‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’s 200th Episode Marked a Big Milestone, but ‘Drag Race Italia’ Had Another Important Moment For the Franchise
Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race marked some big milestones for the Emmy Award-winning series. Not only is it the show’s crystal anniversary, but it also celebrated its 200th episode in the middle of the season.
Drag Race has exploded all over the world, with spinoff series in 15 countries (and counting). Drag Race Italia welcomes queens from all over the Stivale to compete for the title of Italy’s Next Drag Superstar. Season 2 of the series, which aired in 2022, contained a significant first for Drag Race all over the world.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ celebrated 200 episodes in its 15th season
Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race marked the show’s 100th episode. Seven years later, on season 15, the show marked 200 episodes since it first sashayed onto people’s TV screens over a decade ago.
To mark the occasion, RuPaul threw a Crystal Ball, given that the traditional gift for a 15th anniversary is crystal. Queens were tasked with recreating RuPaul’s classic racing outfit, a look inspired by one of the past balls featured on the show, and a crystallized eleganza look made from scratch.
‘Drag Race Italia’ season 2 marked the first time two ‘Drag Race’ hosts shared the stage
Despite a 15-season run in the US, RuPaul’s Drag Race has yet to have another drag queen sitting on the panel at the same time as RuPaul. In other iterations of the show, such as Canada’s Drag Race, former competitors like Priyanka and Monét X Change have appeared as guest judges out of drag. On Drag Race España, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK alum Choriza May and RuPaul’s Drag Race and All Stars 5 queen Alexis Mateo sat in drag as guest judges on the panel.
The penultimate episode of season 2 of Drag Race Italia, which aired in December 2022, marked a first for Drag Race anywhere in the world. The show’s host, Priscilla, marked the special occasion when welcoming the episode’s guest judge: Drag Race España host Supremme de Luxe.
“For the first time in Drag Race herstory, we have a twinning moment between editions of two different countries,” Priscilla declared as she introduced Supremme. Rather than already be seated behind the judges’ panel at the start of the judging as is customary for every other guest judge in herstory, Supremme walked onto the runway to join Priscilla for a grand welcome onto the Italian stage.
The veteran Spanish queen was thrilled to be there. “I don’t speak Italian, but I’m very honored to be a guest on your show, and I’m very happy to be here in Italy,” Supremme said.
The two host queens declared the ceremonies open with Drag Race‘s famous “Racers, start your engines, and may the best drag queen win” line. Supremme delivers it in her best Italian, noting the differences in language between her usual introduction on Drag Race España and the Italian version.
Up until then, no two Drag Race hosts have ever shared the stage or the judges’ table at the same time. It was a moment that spoke to just how much of an international impact Drag Race has had since it launched its first foreign spinoff in 2018 with Drag Race Thailand. In other words, it was the first meeting of the United Nations of drag — and hopefully not the last.
‘Drag Race’ has taken over the world
From the Philippines to Belgium, Drag Race has become a global phenomenon. Series such as RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and Drag Race España have found success in their home countries and around the world.
Some Drag Race alumnae have even gone on to host or judge other editions of the show themselves. RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11 runner-up Brooke Lynn Hytes is a host and judge on Canada’s Drag Race. Season 12 alum Nicky Doll hosts Drag Race France in her native country. Season 4 and All Stars 6 queen Jiggly Caliente delivers judgments in English and Tagalog on the Drag Race Philippines judges’ panel. Canada’s Drag Race and Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World alum Rita Baga hosts Drag Race Belgique, having lived in the country for years and being fluent in French. And Drag Race Thailand co-host Pangina Heals, meanwhile, became the first host of a Drag Race series to go from behind the judges’ table to the main stage, competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World in 2022.
