Drag Race Down Under
Also known as	RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under
Genre	Reality competition
Based on	RuPaul's Drag Race
Presented by	RuPaul(s. 1–3) Michelle Visage(s. 4–)
Judges	RuPaul Michelle Visage Rhys Nicholson Isis Avis Loren Kita Mean Spankie Jackzon
Theme music composer	RuPaul
Opening theme	RuPaul's Drag Race theme
Ending theme	"I'm a Winner, Baby (Skeltal Ki Remix)" (season 1–3) "A Little Bit of Love" (season 4)
Country of origin	New Zealand Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	32
Production
Executive producers	RuPaul Charles Fenton Bailey Randy Barbato Tom Campbell
Producer	Amanda Pain
Production locations	Grey Lynn, New Zealand
Editors	Kermath Cameron Pouesi Lachlan Wilson Jake Tattersall
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	World of Wonder Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand
Original release
Network	Stan (AU) TVNZ 2 &TVNZ+ (NZ, 2021–2023) WOW Presents Plus (International)
Release	1 May 2021 (2021-05-01) – present
Related
Drag Race Down Under vs. the World

Drag Race Down Under (formerlyRuPaul's Drag Race Down Under) is areality competition television series based on theAmerican television series of the same name produced byWorld of Wonder andWarner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand. The show documentsMichelle Visage and a panel of judges' search for "Down Under's next drag superstar". Contestants ofDrag Race Down Under are either fromAustralia orNew Zealand. In series first three seasons, RuPaul played several roles on the show including host, mentor, and head judge for the series, with the contestants given different challenges to participate in each week. The show has also employedMichelle Visage andRhys Nicholson as judges. The series premiered onTVNZ 2 andTVNZ OnDemand in New Zealand,Stan in Australia,^[1] and onWOW Presents Plus internationally on 1 May 2021.^[2] The series is also streaming onBBC Three andBBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom,^[3][4] and broadcast by bothCrave and its associatedstreaming service in Canada.^[5]

Drag Race Down Under is the sixth international adaptation of the American reality competition seriesRuPaul's Drag Race, followingChilean,Thai,British,Canadian, andDutch versions. It has been followed bySpanish,Italian,French,Filipino,Belgian,Swedish,Mexican,Brazilian,German, andSouth African iterations.

The ten drag queens from season one compete for the title of the "Down Under's first Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Revolution Beauty Cosmetics, and a cash prize ofA$30,000. The winner of the first season wasKita Mean. In September 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.^[6] Casting closed on 5 October 2021.^[7] It premiered on July 30, 2022. The winner of the second season wasSpankie Jackzon. Casting for season three opened on 24 October 2022.^[8] It aired from 28 July to 15 September 2023.Isis Avis Loren won.

On March 11, 2024,WOW announced that RuPaul had stepped down as host and judge of the show, but would remain on as executive producer. Michelle Visage took over as host and main judge from the fourth season, which premiered on 1 November 2024. Because of RuPaul’s exit as host and judge, the show was renamed toDrag Race Down Under, similar to other Drag Race franchises where RuPaul is not the main host and judge. The winner of the fourth season wasLazy Susan.

Like the American version, RuPaul has several roles within the show, acting as host, coach, and judge. As the host, RuPaul introduces celebrity guests, announces the challenges the queens will take part in each week, and reveals who will be leaving the competition. For his role as a coach, RuPaul offers guidance to the contestants through each challenge, and as a judge he critiques the queens on their overall performance of the challenge. The show uses progressive elimination to reduce the number of drag queens in the competition from the initial field of ten contestants (series 1), down to the final four. Each episode follows a format consisting of a mini challenge, a maxi challenge, a runway walk (where the contestants model fashion on a runway, usually with a theme based on the main challenge), the judging panel, a lip sync battle, and the elimination of a contestant.

In mini challenges, each contestant is asked to perform a different task with varying requirements and time limitations. Certain mini challenges are repeated from series to series, or repeated from the original American season. For instance, the first mini challenge is a photo shoot with a photographer or RuPaul himself, that includes a special twist (such as being doused with water while in full drag, having a high-powered fan turned on during the shoot, or being photographed while jumping on a trampoline). One recurring mini challenge is dedicated to "reading", a drag term for making insulting observations about one's peers for comedic effect, inspired byParis Is Burning. The winner of a mini challenge is sometimes rewarded with an advantage in the main challenge. Though most episodes have a mini challenge, select episodes do not.

The requirements of the maxi challenge vary across each episode, and can be individual or group challenges. The winner of the maxi challenge also receives a special prize for their win. The final maxi challenge consisted of the queens taking part in an all-singing and all-dancing routine to one of RuPaul's songs.

The goal of each maxi challenge involves a new theme and outcome. Contestants are often asked to design and construct a custom outfit, sometimes incorporating unconventional materials. Other challenges focus on the contestants' ability to present themselves on camera, perform with music, or perform humorously. Some challenges became a tradition across seasons, such as the "Snatch Game" (in which the contestants impersonate celebrities as a parody ofMatch Game), a ball or a makeover, in which the contestants create drag personas for other people. The contestants walk down a runway presenting outfits. If the maxi challenge involves the creation of an outfit, that outfit is presented to the judges in the runway. Otherwise, a theme is assigned and the contestants must put together a look that fits the theme, which is presented to the judges. The runway looks and presentation are judged along with the maxi challenge performance.

A panel of judges cast opinions about the challenge performances and runway looks, first to the contestants onstage, and then again with them offstage.

RuPaul acted as both the host and main judge, withMichelle Visage andRhys Nicholson as supporting judges.

There are web series also accompanying each episode ofDrag Race.How's Your Head, Queen?, featuresMichelle Visage checking in with the newly eliminated queen from RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under to chat about their experience, their passions, the future, and more.^[10]Fashion Photo RuView, aired for the first season, co-hosted byRaja andRaven who evaluate the runway looks of the main show.Binge Queens withKita Mean,Angeria Paris VanMicheals,Jasmine Kennedie andJune Jambalaya who threw a couch kiki for a weekly watch party forRuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (season 2).^[11][12]

The first season ofRuPaul's Drag Race Down Under began airing on 1 May 2021 onStan in Australia,TVNZ 2 in New Zealand and World of Wonder's WOW Presents Plus streaming service internationally, and ran for 8 episodes. The judging panel included RuPaul,Michelle Visage andRhys Nicholson. The cast was announced on 6 March on YouTube. Art Simone, Karen from Finance, Kita Mean and Scarlet Adams made it to the final, with Kita Mean being crowned Down Under's first Drag Superstar.

The second season was confirmed and casting was opened on 9 September 2021.^[13] Casting closed on October 5.^[7] TVNZ said that the network would be partnering with Stan, World of Wonder, Passion Distribution, and Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand for another season ofRuPaul's Drag Race Down Under due to film in New Zealand and premiere in 2022."^[14]

According to media reports, the season began filming on 18 January and was scheduled to run through to 14 February 2022. Season 1 judgesMichelle Visage andRhys Nicholson were spotted in south Auckland around this time, leading to speculation that both would be returning to judge season 2.^[15] The winner of the second season was Spankie Jackzon, with Hannah Conda and Kween Kong as runners-up.^[16][17]

The third season was confirmed and casting was opened on 24 October 2022.^[18] Casting closed on 13 November 2022.^[7]Isis Avis Loren was the winner andGabriella Labucci was a runner-up.

The fourth season was confirmed and casting was opened on 24 October 2023. Casting closed on 11 November 2023.^[19] Lazy Susan won the season, with Mandy Moobs and Vybe as runners-up.

There has been a total of 40 contestants featured inRuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.

• Official website (Australia)
• Official website (New Zealand)

• Drag Race Down Under
• 2020s Australian LGBTQ-related reality television series
• 2020s New Zealand LGBTQ-related reality television series
• 2021 Australian television series debuts
• 2021 New Zealand television series debuts
• 2021 web series debuts
• Australian television series based on American television series
• Australian non-fiction web series
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBTQ community
• Australian LGBTQ-related web series
• New Zealand television series based on American television series
• Stan (service) original programming
• Television series by World of Wonder (company)
• Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
• Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
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