And Don’t F&%k It Up: An Oral History of Rupaul’s Drag Race (the First Ten Years)

The definitive history and celebration of the groundbreaking show RuPaul’s Drag Race in its first decade, from a Burbank basement set all the way to the Emmy’s, and every weave in-between, as told by its stars, producers and fans.​

Four-time Emmy-winning series RuPaul’s Drag Race never set out to find mainstream success. Over thirteen years and about 160 drag queen contestants later, everything from its language and style has seeped into the culture, cementing its place in herstory, one tuck at a time. With viewers from all walks of life, Drag Race has become a worldwide phenomenon.

Told over its first ten years, And Don’t F*ck It Up tells a cultural history through the stories of the people who lived it: the creators of the show, the contestants, the crew, the judges, and even some key (famous) fans. It traces the evolution of the show--and its queens--through its first 14 gag-worthy seasons, serving up all kinds of behind-the-scenes realness. With a history as shady as it is inspiring, the once-in-a-generation success story of RuPaul’s Drag Race is explored here as never before, in intimate, exuberant, unfettered detail.

Maria Elena Fernandez is an award-winning journalist who covered Drag Race since before the world was introduced to the term ＂halleloo.＂ Fernandez was the first mainstream journalist to be allowed on set to write about the show for the Los Angeles Times after being dazzled by RuPaul and the first season queens at a promotional event before the show’s launch. Fernandez covered entertainment for the Los Angeles Times, Vulture, The Daily Beast, Newsweek and NBC News for 15 years.