RuPaul's Drag Race season 4

RuPaul's Drag Race season 4
File:RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4.jpg Region 1 DVD cover art
Created by	RuPaul Andre Charles
Directed by	Ian Stevenson
Judges	RuPaul Charles Santino Rice Michelle Visage
Theme music composer	Lucian Piane
Composers	Lucian Piane, RuPaul
Country of origin	USA
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Fenton Bailey Randy Barbato Tom Campbell RuPaul Chris McKim
Producer	World of Wonder
Running time	approx. 43 minutes per episode (1 hour including commercials)
Original release
Network	Logo

The fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race began airing on January 30, 2012, with cast members announced November 13, 2011. The winner of season four will headline Logo's Drag Race Tour featuring Absolut Vodka, wins a one-of-a-kind trip, a lifetime supply of NYX Cosmetics, a cash prize of $100,000, and the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar."

The cash prize for season four is the largest grand prize the show has offered to date.

In the season finale, contestant Sharon Needles was crowned the season's winner.

Contestants

The drag queens competing to be "America's Next Drag Superstar" for season four of RuPaul's Drag Race are:

Contestant	Real Name	Age	Hometown	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	13	14
Sharon Needles	Aaron Coady	29	Pittsburgh, PA	WIN	HIGH	WIN	IN	HIGH	IN	HIGH	LOW	WIN	LOW	WIN	STAY	WIN
Chad Michaels	Chad Michaels	40	San Diego, CA	IN	WIN	HIGH	HIGH	WIN	IN	IN	IN	HIGH	HIGH	LOW	STAY	OUT
Phi Phi O'Hara	Jaremi Carey	25	Chicago, IL	IN	IN	IN	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	WIN	LOW	LOW	WIN	HIGH	STAY	OUT
Latrice Royale	Timothy Wilcots	39	South Beach, FL	IN	IN	IN	WIN	IN	HIGH	LOW	WIN	LOW	LOW	OUT
Kenya Michaels	Omar Olivera Bonilla	21	Dorado, PR	LOW	IN	HIGH	LOW	OUT					OUT
DiDa Ritz	Xavier Hairston	25	Chicago, IL	IN	LOW	LOW	IN	IN	LOW	IN	IN	OUT
Willam	Willam Belli	29	Los Angeles, CA	IN	IN	IN	HIGH	HIGH	WIN	LOW	DQ
Jiggly Caliente	Paulo Arabejo	30	Queens, NY	LOW	IN	IN	HIGH	IN	LOW	OUT
Milan	Dwayne Cooper	36	New York, NY	IN	HIGH	IN	LOW	LOW	OUT
Madame LaQueer	Carlos Melendez	29	Carolina, PR	IN	WIN	LOW	OUT
The Princess	Adam Biga	32	Chicago, IL	HIGH	LOW	OUT
Lashauwn Beyond	Jamall Jackson	21	Fort Lauderdale, FL	HIGH	OUT
Alisa Summers	Alex Hernandez	23	Tampa, FL	OUT

  The contestant won RuPaul's Drag Race.

  The contestant was the runner-up.

  The contestant won a challenge.

  The contestant was one of the best but did not win the challenge.

  The contestant was one of the worst but was not in the bottom two.

  The contestant was in the bottom two.

  The contestant was eliminated.

  The contestant was returned to competition and was eliminated in the same challenge.

  The contestant won a challenge but was disqualified from the competition.

  The contestant was voted Ms. Congeniality by viewers.

  In this episode there was no elimination because RuPaul's decision to reveal the winner in the next episode.

• Episode 8 features the disqualification of Willam, making her the first contestant in the show's history to be disqualified from the competition.
• Episode 10 features the return of Kenya Michaels, who was eliminated in the same episode like Carmen Carrera in season 3, making her the second contestant in the show's history to be eliminated twice in the same season, on the episode they were brought back on.
• Episode 11 marks the first time a contestant has achieved 4 wins before the finals; Sharon Needles accomplished that feat.
• The Winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4 was expected to be revealed in the finale, Episode 13, but in a twist, the winner was revealed during "RuPaul's Drag Race: Reunited," pending feedback on the official Facebook page and on Twitter, using #DragRace.

Guest judges

• Pamela Anderson
• Billy B.
• Natalie Cole
• Loretta Devine
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson
• Rick Fox
• Jennifer Love Hewitt
• Wynonna Judd
• Regina King
• Ross Mathews
• Rose McGowan
• Jeffrey Moran
• Max Mutchnick
• Kelly Osbourne
• Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
• Pauley Perrette
• Amber Riley
• Mike Ruiz
• John Salley
• Dan Savage
• Nicole Sullivan
• Pam Tillis
• Jennifer Tilly

Episodes

Episode One: RuPocalypse Now!

The first episode of season 4 was released prior to its January 30 air date to fans of the RuPaul's Drag Race Facebook page. The sneak peak video was released on January 27, but its content was cut short before the runway walk and judging. Thirteen new queens begin their quests for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar," but first must survive drag zombies and the end of the world. After revealing their apocalyptic couture on the runway; Milan, Chad Michaels, Willam, Madame Laqueer, Phi Phi O'Hara, Latrice Royale, and Dida Ritz were all called out as safe. Rupaul does stop them momentarily to request they impress her next week before they leave the stage. Sharon Needles, the Princess, and Lashawn Beyond are praised for their looks. Lashawn Beyond's timid personality hinders her from the win, but she is safe. The Princess' look failed to show true apocalyptic wear-and-tear, but otherwise was a hit, and is safe. Sharon Needles' flair for the macabre works to her advantage, and she wins the challenge; gaining a custom made dress and immunity from elimination next week. Kenya Michaels' outfit shows no resemblance to anything apocalyptic, yet her fierce runway walk and fiery persona saves her from the bottom two. Jiggly Caliente's messy attempt at a sewn outfit lands her in the bottom two alongside Alisa Summers, who's outfit focused far too much on her breastplate for the judges' tastes. After lip syncing, in which Jiggly Caliente gives a high energy performance over Alisa Summer's more lackadaisical approach, Rupaul sends Alisa Summers home before declaring Jiggly as safe.

• Guest Judges: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Mike Ruiz
• Mini-Challenge: Photographer Mike Ruiz shoots the contestants for a "totally toxic" photo spread where they pose on a spinning platform while being sprayed with "hazardous waste."
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Jiggly Caliente
• Main Challenge: The queens design a post-apocalyptic couture outfit from items looted from drag queen zombies (aka Queens from the previous seasons).
• Challenge Winner: Sharon Needles
• Bottom Two: Jiggly Caliente and Alisa Summers
• Lip Synch Song: "Toxic" by Britney Spears
• Eliminated: Alisa Summers
• Farewell Message: "Keep it cute ladies! Shady sisters 4-ever! ♥ Alisa"

Episode Two: WTF!: Wrestling's Trashiest Fighters

Women's wrestling challenge, an homage to G.L.O.W.. Further to the mini-challenge, the queens were separated into three teams headed by the mini-challenge winners, and were asked to create a wrestling storyline and to choreograph a match, to be performed in front of the judges and a live audience. In addition, the teams had to split into binomials : the nice girls, or Faces, and the bad girls, or Heels. The girls were also asked to walk the runway in their best "girly-girl" couture. Team Chad wins the challenge, with Chad and Madame being declared the overall winners, for their portrayal of the "Bitch Kickers". They both win a set of wigs, yet with two sharing the win, no immunity is given this week. The remaining two teams receive varied amounts of criticism, with Phi Phi, Jiggly, Kenya, and Latrice on the high end, and DiDa, Willam, Lashauwn, and The Princess on the low end. The judges thought that Willam's wresting looked fake. DiDa's dress was not appreciated and Billy B. added that she got the "girl that sort of walk around the ring thing", but her wrestling was weak. Lackluster performances by Lashauwn, who seemed not to take the challenge seriously, and The Princess, who didn't step up and tried to act mean, land them in the bottom two. During the lip-synch elimination, Lashauwn commits several drag offenses during the routine, most noticeably kicking off her heels at the start of the song. Ultimately, these combined with a fairly pale lip-sync performance sends her packing, with Ru declaring the Princess as safe.

• Guest Judges: Rick Fox and John Salley
• Wrestling Trainers: "Hollywood's Own" Joey Ryan, Hector "El Chido" Canales and "King of Submissions" Ryan Taylor
• Mini-Challenge: Split into teams of four and created a "badonkadonk" with padding.
• Mini-Challenge Winners: Chad Michaels, Willam, Phi Phi O'Hara
• Main Challenge: Create a wrestling storyline, with "backstage" clip and entertaining match in the ring
• Challenge Winners: Chad Michaels and Madame LaQueer
• Bottom Two: The Princess and Lashauwn Beyond
• Lip Synch Song: "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer
• Eliminated: Lashauwn Beyond
• Farewell Message: "Stay true 2 U + xoxo good luck! –Beyond!"

Episode Three: Glamazons vs. Champions

The queens make commercials for RuPaul's albums Glamazon and Champion. The queens were separated into two teams, led by Phi Phi (team Champion) and Kenya (team Glamazon). During the recording, The Princess forgot several times her lines while Dida tried to get out of her comfort zone but didn't look natural. In the meantime Sharon Needles had a hard time connecting with the challenge, as she felt Phi Phi was pigeon holing her as a goth queen. The girls were asked to walk the runway with their "platinum and gold" drag looks. Willam, Phi Phi O'Hara, Latrice Royale, Milan and Jiggly Caliente were declared safe. During the judges' critiques, Madame LaQueer's outfit was compared to "fungus" by Michelle Visage, who also thought that her infomercial was relying too much on Spanish. Chad Michaels received high appreciations for her look, but is encouraged to get out of her perfection. Kenya's energy and great look also had a good impression on the judges. Sharon Needles' look was praised and RuPaul declares her the winner of this week's challenge, earning a set of costume jewelry. Dida and The Princess were asked to lip sync for their lives in response to their fumbling, meek infomercial performances. Dida gave an astonishing high energy performance, impressing everyone (many consider this to be one of the greatest lip syncs the series has seen!) This leads RuPaul to ask her to stay and The Princess to "sashay away".

• Guest Judges: Amber Riley and Natalie Cole
• Mini-Challenge: Create hats with butterfly-shaped accessories for guest Piyah Martell, Internet diva and transgender teen born with Caudal Regression Syndrome.
• Mini-Challenge Winners: Phi Phi O'hara, Kenya Michaels, Jiggly Caliente
• Main Challenge: Produce and act in TV infomercials for RuPaul's Glamazon and Champion.
• Challenge Winner: Sharon Needles
• Bottom Two: DiDa Ritz and The Princess
• Lip Synch Song: "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" by Natalie Cole
• Eliminated: The Princess
• Farewell Message: "This is (only) the begining [sic] ! Much Love - The Princess / I ♥ U DIDA RITZ!"

Episode Four: Queens Behind Bars

The queens act in a sitcom set in a jail. After appearing in their best red-carpet attire; team Willam is declared the winning team, with Latrice's sassy, hilarious performance placing her in first place for the week. Team Madame receives largely negative reviews. Dida's polish is once again admonished, but her performance in the challenge was highly praised, keeping her out of the bottom two. Sharon's attitude during the challenge gets her in trouble, but she too is safe. The judges felt that Kenya was miscast, resulting in an awkward performance. Even so, Kenya is safe. Madame's botched up job as team leader, as well as her sloppy performance lands her in the bottom two alongside Milan, whom the judges felt wasn't shining through for having an acting background. During the lip sync, Milan splits, death-drops, and rips her dress and wig off. Madame also tears off her wig, but otherwise fails to outshine Milan, and is consequently eliminated.

• Guest Judges: Nicole Sullivan and Max Mutchnick
• Mini-Challenge: In pairs, paint each others faces while handcuffed to one another and pose for a mug shot photo shoot.
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Willam and Madame LaQueer
• Main Challenge: In two teams, star in two different episodes of a sitcom.
• Challenge Winner: Latrice Royale
• Bottom Two: Milan and Madame LaQueer
• Lip Synch Song: "Trouble" by Pink
• Eliminated: Madame LaQueer
• Farewell Message: "Girls: Stay humble... People go up... You'll be on the way down! Kisses MLQ / Chad, Sharon, Milan, Dita [sic] = True Friends / Kenya : Botate Mami !"

Episode Five: Snatch Game

For the mini-challenge, the contestants participate in a game called "Beat the Cock" (a pun on the game show Beat the Clock). Three contestants compete against one another in three preliminary rounds that lead up to a "cocktacular finale." The winner of the challenge is promised a call home. Each round features some form of innuendo, with chicken entendres and physical dexterity: "Cock-a-Doodle-Ru" (won by Phi Phi), "Pluck-a-Duck" (won by Dida), and "Choke the Rooster" (won by Milan). The final round of Beat the Cock pits Phi Phi, Dida, and Milan in "Lay An Egg," where each queen navigates a wig-head obstacle course while tucking raw eggs between their thighs. Phi Phi succeeds in winning Beat the Cock, though she gives her prize (a call home) to Chad Michaels (who would be celebrating an eight year anniversary with his boyfriend were he not on the show). The main challenge is revealed to be this season's installment of "Snatch Game" (imitating the name and format of Match Game): a comedic game show in which the episodes' celebrity guest judges star as contestants and the queens impersonate female celebrities of their own choosing.

Queen	Celebrity Impersonation
Chad Michaels	Cher
Dida Ritz	Wendy Williams
Jiggly Caliente	Snooki
Kenya Michaels	Beyoncé
Latrice Royale	Aretha Franklin
Milan	Diana Ross
Phi Phi O'Hara	Lady Gaga
Sharon Needles	Michelle Visage
Willam	Jessica Simpson

Jiggly, Phi Phi, and Kenya are openly critiqued by Latrice for their "unprofessional" behavior during the Snatch Game. She scolds them for interrupting RuPaul and the tone of their performances; described (on Untucked) by Sharon as "nutty" and "way over the top" by Jiggly. On the runway, Chad Michaels is praised for his giraffe-print outfit and his impersonation of Cher, which is his claim to fame as a drag performer. Though Willam and Sharon also have exceptional performances, Chad is named the winner of the challenge. Phi Phi, Kenya, and Milan are singled out for their poor impersonations of the celebrities they were trying to imitate. Milan also receives criticism for wearing a tuxedo (à la Janelle Monáe) as a man in a drag competition (Michelle Visage calling her a "drag king"). Ultimately, Kenya and Milan are in the bottom two and both provide energetic renditions of the song, even death-dropping at the same time! Milan's homage to voguing makes him safe and sends Kenya home.

• Guest Judges: Loretta Devine and Ross Matthews
• Mini-Challenge: Compete in a game called "Beat the Cock"
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Phi Phi O'Hara
• Main Challenge: Celebrity impersonations in a Match Game-style setting
• Challenge Winner: Chad Michaels
• Bottom Two: Milan and Kenya Michaels
• Lip Synch Song: "Vogue" by Madonna
• Eliminated: Kenya Michaels
• Farewell Message: "[...] / I'll be waiting for you in my kindom [sic] (addendum : kingdom) / Phi-Phi - I love you - sisters 4 ever"

Episode Six: Float Your Boat

The queens design ship-shaped floats for a Pride parade runway extravaganza. One color from the 8-stripe rainbow flag was randomly assigned to each contestant by Willam, who won the wet T-shirt contest mini-challenge.

Queen	Color
Chad Michaels	Pink
Dida Ritz	Red
Jiggly Caliente	Orange
Milan	Yellow
Sharon Needles	Green
Latrice Royale	Turquoise
Willam	Indigo/Blue
Phi Phi O'Hara	Violet/Purple

Jiggly Caliente noticeably slowed the queens on their way to the runway, unready when most of the girls were finished. She also had troubles designing her boat. During the judges' critiques, Latrice's look was praised, especially her rhinestone makeup (called "artwork" by Michelle Visage), as her boat, emanating "chicness" through the eyes of Billy B., but was reprimanded for the boots that she wore too frequently. Chad Michaels' showgirl ensemble was not fashion forward enough and once again she was criticized for her wish to be perfect every time. Willam's look and boat were appreciated, while Milan was called vulgar and "dude in a dress". Jiggly Caliente disappointed the judges for her boat which left a sensation of unfinished work, and her cape which hid a swimsuit that the judges liked. Dida's boat was not shining enough while her outfit was more pedestrian than "drag queen". Phi Phi received all around praise for her boat and her look, receiving a compliment from Billy B that her makeup has improved dramatically. Willam won the challenge, while Sharon, Chad, Latrice, Phi Phi, and Dida were declared safe, leaving Milan and Jiggly to lip synch for their lives. Both girls delivered high energy performances. However, due to committing the drag felony of ripping her wig and outfit off, and also for landing in the bottom two three challenges in a row, Milan was told to sashay away, while Jiggly got to stay for another week.

• Guest Judges: Kelly Osbourne and Pauley Perrette
• Mini-Challenge: Gain the biggest crowd reaction in a wet T-shirt contest.
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Willam
• Main Challenge: Create and wear a parade float based on a color of the pride flag.
• Challenge Winner: Willam
• Bottom Two: Jiggly Caliente and Milan
• Lip Synch Song: "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga
• Eliminated: Milan
• Farewell Message: "Say love n show love / Colored girl, why yo base look like chalk ? / Jiggly REPRESENT / Dwayne Milan"

Episode Seven: Dragazines

The contenders' challenge was to realize a magazine cover. The magazines were shared out among the queens by Latrice Royale, who won the mini-challenge.

Queen	Magazine	Topic
Chad Michaels	Eleganza	Fashion
Dida Ritz	Tastes Like Chicken	Food
Jiggly Caliente	Battle of the Bulge	Fitness
Sharon Needles	Kitty Cat	Cat Lovers
Latrice Royale	What's The T?	Celebrity Gossip
Willam	Sugar Walls	Home Decor
Phi Phi O'Hara	Sashay Away	Travel

DiDa Ritz seems to take her magazine too seriously, while Jiggly Caliente is pushed to do humor by the contestants and RuPaul himself, but is afraid not to succeed. During the photoshoot, with Jonathan Clay Harris, Phi Phi O'Hara wants to highlight her sexy side. Willam gets undressed and tries to be funny, putting lampshades over the pitcrew members' heads. Sharon Needles is aiming to put humor on her cover, donning a Grey Gardens-inspired ensemble. Chad Michaels tried to do an old Hollywood fashion, while Latrice used the pitcrew. During the judges critics' on the runway, Chad Michaels' cover was considered as out of fashion, and Michelle Visage thought that she didn't take enough risks on her runway look. DiDa Ritz' cover was moderately appreciated, and the judges emphasized that the proportions of her body weren't exploited correctly. Michelle Visage demanded to Sharon Needles to try real glamour, while her cover received positive critiques. Latrice Royale's gown and magazine cover were considered too heavy and lackluster. Jiggly Caliente was criticized for not using humor. Phi Phi's dress was highly praised, considered by the judges as the best she had worn since the beginning of the competition, while her cover was been considered fresh and funny. Willam's look was appreciated but she was challenged for her five o'clock shadow, and her diva behavior. Phi Phi is declared the winner of the challenge, earning a cruise. Sharon Needles, DiDa Ritz, Chad Michaels, and Latrice Royale are declared safe, leading to a lipsync between Willam and Jiggly Caliente. They both gave a good performance, however, this was Jiggly's third time in the bottom two, and Jiggly was asked to sashay away.

• Guest Judges: Regina King and Pam Tillis
• Mini-Challenge: "Read" (insult) the other contestants
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Latrice Royale
• Main Challenge: Create a magazine cover
• Challenge Winner: Phi Phi O'Hara
• Bottom Two: Willam and Jiggly Caliente
• Lip Synch Song: "Mi Vida Loca" by Pam Tillis
• Eliminated: Jiggly Caliente
• Farewell Message: "To my Bitchez / <3 y'all 2 Death! / C U @ da Reunion / Keep it Real" [Second Column:] "Luv the Dusty 'RPDR' Girls! <3 / Shady / I can get [censored] now! / <3 Dida / Jiggly Caliente"

Episode Eight: Frenemies

The girls return to the work room and find that their mini challenge is not an actual challenge this time. Each girl is hooked up to a polygraph machine and given a lie detector test through a series of questions asked by Rupaul. After the questioning, Rupaul reveals the main challenge for the girls: a live performance duet and sing "So Much Better Than You" between two queens who have the least in common with each other, aka "frenemies." The duet partners are Phi Phi and Sharon, Dida and Chad, and Latrice and Willam.

During the judges critiques, Latrice and Willam are praised for their cohesive and campy style, but are warned from overdoing physical humor. Chad and Dida receive critiques for a lack of balance between Dida's high energy and Chad's professional demeanor. Phi Phi and Sharon are praised for their individual looks, but are called out for losing their harmony during the song, and for being "too nice" during their performance and losing the "frenemy" feeling. Latrice and Willam are declared the winners of the challenge. Before Ru can declare the bottom two, Willam, who has been noticeably ill looking and quiet during the challenge, ends up being sick of the side of the stage. After she recovers enough to continue, Ru declares Chad and Dida safe, leaving Sharon and Phi Phi to lip sync for their lives. Both contestants deliver a high energy performance. After the lip sync, Rupaul calls Willam back forward to the stage. Rupaul reveals that Willam has been caught breaking rules lined out in the contract for the show, leaving Rupaul no choice but to disqualify Willam and eliminate her from the competition, despite her win. Phi Phi and Sharon are then both declared safe in light of this shocking twist.

• Guest Judges: Pamela Anderson and Jennifer Tilly
• Mini-Challenge: Polygraph Test
• Mini-Challenge Winner: N/A
• Main Challenge: Live singing duet; the six remaining contestants were paired into three teams (duets) and sing "So Much Better Than You"
• Challenge Winner: Latrice Royale & Willam
• Bottom Two: Phi Phi O'Hara & Sharon Needles
• Lip Synch Song: "It's Raining Men (The Sequel)" Performed by Martha Wash and RuPaul
• Eliminated: Willam^†
• Farewell Message: "Hi, I showed my ass (a lot) so here's one for the road. Willam." (with a butt print on the mirror.)

^†Disqualified for an unspecified violation of rules and breach of contract.

Episode Nine: Frock the Vote!

The top five girls return to the work room, and Rupaul brings them their next mini challenge: create fashionable footwear out of clear platform heels using an absolute cocktail as inspiration. Phi Phi wins the mini challenge, and Ru then presents them with their main challenge. The girls will be campaigning for the Drag Queen Presidency, and must put together a presentation for a round table political debate. For their runaway, the queens needed dress their best for the president's innaugural ball.

For the main challenge debate, Chad decided to take an unorthodox approach and protray an irreverent and unlikely candidate, sporting two pink afros and have no serious answers to questions. Dida, visibly troubled with the challenge due to her aversion to politics, did not portray any specific character. Phi Phi channeled a naive country republican type character who would ramble and make off color remarks towards the other candidates. Sharon took the challenge seriously, dressing the part of a strong female business woman and answered the panels questioning with sincerity and a touch of Sharon's distinct humor. Latrice personified a strong independent female candidate and had serious answers for most of her questions.

During the judges' critiques, Chad was praised by the panel for her dedication to her character and her runway dress, which Santino commented that she was only one who looked she was attending an innauguration. Michelle, however, criticized her again for portraying a character and not herself. Dida was read for stumbling through her answers, and also for never delivering a full package on the runway (would nail hair, makeup, or outfit, but fall short otherwise). Phi Phi's character received mixed reviews, some judges found her entertaining, but for the most part she was deemed as off putting and offensive and relied too heavily on props. Sharon received all around praise for her approach to the challenge as well as her "future drag gown" made from pantyhose. The judges felt Latrice started strong but missed many opportunities and didn't utlize her time well. She also made a few fashion mistakes that Michelle Visage felt that the top 5 queens should not be making.

After deliberation, Sharon was declared the winner of the challenge, while Chad and Phi Phi were safe, leaving Dida and Latrice in the bottom two. Both queens delivered high energy performances during the lip synch, but it was Latrice's soul filled interpretation that won out, granting her another week in the competition, while Dida Ritz sashayed away. Before the remaining queens could celebrate. Ru announced her latest twist in the competition: One of the eliminated queens will be returning to the competition next week.

• Guest Judges: Dan Savage and Jeffrey Moran
• Mini-Challenge: Design an Absolut Vodka Inspired Shoe
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Phi Phi O'Hara
• Main Challenge: Participate in a Presidential debate as the 2012 Wig Party candidate
• Challenge Winner: Sharon Needles
• Bottom Two: Latrice Royale & Dida Ritz
• Lip Synch Song: "I've Got to Use My Imagination" Performed by Gladys Knight & the Pips
• Eliminated: Dida Ritz
• Farewell Message: "Ms. Cheese loves you! Stay true 2 U girl Chad, needles, latrice [sic] (accompanied by kiss marks) P.S. Phi Phi: Thank love u [sic]" It was revealed in the following episode that Dida left a slice of cheesecake behind for the other contestants.

Episode Ten: DILFs: Dads I'd Like To Frock

The queens are paired up with dads for a maternity runway/makeover and striptease. It is revealed that Kenya has returned to the competition and wins the mini-challenge. Chad and Phi Phi fare well in the challenge, with Phi Phi being declared the overall winner. Kenya is told she is in the bottom two for her performance being too somber. Sharon is safe, placing Latrice in the bottom two for showing little resemblance to her "sister". Latrice gives a heartfelt performance while Kenya bounds and dances about the stage, causing Latrice to be declared safe and Kenya to be sent home for the second time.

• Guest Judges: Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Jennifer Love Hewitt
• Returned: Kenya Michaels
• Mini-Challenge: Give a teddy bear a makeover.
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Kenya Michaels
• Main Challenge: Turn a DILF into a drag diva.
• Challenge Winner: Phi Phi O'Hara
• Bottom Two: Latrice Royale & Kenya Michaels
• Lip Synch Song: "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Performed by Aretha Franklin
• Eliminated: Kenya Michaels
• Farewell Message:

Episode Eleven: The Fabulous Bitch Ball

The queens go to the dogs as they design and don canine-inspired couture for a pageant.

• Guest Judges: Rose McGowan and Wynonna Judd
• Mini-Challenge: A bitch fest with puppets
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Chad Michaels
• Main Challenge: Design three outfits for the runway in the categories: Daytime Dog Park, Pooch in a Purse and Canine Couture, an outfit inspired by an actual dog.
• Challenge Winner: Sharon Needles
• Bottom Two: Chad Michaels & Latrice Royale
• Lip Synch Song: "No One Else on Earth" by Wynonna Judd
• Eliminated: Latrice Royale
• Farewell Message: "My divas Remember who you are, and what you stand for I love you and miss all. Stay fierce!! Latrice Royale'"

Episode Twelve: RuPaul Rewind

A look back on the highlights, low-lights, and previously unseen footage from the season as we race toward the climactic grand finale! RuPaul is joined by Shannel (season 1), Pandora Boxx (season 2) and Mariah (season 3) as they look back over the top 10 fits of fashion from the season so far.

Episode Thirteen: The Final Three

The queens compete in their final challenge: starring in RuPaul's music video for "Glamazon".

• Main Challenge: Shoot the music video for RuPaul's "Glamazon"
• Eliminated: N/A^†
• Lip Synch Song: "Glamazon" by RuPaul

^†In a twist, all three finalists had to perform the lip-sync song. Afterwards, RuPaul announced that the winner of the race will be revealed on "RuPaul's Drag Race: Reunited" the next week, after asking fans to share their opinions with her on Twitter and Facebook to help her decide on the winning queen.

Episode Fourteen: Reunited

For the first time, a live audience of fans, mainly from the Los Angeles area sit in as RuPaul and the contestants return for the annual reunion, where RuPaul reveals the winner of the season. The finale episode was taped at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood on Wednesday April 25, 2012, where three different outcomes were filmed in an attempt to keep the winner from being revealed before the episode aired, as had happened in previous seasons. We find out Latrice Royale is crowned "Miss Congeniality." We also learn that the reason Willam was disqualified was that he was caught having conjugal visits with his husband, who had tracked Willam to the hotel where the contestants were sequestered during production. This is in breach of the clause barring contestants engaging in unauthorized outside contact.

• Miss Congeniality: Latrice Royale
• Runners Up: Chad Michaels & Phi Phi O'Hara
• Winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 4: Sharon Needles

Marketing

In January 2012, Logo released the second running of Fantasy Drag Race, an online fan contest inspired by fantasy football where viewers assemble a team of three season four Drag Race contestants. Players receive and lose points based on their team's performance on the show, and can earn additional points by redeeming codes and performing tasks given out when episodes of the show first air. The highest scoring players receive Drag Race and NYX Cosmetics products, and one player wins a trip for two to the first stop on Logo's Drag Race Tour.

Already having a generous social media presence, Logo expanded its efforts across Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, GetGlue, and Foursquare in preparation for the premiere of season four. Both RuPaul and contestants tweet live while the show airs, and LogoTalk! chat parties (featuring judges, contestants from previous seasons, and contestants from season four) occur on the official Logo website while participants watch new episodes. Season four specifically marks an increased interest from Logo in Tumblr, where the network publishes animated gifs, contestant trading cards, and images that incorporate internet memes. Dan Sacher, VP of digital for VH1 and Logo, has stated that their online marketing efforts are part of helping the small network expand their fan base across as many outlets as possible.

Reception

The premiere episode of season four averaged a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, totaling 481,000 viewers, and ranked as the highest-rated premiere in Logo's network history. Untucked totalled 254,000 viewers, marking the companion show's most watched debut. During the evening of the premiere, the show registered eight US trending topics on Twitter (including Jiggly Caliente, Sharon Needles, Phi Phi O'Hara, and Latrice Royale) and reached a 7th place ranking on Trendrr. Leading up to the first episode, the show's Facebook page saw an 89% increase (earning over half a million fans).

The season finale scored a 0.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic and drew 601,000 viewers total, while the reunion episode became the highest rated episode of the season. Season four's "RuPaul's Drag Race: Reunited" was also the highest-rated reunion in the franchise's history, seeing a 33% increase in the 18-49 demographic compared to season three. The reunion registered five trending topics on Twitter (including Sharon Needles, Phi Phi, Willam, and a new portmanteau Willam introduced to the show: "RuPologize"), and ranked 4th among non-sports cable programs for the night on Trendrr.

During season 4, the show's Twitter following increased by 77%, and the Facebook page accrued a 36% increase in likes. TV.com also declared it was the best reality show on television.

External links

• Official website (U.S.)
• Official website (Canada)
• Official Facebook page