You are a drag queen in your mid-20s in America. You have performed in and around your city of residence for a number of years and have honed your craft to a high degree, and are now chasing stardom. There are 2 drag reality competition TV programmes that would allow you to achieve this, with both following the same competitive format of challenge, themed runway presentation and critique followed by the elimination of the worst queen of the week.
RuPaul's Drag Race, now airing its 16th season, has an international fan base with mainstream reach, having won multiple Emmys and high viewership. The aesthetic within RuPaul's Drag Race is quite streamlined, with the vast majority of queens focusing on achieving the perfect illusion of womanhood, and outfits being inspired by high fashion designers. Challenges and runway categories are often based on pop culture references and common fashion trends. The winner receives $200,000
Dragula, about to release its 6th season has a comparatively smaller fan base and reach, but is still quite popular, being one of the most popular shows on horror streaming platform 'Shudder'. The show is consistently well-reviewed and followed by a loyal fan base. Being horror and monster themed, the aesthetic of Dragula is very diverse, with past contestants and winners having widely different drag styles with different levels of focus on gender illusion or glamour, and more alternative fashion and drag being showcased. Challenges and runways are often themed around common horror movie tropes/scenarios/monsters. The prize for winning Dragula is $100,000.
As a drag performer, you feel most comfortable in more alternative and dark aesthetics, but given your drag experience you are confident you can tailor yourself to fit either aesthetic.