How RuPauls Drag Race Season 1 Became The Lost Season

How RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 1 Became The “Lost Season”

RuPaul’s Drag Race wasn’t always the glitzy affair it is today; in fact, season 1 is such a different beast it’s referred to as the “lost season.”

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How RuPauls Drag Race Season 1 Became The Lost Season

Watching RuPaul’s Drag Race season 1 is almost like watching an entirely different show, which is just one reason why it’s known as the “lost season.” With 11 seasons under its belt and no less than 13 Primetime Emmys to its name, RuPaul’s Drag Race is an iconic cornerstone of drag queen culture today. In its decade on the air, the show has grown from niche viewing on the LGBTQ-focused channel Logo TV to a mainstream hit on sister network VH1. Along the way the series has led to several spinoffs including the recently renewed RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and spawned the drag-themed convention RuPaul’s DragCon.

But it wasn’t always the glitzy ratings-grabber it is today. Back in 2009 when RuPaul’s Drag Race season 1 premiered, the show’s budget was low and its production values were even lower. Filmed in a Burbank studio’s basement, the first season used a broom closet as a control room and had its queens wait in a hallway while judges deliberated. Just nine contestants took part compared to the 15 that competed in the show’s most recent eleventh season and the cash prize was much lower too – $20,000 rather than the $100,000 that’s been up for grabs since season 4. There was no Snatch Game and, most infamously, the show used a hazy filter that made contestants look like models from a 1980s glamour shoot.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race season 1 was such a different beast it was given the moniker the “lost season,” which became official when Logo re-aired the first season in 2013 under the title RuPaul’s Drag Race: The Lost Season Ru-Vealed. Another reason why it was nicknamed the “lost season” was the fact it was so difficult to get a hold of. While other seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race have been available on streaming platforms like Netflix for some time, the first season only became available in the past couple of years when the clearance license for the music used in season 1 was finally renewed.

Since then, there’s been renewed interest in the show’s first season thanks in part to season 1 winner BeBe Zahara Benet’s appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars in 2018. Though its freshman season is a far cry from the RuPaul’s Drag Race fans know and love today, it laid the foundations for seasons to come. Not only that, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 1 is responsible for some of the most touching and important moments in the show’s history, like contestant Ongina revealing she was HIV-positive and winner BeBe opening up about her experiences with the strict gender norms in her native Cameroon.

As bare-bones as RuPaul’s Drag Race season 1 may seem compared to later seasons, it’s where it all began. As the show goes into its twelfth season, its humble beginnings and the so-called “lost season” are something to be celebrated.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/rupaul-drag-race-season-1-lost-season-explained/

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