Canada's Drag Race
Canada's Drag Race is a Canadian reality competition television series based on the American series RuPaul's Drag Race and is the Canadian edition of the Drag Race franchise, produced by Blue Ant Studios.[1][2] In a similar format to the American version, the show features a crop of Canadian drag queens as they compete for a grand prize of $100,000 and the title of "Canada's Next Drag Superstar". The series airs on Crave in Canada, the United Kingdom's BBC Three, and worldwide on WOW Presents Plus.[3]
| Canada's Drag Race | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Drag Race Canada |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Created by | RuPaul |
| Based on | RuPaul's Drag Race |
| Directed by | Shelagh O'Brien |
| Judges | |
| Theme music composer | RuPaul |
| Opening theme | "RuPaul's Drag Race Theme" |
| Ending theme | "U Wear It Well" |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 29 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 60 min. |
| Production company | Blue Ant Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network |
|
| Original release | July 2, 2020 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | RuPaul's Drag Race UK |
| Followed by | Drag Race Holland |
| Related | Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World |
It was the fourth international version of the Drag Race franchise to be announced, following Drag Race Thailand, The Switch Drag Race (Chile) and RuPaul's Drag Race UK;[3] two months after the announcement of the Canadian version, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under was also announced. Canada's Drag Race was the first English-language iteration of Drag Race to not be hosted by RuPaul, although RuPaul does appear in video messages to the contestants, and narrates the title sequence.[4] The series is hosted by RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 runner-up Brooke Lynn Hytes, along with judges Brad Goreski and Traci Melchor.[5] Past judges include Amanda Brugel, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and Stacey McKenzie.[6][7]
The first episode of the first season premiered on July 2, 2020.[8] The cast was announced on May 14, 2020.[8] A third season was announced on November 10, 2021 and premiered on July 14, 2022.[9]
The series has been critically acclaimed and has won 12 Canadian Screen Awards.[10][11]
Production
Season 1
Casting occurred in mid-2019 with production starting in fall 2019.[12] The inaugural season consisted of ten one-hour episodes.[1] In June 2020 it was announced that the series would be carried by BBC Three in the United Kingdom.[13] Early coverage of the production announcement indicated that the series would also air on OutTV;[2] although that channel did not simulcast the series in first run, it was later announced on December 3 that there would be a marathon of the series on December 5, along with all episodes being available for streaming as of December 3, on OutTV's subscription service, OutTV Go.[14]
In the United States the series premiered on WOW Presents Plus, the streaming service of RuPaul's Drag Race production company World of Wonder, concurrently with its Canadian debut. It was subsequently added to the schedule of Logo TV, premiering on that service on July 27, 2020.[15]
In August 2021, it was announced that the Season 1 queens would be featured in a Canada's Drag Race Anniversary Extravaganza reunion special, airing on Crave September 6, 2021 in advance of the second season launch. The special included the premiere of a new music video from Priyanka's Taste Test EP, as well as an introduction to the second season judging panel.[16]
Season 2
In January 2021, it was announced that the show was renewed for a second season. At the same time, it was announced that comedian and producer Trevor Boris will join production as showrunner in the second season.[17]
In March 2021, it was announced that Bowyer-Chapman will not return as a judge in the second season, due to a scheduling conflict with another project he is working on.[18] In June 2021, it was announced that McKenzie will not return as a judge in the second season, due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] The second season judging panel included fashion stylist Brad Goreski, actress Amanda Brugel, and broadcaster and Season 1 "Squirrel Friend" Traci Melchor.[7]
Season 3
For the third season, the judges panel was re-worked again, consisting of only Hytes, Goreski, and Melchor.[5]
Season 4
A fourth season was announced in November 2022, expected to air in 2023.[20]
Judges
On September 26, 2019, it was announced that the judging panel for the first season would include RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 runner-up Brooke Lynn Hytes, actor Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and fashion model Stacey McKenzie.[6] Bell Media personality Traci Melchor appears as a recurring cast member, with the title "Canada's Squirrel Friend";[6] her role in the first season entailed participatory support in challenges, including co-judging the Canada Gay-M mini-challenge, hosting a sheTalk red carpet segment prior to Snatch Game, and serving as one of the judges of the Miss Loose Jaw pageant. Melchor also guest hosted the season finale. Hytes was the first prior competitor in the RuPaul's Drag Race franchise to appear on the judge's panel on any edition of the show.[21]
In March 2021 Hytes and McKenzie announced they would be returning for the show's second season while Bowyer-Chapman would not, citing scheduling issues, writing that "unfortunately, with scheduling, things just didn't work out for him to come back this season... he'll be so missed".[22] On June 28, 2021, a tweet from the show's official Twitter account confirmed that, contrary to the previous announcement, McKenzie would not be returning either, blaming "COVID-related challenges" that meant she was unable to travel to Canada to film the season.[23] The following day on June 29, 2021, celebrity stylist Brad Goreski and actress and season one guest host Amanda Brugel were announced to be joining the panel to replace Bowyer-Chapman and McKenzie, with "Canada's Squirrel Friend" Melchor also becoming a judge and alternating weekly with Brugel.[24] Hytes, Goreski and Melchor returned as judges for the third season.[25]
| Judge | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brooke Lynn Hytes | Main | ||
| Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman | Main | ||
| Stacey McKenzie | Main | ||
| Traci Melchor | Recurring | Main | |
| Amanda Brugel | Guest | Main | |
| Brad Goreski | Main | ||
Contestants
There have been a total of 36 contestants featured on Canada's Drag Race.
Series overview
| Season | Premiere | Finale | Winner | Runner(s)-up | Miss Congeniality | No. of contestants | Winner's prizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 2, 2020 | September 3, 2020 | Priyanka | Rita Baga Scarlett BoBo | — | 12 |
|
| 2 | October 14, 2021 | December 16, 2021 | Icesis Couture | Kendall Gender Pythia | Suki Doll | 12 |
|
| 3 | July 14, 2022 | September 8, 2022 | Gisèle Lullaby | Jada Shada Hudson | Vivian Vanderpuss | 12 |
|
Post-production
Drag Ball and Drag Superstars
Separately from the production of the series, all of the queens from the season participated in Pride events for both Pride Toronto and Fierté Montreal, presented as online streaming specials due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The Toronto event, Drag Ball presented by Crave, was streamed on June 27,[26] and the Montreal event, Drag Superstars, was streamed on August 14.[27] The Toronto special was directly produced by Crave; the Montreal event was produced by a separate company, but received some production assistance and sponsorship from Crave and the Canada's Drag Race production team.
Controversy
During the series run, producers and competing queens spoke out against online bullying, after Bowyer-Chapman and some of the competing queens were subjected to campaigns of harassment on social media.[28] Bowyer-Chapman's critics focused on purportedly unfair comments in his role as a judge, while several queens were attacked for simply having done better in challenges or lipsyncs than other more popular queens with bigger fanbases.[29]
In the second season, the show's use of KAPRI's cover of Alexis Jordan's 2010 single "Happiness" as a lip sync number faced some discussion among fans as KAPRI's recording was unlocatable on any music store or streaming platform.[30] The situation led to unconfirmed speculation that the show had in fact directly commissioned a new cover of the song after using Jordan's original recording during production but then running into a copyright clearance issue.[31]
Canada's Drag Race Live at the Drive-In
Following the conclusion of the season, the cast announced a cross-Canada tour, to be performed at drive-in venues due to the ongoing social distancing restrictions remaining in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.[32] Brooke Lynn Hytes hosted, with Priyanka, Scarlett Bobo and Rita Baga were scheduled to appear at every date on the tour, while other cast members would perform at selected dates based on availability;[33] ultimately, however, both Priyanka and Brooke Lynn Hytes had to miss a couple of later dates after being forced to self-isolate due to COVID-19 exposure.[34]
Priyanka, Scarlett Bobo, Rita Baga and Jimbo also participated in an online panel as part of the 2020 Just for Laughs festival.[35]
The second season queens are also slated to undertake their own group tour in 2022.[36]
Discography
Reception
In its December 2020 year in review, the Canadian film and television industry magazine Playback named Canada's Drag Race the Unscripted Series of the Year.[37] The show was the highest-rated original production in Crave's history.[17]
Awards
| Award | Date of Ceremony | Category | Nominees | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Screen Awards | May 17–20, 2021 | Best Reality/Competition Program or Series | Michael Kot, Laura Michalchyshyn, Betty Orr, Mike Bickerton, Pam McNair, RuPaul Charles, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Randy Lennox, Tracey Pearce | Won | [10] |
| Best Host or Presenter in Factual or Reality/Competition | Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Stacey McKenzie | Won | |||
| Best Casting | Heather Muir | Nominated | |||
| Best Direction in a Reality/Competition Series | Shelagh O'Brien — "U Wear It Well" | Won | |||
| Best Writing in a Reality/Competition Series | Mike Bickerton, Elvira Kurt, Jen Markowitz — "Welcome to the Family" | Won | |||
| Best Sound in a Non-Fiction Series | John Diemer, Scott Brachmeyer, Daniel Hewett, Dane Kelly, Sarah Labadie, Carlo Scrignaro, Rob Taylor — "U Wear It Well" | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Non-Fiction Series | Peter Faragher — "Eh-Laganza Eh-Xtravaganza" | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Performance in a Web Program or Series | Priyanka — Drag Ball | Nominated | |||
| Best Host in a Web Program or Series | Traci Melchor — Drag Ball | Nominated | |||
| Audience Choice Award | Priyanka | Nominated | [38] | ||
| American Reality Television Awards | July 8, 2021 | International Reality Series | Canada's Drag Race | Nominated | [39] |
| Canadian Screen Awards | April 10, 2022 | Best Reality/Competition Program or Series | Pam McNair, Betty Orr, Trevor Boris, Laura Michalshyshyn, Michael Kot, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, RuPaul Charles, Justin Stockman, Jen Markowitz, Spencer Fritz | Won | [11] |
| Best Variety or Entertainment Special | Manny Groneveldt, John Simpson, Natalie Lambert, Marcelle Edwards — Canada’s Drag Race Anniversary Extravaganza | Won | |||
| Best Direction, Reality/Competition | Shelagh O’Brien — "Under the Big Top" | Won | |||
| Best Writing, Lifestyle or Reality/Competition | Brandon Ash-Mohammed — "Screech" | Won | |||
| Best Picture Editing, Reality/Competition | Lindsay Ragone — "Screech" | Nominated | |||
| Baun Mah — "The Snatch Game" | Won | ||||
| Peter Topalovic — "Under the Big Top" | Nominated | ||||
| Best Sound, Non-Fiction | John Diemer, Rob Taylor, Phil Nagy, Eric Leigh, Dane Kelly, Sarah Labadie — "Under the Big Top" | Nominated | |||
| Best Casting, Non-Fiction | Heather Muir | Won | |||
| Best Host or Presenter, Factual or Reality/Competition | Brooke Lynn Hytes, Traci Melchor, Amanda Brugel, Brad Goreski | Won |
References
- ^ a b "RuPaul's 'Drag Race Canada' to serve meaty tucks and Canadian bacon". Entertainment Weekly. June 27, 2019. from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Kevin Ritchie (June 27, 2019). "A Canadian version of RuPaul's Drag Race is happening". Now. from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Christopher Rudolph. "Grab Some Poutine Because "Drag Race Canada" Is Headed Your Way". NewNowNext. from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ Joey Nolfi, "Face, fire, fierce guest judges sash-eh north in Canada's Drag Race trailer" 2020-06-22 at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly, June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b June 15, Joey Nolfi; EDT, 2022 at 12:15 PM. "Meet the 'Canada's Drag Race' season 3 queens". EW.com. from the original on 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ a b c "Three fabulous judges, and one squirrel friend, are ready to preside over 'Canada's Drag Race'". etalk. 2019-09-26. from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ a b June 29, Joey Nolfi; EDT, 2021 at 12:00 PM. "'Canada's Drag Race' season 2 adds new head judges amid panel shake-up". EW.com. from the original on 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ a b "These Are 'Canada's Drag Race' Season 1 Queens". Out. May 14, 2020. from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ Greg David (November 10, 2021). "Crave serves a third season of Canada's Drag Race". TV, eh?. from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ a b "'Canada's Drag Race' earns victory lap with leading five Canadian Screen Awards". The Toronto Star. 2021-05-17. ISSN 0319-0781. from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ a b Furdyk, Brent (2022-02-15). "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, 'Sort Of' & 'Scarborough' Lead The Pack". ET Canada. from the original on 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' getting Canadian adaptation for Crave and OUTtv". CTV News. Canadian Press. June 27, 2019. from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ^ Kelly Townsend, "Canada’s Drag Race sashays away to the U.K." 2020-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. Playback, June 15, 2020.
- ^ outtv (3 December 2020). "True north, strong and fierce! Relive the first season of Canada's Drag Race in an all-day marathon on Dec 5th on OUTtv, or stream it now on OUTtvGo.com! 🍁 #dragrace". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ Dino-Ray Ramos, "‘Canada’s Drag Race’ Sets Date For U.S. Linear Debut On Logo" 2021-10-29 at the Wayback Machine. Deadline Hollywood, July 13, 2020.
- ^ Chantal Cyr, "Une émission spéciale de Canada’s Drag Race en septembre" 2021-08-30 at the Wayback Machine. Fugues, August 30, 2021.
- ^ a b Debra Yeo, "‘Canada’s Drag Race’ will be back for Season 2" 2021-01-09 at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Star, January 7, 2021.
- ^ Joey Nolfi, "Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman not returning for Canada's Drag Race season 2" 2021-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly, March 24, 2021.
- ^ Joey, Nolfi (June 28, 2021). "Stacey McKenzie exits Canada's Drag Race season 2 amid 'COVID-related challenges'". EW.com. from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ Angelica Babiera, "Crave renews Canada’s Drag Race for a fourth season". Playback, November 2, 2022.
- ^ Joey Nolfi, "Canada's Drag Race first look serves Canadian bacon with a side of fish" 2020-05-16 at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly, May 11, 2020.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey. "Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman exits Canada's Drag Race season 2 as judge". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey. "Stacey McKenzie not returning to 'Canada's Drag Race' season 2". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey. "'Canada's Drag Race' season 2 adds judges Brad Goreski, Amanda Brugel". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ "Crave Reveals Guest Judges and Trailer for Canada's Drag Race Season 3". News Wire. from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ Pahull Bains, "11 Virtual Pride 2020 Events Taking Place Across Canada" 2021-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. Fashion, June 25, 2020.
- ^ André-Constantin Passiour, "Une édition canadienne toute spéciale de Drag Superstars". Fugues, August 9, 2020.
- ^ Kevin Ritchie, "Crave asks Canada’s Drag Race fans to stop posting 'hateful comments'" 2020-09-02 at the Wayback Machine. Now, August 24, 2020.
- ^ Victoria Ahearn, "'Canada's Drag Race' contestants and Crave ask viewers to stop cyber bullying" 2021-05-22 at the Wayback Machine. Canadian Press via CKWX, August 25, 2020.
- ^ Rebecca Alter, "Canada’s Drag Race Recap: Snatch and Release" 2021-12-09 at the Wayback Machine. Vulture, November 5, 2021.
- ^ O'Keefe, Kevin (November 5, 2021). "'Canada's Drag Race' Season 2 premiere recap: Fading stars". Xtra!. from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Peter Knegt, "All hail our queen: A conversation with Canada's Drag Race winner Priyanka" 2021-06-16 at the Wayback Machine. CBC Arts, September 10, 2020.
- ^ Tyler Jadah, "Canada's Drag Race is coming to Montreal's drive-in venue this month" 2020-10-02 at the Wayback Machine. Daily Hive, September 10, 2020.
- ^ Woods, Mel (November 13, 2020). "'Canada's Drag Race' Winner Priyanka Got COVID-19 From Brooke Lynn Hytes". HuffPost. from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Jenelle Riley, "For Montreal’s Just for Laughs, the Show Will Go On(line)" 2020-10-13 at the Wayback Machine. Variety, October 2, 2020.
- ^ "Second season of Canada’s Drag Race ending tour with Victoria finale" 2022-01-29 at the Wayback Machine. Alberni Valley News, January 18, 2022.
- ^ Kelly Townsend, "Unscripted Series of the Year 2020: Canada’s Drag Race: Viral moments and a spotlight on Canada's unique drag culture made Canada's Drag Race an unquestionable hit for Crave and producer Blue Ant Studios" 2020-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. Playback, December 15, 2020.
- ^ Staff, ETCanada com (2021-03-16). "2021 CSA Audience Choice Award Nominees". ET Canada. from the original on 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ "Canada's Drag Race - Nominee". Reality Television Awards. from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
External links
- Media related to Canada's Drag Race at Wikimedia Commons