Drag Race season 13: Full guide including queens, episode list, judges, twists and how to watch
The cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13. (WOW)
It’s finally time for RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13, and the great news is that UK viewers can watch it on Netflix.
Its release date was 1 January in the US, where it airs on VH1. In the UK, new episodes drop on Netflix UK every Saturday. The first episode aired on Saturday 2 January.
There have been quite a few changes to the 2021 show to ensure it’s COVID safe. The judges all sit at a much longer table separated by clear plastic barriers, and according to Variety, the queens, Pit Crew and other workers were tested for COVID three times a week.
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 also opened with a dramatic twist, namely no less than six lip-syncs in a row. All of the losing contestants were sent to the “Porkchop Loading Dock”, a reference to the first ever drag queen eliminated from Drag Race.
>One queen who didn’t end up in the loading dock was Gottmik, the first out trans man to compete on the show. His involvement has already been welcomed as a seismic step for a show that has, at times, struggled and been criticised for excluding trans and non-binary queens. RuPaul also said that casting Gottmik changed his own preconceptions about drag.
RuPaul has even adapted his trademark catchphrase “let the best woman win” to “let the best drag queen win” in order to be more inclusive of trans and non-binary queens.
Who are the queens in RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13?
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 promises more twists, turns and surprises than ever before (WOW)
We’ve got a guide to the entire cast and lineup below, and we’ll make a note when each one is eliminated from the show.
Here’s a list of the contestants:
Denali
Professional ice skater Denali (Denali Foxx) is the stage persona of Chicago drag queen Cordero Zuckerman. She’s been doing drag for three years, has a black belt in karate, and is the first Alaskan to ever compete in the Drag Race franchise.
Gottmik
Gottmik is the first trans man to compete in the Drag Race franchise. Gottmik is the stage name of Kade Gottlieb, an LA-based drag performer and makeup artist.
Elliott with 2 Ts
Elliott with 2 Ts is a Las Vegas-based drag queen. Elliott Puckett is her non-drag name; she goes by “Elliott with 2 Ts” in drag to highlight the fact her name is spelled with a double T. Elliott with 2 Ts is a professional ballet dancer.
Joey Jay
Joey Jay (Joey Jadryev) hails from Phoenix, Arizona. Joey has a day job at a software company, and performs once a week. She competed in Mrs Gay USofA 2018 and was a top 12 finalist.
Kahmora Hall
Kahmora also lives in Chicago. She’s the drag mother of Eva Young, Briawna Banana and the sister of season 12 winner Jaida Essence Hall. She’s a big fan of iconic American designer and costumier Bob Mackie, and wore a Bob Mackie gown in RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 episode one.
Kandy Muse
Kandy Muse (Kevin Candelario) is a drag queen from the Bronx, New York City. Her entrance quote was: “From the hood to Hollywood!” Kandy is part of the former “House of Aja” – however Aja has now quit drag. Kandy was originally cast in season 12, but had to drop out.
Lala Ri
LaLa Ri is the stage name of LaRico Potts. LaLa is from Atlanta, Georgia and is the drag daughter of fellow season 13 queen Tamisha Iman. She started doing drag three years ago, and still considers herself a “baby queen”.
Olivia Lux
Brooklyn queen Olivia Lux’s name is a combination of Olivia Pope from Scandal, and the latin word “lux” meaning light. She’s a trained theatre actress and has played Donkey in Shrek the Musical in the past.
Rosé
Rosé (Ross McCorkell) is another NYC based drag queen, originally from Greenock in Scotland: she moved to New York City aged 10. She appeared with her girl group Stephanie’s Child on America’s Got Talent, but got buzzed by Simon Cowell and went on to argue with him. We’re definitely expecting serious fireworks from Rosé.
Symone
Symone (Reggie Gavin) is an LA-based queen and a close friend of season 12 finalist Gigi Goode. Originally from Akansas, Symone is the first queen of season 13 to win two lip-syncs, won the first maxi challenge with Olivia, and is an early front-runner for the crown.
Tamisha Iman
Atlanta queen Tamisha is LaLa Ri’s drag mother. She’s 42 years old, and shares her name with her biological daughter. Her last name, Iman, is inspired by the famous model. Tamisha was originally cast on season 12 but had to drop out after being diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. She has since recovered.
Tina Burner
Tina, like Rosé, is based in NYC, and used to date Graham Norton. She takes her name from Tina Turner, who she’s a big fan of, and was once called up on stage by Celine Dion for dressing up as her at a gig. She won the first three-way lip-sync in the first episode of Season 13.
Utica
Utica (Ethan Mundt) is from Minneapolis, and has an over-the-top, outlandish drag style, typified by the giant strawberry she wore on her head in season 13 episode one. She explained her outfit to Michelle Visage, saying: “So..the strawberry, I used to be allergic to strawberries growing up, so it’s kind of a testament of me getting through it.”
Who are the judges in RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13?
The RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 judges (WOW)
Michelle Visage is back, and just as savage as ever.
RuPaul is, of course, taking the lead.
Carson Kressley, from the OG, early-00s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy series, will be joining them.
And last but not least, TV personality Ross Mathews will be completing the quartet.
Who are the celebrity guests and judges set to appear on season 13?
Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Byer, Loni Love, Ts Madison, and Jamal Sims will all also appear as guest judges this season. Michelle Visage confirmed that because of COVID-19, the panel was limited to “franchise favourites”, with Love confirming she will be a “recurring” guest.
Anne Hathaway and Scarlett Johansson will also appear, and be part of an interactive video masterclass, according to Deadline.
Full episode list for RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13.
Episode one was titled “The Pork Chop” and aired in the US on 1 January, 2021. It saw the startled queens immediately made to face off in Lip-sync for your Life battles, with the losers being sent off to a special area called the Porkchop Loading Dock. At the end of the episode they were told that they would have to vote one queen off the show.
Episode two was titled “Condragulations” and aired on 8 January, 2021. The queens were be asked to from a pop group to write lyrics and perform choreography to a new version of RuPaul’s song “Condragulations”. Choreographer Jamal Sims was the guest judge.
We’ll keep updating this guide as the season continues.
Stay tuned to PinkNews for all the latest RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 coverage. You can find all of our previous Drag Race articles here.
