King of Drag
| King of Drag | |
|---|---|
| Hosted by | Murray Hill |
| Judges |
|
| No. of contestants | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Revry |
| Original release | 22 June 2025 |
King of Drag is a drag reality competition series that premiered in June 2025 on American LGBTQ+ streaming service Revry.[1] The series is hosted by drag king Murray Hill and is the first drag competition series to feature solely drag kings.[2]
Background
[edit]While reality competition series based on drag artists first gained prominence following the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009, it was not until 2018 with the New Zealand series House of Drag for a drag king to appear on a drag competition series.[3][4] Hugo Grrrl, who appeared on the first season of House of Drag, was the first drag king to compete and to win a drag competition series.[5] The following year the third season of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula marked the first American drag competition series to feature a king, with Landon Cider going on to win the season.[6]
King of Drag was announced in 2024 and is set to be the first drag competition series to feature a cast solely made up of drag kings.[1]
Production
[edit]The series was announced in December 2024 and is set to premiere on Revry on May 18, 2025. It will feature eight American drag kings competing over six episodes for the title of King of Drag. American comedian and drag king Murray Hill was also announced to host the series, with Hill previously hosting the drag cooking competition Drag Me to Dinner in 2023.[1][7]
Casting for the series opened in 2024 and closed on January 5, 2025. The casting is open to "individuals of all ages, ethnicities, gender identities, and styles of drag," including trans masc, cisgender women, non-binary and more."[8]
Special guest judges will appear alongside a regular panel of judges that includes: Gottmik, Sasha Velour, Tenderoni, Wang Newton, and Revry co-founder Damian Pelliccione.[9]
Contestants
[edit]| Contestant | City | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander the Great | Austin, Texas | TBA |
| Big D | Bellingham, Washington | |
| Buck Wylde | Dallas, Texas | |
| Charles Galin King | Los Angeles, California | |
| Dick Von Dyke | Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| Henlo Bullfrog | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| King Molasses (es) | Washington D.C. | |
| King Perka $exxx | Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Pressure K | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Tuna Melt | Queens, New York | 10th Place |
Contestant progress
[edit]Legend:
| Contestant | Episode | |
|---|---|---|
| 1[11] | 2 | |
| Alexander The Great | TOP3 | |
| Big D | TOP3 | |
| Buck Wylde | SAFE | |
| Charles Galin King | SAFE | |
| Dick Von Dyke | SAFE | |
| Henlo Bullfrog | FT | |
| King Molasses | WIN | |
| King Perka $exxx | BTM3 | |
| Pressure K | SAFE | |
| Tuna Melt | ELIM | |
Guest judges
[edit]Listed in alphabetical order:[12]
- Aubrey Shea, actor and singer
- Brian Michael Smith, actor
- Bridget Everett, actress and singer
- Cameron Esposito, actress and comedian
- Carmen Carrera, actress, and model
- Cole Escola, comedian, actor and singer
- Jackie Beat, drag artist
- Jeff Hiller, actor
- Kathleen Hanna, musician and activist
- Kylie Sonique Love, drag queen
- Landon Cider, drag king, actor and host
- Layshia Clarendon, basketball player
- Lisa Rinna, actress
- Liv Hewson, actor
- Mo B. Dick, rapper and author
- Paul Feig, filmaker
- Vico Ortiz, actor
Episodes
[edit]| Episode | Title | Original airdate | Episode summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Battle of the Boy Bands | June 22, 2025 |
Weenie Challenge: Sports trading card-themed photoshoot Beefy Challenge: Create and perform together in your own boy band show Bottom Two: Henlo Bullfrog & Tuna Melt |
| 2 | TBA | June 29, 2025 | |
| 3 | TBA | July 6, 2025 | |
| 4 | TBA | July 13, 2025 | |
| 5 | TBA | July 20, 2025 | |
| 6 | TBA | July 27, 2025 |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Malkin, Marc (December 16, 2024). "Drag King Reality Competition Show to Be Hosted by 'Somebody Somewhere' Actor Murray Hill (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ "A drag KING competition series is coming and it's about damn time!". Yahoo Entertainment. December 16, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ "Meet the dragstars! | TVNZ OnDemand". November 25, 2018. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ "Wellington's Hugo Grrrl is the world's first drag king on reality TV". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ "'They said I would fail': NZ drag king's win a world first". NZ Herald. October 24, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ Daw, Stephen (October 29, 2019). "Landon Cider, the First Drag King to Appear On a U.S. Drag Competition Show, Wins 'Dragula' Season 3". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (May 8, 2023). "Drag Queens Cook Up Some 'Culinary Costumed Chaos' in 'Drag Me to Dinner' First Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ Levanier, Johnny. "What can we expect from King of Drag?". INTO. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ Malkin, Marc (May 1, 2025). "Cole Escola, Lisa Rinna, Paul Feig and More Revealed as 'King of Drag' Guest Judges in First Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (May 29, 2025). "King of Drag cast revealed: Meet Murray Hill's contestants joining TV's first drag king competition series (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ "TBA". King of Drag. Season 1. Episode 1. June 22, 2025. Revry.
- ^ Malkin, Marc (May 1, 2025). "Cole Escola, Lisa Rinna, Paul Feig and More Revealed as 'King of Drag' Guest Judges in First Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
