What is RuPaul's Drag Race's IQ Score?

RuPaul's Drag Race has an IQ Score of 146/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Stimulating tier. The score breaks down to 35/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 32/50 Educational Value, and 45/50 Craft & Quality.

Is RuPaul's Drag Race educational?

RuPaul's Drag Race is moderate on educational value, 32/50 on TVI's rubric. Some learning happens, but it isn't the show's primary work.

How does TV Intelligentsia calculate IQ Score?

TV Intelligentsia's IQ Score is calculated as round((Cognitive Stimulation × 0.4 + Educational Value × 0.35 + Craft & Quality × 0.25) × 4), scoring titles from 0 to 200 across five tiers: Masterclass (≥160), Stimulating (≥130), Competent (≥100), Passive (≥70), and Numbing (<70). The framework is published at tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/.

RuPaul's Drag Race , IQ Score 146/200

RuPaul's Drag Race has an IQ Score of 146/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Stimulating tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MPH·Updated 2026-06-06·Methodology

realitycompetition

146/ 200

Stimulating

Consistently challenges the viewer and rewards attention

Score Breakdown

Cognitive Stimulation/50

Educational Value/50

Craft & Quality/50

IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4) · How we score →

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Why you should trust this score

Methodology reviewed by Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH

Physician scientist. Master of Public Health, with substantial coursework in research methodology. Reviews the rubric and its application across the adult catalog.

Methodology

Published rubric, v1.2

Formula

round(C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4

Database scale

2,324 titles, version-controlled

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The TVI Take

Logo/VH1/MTV competition series that documented and accelerated drag's late-2010s mainstream acceleration. The structural commitment to letting performers' specific cultural backgrounds (Black ballroom, Latine, Asian-American, working-class Southern) inform their drag rather than be flattened by it is the show's anthropological achievement.

The Snatch Game and the lip-sync structural conventions are the show's enduring formal innovations.

Where to Watch

Stream