In this episode, host KayeLee Martens and guest Cassidy Martens break down the RuPaul’s Drag Race iceberg.

Curiosity called. We answered. Find more episodes of Thoughtberg! on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you enjoyed Thoughtberg!, check out other AudioVideoLand Productions here: https://linktr.ee/audiovideoland

Key Topics

• Intro: [00:00:00-00:02:27]
• The Show Structure & Competitions: [00:02:36-00:10:40]
• Production Secrets & Ru Paul’s Empire: [00:11:30-00:21:00]
• The Show’s Impact on the Queer Community: [00:22:20-00:27:07]
• Outro: [00:27:17-00:30:07]

Audio & Music Credits

• Theme music by Ryan Kato
• Additional sound design by AudioVideoLand Productions.
• This episode was edited, produced, and written by KayeLee Martens

Sources & Further Reading

Trixie Mattel. “Trixie's Behind-The-Scenes Facts About RuPaul's Drag Race!” YouTube, 8 January 2024

Spencer Macnaughton & Sam Donndelinger. “How ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ queens became the ambassadors of being yourself.” Gay Times, 3 January 2025.

Mario Campana, Katherine Duffy, & Maria Rita Micheli. “RuPaul’s Drag Race: our research shows how it helps destigmatise the LGBTQ+ community.” The Conversation, 16 February 2023.

Joey Nolfi. “How Symone pulled off the most powerful look in RuPaul's Drag Race herstory.” Entertainment Weekly, 8 March 2021.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Logo TV, 2009.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race: Allstars. Paramount+, Season 10, 2025.