Last fall, RuPaul Charles surprised Emmy pundits by winning Best Reality Show Host on his first nomination for his show “Rupauls Drag Race.” He took down two-time defending champ Jane Lynch (“Hollywood Game Night”), as well as past winners Tom Bergeron (“Dancing with the Stars”) and Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”), plus returning nominee Ryan Seacrest (“American Idol”) and another first-timer, Steve Harvey (“Little Big Shots”).
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His hit Logo series is slated to return with a vengeance on March 24 for season nine. And the first guest judges is Lady Gaga. Fresh from her smash Super Bowl appearance, she is back among her people. Dressed in a simple chemise (not) and with her hair and makeup overdone, she fits right in with the lucky 13 contestants who are all vying for the $100,000 grand prize. As she says with a sly grin, “May the best woman win.”
Rupaul, who looks tame next to Mother Monster in his canary yellow suit, was cheered backstage last year after his shocking win. Ever sassy, he responded, “Don’t you mean, ‘Condragulations’?” As he readily admitted, “You know, it’s funny, I can’t not say it anymore. Even like at a wedding or something, I go, ‘Oh my God, did I just say condragulations?’ I think it’s applicable to any situation.”
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Reflecting on the surprising success of the show, he said, “I love the fact that our show is watched by groups of people. It’s event viewing.” As he explained, “In an era when the nightclub business, especially gay nightclubs, have suffered because of apps and people don’t have to go to a bar to meet someone, our show has been used as a tool to unite people and get them to watch together. And that’s really what this show is about. This is about the tenacity of the human spirit.”
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