The show has become the highest-rated television program on Logo TV,[4] and airs internationally, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Israel.

[11] Each episode features a so-called "maxi challenge" that tests competitors' skills in a variety of areas of drag performance.

[13][14] RuPaul and a panel of judges then critique each contestant's performance, deliberate amongst themselves, and announce the week's winner and bottom two competitors.

In it, contestants satirically criticize one another in a process called "reading", which was popularized by the 1990 documentary film Paris Is Burning.

Some are group challenges that involve singing and acting, while others feature comedy, a talent of choice, dancing, or makeovers.

[27] New York City makeup artist Billy B held a regular judging spot in the third and fourth seasons when Rice was absent.

[30] From season 2 onward, a companion show called RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked, which has the same premise, has aired instead.

Untucked largely focuses on conversations and drama that occur between contestants backstage while the judges deliberate on each episode's results.

Whatcha Packin', which began at the start of the sixth season, features Michelle Visage interviewing the most recently eliminated queen about their run on the show and showcasing runway outfits they had brought but did not have the opportunity to wear.

[33] In 2014, the web-series Fashion Photo RuView aired for the first time, co-hosted by Raja Gemini and Raven who evaluate the runway looks of the main show.

It involves a host and guest, typically past competitors of Drag Race, discussing the recently aired episode.

[41] For season 2 (2010), 12 contestants competed for a lifetime supply of NYX Cosmetics and be the face of nyxcosmetics.com, an exclusive one-year public relations contract with LGBTQ firm Project Publicity, be featured in an LA Eyeworks campaign, join the Logo Drag Race Tour, and a cash prize of $25,000.

Returning judges included RuPaul and Visage, while the space previously occupied by Rice was filled by new additions Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley.

Like the previous two seasons, this one featured fourteen contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000.

The winner of season 8 was Bob the Drag Queen, with Cynthia Lee Fontaine winning Miss Congeniality.

This season features fourteen contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000.

Eureka O'Hara, who was removed from the ninth season due to an injury, returned to the show after she accepted an open invitation.

[68] The winner of season 14 was Willow Pill, with Lady Camden as runner-up, and Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté as Miss Congeniality.

[69] The winning queen received a cash prize of $150,000, the highest amount awarded to date in a regular season.

The winner of season 15 was Sasha Colby, with Anetra as runner-up, and Malaysia Babydoll Foxx as Miss Congeniality.

Morphine Love Dion, who placed fifth in the main competition, won the smackdown and the title of Queen of She Done Already Done Had Herses alongside a $50,000 prize.

[131] The show is also currently available on the following streaming platforms: Thrillist called Drag Race "the closest gay culture gets to a sports league".

[151] Shannon Keating for BuzzFeed News wrote about the show's "subversive, irreverent beginnings" briefly turning "comfortably mainstream... humdrum and derivative" prior to season 13's release.

She recalls that a flurry of political disputes, as well as "overexposure", threatened to ruin Drag Race's legacy before the refreshed 2021 season.

[152] Coleman Splide for The Daily Beast wrote in 2021 that "RuPaul has continually allowed the legacy of his subversive landmark reality show to be slowly chipped away at".

Though Splide states that the show is "a critical part of bringing empowering inclusivity to the forefront of mainstream culture", he maintains that it also invites indignation from an ever-expanding and oftentimes toxic fanbase, as well as contributing to the increasingly capitalised nature of pride celebrations around the globe.

[160][161] In March 2014, Drag Race sparked controversy over the use of the term "shemale" in the season 6 mini challenge "Female or She-male?".

[168] For the first twelve seasons, RuPaul would say, "Gentlemen, start your engines, and may the best woman win," before the contestants' runway looks for the episode were shown.

Performers of any sexual orientation and gender identity are eligible to audition, although most contestants to date have been gay, cisgender men.

[171] Other trans contestants came out as women after their elimination, including Carmen Carrera,[172] Kenya Michaels,[173] Stacy Layne Matthews, Jiggly Caliente, Gia Gunn, Laganja Estranja,[174][175][176] Gigi Goode, and Adore Delano.