Latest news with #realitycompetition
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘King Of Drag' Becomes The First Reality Show Centered On Drag Kings
For the first time TV history, a show with an exciting new premise titled 'King of Drag,' will showcase drag kings exclusively in a reality competition show. Airing on Revry, a free LGBT+ streaming app. The trailer for the show was released earlier this month, and it's entertaining and ambitious. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 11: Murray Hill (L) and Tenderoni attend the 13th annual Queerties ... More Awards at AVALON Hollywood on March 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by) For years, fans of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' have argued, outside of their usual arguments concerning who they want to win the title of 'America's next drag superstar,' about one question when it comes to contestants, and that's whether Drag Kings should be featured on Drag Race. Some fans have argued that as the show's host, RuPaul, is exclusively judging contestants from his expertise as one of, if not the, most powerful drag queens on the planet and that, while there are drag competitions outside of the show that include both drag queens and kings, the premise of Drag Race is for drag queens to compete against one another. On the other side of the debate, fans in favor of drag kings competing on Drag Race have argued that if Drag Race has been called the 'Olympics of drag' by judges and fans alike, then drag kings should be included. Some contestants, like Victoria Scone, a non-binary drag queen who identifies as female, have even performed as drag kings for lip-syncs as a nod to drag kings. Even outside of Drag Race, drag competitions like 'Dragula,' hosted by the Boulet Brothers, have had drag kings and queens competing alongside one another for years. Gottmik at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards held at the New York Hilton Midtown on May 11, 2024 in ... More New York City. (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images) Instead of waiting for fans to figure out what they want out of the show, drag kings have built their platform, with Murray Hill, who starred as Fred Rococo on HBO's 'Somebody Somewhere,' acting as the host of King of Drag. To aid him, Drag race contestants and drag kings alike have signed on to act as guest judges, like Gottmik, from season 13 and 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' season 9, and Tenderoni, a drag king and household name in the Chicago drag scene, are only two names that were featured in the star studded trailer. Even with the introduction of a new show and platform for drag kings on the King of Drag, the question still remains about what this may mean for the future of Drag Race. It can be argued that RuPaul helped open doors for many queer and gender non-conforming drag artists, and while his name may not be part of it, King of Drag does benefit from Drag Race already existing as a platform. Still, one of the main draws for contestants on Drag Race is the opportunities and platform it offers. On Drag Race, you don't even have to win to become a household name. A queen only needs to get their name out into the public sphere and build upon their brand once they get onto the show and they're set, even for contestants that go home on the first episode, opportunities that previously weren't available. No matter what happens, King of Drag is sure to be another interesting gateway into the world of drag and, hopefully, it propels drag kings forward into success the same way that shows like Drag Race does for its contestants.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
MrBeast's plot for biggest game show ever with $12m prize, celebs, and 7,000 players taking part on islands around world
THE new season of Beast Games is set to be filmed all over the world with a record multi-million-dollar jackpot for one of the lucky 7,000 competitors, a source close to MrBeast has told The U.S. Sun. The popular Amazon show, which attracted an incredible 50 million global viewers in its first 25 days, became the most-watched unscripted show in Prime Video's history. 4 4 4 MASSIVE PLANS YouTube sensation MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, has yet to officially confirm a new series. However, Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said at the Milken Institute Global Conference this week: "We're going to do a couple more seasons of that, I think, soon." The U.S. Sun has spoken to a longtime associate of MrBeast who claims this next installment could be "the biggest TV show ever." Beast Games is a reality competition where participants battle it out in physical, mental, and social challenges. The insider says locations in the African desert, South America, Greece, southern Europe, the Philippines, other parts of Asia, as well as a Midwestern location in the United States are being considered. The aim, according to the source, is to have 1,000 contestants in each location. There were 1,000 hopefuls in the entire 10-part show that began at the end of last year. This iteration, however, will have people competing against each other in different time zones. EXPANDED PRIZE POT The U.S. Sun understands the prize money will also increase from $10 million — which was the largest single game show prize in history — to $12 million. MrBeast is reportedly eyeing a "battle of the continents" with the goal of drawing in over 100 million viewers worldwide, doubling the numbers from the wildly successful first season. The plans include producing 12 to 15 episodes, with celebrities linked to the locations appearing at various intervals. With a healthy budget of $150 million — reports estimate season one cost $100 million to produce. Jeffrey Randall Allen, the winner of the first season, landed a cool $10 million but revealed in a podcast interview that, after taxes, he pocketed only half of that amount. Speaking to Deadline at a recent Contenders TV event, MrBeast hinted that the first shows were just the beginning, while one of his business partners, Sean Klitzner, said there were "an unlimited" number of ideas in the works. The U.S. Sun caught up with MrBeast, 26, at the Breakthrough Prize gala in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, last month. He shared his surprise at learning the $5 million prize on his Amazon Prime game show was the largest ever. "When we gave away $5 million and I saw that was the largest ever, I was like, I don't know," he said. In contrast, finalists on season 3 of Peacock's The Traitors split $204,300 four ways, with each taking home around $50,000 before taxes. Contestants on Love Island win about $63,000 pre-tax, while Big Brother offers $500,000-$750,000 prizes. Accompanied by fiancée Thea Booysen, MrBeast criticized TV networks for offering small prizes despite making billions in revenue. "They probably should give away more," he told The U.S. Sun. However, Beast Games has faced backlash after five participants alleged mistreatment, including unsafe conditions, lack of basic necessities, and harassment. A lawsuit filed last September accuses MrBeast's production company, Amazon, and Off One's Base LLC of failing to provide meals, breaks, hygiene access, and proper accommodations. Contestants described meals like cold oatmeal, raw veggies, and a hard-boiled egg. The plaintiffs seek transparency for future applicants, proper classification as employees, workplace reforms, and millions in damages. MrBeast has not publicly addressed the claims but tweeted in November that behind-the-scenes footage disproves the allegations. "We have tons of [clips] dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were," he wrote. "Jimmy is so excited about this new project," added the friend. "It's going to be full of crazy challenges, prizes, and surprises." The U.S. Sun contacted a spokesperson for MrBeast, but is yet to hear back. 4
