Stars move from the judges' table to the runway for RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race
Just last month, Netflix canceled RuPaul’s feel-good comedy-drama AJ And The Queen. However, it’s important to remember the famous old wives’ tale: “If you pluck one RuPaul project, two more grow in its place.” Case in point: Today, VH1 announced the newest addition to the Drag Race franchise, RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race, which will premiere right after a new episode of the drag icon’s regular competition. Here’s the official synopsis of the new limited series, courtesy of a recent press release from VH1:
“During this four-part event series, the audience must tune-in to find out which film, music, television, and comedy stars will be featured in the competition. Each week, a trio of celebrities open up their heart and mind to the transformative power of drag, embracing the inner fierce queen inside of them. They all step onto the runway feeling beautiful, powerful and inspired in their own way, realizing that drag doesn’t change who they are, but reveals who they are.”
Past contestants Alyssa Edwards, Asia O’Hara, Bob The Drag Queen, Kim Chi, Monét X Change, Monique Heart, Nina West, Trinity the Tuck, Trixie Mattel and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo will return to aid the transformations and offer their expertise to the new competition. The premise may sound vaguely familiar to fans of the now defunct spinoff RuPaul’s Drag U, where beloved Drag Race veterans made over everyday folks while dispensing wisdom and picking apart each other’s wigs. Only this time, instead of your favorite cousin or old middle school science teacher, the dolled-up contestant might be… who knows, Bruce Vilanch, maybe? At the end of every episode, RuPaul will crown “America’s Next Celebrity Drag Race Superstar.”
The new show will run concurrently with the current season of Drag Race. Popular aftershow Untucked will shift to 11 PM EST to make room for the star-studded effort. You can check out the trailer for RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race below, which begins April 24 at 9:30 PM EST.