The departure sent the queens into a choreographed frenzy. Charles whispered into Bowyer-Chapman’s ear, and in one smooth sweep, Bowyer-Chapman scooped up all 6 feet 4 inches of Charles and strolled away. Suddenly, the two froze, and their eyes locked. Charles asked Bowyer-Chapman if he was ready to begin the ceremony. Instead of long-stemmed red roses, he would hand out bulging purple eggplants, a nod to their popular use as suggestive emoji. Charles, dressed in an expertly tailored light pink suit, stepped onto the set as the fun-house version of Chris Harrison, host of the “The Bachelor.” Bowyer-Chapman beamed, gamely playing the part of an anxious suitor. A queen wearing a purple halter dress and a fringe wig clutched a martini glass and wobbled dramatically in her hot pink heels. Another, dressed in an ice-blue peignoir, petted a stuffed lap dog with one hand and preened with the other. One queen was dressed like a Barbie doll, her makeup exaggerating her features so that her eyes, lips and rosy cheeks resembled an anime character. This was an “all star” season, meaning the eight contestants had all appeared in previous seasons.

The goal was not to win Bowyer-Chapman’s heart but rather to see who could perform - satirize, really - stereotypes of femininity with enough humor to impress the judges. The challenge, called “The Bitchelorette,” was a parody of the farcical dynamics that play out on “The Bachelor” each season.

The contestants arranged themselves onto a set of bleachers to be appraised by the dashing bachelor, who in this scene was played by the actor Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, best known for his role on the Lifetime television drama “UnREAL.” They were filming the latest season of the reality competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and the day’s challenge was meant to showcase the competitors’ acting abilities. On a soundstage deep in the hills of Los Angeles one morning last August, RuPaul Charles and several drag queens made their way to a set that had been transformed into a simulacrum of the reality-TV show “The Bachelor.” Lacy strands of lights dripped down plastic boxwood hedges, and a row of white fluted columns framed a velvety red strip of carpet.

Ru paul drag race