Born Naked (RuPaul's Drag Race)

"Born Naked"
RuPaul's Drag Race episode
Episode no.	Season 7 Episode 1
Directed by	Nick Murray
Original air date	March 2, 2015 (2015-03-02)
Guest appearances
Alaska Thunderfuck Mathu Andersen Kathy Griffin
Episode chronology

"Born Naked" is the first episode of the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race.^[1][2] Directed by Nick Murray, the episode originally aired on March 2, 2015. Kathy Griffin is a guest judge. For the fashion show mini-challenge, Mathu Andersen and former contestant Alaska Thunderfuck make guest appearances, the latter impersonating Anna Wintour.

Violet Chachki wins the episode's mini-challenge. Tempest DuJour is eliminated from the competition, after placing in the bottom two of a main challenge that has contestants design and wear resort looks that "tear away" to reveal an illusion of nudity, then losing a lip-sync against Kandy Ho to the song "Geronimo" by RuPaul.

Episode

Werk Room and mini-challenge

For the mini-challenge, former contestant Alaska Thunderfuck (left) impersonates Anna Wintour (right).

The contestants enter the Werk Room one at a time; in order of appearance: Miss Fame, Ginger Minj, Jaidynn Diore Fierce, Violet Chachki, Max, Katya, Jasmine Masters, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Trixie Mattel, Kandy Ho, Pearl, Kennedy Davenport, Sasha Belle, and Tempest DuJour. During her entrance, Tempest DuJour drops a plastic baby from between her legs. Kandy Ho asks Tempest DuJour about her age.^[3]

RuPaul welcomes the contestants and introduces the season's first contest, a Fashion Week-inspired mini-challenge^[4] requiring contestants to model two looks (spring and fall) for a fashion show on a runway. In addition to RuPaul, the fashion show is attended by Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Alaska Thunderfuck impersonating Anna Wintour,^[5] and Mathu Andersen. Violet Chachki's fall look is a reversible tartan cape.^[6]

After the fashion show, the contestants return to the Werk Room to get out of drag. RuPaul welcomes members of the Pit Crew and reveals to contestants the main challenge: to design and wear resort looks that "tear away" to reveal an illusion of nudity.^[6] RuPaul later visits the contestants again in the Werk Room as they prepare for the main stage. Trixie Mattel shares that her boyfriend's parents do not approve of her doing drag.

Main stage

Violet Chachki (left, pictured at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2017) won the episode's main challenge; Tempest DuJour (right, pictured at the 2022 event) was eliminated from the competition.

On the main stage, RuPaul welcomes fellow judges Visage, Kressley, and Ross Mathews, as well as guest judge Kathy Griffin. Katya presents a red outfit, then bends over to reveal her buttocks. Miss Fame wears a poncho, and Tempest DuJour's outfit is attached with fake crabs. Max uses crutches, and Ginger Minj wears a yellow outfit. According to Entertainment Weekly, Jasmine Masters "emerges from a cocoon made of a tacky shower curtain and a hula hoop".^[6] Kandy Ho says her look is inspired by Greek goddesses. Violet Chachki gets nearly naked.

The judges ask the contestants deemed safe to leave the main stage, then speak with the top and bottom contestants. Tempest DuJour mentions her weight loss. RuPaul asks the contestants to say who among their fellow contestants has impressed them the least. Kandy Ho and Tempest DuJour discuss age again. After the judges deliberate, Violet Chachki is declared the winner of the main challenge.^[3] Sasha Belle and Jasmine Masters are deemed safe. Kandy Ho and Tempest DuJour place in the bottom two and face off in a lip-sync to "Geronimo" by RuPaul (from the 2014 studio album Born Naked).^[3] RuPaul eliminates Tempest DuJour from the competition.^[6] Tempest DuJour leaves the main stage and returns to the Werk Room to write a message on the mirror to her fellow contestants.

Production

Kathy Griffin (pictured in 2015) is a guest judge on the episode.

The episode was directed by Nick Murray and originally aired on March 2, 2015. Its title, along with the season's twelfth episode "And the Rest Is Drag", refer to lyrics and phrasing ("we're all born naked, and the rest is drag") used prominently by RuPaul.^[7][8][9] The title track on RuPaul's album Born Naked explores this idea.^[10] Contestants perform the song on "And the Rest Is Drag", which has the season's last main challenge.

Alaska Thunderfuck had previously competed on the fifth season of Drag Race and was the winner of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Andersen and RuPaul collaborated for many years, until the show's ninth season; Andersen initially did RuPaul's hair and make-up, and later directed challenges and became a creative producer of Drag Race.^[11] He was a guest judge on season two's "Here Comes the Bride" (2010), and he was a special guest on the fourth season's "The Final Three" (2012), the fifth season's "The Final Three, Hunty" (2013), the sixth season's "Sissy That Walk" (2014). Andersen was nominated in the Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program category at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the seventh season's third episode ("ShakesQueer"), and he also directed the series of sketches on "And the Rest Is Drag". Griffin later made a guest appearance on the fifth episode of Drag Race's seventh season, called "The DESPY Awards", to coach the contestants for the main challenge.^[12]

Reception

Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club gave the episode a rating of 'B' and said: "'Born Naked' ... puts the emphasis on looks over personality, and while the outrageous style is certainly one of the most attractive things about this show, it's the biting wit and catty drama that makes Drag Race such a delight." He opined, "Even though this premiere doesn't offer the most taxing challenges for this year's contestants, it's still an immensely entertaining season opener, with a diverse group of contestants that reveals how this show is motivating drag queens around the country to up their game for a taste of national fame."^[3] The Guardian's Dominic Rushe said the episode's theme was "age versus beauty" based on Kandy Ho asking Tempest DuJour her age and Griffin accusing Kandy Ho of ageism.^[13] Kate Libby of City Magazine said of the runway looks: "Some nipples were askew, some black bras were showing, but for the most part, the ladies brought it."^[4] In 2022, the episode tied for a ranking of 9–11, with a score of 7.7, in Pride.com's ranking of the show's premiere episodes to date, according to IMDb.^[14]

References

1. Greenwood, Carl (March 4, 2015). "RuPaul's Drag Race: 7 things we learned from season 7's premiere Born Naked". Daily Mirror. Reach plc. OCLC 223228477. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
2. Ehrman-Dupre, Joe (March 5, 2015). "Recapping 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 7, Episode 1: 'Born Naked'". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
3. "RuPaul's Drag Race: "Born Naked"". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. March 3, 2015. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
4. Libby, Katie. ""RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 7, Episode 1: Born Naked". City Magazine. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
5. "Reading Drag Race: Born This Naked". Out. ISSN 1062-7928. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
6. "'RuPaul's Drag Race' premiere recap: 'Born Naked'". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. ISSN 1049-0434. OCLC 21114137. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
7. Bryde, Lindsay; Mayberry, Tommy (February 1, 2022). RuPedagogies of Realness: Essays on Teaching and Learning with RuPaul's Drag Race. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-4606-0. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
8. Schulman, Michael (February 21, 2014). "In Drag, It Turns Out, There Are Second Acts". The New York Times. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024. It seems implausible in hindsight: Even before Ellen DeGeneres came out, America embraced a black female impersonator with the subversive message 'We're born naked, and the rest is drag.'
9. Summers, Claude (April 24, 2012). The Queer Encyclopedia of Film and Television. Cleis Press Start. ISBN 978-1-57344-882-6. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
10. Maples, Anna (February 9, 2018). "A short history of music featuring drag queens". Vox. ISSN 0960-300X. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
11. "Raven Dedicates Emmy for 'Drag Race' Work to Mathu Andersen". Out. ISSN 1062-7928. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
12. Boulet, Ruth (March 31, 2015). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 7 episode 5: The DESPY Awards recap". Channel Guide Magazine. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
13. Carpentier, Megan; Rushe, Dominic (March 3, 2015). "RuPaul's Drag Race recap: season seven, episode one – the devil wears nada". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
14. "Ranking Every RuPaul's Drag Race Premiere Episode According To IMDB". Pride.com. Here Media. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.

External links

• Born Naked at IMDb
• 'Spring & Fall Lewks' – S7 E1 – RuPaul's Drag Race on YouTube