Drag Race contracts

World of Wonder should be investigated for a few reasons, including avoiding SAG and WGA contracts. They’re also a Cheap company. Beyond cheap.

I watched it. It is very interesting indeed. One tip, this kid is good, but he talks a mile a minute, so go to settings on YouTube and slow down the playback a bit.

The contract is fucking insane. It's right up there with something Scientology would come up with.

I’ve had to sign a couple of contracts to be on reality shows, and they were all pretty much identical to this one. Nothing was surprising although the twink tried to make it look exceptional.

This is a pretty standard contract for reality/competition shows. Welcome to how the showbiz world works

He does say there are many similarities. However when you see clauses with wording like "throughout the universe"... it does get weird. Did the ones you signed r3 have that same language? Or are you and R4 from WoW?

So even the most successful queens are indentured servants.

I think the base may have been a standard language thing but some of the recent changes are pretty rough and very onerous for artists.

R5, my contracts also said “the universe”. I remember that because it always stuck out to me. They were never with world of wonder.

Isn’t this the reason bendela quit?

"throughout the universe", the definition of universe,

1. the universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy.

2. a particular sphere of activity, interest, or experience.

I assume it meant to be # 1, which itself also covered # 2 like fan-verse. It's an ironclad term, there is really no way for you to escape.

Yeah, it's meant to be the first definition. Also there is a lot of "self renewing" built in. If you are at the very end of your contract, but they call you back in for a required appearance/action, it resets all over again. Theoretically, this could go on for years, decades even. If you haven't seen the video yet, and are surmising only from your own experiences and assuming it's similar. I encourage you to watch the video.

Also, what r7 said.

Unlike most reality shows, a number of contestants from Drag Race go on to make a very healthy income, at least pre-pandemic, so it is far more in Viacom/WoWs interest to keep them locked in for as long as possible in order to keep getting their massive cut of the action. Joe Blow and his 2 episode appearance on "The Cuntelor"...not so much.

Also, this Vice article is worth a gander, though it is less about the contract and more about the money involved

R9, didn't he quit because he's an attention whore? From what I've heard he's sucking up to the show now, hoping to get back on again.

Max from Season 7, bitter over her edit in her elimination episode, followed the advice of her boyfriend/manager at the time and deliberately held back on touring, making content, and selling merchandise while her obligation to WOW was in effect so they wouldn't get their cut. It was, of course, cutting off her nose to spite her face (RuPaul vague-tweeted at the time, "Never let your lover be your manager"), and it tanked her post-RPDR career. There were also rumors that WOW actually sued her for violating her NDA when she complained publicly about her edit.

No contract can be enforced for more than seven years. It is what killed the Hollywood studio system.

Dame Olivia made it so.

Watch the video R14. These can.

It sounds like a standard contract. The problem is all the teens who watch the show have a totally unrealistic view of the role of a production company. They think WOW needs to “coach” the contestants in how to avoid negative fans, how to manage their money, how to do merchandise, ect.

The WoW media poodles are speaking up I see.

R12, what did you hear?

I heard Bendela quit right before the finals cause those who made the finals were contractually obligated to do certain things. By that point she knew the exposure she’d get was good enough for her so she left.

Show is kinda over now, isn't it.

He did another video about how much the different contestants' show clothes cost, and Gottmik was the 'winner' with a $60,000 wardrobe...!!!

How rich is this makeup artist, anyway?