RuPaul’s Drag Race Betting Odds

Reality competitions are some of the most popular TV shows worldwide and span many different genres and interests. One of the most well-known ones is RuPaul’s Drag Race. It’s an American-produced show that features contestants trying to become the next drag queen superstar and it is often possible to bet on the shows with bookmakers.

The idea for the show originated from famous drag queen RuPaul. He serves as a head judge, host, and mentor who advises and helps contestants. Both RuPaul and the show itself have earned several Emmy awards.

RuPaul’s Drag Race has aired every year since 2009 with immense success throughout the world. It has given birth to several spinoffs in the United States and many countries around the world, including the UK and Australia, where RuPaul was also the host.

RuPaul’s Drag Race has a large betting scene. Thousands of fans are willing to put their money on who they think will win or be eliminated from the show. Naturally, some betting sites have caught on to it and offer several betting markets for the show.

What is Betting on RuPaul's Drag Race

Before we get into the show’s available betting markets, we need to explain its format and what happens on-screen, as well as off-screen. The show starts with the auditioning process, which RuPaul himself is responsible for. The prospects send their video auditions, and RuPaul sorts them out and picks the contestants for the season.

Filming for the whole show is carried out over approximately four weeks, and all the episodes -except for the final- are pre-recorded. Also, the contestants cannot communicate with the outside world for the duration of the filming. This is very important as it allows every drag queen to show her true personality without being affected by the media or the public’s opinion.

Each episode follows a specific format and starts with the challenges. The maxi challenge is the centrepiece of the episode, where queens face each other in a themed challenge. These challenges can have varying themes or outcomes, but they usually involve crafting a unique outfit or presenting the contestant’s talents. 

Then, the judges assess the overall performance of each contestant in the challenge and announce the winner after some discussion among themselves. The winner of the maxi challenge receives a unique prize each time.

Along with the winner, the judges also announce the bottom two performances of the challenge. The two worst-performing contestants have to battle it out in a lip-sync competition where the loser faces elimination from the show. 

Some episodes may also contain double eliminations, no elimination, or even disqualifying a certain contestant. Nevertheless, most episodes follow this format until it comes down to three or four contestants who will compete in the final episode to win. Prizes for the season winner usually include a hefty sum of money, a crown, a sceptre, and an ample supply of cosmetics.

As you can imagine, there are several aspects of the show that a person can bet on, as well as many factors to take into consideration. Also, with each new season of the show, the bookmakers gain more data and statistics and are able to offer sharper lines.

RuPaul's Drag Race Betting Markets

Fans of RuPaul Drag Race have the opportunity to bet on their favourite drag queen in many different sportsbooks. Different bookmakers offer different markets, but you can usually expect to find these popular betting options in most sports books.

Overall Winer

This is the most straightforward of all the betting markets, and it’s all about who will win the crown and the title of “America’s next drag superstar”. Odds for this market are usually released after the season’s contestants are announced. This market is available throughout the season up until the final episode, with the odds changing after every elimination.

Next Eliminated

This category is about the next contestant to be eliminated from the show. Eliminations happen every episode (with very few exceptions throughout the years) based on each contestant’s performance in the episode’s main challenge. The two queens with the poorest performance have a lip-sync contest, and the worst of the two gets eliminated.

Remember that if a particular queen has been at the bottom two a few times in the season and survived, she will consistently be among the favourites to be eliminated in the next episode.

Challenge Winner

Most episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race feature a mini challenge where the queens compete for a benefit in the episode’s maxi challenge. Odds for this market are usually based on the overall performance of each contestant or any potential previous mini challenge wins.

Runway Winner

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Bob_The_Drag_Queen_at_Rupaul%27s_Dragcon_2017_by_dvsross.jpg

This betting market revolves around the winner of each episode's maxi challenge. The maxi challenge includes many aspects of drag performance, including designing and crafting costumes around a specific theme. 

Contestants are presented with the runway theme at the beginning of the episode and have to craft original costumes that fit each week’s theme. After that, they present their designs in a runway walk, and a winner is announced based on their performance in the challenge and runway.

How to Bet on RuPaul's Drag race

There is nothing complicated about betting on RuPaul's Drag race it is a betting market like a list of horses for the Grand National, although it will have more options than betting on a football or tennis match.

You simply need to go to your favourite betting app and head to the TV & Specials section in the menu,to find if betting on the current RuPaul's Drag Race is available.

The Show is pre-recorded, and results are often known, so betting can be limited at times and only available for short periods.

If you do not have an active online betting account, then head over to our betting sites section where you will see a list of bookmakers available in the UK, where have in depth reviews so you can see what other users think of them before deciding, or head over to the free bets page where you can see the list of welcome offers currently available from all UK betting sites.

Here you will see the option to look at the list of actors being offered as options to bet on.

• All you need do, is click on your selection.
• This will open up the betslip, at which point you will see confirmation of the betting odds being offered
• Now you choose your stake - most betting sites will show you how much you can expect to have returned if your prediction is correct.
• If you are happy, simple hit, PLACE BET, to confirm your selection, stake, and bet.
• You will be given a receipt for your bet and it will appear in your open bets in your account details.
• Then it's just a matter of waiting to see the result of the betting market

RPDR Betting - People to Know

There are a good number of people to be aware of in the show, and the parts they play. 

RuPaul

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dvsross/, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

RuPaul is a world-renowned drag queen and the brains behind RuPaul’s Drag Race. He came up with the idea for the show in 2008, serving as the contestants' host, head judge, and mentor. RuPaul has also hosted several versions of the Drag Race worldwide and even won six Emmy awards for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program.

RuPaul has been performing for over 30 years, but his drag queen career skyrocketed in 1993 with the release of his single "Supermodel (You Better Work)". The song became an instant hit at a time when rap music was hitting its peak. He followed that up with several successful singles and albums throughout the 1990s and the 2000s.

Besides his drag queen performances, RuPaul has also had appearances in many films. He has also written and published three books and has been actively writing music throughout his life.

Alaska (Season 5, All Stars 2)

Alaska has become one of the most well-known contestants of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She began auditioning for the show every single season, and despite many rejections, she eventually participated in season 5. Her performance in the Drag Race was competitive, as she won a few maxi challenges, but ultimately, she finished runner-up to the winner Jinkx Monsoon.

Despite the second place, her character and performances landed her a spot in the second season of the Drag Race All Stars. The All Stars is a spinoff series to the original show, where former contestants compete to be inducted into the Drag Race Hall of Fame. Alaska’s participation in the All Stars came with a few controversies, but she ended up winning the whole thing.

Alaska initially wanted to pursue a career in acting but turned to drag performances early on. Since her appearances in the Drag Race, she has featured in several TV and web shows. However, most of her success has come through music, where she has released many popular tracks and music videos, starting with her debut song “RuGirl” in 2013.

Courtney Act (Season 6)

MTV International, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Courtney Act is a drag queen and television personality with a lengthy and impressive career that spans over two decades. Her first TV appearance was in the first season of Australian Idol in 2003, where she was also the first ever talent show contestant to openly be a part of the LGBTQ community.

Courtney Act participated in season 6 of the RuPaul Drag Race and was Australia's first and only participant. Her performance in the competition was excellent, with two maxi challenge wins and no bottom two performances at all. Eventually, she reached the top 3 but wasn’t able to win it.

Courtney Act has had a very successful music career, signing with a huge Australian label early on and producing several hits. She is also considered a reality show specialist, with many successful appearances in shows worldwide. She has won season 21 of UK’s Celebrity Big Brother and came second in Australia’s Dancing With The Stars.

Trixie Mattel (Season 7, All Stars 3)

Netflix, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Trixie Mattel is one of the most successful drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race. She’s had plenty of hit songs, appearances in many TV shows, and a substantial online following. She even has her own cosmetics brand called Trixie Cosmetics. 

Trixie Mattel studied musical theatre, attended a beauty school, and was a successful drag queen before the Drag Race. She participated in season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she was eliminated early on, returned, and eventually finished sixth overall. However, her unique style and character earned her a spot in the third All Stars season of the show, where she won the whole thing.

Trixie specializes in country, folk, and pop music, but also in comedy. She’s part of the comedy duo Trixie and Katya with fellow drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova, and the two have had many successful comedy shows. Trixie is also known for her distinct make-up style, which makes her stand out from others.

Brooke Lynn Hytes (Season 11)

DVSROSS, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Brooke Lynn Hytes was the first Canadian drag queen to participate in RuPaul’s Drag Race during season 11. Her excellent performances and runner-up placing made her a fan favourite, with fans dubbing her the “Queen of the North”. She eventually became a part of the judging panel in the show’s Canadian spin-off Canada’s Drag Race.

Brooke Lynn Hytes enjoyed a lot of lauding and applause throughout the competition. She was the winner of three maxi challenges and was in the top 3 candidates for a record-breaking nine times. Despite her tremendous performances, she fell short of the eventual winner, Yvie Oddly.

Brooke’s career is multi-faceted, as she’s also a very successful ballet dancer. She took ballet lessons for five years at the National Ballet School of Canada before dancing with the Cape Town City Ballet in South Africa and eventually Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo in New York.

Things to Consider When Betting on RuPaul's Drag Race

When betting on RuPaul’s Drag Race, you must remember that it’s an entertainment show, not a sporting event. Therefore, bookmakers don’t have access to the vast amounts of information they can look into when offering lines for famous sports events.

A bookmaker will usually base the odds around the hype, media, public reactions, and a contestant’s performance throughout the season. They might not be as knowledgeable about drag performances as dedicated fans or actual drag queens. 

If you’re a big fan of the show or drag performances in general and you like betting, you may find a lot of value in a particular sportsbook’s misjudged odds.  After all, a fan favourite could always have a slow start in the competition and pick up the pace towards the show's end.

Not to mention that some contestants can be very strong in certain aspects of drag and weaker in others. For instance, if a drag queen can’t put together impressive lip-sync acts, she will have a significant disadvantage if she ever ends up in the bottom two. Therefore, even if she performs excellently throughout the show, one bad day could lead to an unexpected elimination.