Want to Get on RuPaul's Drag Race? Here Are 5 Skills You Need to Learn

For aspiring drag performers across the globe, RuPaul's Drag Race represents the ultimate platform to showcase talent, personality, and artistry. But beware: behind the glitz and glamour lies a tough competition and it demands more than just a pretty make-up look (though it's a plus, of course).

But what does it actually take to succeed on the show that changed drag forever? Charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent is an obvious answer, but today let's dig a bit deeper.

Learn How to Sew... Already

Here we go. We all know this one, right?

RuPaul announces a design challenge, and panic spreads across several faces in the werkroom. Sigh. Season after season, this scene repeats itself, leaving viewers and judges equally baffled.

Sewing is practically mandatory. You need to know how to sew with traditional materials as well as with unconventional ones.

You also need to know your fashion history. Judges LIVE for references done right. Be original, but be careful with those Marie Antoinette looks. Michelle Visage has been getting pretty annoyed at them.

Speaking of Visage, when asked about queens being unprepared on Smallzy's Surgery podcast, she didn't shy away from the truth, saying:

“In life? That's fine. On drag race? It's a big nay. It's still remarkable how kids are still coming on to the show and saying, I don't know how to sew. I just can't believe it. You can take a free class on YouTube...You can certainly figure out how to stitch a dress.”

So learn your sewing! It's practically rule number one for Drag Race survival.

Lip-Syncing: Know Your Words

The music starts. Your competition stands beside you, ready to tear you apart. And you... do not know the words. Seriously?

There are two most memorable queens who didn't know their words we can think about. One of them being Valentina from Season 9.

Valentina really thought that wearing a mask would somehow save her. And we still can remember this moment like it was yesterday: her “I'd like to keep it on, please” followed by RuPaul's now-famous one-liner:

“It's a lip-sync, what part of that don't you understand?”

Another queen who failed to learn the lyrics is, of course, Mirage, Season 16. We know, it's still a very fresh wound, but it just goes to show that no matter how talented you are, if you don't know the song, you're out.

Mirage later confessed to Entertainment Weekly:

“The music started and I remember turning around and facing the judges, and panic set in. I knew I didn’t know it. You don’t want to look RuPaul in the eye and not know her favorite artist. That was awful and embarrassing....I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses. This is a drag queen’s job to learn new songs and perform them.”

Gotta Show Some Versatility

We've all seen it: the queen with a signature look who refuses to evolve, week after week coming out with the same silhouette until the judges have had enough.

The dreaded “we need to see versatility” critique has ended many promising Drag Race runs. And the truth is, you need to show range before they demand it.

The key is balance, always. Maintain your unique perspective, but demonstrate that you can adapt and surprise (in a good way).

Take Suzie Toot from the latest Season 17 for example. She perfectly demonstrated that approach, switching up her makeup style before judges could even suggest it. And we, fans, noticed that strategic mind, with Redditor srkito_deliczpants writing:

“She switched her makeup at the perfect time, just before the judges got a chance to tell her the tired comment to “show versatility”. She literally bamboozled their gig and I LIVE!!! She seems to be one smart cookie and it’s making me root for her way more than I thought I would be when I watched Meet the Queens.”

Get Your Comedy Right

Underneath all the glamour, one can argue that Drag Race is fundamentally built on comedy.

We have reading challenges, scripted acting scenes, stand-up specials. Even runways and lip-syncs can sometimes benefit from a right comedic timing!

But the main comedy challenge remains, you guessed it, Snatch Game, the challenge that can either break or make your race. Success requires character selection, improvisation, timing, and the ability to make RuPaul laugh.

Bianca Del Rio, season 6 winner and queen of sharp comebacks, explained to MTV UK what makes comedy in drag so challenging and what you need to succeed:

“You have to be smart. You have to be aware of your own faults and you also have to be quick, which is difficult. You can't really learn those things. Either you have it or you don't. I mean, you saw Sharon [Needles].”

Yes, might sound harsh, but comedy requires both natural instinct and dedicated practice. Start hitting open mics, study improv, and develop characters now! Snatch Game waits for no queen.

Become Smart With Your Money

The financial reality of competing on Drag Race is staggering. Many queens invest their life savings or go into significant debt preparing for the show. Without smart money management, your drag dreams can quickly become financial nightmares.

Strategic spending separates successful contestants from those who blow their budgets on a single designer look.

As Trixie Mattel shared on her YouTube channel:

“Wig that you can style several different ways or use at every show in some way...Especially as a brand new drag queen, listen, it's gonna be a lot of accessories, trying to disguise the fact that you just wore that outfit last week.”

This resourcefulness can also prepare you for the more creative-driven challenges that, let's be real, what RuPaul's Drag Race is about.