Drag Race Down Under
| RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under | |
|---|---|
| File:RuPaulsDragRaceDownUnderLogo.jpg | |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Based on | RuPaul's Drag Race |
| Presented by | RuPaul |
| Judges |
|
| Theme music composer | RuPaul |
| Opening theme | RuPaul's Drag Race theme |
| Ending theme | "I'm a Winner, Baby - Skeltal Ki Remix" |
| Country of origin | New Zealand Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Amanda Pain |
| Editors |
|
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | World of Wonder Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand |
| Original release | |
| Network | Stan (AU) TVNZ 2 & TVNZ OnDemand (NZ) WOW Presents Plus (International) |
| Release | 1 May 2021 – present |
RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is a reality competition streaming television series produced by World of Wonder and Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand. The series premiered on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand in New Zealand, Stan in Australia,[1] and on WOW Presents Plus internationally on 1 May 2021.[2] The series is also streaming on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom,[3][4] and broadcast by both Crave and its associated streaming service in Canada.[5]
The ten drag queens compete for the title of the Down Under's first "Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Revolution Beauty Cosmetics, and a cash prize of $30,000.
Production
Initially announced as a solely Australian version in 2019,[6] production was moved to New Zealand due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[7] Filmed in Auckland, the series features drag queens from both Australia and New Zealand competing to be "Down Under's first Drag Superstar".[8]
Australian comedian Rhys Nicholson was confirmed to join RuPaul and Michelle Visage as a judge.[9] They officially announced the ten contestants at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on 6 March 2021.[10]
The three New Zealand based queens were on House of Drag with Anita Wigl'it and Kita Mean as judges and Elektra Shock as the runner-up on season 2.
Contestants
Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art Simone[a] | 28 | Melbourne, Australia | TBA |
| Elektra Shock | 28 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Etcetera Etcetera | 22 | Canberra, Australia | |
| Karen from Finance | 32 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Kita Mean | 34 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Maxi Shield | 46 | Ballina, Australia | |
| Scarlet Adams | 27 | Perth, Australia | |
| Anita Wigl'it | 31 | Leigh, New Zealand | 8th Place |
| Coco Jumbo | 29 | Coffs Harbour, Australia | 9th Place |
| Jojo Zaho | 30 | Newcastle, Australia | 10th Place |
- ^ Art Simone originally placed 9th before returning to the competition.
Contestant progress
| Contestant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Simone | HIGH | ELIM | HIGH | |
| Elektra Shock | LOW | SAFE | ||
| Etcetera Etcetera | SAFE | HIGH | SAFE | LOW |
| Karen from Finance | WIN | LOW | SAFE | |
| Kita Mean | SAFE | HIGH | HIGH | SAFE |
| Maxi Shield | SAFE | LOW | LOW | HIGH |
| Scarlet Adams | HIGH | LOW | WIN | WIN |
| Anita Wigl'it | SAFE | WIN | HIGH | ELIM |
| Coco Jumbo | LOW | ELIM | ||
| Jojo Zaho | ELIM | |||
- The contestant won the challenge.
- The contestant received positive critiques and was ultimately declared safe.
- The contestant received no critiques and was declared safe.
- The contestant received critiques and was ultimately declared safe.
- The contestant received negative critiques but was ultimately declared safe.
- The contestant was in the bottom two.
- The contestant was eliminated.
Lip syncs
| Episode | Contestants | Song | Eliminated | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elektra Shock | vs. | Jojo Zaho | "Tragedy" (Bee Gees) |
Jojo Zaho |
| 2 | Art Simone | vs. | Coco Jumbo | "I'm That Bitch" (RuPaul) |
Art Simone |
| 3 | Coco Jumbo | vs. | Elektra Shock | "Shake Your Groove Thing" (Peaches & Herb) |
Coco Jumbo |
| 4 | Anita Wigl'it | vs. | Karen from Finance | "I Begin to Wonder" (Dannii Minogue) |
Anita Wigl'it |
- The contestant was eliminated after their first time in the bottom.
- The contestant was eliminated after their second time in the bottom.
Guest Judge
Listed in chronological order:
- Elz Carrad, New Zealand actor
Special guests
Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.
Episode 1
- Taika Waititi, New Zealand film and television director
Episode 2
- Kylie Minogue, Australian singer and actress
- Dannii Minogue, Australian singer and actress[11]
Episode 3
- Troye Sivan, Australian singer-songwriter
- Leland, American singer
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "G'day, G'day, G'day" | 1 May 2021 | |
|
The ten queens entered the work room for the first time across the Tasman. Art, Scarlett and Karen received positive critiques on the runway, as Karen was declared the winner of the challenge. While Elektra and Jojo both received negative critiques, Coco receives partially negative critiques but was ultimately declared safe, leaving Elektra and Jojo to lipsync for their lives. Elektra Shock won the lipsync and Jojo Zaho was asked to sashay away.
| |||
| 2 | "Snatch Game" | 8 May 2021 | |
|
After Jojo's elimination, the queens wonders the upcoming challenge. Etcetera suggested "doing a shoey". The kiwi queens were introduce with the Aussie's custom by drinking some booze from a shoe. The queens received a video message from Kylie Minogue and RuPaul confirmed that the queens have to show their best celebrity impersonation skills in the Snatch Game. The characters are as follows:
On the runway, the category is Sea-Sickening. Anita Wigl'it is declared the winner of the challenge, having been the only standout in the challenge, with Etcetera Etcetera and Kita Mean ending up being safe. The remaining girls are all in the bottom. Scarlet Adams, Art Simone, and Karen from Finance receive high praise for their runways, but mixed to negative critiques for their Snatch Games. On the other side of the spectrum, Elektra Shock receives praise for her performance, but being told her runway look was “too basic.” Maxi Shield receives mixed critiques for both her Snatch Game and runway, while Coco Jumbo receives negative critiques on her performance and runway. In Untucked, Dannii Minogue video streamed the queens and gave advice on performance. Art Simone & Coco Jumbo ended up in the bottom two. They lip sync to "I'm That Bitch" by RuPaul. Coco Jumbo wins the lip sync and Art Simone is eliminated from the competition.
| |||
| 3 | "Queens Down Under" | 15 May 2021 | |
|
RuPaul announced the queens will be working together to debut a brand new drag anthem, "Queens Down Under". Drama flared up between Elektra and her teammates, Karen, Kita and Maxi, just to psyche the others. The queens received a video message from Troye Sivan and Leland for songwriting tips. The contestants performed in Team Three and a half men & Team Outback Fake-Hoes, but were judged individually.
| |||
| 4 | "Rucycled" | 22 May 2021 | |
|
After Coco elimination, Scarlet and Etcetera read Elektra on her performance and runway which continues till the day after. RuPaul entered the werkroom with the Pitt crew and revealed this week challenge with a surprise. Art Simone was officially announced that she will be back into the competition. After the runway, Elektra & Kita were declared safe. Art, Maxi & Scarlett received positive reviews while Anita, Etcetera & Karen were critised by the judges. Scarlett was the winner, leaving Anita and Karen in the bottom two. They lip sync to I Begin to Wonder" by Danni Minogue. Karen won the lip sync and Anita was eliminated from the competition.
| |||
Controversies
Following the cast being revealed, videos and social media posts depicting Scarlet Adams "wearing a shirt with the Aboriginal flag, with dark tanned skin and two teeth blacked out". Guardian Australia reported that the image was taken in 2012, as part of Australia Day celebrations. Other images feature Adams in blackface as an African American woman and playing Asian stereotypes by wearing a sari as part of a Bollywood character. Adams apologised at the time, but issued a fresh apology in 2021 saying "Despite this being a story I am deeply ashamed of and something I had tried to forget. I've come to realise in recent years that taking responsibility and admitting my mistakes is an important learning experience … There is no way to sugar-coat it, when I was a teenager roughly eight years ago I performed in blackface/cultural appropriation. I was young and ignorant. I am no longer this person."[12]
Another contestant, Karen from Finance, was also reported to be involved in racial insensitivity after photos emerged showing a tattoo of a golliwog. Karen from Finance addressed the controversy on their social media by saying "I made the uninformed, ignorant and regrettable decision to have one of these dolls tattooed. In the years that followed … I realised how irresponsible and stupid I had been so I disposed of the dolls to landfill and had my tattoo covered."[12]
References
- ^ Reich, Hannah (30 April 2021). "Rupaul's Drag Race Down Under: A guide to the Australian version of the drag queen reality TV competition". ABC. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Earp, Catherine (8 April 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race announces premiere date for Australian spin-off". Digital Spy.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under". BBC Three.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under: When is it on? And everything else you need to know". 29 April 2021.
- ^ "April 29-May 5: Crave Weekly Streaming Overview". 28 April 2021.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Australia has been announced". PinkNews. 26 August 2019.
- ^ Carmody, Broede (8 January 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race to sashay its way to Australia – thanks to NZ". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is coming to Aotearoa!". TVNZ.
- ^ "New judge joins RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under". Stuff.co.nz. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ STREET, MIKELLE (2 March 2021). "'Drag Race' Has an Important (Envy-Inducing) 'Down Under' Announcement". Out. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ "Taika Waititi & Kylie Minogue to appear as special guests on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under". The Edge. 22 April 2021.
- ^ a b Bosely, Matilda (18 March 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under contestant apologises for past performances in blackface". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
External links
- Official website (Australia)
- Official website (New Zealand)
- 2020s LGBT-related reality television series
- 2021 Australian television series debuts
- 2021 web series debuts
- Australian reality television series
- Australian television series based on American television series
- Australian web series
- LGBT-related web series
- New Zealand reality television series
- New Zealand television series based on American television series
- Reality competition television series
- RuPaul's Drag Race
- Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
- Television shows filmed in New Zealand
- Stan (service) original programming
- TVNZ original programming
- WOW Presents Plus original programming