RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 1 explained

Series Number:1
Bgcolour:
  1. FBDAD5
Module1:
Host:RuPaul
Num Contestants:10
Winner:The Vivienne
Runner Up:Divina de Campo
Num Episodes:8
Network:
WOW Presents Plus (International)
Next Season:Series 2
Episode List:List of RuPaul's Drag Race UK episodes

The first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on 3 October 2019 on the BBC Three section of BBC iPlayer and WOW Presents Plus's WOW Presents Plus streaming service.[1] It ran for eight episodes.

The winner of first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK was The Vivienne, with Divina de Campo as the runner-up.[2] [3]

The song "Break Up (Bye Bye)", which was featured in the fifth episode, was released as a single and reached number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] It also peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the US.[5]

Contestants

Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.

Contestant! scope="col"
AgeHometownOutcome
The Vivienne26Liverpool, England
nowrap scope="row"Divina de Campo35Brighouse, Englandnowrap
Baga Chipz29East London, England3rd place
Cheryl Hole25Chelmsford, England4th place
Blu Hydrangea23nowrapBelfast, Northern Ireland5th place
Crystal34East London, England6th place
Sum Ting Wong30Birmingham, England7th place
Vinegar Strokes34North London, England8th place
Scaredy Kat19Cricklade, England9th place
Gothy Kendoll21Leicester, England10th place

Lip syncs

Legend:

EpisodeBottom contestantsSongEliminated
1[6] Gothy Kendollvs.Vinegar Strokes"New Rules"
(Dua Lipa)
Gothy Kendoll
2[7] Blu Hydrangeavs.Scaredy Kat"Venus"
(Bananarama)
Scaredy Kat
3[8] Sum Ting Wongvs.nowrapVinegar Strokes"Would I Lie to You?"
(Eurythmics)
nowrap bgcolor="lightgreen"Vinegar Strokes
4[9] Crystal vs.Sum Ting Wong"Spice Up Your Life"
(Spice Girls)
Sum Ting Wong
5[10] Crystalvs.The Vivienne"Power"
(Little Mix)
Crystal
6[11] Blu Hydrangeavs.Cheryl Holenowrap"Call My Name (Wideboys Remix)"
(Cheryl)
Blu Hydrangea
7[12] Baga Chipzvs.Cheryl Hole"Tears Dry on Their Own"
(Amy Winehouse)
Cheryl Hole
EpisodeFinal contestantsSongWinner
8[13] nowrapDivina de Campovs.The Vivienne"I'm Your Man"
(Wham!)
The Vivienne

Guest judges

Listed in chronological order:

Special guests

Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 8

Episodes

See also: List of RuPaul's Drag Race UK episodes.

Reception

The series received very positive reviews from critics, with The Guardian describing the series as having "saved RuPaul's Drag Race" as the recent seasons have had a less than positive reception.[16] In their review of the series, iNews awarded the series "five stars" and described it as a "roaring success", despite criticising its omission of a stand-up comedy challenge.[17]

In a more critical review, Vulture stated in its review of the finale that although the season "may have hit some true highs... it couldn’t save Drag Race from its worst impulses".[18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'Graham Norton and Alan Carr confirmed as celebrity judges for RuPaul's Drag Race UK – series to air on BBC Three in 2019. BBC. 8 December 2019. en. 22 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190722001947/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/rpdr-judges. live.
  2. Web site: HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media. 2020-06-04. consent.yahoo.com.
  3. Web site: Welsh. Daniel. March 10, 2020. RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Scaredy Kat Takes On 'Bedroom Queen' Critics. June 4, 2020. HuffPost UK. 4 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200604200653/https://m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/scaredy-kat-rupauls-drag-race-interview_uk_5d938b09e4b0019647afcf1e. live.
  4. Web site: CAST OF RUPAUL's DRAG RACE UK | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company . . 8 November 2019 . 8 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191108223528/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/56613/cast-of-rupauls-drag-race-uk/ . live .
  5. Web site: EDM Music & Dance Songs Chart – November 16, 2019. Billboard. 15 November 2019. 15 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191115175701/https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-electronic-songs/2019-11-15. live.
  6. All Star Talent Show Extravaganza . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . August 25, 2016 . 2 . 1.
  7. All Stars Snatch Game . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . September 1, 2016 . 2 . 2.
  8. HERstory Of The World . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . September 8, 2016 . 2 . 3.
  9. Drag Movie Shequels . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . September 15, 2016 . 2 . 4.
  10. Revenge of the Queens . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . September 22, 2016 . 2 . 5.
  11. Drag Fish Tank . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . September 28, 2016 . 2 . 6.
  12. Family That Drags Together . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . October 6, 2016 . 2 . 7.
  13. All Stars Supergroup . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . October 13, 2016 . 2 . 8.
  14. News: Episode 6. BBC. 2019-10-28. en-GB. 28 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191028052521/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07rr1js. live.
  15. News: Episode 7. BBC. 2019-11-05. en-GB. 5 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191105162820/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07scpf7. live.
  16. News: Bromwich. Kathryn. Fierce competition: how a Brit makeover saved RuPaul's Drag Race. The Guardian. 22 November 2019. 22 November 2019. 22 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191122155433/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/22/fierce-competition-how-a-brit-makeover-saved-rupauls-drag-race. live.
  17. Web site: Baker. Emily. RuPaul's Drag Race UK's first series was outstanding — all thanks to the queens. iNews. 21 November 2019.
  18. Web site: Curto. Justin. RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. Finale Recap: The Queen of England. Vulture. 21 November 2019. 22 November 2019. 22 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191122045321/https://www.vulture.com/amp/2019/11/rupauls-drag-race-uk-grand-finale-recap-season-1-episode-8.html. live.