Rules You Didn’t Know ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Contestants Have to Follow
It's hard to believe that it's been over a decade since RuPaul's Drag Race first graced our TV screens. Since then, there have been a ton of spin-offs, including many international adaptations and, of course, RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars. But what goes on behind the scenes? We did a ton of internet sleuthing for ya to find out everything we could about the rules contestants have to follow. But, before we start, let's set the record straight: the contract we reference/some of the interviews are old and the rules may have changed or evolved over time. We good? Cool.
So, back to the good stuff: you probably didn't know contestants are scanned with a metal detector to make sure they don't smuggle a phone into their hotel room. Or that they're required to bring dozens of potential outfits, many of which never appear on camera (rude!). Or that there are some pretty ~wild~ clauses in the contract that (yep, you guessed it) every contestant signs. We've got details on the intense audition process, the totally-locked-down hotel rooms, the filming schedule that leaves everyone wondering who actually won, and sm more. Oh, and we've got answers to your $$$ questions, too, like: how much are Drag Race contestants getting paid and how much are they spending on outfits, hair, and makeup?
Without further ado, here are a bunch of rules you probably didn't know RuPaul's Drag Race contestants have to follow on the show.
They aren't supposed to tell anyone that they're on the show—not even spouses.
Longtime Drag Race fans no doubt remember when Willam was disqualified from the show in season four. Willam 'fessed up during the finale-reunion episode, saying, "When you go away to Drag Race, you can't tell anyone—it's top-secret. And I told my husband I was doing a non-union horror movie in Europe, which I've done before and they suck, so don't watch them. And he didn't believe me. He was like, 'Why you gotta take all this drag?' So I lied, and he followed me to the hotel. The first night, he knocked on my door, and it was a delivery!"
In other words, Willam broke the rules by letting her husband find out where she was and pay her a steamy visit.
They can't have their phones during filming.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Alaska Thunderf*ck said contestants don't get to have their phones with them during filming—which can be stressful! "When I got my phone back after season 5 I was expecting ‘I can’t wait to see you!,' 'I miss you!’ What I saw was a text from Sharon [Needles]. It said: 'The house burned down and our cat ran away. Love you see you soon.' And it was horrible."
No, like, they *really* don't want contestants to have a phone.
A season 7 Untucked clip shows how serious the producers are about keeping contestants away from their phones. As everyone settles in, employees from the show scan the contestants with a metal detector to make sure they aren't smuggling a phone into the hotel...
Production puts tape over the contestants' hotel doors.
Drag Race and Drag Race All Stars contestant Adore Delano shared with the "Feast of Fun" podcast that producers put tape over everyone's door so they're able to ensure people aren't sneaking out of their rooms. It's very chaperones-on-your-high-school-field-trip, but whatever works, I guess!
They have to go through an intense audition process.
It's not easy getting cast on RuPaul's Drag Race. Brooke Lynn Hytes, who competed on season 11, told Cosmopolitan UK, "You have to make a video that's no longer than 20 minutes, but in that 20 minutes you have to do two lip sync performances, acting challenges, three snatch games, 14 runway looks, as well as a boy interview, as well as a costume you made out of paper… You had to get them all in there."
Once you're cast, you only have a couple of weeks to prepare.
Getting cast is a huge opportunity, but things move quickly. According to Vice in 2021, contestants only have two to four weeks to prepare dozens of looks, while presumably also figuring out what to do about their jobs, pets, personal lives, etc.
They have to pack a TON of outfits.
Contestants on the show have to pack 35 to 40 looks, according to a comment made by Farrah Moan on Reddit. Some are for challenges and some are for runways, but some of them are never used—they're just meant to keep the contestants guessing about the themes.
They have to film multiple endings for each season.
The finale is filmed in front of a live studio audience, but showrunners want to make sure no one spills the deets before it actually airs. So they film multiple endings with different queens winning. RuPaul confirmed this on Twitter, writing, "Damn right we film 3 endings! Can't allow shady stunt queens to spoil the surprise for everyone."
They have to commit to a lengthy filming schedule.
As season 11 contestant Brooke Lynn Hytes shared with Cosmopolitan UK, "Filming took six weeks, and we probably filmed about 14 or 15 hours a day, so they were long, full on days."
They spend thousands of dollars to appear on the show.
Contestants are spending "anywhere from $4,000 on the low end to upwards of $20,000 on the higher end" on the outfits, makeup, and accessories they need to be competitive on the show, according to Vice.
But they also have a chance to win eye-popping amounts of money.
Contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race can walk away with some serious $$$. According to Out, winning a maxi challenge during a regular season will net you $5,000, while smaller challenges are worth $2,500. On All Stars, winning a maxi challenge and its subsequent "Lip Sync for Your Legacy" can get you $10,000. And of course, there's the grand prize of $200,000.
They're also paid per episode.
According to a contract obtained by Reality Blurred in 2018 (from season 8, which was in 2016), Drag Race cast members are paid $400 per episode for their first season, and their pay increases by five percent for future seasons. That means they'd get $420 per episode for their second season, $441 for their third season, and so on.
They're essentially cut off from the outside world during filming.
In a season 7 Untucked clip, contestants settle into the hotel where they'll be staying during filming. A producer explains that they aren't allowed to leave the rooms, the door peephole will be covered, and if they need anything, they can write it on a note and slip it under the door into the hallway. Casual!
They film the runway scenes twice.
"You do it to the music first and that's great. Then you do it again and it's silent, apart from the judges making funny comments about your outfit," Brooke Lynn Hytes explained to Cosmopolitan UK in 2019. "The reason they do that is so that they can get all the judges' commentary in. So if the music's playing it's harder to hear, and it also gives the judges the chance to come up with the commentary."
In the UK version, contestants can't win any prize money.
According to Vice, competitors on RuPaul's Drag Race UK won't walk away with a cash prize. This is because it airs on the BBC, which is publicly funded. Instead, they're competing for the title of the UK's Next Drag Superstar and the chance to star in their own digital series produced by the RuPaul's Drag Race creators. Also, a crown and scepter!
They can't do other media for one year after the finale.
Per the season 8 contract, contestants agree that they won't appear on any other show for 12 months after the finale airs. They can do live performances during this time, but they are prohibited from mentioning the show's name.
Producers can look into contestants' medical and criminal histories.
Contestants who agree to go on the show sign a contract stating that production is allowed to conduct an investigation into their "medical and/or psychological status, criminal history, and/or [their] personal and/or professional background." However, the results of these evaluations are kept confidential—and according to the contract, producers aren't allowed to use any of this info for the show.
Contestants can't sue if they contract a disease while filming.
Here's a curious element of the contract: "I assume all risks of interacting with the other participants and anyone else, including any consensual intimate contact that I may enter into." The contract goes on to basically say contestants can't sue the show for any disease or medical condition they contract while filming...
Food is provided for the contestants.
Another tidbit Brooke Lynn Hytes shared with Cosmo UK is about the meals on set. She said contestants got three meals a day, plus snacks. "There's an on-site caterer and they give you a menu and you order," she explained. "They took good care of us that way."
They have to wear the same outfit for confessionals.
Contestants have to wear the same clothes for alllllll their confessional interviews, Brooke Lynn Hytes also revealed. This is pretty common in reality TV, since producers often want to be able to splice footage without obvious continuity errors.
Contestants don't really interact with RuPaul off-camera.
And here's what Brooke Lynn Hytes had to say about RuPaul's off-camera interactions with contestants: "I think it's important that people realize that there has to be kind of a separation from the judge and the contestants. He's not chumming it up with us all the time. When the cameras aren't rolling, he doesn't speak to us really, because we're making a TV show; it needs to be kept for TV. But he was never cold."
Contestants can't use illegal drugs while filming.
A "production protocol" document within the contract notes that contestants aren't allowed to use drugs or illegal substances at all during production. They can be immediately dismissed for doing so. As for smoking, they can't do it on camera without permission from producers, but it sounds like they're allowed to do so off-camera.
They're allowed to drink alcohol.
Also in the production protocol document is the show's policy on drinking. Alcohol consumption is allowed, but producers are allowed to cut people off if things get "excessive or unruly."
They sometimes re-shoot scenes.
Part of the contestant contract requires the drag queens to "fully cooperate" with recreated scenes. In other words, if producers want you to repeat a conversation, line, move, or anything else, you've gotta do it.
Contestants have to be comfortable being "misrepresented."
This is, like, reality TV 101. When contestants sign their contract, they're acknowledging that "for dramatic purposes, [producers] may make certain misrepresentations to me and others." Still, this doesn't always sit right with contestants who feel they got an unfair edit.
They can't use certain songs.
Coco Montrese took to Instagram (which you can see here via Reddit) to complain that she wasn't allowed to do the Janet Jackson song she wanted to perform during her talent show appearance on All Stars. Several internet sleuths have suggested that this is almost certainly due to copyright laws. Sorry, Coco!!
Contestants can be sued for $2 million dollars for breaking confidentiality.
There's a whole section in the contestant contract outlining what happens if they disclose confidential info about the show. Spoiler, it's bad news! They could be on the hook for $2 mil, plus attorney fees.
Contestants aren't allowed to promote things
If you're hoping to get on the show to drum up some attention for your business or get some influencer $$$, you're outta luck. Contestants agree that they won't mention or "plug" any commercial products or services during their time on the show.
Contestants agree that they're "appearing as themselves" rather than "performing."
It might seem like a small distinction, but it's in the contract so that the queens' performances don't fall under guild or union agreements.
No physical violence is allowed.
I mean, seems pretty obvious, but clearly the production company's lawyers wanted it to be crystal-clear, so it's in the contestant contract...
However, contestants legally acknowledge the risk of injury.
Even though there's a "no physical violence" policy, contestants are still required to sign off saying they "expressly assume the risk of any physical or emotional injuries I may suffer"...which, yikes?
Contestants on the UK show only had 90 minutes to get into drag.
RuPaul's Drag Race UK contestant The Vivienne told Radio Times that contestants only had an hour and a half to get into drag. She said that she'd normally take four hours, so things definitely felt rushed.
If you want to get cast, you have to be authentic.
"The No. 1 thing we look for is authenticity," executive producer Randy Barbato told PEOPLE. "The success of Drag Race is really a combination of the talented artistry of our queens, and then, the heart and authenticity they show during the competition."
Contestants have to do more than be good at drag.
Randy also said that they demand a lot of contestants on the show: "Being on RuPaul's Drag Race is really difficult...I mean, just painting your face and getting into drag is challenging enough. But then we ask our queens to do that and to compete in these challenges. They have to sew, they have to dance, they have to sing, they have to act, they have to write comedy, they have to perform."
Contestants have to be ready for the unexpected, especially on 'All-Stars.'
Note to future All-Stars contestants: Expect the unexpected. "We intend to do many iterations coming forward," said Randy. "All Stars for us is the opportunity to celebrate the icons ... It's always going to shift and the format will always shift."
Aspiring contestants can audition multiple times.
"This is a show where if someone doesn't make a season, they’re invited to audition again," Randy told Deadline. "There are many hugely successful queens who didn’t get cast the first time they auditioned. Nina West [a competitor in Season 11] is one example, and they’ve gone on to be incredibly successful."
RuPaul personally sees every audition tape.
It would be easy to assume that someone as busy as RuPaul only sees the pre-vetted audition tapes—but apparently, that's not the case. RuPaul sees "every single casting tape that we get," according to Randy.
Producers aren't supposed to socialize with contestants.
According to an interview challenge producer Todd Masterson did on The Tony Soto Show, there's a "non-fraternization clause" in the producers' contract. "Even after they get kicked off the show, we're not allowed to be friends until after the finale has aired," he explained.
Music and production teams come up with the season's lip sync songs.
Executive producer Tom Campbell says the music and production teams—comprised of "queer people who are obsessed with pop music and pop culture"—come up with songs they'd like to see on the show. He also explained that in the show's early days, they struggled to get licensing rights—but now, record labels and artists approach them hoping to be featured on the show.
Contestants are given a "packet" of potential songs.
Once the soundtracks have been selected, how do queens know which songs they might have to lip sync? According to contestant Jaidynn Diore Fierce, they're initially given a "packet" of potential songs. A day or two before filming, they learn which specific song will be played so they have time to learn it.
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