‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 10 Episode 1 Betting Odds

–RuPaul became a media sensation in the mid 1990s with the hit song ‘Supermodel’.

– Now in it’s 10th season, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ shown on VH1.

– Episode 1 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 10 will air on March 22 at 8 PM Eastern.

RuPaul is taking over television. OK, that’s a bit of an overstatement but there’s been plenty of Ru on TV of late. VH1 wrapped Season 3 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ and without much of a break heads right in to Season 10 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’. The All Star season ended with a good deal of controversy. Trixie Mattel was nominally the winner though her victory was greatly overshadowed by the late withdrawal of Ben DeLaCreme who looked to have everything wrapped up at that point. A number of the show’s fans weren’t happy with Trixie Mattel winning though its difficult to tell if that’s something inherent to her or some lingering animosity from the way that BenDeLaCreme departed the show.

Anyway, RuPaul’s Drag Race’ is a reality show featuring drag queens. Doing a reality show featuring drag queens would be no different than doing a garden variety reality show were it not were one thing–the show’s downright incomprehensible rules. We’ll get to that in a moment but first some background on the show’s namesake. RuPaul became the ‘King of Drag Queens’ much in the same way that Jerry Lawler was the ‘King of Memphis Wrestling‘ in the mid 1990’s. Thanks to a massive hit song called ‘Supermodel (You Better Work)‘ RuPaul became huge. The song may have given RuPaul–real name RuPaul Andre Charles–the opportunity but he definitely made the most of it. He was not only a great entertainer in drag but he was an interesting and likable presence as a man. One of the most likable things about RuPaul is his mellow attitude toward gender pronouns, which have become a cause celebre among the perpetually offended in the past few years. Here’s RuPaul’s take:

“You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Just as long as you call me.”

He’s clearly comfortable in both gender roles and has appeared in movies and in other media both as a man and a woman. That’s also the case in this series.

SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE RULES?

The ‘elevator pitch’ for the show is simple enough–RuPaul hosts a series featuring a variety of talent competitions in a search for ‘America’s next drag superstar’. It might not get the mainstream coverage of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ but has been a hit on its own terms. In now in it’s tenth season it’s the highest rated show in the history of the Logo TV network, has spawned several spin-offs and airs internationally. RuPaul has won an Emmy for his hosting performance and the show has a devoted fanbase that rivals many more ‘mainstream’ reality shows.

The rules are entertaining, but don’t do any favors for oddsmaking. Here’s an excerpt from the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Wikipedia page that explain things better than I could:

RuPaul plays dual roles in the show. USA Today’s Lifeline explains: “RuPaul the drag queen will be the final word in judging and eliminations, while RuPaul the man will offer guidance to contestants for each challenge.”RuPaul’s Drag Race uses progressive elimination to reduce the number of drag queens in the competition from the initial field of fourteen contestants (the maximum a season has started with) down to the final three, who will compete in the final challenge. Each episode (with the exception of the casting special, “recap” episode, and reunion special) follows a format consisting of a mini challenge, a main challenge, a runway walk (where the contestants model fashion on a runway, usually with a theme based on the main challenge), the judging panel, and the elimination of a contestant. There have been some exceptions to episodes, including double-elimination episodes, no-elimination episodes, and the disqualification of contestants.

Mini challenges:

In the mini challenge, each contestant is asked to perform a different task with varying requirements and time limitations. Certain mini challenges are repeated from season to season. For instance, the first mini challenge of the first six seasons is a photo shoot with the photographer Mike Ruiz that includes some kind of special twist (such as being doused with water while in full drag, having a high-powered fan turned on during the shoot, or being photographed while jumping on a trampoline). Another recurring mini challenge is dedicated to “reading,” a drag term for making insulting observations about one’s peers for comedic effect. The winner of a mini challenge is sometimes rewarded with some kind of advantage in the main challenge. Though most episodes have a mini challenge, select episodes do not and progress straight to the main challenge.

Main challenges:

The requirements of the main challenge vary across each episode, and can be individual or group challenges. The winner of the main challenge also receives a “special” prize for their win. In the past, challenge winners have been rewarded with prizes including custom designer clothing, vacations, cruises, and quality cosmetic items. The final main challenge of every season is where the contestants star in RuPaul’s music video.

The goal of each main challenge involves a new theme and outcome. Contestants are often asked to design and construct a custom outfit, sometimes incorporating unconventional materials. Other challenges focus on the contestants’ ability to present themselves on camera, perform with music, or perform humorously. Some challenges become a tradition across seasons.

We’ll check in with the progress of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10’ weekly. It’s always hard to come up with a really good odds market early on so expect these numbers to change a lot in the first few weeks:

‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10 BETTING ODDS

TO WIN ‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10′

Aquaria: +300
The Vixen: +600
Miz Cracker: +700
Asia O’Hara: +700
Monique Heart: +1500
Monet X Change: +1500
Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams: +1500
Eureka O’Hara: +2500
Mayhem Miller: +2500
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: +2500
Yuhua Hamasaki: +2500
Blair St. Clair: +2500
Kameron Michaels: +2500
Dusty Ray Bottoms: +2500

‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10 EPISODE 1 BETTING ODDS

WHO WILL BE ELIMINATED IN EPISODE 1 OF ‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10?

No One Eliminated: +150
Dusty Ray Bottoms: +500
Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams: +500
Mayhem Miller: +1000
Eureka O’Hara: +1000
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: +1000
Yuhua Hamasaki: +1500
Blair St. Clair: +1500
Kameron Michaels: +1500
Monique Heart: +2500
Monet X Change: +2500
The Vixen: +5000
Miz Cracker: +5000
Asia O’Hara: +5000
Aquaria: +5000

TO WIN MINI CHALLENGE IN EPISODE 1 OF ‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10?

No One Wins Mini Challenge in Episode 1: +350
Miz Cracker: +600
Aquaria: +750
Monet X Change: +750
The Vixen: +750
Asia O’Hara: +750
Eureka O’Hara: +1500
Monique Heart: +1500
Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams: +1500
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: +2500
Blair St. Clair: +2500
Yuhua Hamasaki: +2500
Kameron Michaels: +2500
Dusty Ray Bottoms: +2500
Mayhem Miller: +2500

TO WIN MAIN CHALLENGE IN EPISODE 1 OF ‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10?

Miz Cracker: +350
Asia O’Hara: +750
Aquaria: +750
The Vixen: +750
Monet X Change: +1000
Eureka O’Hara: +1000
Monique Heart: +1000
Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams: +1500
No One Wins Main Challenge in Episode 1: +1500
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: +1500
Blair St. Clair: +1500
Yuhua Hamasaki: +2500
Kameron Michaels: +2500
Dusty Ray Bottoms: +2500
Mayhem Miller: +2500

TO WIN LIP SYNC IN EPISODE 1 OF ‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10?

No One Wins Lip Sync in Episode 1: +350
Blair St. Clair: +750
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: +750
Miz Cracker: +750
Yuhua Hamasaki: +1000
Kameron Michaels: +1000
Dusty Ray Bottoms: +1000
Aquaria: +1500
Monet X Change: +1500
The Vixen: +1500
Asia O’Hara: +2500
Eureka O’Hara: +2500
Monique Heart: +2500
Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams: +2500
Mayhem Miller: +2500

WILL ANY CONTESTANT QUIT THE COMPETITION?

Yes: +250
No: -500

WILL ANY CONTESTANT QUIT THE COMPETITION MID-SHOW?

Yes: +750
No: -1500

‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10 EPISODE 1 RATING AS REPORTED BY ‘TV BY THE NUMBERS‘?

Over 4.5: -130
Under 4.5: +110

‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ SEASON 10 EPISODE 1 TOTAL VIEWERS AS REPORTED BY ‘TV BY THE NUMBERS‘?

Over 950,000: -150
Under 950,000: +130

About the Author: Jim Murphy

For more than 25 years, Jim Murphy has written extensively on sports betting as well as handicapping theory and practice. Jim Murphy has been quoted in media from the Wall Street Journal to REASON Magazine. Murphy worked as a radio and podcasting host broadcasting to an international audience that depended on his expertise and advice. Murphy is an odds making consultant for sports and 'non-sport novelty bets' focused on the entertainment business, politics, technology, financial markets and more.