'RuPaul's Drag Race' is now the Emmys' most awarded competition show in history (original) (raw)
Drag Race passes Dancing With the Stars to claim the most collective Emmys for a reality series.
Published on September 21, 2020 03:04PM EDT
RuPaul's Drag Race is breaking records like Michelle Visage breaks a sweat at the sight of a corset-panty combo.
EW has confirmed that, after Sunday's Emmys ceremony brought the VH1 awards juggernaut to a staggering 19 total victories across its 11-year run, Drag Race has officially become the Television Academy's most-awarded reality competition show in history.
With six wins in 2020 alone (including a record-smashing bow for RuPaul in the Competition Host category), Drag Race's 19-strong collective Emmys haul stands two above the total awards won by ABC's Dancing With the Stars, which previously held the record with 17 statuettes won across the last 15 years.
Drag Race's total was bolstered over the weekend, with RuPaul winning his fifth individual Emmy for hosting the series at Saturday's Creative Arts Emmys, and the series itself landing its third consecutive win in the Outstanding Competition Program bracket.
"I've always said, every time I bat my false eyelashes, I'm making a political statement. Well, tonight, the only political statement I want to make is this: Love," RuPaul said Saturday as he accepted his Emmy, going on to dedicate the win to Chi Chi DeVayne, the beloved season 8 queen who died last month. "Love for our LGBT brothers and sisters, love for Black queens and brown queens, and love for the United States of America, where a little gay boy with nothing more than a pussycat wig and a dream can build an international platform that celebrates sweet, sensitive souls everywhere."
In addition to host and overall accolades, Drag Race won 2020 Emmys for its casting, editing, and hairstyling. Season 2 queen Raven also picked up her first Emmy this year for her work in the show's makeup department.
Other notable competitions series that trail Drag Race's cumulative Emmys pull include The Amazing Race (15), American Idol (eight), The Voice (seven), and Survivor (seven). The Amazing Race currently holds the record for most victories for Outstanding Competition Program with 10, followed by The Voice at four and RuPaul's Drag Race with three.
After this year crowning both Jaida Essence Hall as its 12th season winner and anointing Shea Couleé as the All-Stars 5 champion, RuPaul's Drag Race has been renewed for season 13 and All-Stars 6, which are expected to premiere on VH1 at a future date.
See the full list of 2020 Emmy winners.
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