RuPaul kicked off its three-week test run on Monday, sending the drag icon sashaying back to his roots as a traditional talk show host, albeit one flanked with tap-dancing backup performers.
“Welcome to my show, or should I say, welcome to our show,” the host told his crowd after strutting onto the stage. (Of course everyone enters the show via runway. Were you expecting anything else?) “Many of y’all know me looking like this,” showing a photo of himself in full drag, “but starting today, I want you all to know me like this.”
The audience was then treated to a series of classic Ru-isms that Drag Race fans have been hearing for years. The greatest hits included “Everybody say love!” and, of course, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?”
Before welcoming RuPaul‘s first guest, Tony Awards host James Corden, Ru laid out the bare facts for his viewers at home, explaining that the show will air for three weeks, “and it’s up to you to let us know if you want us to stick around. … I need you all to help us do this thing!”
RuPaul mostly kept things light with Corden, save for a few screwball questions, like whether Corden really likes all of his children. (“You can be honest here!”) They also discussed the darker side of social media, with Corden recounting a particularly nasty tweet targeted at one of his kids. But rather than letting things end on a down note, Corden returned to the runway from whence he came to prove that he, too, can sissy that walk:
Next, Ru welcomed Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott, who answered all of the host’s burning questions about living as twins, while throwing him a few playful growls. (“I love the Property Brothers, and I love the brothers’ property.”)
Ru also partnered with the Scotts to help one deserving couple’s design dreams come true with a $5,000 surprise. Watch that big moment below:
The premiere’s final segment was arguably its most entertaining, with Drag Race mainstays Michelle Visage and Ross Mathews joining RuPaul for a round of viewer-submitted questions.
“We’re not just doing a talk show, we’re building a movement — and you’re cordially invited, darlings,” Ru concluded at the bottom of the hour.
Time to weigh in: Did you enjoy RuPaul? (If you missed it, check your local TV listings for future showtimes.) Cast your vote in our polls below, then drop a comment with your full review.
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