EXCLUSIVE: RuPaul’s Drag Race is going back to airing 60-minute episodes following the MTV show’s “supersized” two-episode premiere on January 6 at 8 p.m. Episodes of the hit reality competition series were 90 minutes from Season 10 to Season 14.
The news follows the announcement of MTV’s newest series The Real Friends of WeHo premiering on January 20 at 9 p.m. following RuPaul’s Drag Race. The reason for the shortened episodes is to lean into the opportunity to build a destination night by using the existing hit franchise to launch a new series like The Real Friends of WeHo, sources close to production tell Deadline.
The Real Friends of WeHo gives audiences an “unfiltered and honest look at a select group of friends living, loving, and pursuing their passions in the West Hollywood community.” Season 1 will follow the lives of celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, choreographer and singer Todrick Hall, actor Curtis Hamilton, CEO of Buttah Skincare Dorión Renaud, TV host and business owner Jaymes Vaughan, and digital entrepreneur Joey Zauzig.
Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race will follow 16 new queens vying for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” and a cash prize of $200,000 – the highest in herstory of the main franchise. Guest judges include Ali Wong, Amandla Stenberg, Harvey Guillén, Hayley Kiyoko, Julia Garner, Janelle Monáe, Maren Morris, Megan Stalter, and Orville Peck.