How is ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection’ Different From ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars’?
The Boulet Brothers are well-versed in all things horror, and they’re giving fans a special gift just in time for Halloween. The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula is returning for a one-off special called Resurrection available on AMC‘s Shudder streaming service. Seven past competitors from Dragula‘s three seasons are returning to showcase their talents in a highly anticipated TV event, but it will look very different from RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars.
How is ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ different from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’?
Before examining what makes Dragula: Resurrection different from RPDR: All Stars, let’s first take a look at what makes Dragula so different from regular Drag Race. While RuPaul’s competition show aims to find “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” the Boulet Brothers have an entirely different mission with Dragula: to find “The World’s Next Drag Supermonster.”
Drag Race scans contestants for “charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent,” while Dragula is a search for the drag performer who best embodies “drag, horror, filth, and glamour.”
Besides the type of drag performers that are a part of the show, Dragula also differs from Drag Race in its format. Each Dragula episode starts with a scripted scene starring the Boulet Brothers that’s more akin to a horror movie than a drag competition show. The scene has to do with the theme of the week, and the monsters have to create their own look and performance for the “Floor Show” — essentially a combination of Drag Race‘s maxi challenge and runway portion — to present to the judges.
After the Floor Show, the monsters are judged by the Boulet Brothers and a handful of guest judges who are often horror industry aficionados. Past guest judges have also included Drag Race alumni like Alaska Thunderf*ck, Willam, and Phi Phi O’Hara.
The bottom performers are put up for “extermination,” and rather than having to lip sync for their lives, they have to complete whatever Fear Factor-esque task is required in order to survive. Past exterminations have had the competitors getting pierced with thick needles, eating cow intestines, or stapling dollar bills to themselves.
‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection’ is the first redemption opportunity for past competitors
The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection is the first time that drag performers from past seasons of the show get to come back and compete. But even though it resembles an “all star” opportunity similar to other reality competition shows, Resurrection is a new game all its own.
The winner of Resurrection earns a cash prize of $20,000, but more importantly, they win a coveted spot on the upcoming fourth season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula. As such, Dragula: Resurrection is half all stars-style competition, half redemption challenge, and even after being “resurrected,” the challenge will have just begun for the winning monster.
The Boulet Brothers first revealed which ghastly ghouls will be making their return to Dragula to Entertainment Weekly. Frankie Doom (season 1), Loris (season 1), Victoria Elizabeth Black (season 2), Kendra Onixxx (season 2), Dahli (season 2), Priscilla Chambers (season 3), and Saint (season 3) — formerly Saint Lucia — are all vying for a chance to return to the competition alongside a crop of new monsters.
The format of Resurrection itself had to be tweaked in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than bringing seven monsters back to film in Los Angeles, the Boulet Brothers travel to each of their hometowns and get to see their process as they create their look and performance to present to the Boulets.
Halloween is coming early this year, uglies. The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection is available on Shudder on October 20.
