’ panel, and we have some amazing people this year, tend to be real fans of the show.”

Those guest judges include Christina Aguilera (a regular judge on that pesky “The Voice”), legendary country pop artist Shania Twain, iconic rock star Courtney Love, “GIRLS” creator Lena Dunham, Grammy nominee Halsey, “Broad Girls” stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer (a show RuPaul had a recurring role on during its last season), supermodel Kate Upton, “Billy On The Street’s” Billy Eichner, “Big Sick” Oscar nominees and Indie Spirit Award winners Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon (the later being a huge fan), “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi, “Younger” star Nico Tortorella, six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, one-time hip hop star Ashanti, “Dear White People” star Logan Browning, actress Tisha Campbell-Martin, “True Blood” and “Good Wife” star Carrie Preston, original “Book of Mormon” star Andrew Rannells, “13 Reasons Why” and “Love, Simon” star Miles Heizer, among others.  And that doesn’t include notable names such as Stephen Colbert, Bravo TV maestro Andy Cohen and a few others who just stop to participate outside the judging arena (including some past winners and former contestants).

“It’s amazing how many people are fans. Everybody says they’ll do the show and then they hire publicists and agents whose job it is to say ‘no’ or they are too busy,” Campbell says. “And they usually are by the way.  But  [next year] we’re gonna try to figure out how to shoot so in the summer or in full production [during TV season]. We’re gonna try to shoot a little earlier.”

How the queens are selected on the show has always been a curiosity to fans.  RuPaul clearly has the final say, but why does one local hometown queen get passed over while a little known contestant make the cut?  Campbell says they all look at hundreds of reels and every producer makes notes on each candidate.  Then the debates begin.

“We get around the conference table at World of Wonder and we play and fight and argue,” Cambpell says with a smile on his face. b“And we have a board. And it gets tinier and tinier and tinier. And we break and we come back another day.  And it sounds corny, but you don’t wanna have queens that feel like they’re filling in the same exact role [as someone the season that just aired].  So, there’s sometimes there’s someone [that we think] ‘Maybe next season for them.’  But the cast comes together.”

There are also conspiracy theorists who are so passionate about the show they are convinced the production has planned it all out before a single episode tapes.  Campbell and his colleagues laugh at that assertion as they often have their personal top picks blown into thin air like an upset filled March Madness bracket.  Season 9 and 10, in particular, seemed like a very level playing field in their eyes.  That being said he adds, “There’s some seasons like season 6 [where there were] some amazing queens but you kinda had a feeling, ‘Oh Bianca del Rio’s not going to leave any time soon.’”

He adds, “But these past couple seasons we do a thing with the executives where it’s like, ‘Who are your top three?’ And always by the third episode, we’re like, ‘You sucker!’ See? You never know.  And you always have the highest hopes and it’s always painful when they leave.  And it isn’t like you’re a good queen or you’re a bad queen.  It’s like you choked this week.  Or you didn’t understand the assignment, or, you know, God forbid you had a head cold or something.  You know, it’s like anything can sort of take you out of the competition.”

One thing the show’s increased ratings on VH1 have led to are music licensing agencies opening up on allowing certain artist’s tacks to be used for each episode’s climactic lip sync for your life.  This has been a huge boost to a show that has, at times, struggled to get top tracks from some major pop stars.

“People are opening up more and more because there are statistics from the season 9 finale,” Campbell says. “We did two Whitney Houston songs and we hadn’t been able to get Whitney Houston songs since season one.  And the airplay and the sales went off the hook.  So, I think the music industry is recognizing that a song plays in lip sync on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and sales go up.”

He pauses and adds laughing, “If Janet Jackson’s listening, we still want to clear some Janet songs. ‘If,’ that would be great.”
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Michelle Visage has been a regular season judge on “Drag Race” since season three.  She’s known good friend RuPaul Charles for considerably longer.  In the ‘90s the duo worked together on New York City morning drive radio and Visage was the co-host of RuPaul’s VH1 talk show, “The RuPaul Show.”   As she sits in her dressing room she’s prepping for that episode’s deliberations, but also taking care of her own mini-empire which includes touring the globe as the host of drag tours such as “Christmas Queens” and “Werq the World” (which sell out up to 2,000 seat venues from Europe to South America) to her current gig as a judge on “Ireland’s Got Talent.”

In person, Visage is a personable and blunt as she appears on television, but its one particular idea that really gets her attention during our conversation. Considering the fan base I ask why hasn’t there been an after-show for “Drag Race”?  If “Star Trek Discovery” on CBS’ app can have one,  shouldn’t the arguably more popular talent competition?

“I’ve tried for years to pitch it. Do you hear me, VH1?  Ross and I would do it in a heartbeat,” Visage says. “Every time I pitched it nobody took it. I’m the perfect one to do it.”

That’s honestly debatable (a post-show might benefit from a host with more perspective), but Visage’s passion for “Drag Race” is clearly evident. She’s often the toughest judge among a regular panel that includes the aforementioned Ross Matthews and Carson Kressley.  And, in her eyes, one of the reasons the show is so successful is because it continually introduces a new crop of talented artists.