Ethan Petersen and Goloka Bolte (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ casting directors): ‘So much love and passion goes into every step of producing this show’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

“I always pinch myself when we get nominated. It’s such an honor,” reveals casting director Ethan Petersen about about scoring his seventh consecutive Emmy nomination for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alongside colleague and fellow seven-time Emmy nominee Goloka Bolte, both of whom have won a couple of Emmys for the show along the way (in 2020 and 2021). For our recent webchat Bolte adds, “We’re excited every single year to start casting the show, and honestly to see the show get so much recognition year after year is so incredible, it’s so rewarding, as so much love and passion goes into every step of producing this show, from where we start in casting, from the work the queens do in making their audition tapes and getting themselves there, to producing the show. It’s such a labor of love. So you know any chance to celebrate all the hard work that goes into it, and all the people along the way is incredible, and will never, ever get old!” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

SEE 2023 Emmys: Complete list of nominees

From its humble beginnings in 2008 as a low-budget reality competition show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has emerged as a successful and influential pop culture sensation, loudly and proudly celebrating drag culture for a worldwide audience. The MTV series has become truly global, with (at last count) 15 international spin-offs of the show, numerous specials and short format series. The mother ship itself has become an Emmy powerhouse, winning Best Competition Program for four consecutive years running (2018-2021), with its host having won Best Reality Host a record seven consecutive times, becoming the most-awarded person of color in Emmy history.

Over 16 episodes of the series’ 15th season, drag icon and host RuPaul Charles put 16 queens through their paces, competing for $200,000 “doolahs” (the largest cash prize in the show’s history), to ultimately crown America’s Next Drag Superstar. This season’s highlights included talent shows, comedy roasts, spoof infomercials, fashion parades, music videos, musical numbers, lip-sync smackdowns and the season highlight “Wigloose: The Rusical!” (inspired by the 1984 Oscar-nominated “Footloose”). In the end, only four queens remained with a chance to snatch the coveted crown, and in the breathtaking climax of the dazzling grand finale episode, it was drag veteran Sasha Colby who triumphed over runner-up Anetra, and Luxx Noir London and Mistress Isabelle Brooks.

Leading the charge behind the scenes are Petersen and Bolte, who are essentially the gatekeepers on this show alongside Adam Cook and Michelle Redwine, who have joined Petersen and Bolte as nominees this year (both first-timers for the show). They decide which drag artists get the privilege of entering the “Werk Room” as contestants on the show, with thousands of applicants each year vying to make the coveted final cut. That’s a lot of “charisma uniqueness, nerve, and talent” that they have to sift through to find the right mix of different personalities from all walks of life in the queer community. But Petersen takes that pressure in his stride, explaining that the show is always evolving and adapting. “The show reinvents itself every season, because drag is evolving. Every season is so different,” he says. “It’s a natural evolution, which is so beautiful about the show. That’s truly why I do think ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ is such a big success year after year, because every season is so different because the queens are always so different.”

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