Drag Race Down Under
Drag Race Down Under (formerly RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under) is a reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name produced by World of Wonder and Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand. The show documents RuPaul and a panel of judges' search for "Down Under's next drag superstar". Contestants of Drag Race Down Under are either from Australia or New Zealand. RuPaul has played several roles on the show including host, mentor, and head judge for the series, as the contestants are given different challenges to participate in each week. The show has also employed Michelle Visage and Rhys Nicholson as judges. The series premiered on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand in New Zealand, Stan in Australia, and on WOW Presents Plus internationally on 1 May 2021. The series is also streaming on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom, and broadcast by both Crave and its associated streaming service in Canada.
| Drag Race Down Under | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Drag Race Down Under (s. 4–) |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Based on | RuPaul's Drag Race |
| Presented by |
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| Judges |
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| 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 | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Amanda Pain |
| Production location | New Zealand |
| Editors |
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| 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) BBC Three (UK) WOW Presents Plus (International) |
| Release | 1 May 2021 – present |
| Related | |
| Drag Race franchise | |
Drag Race Down Under is the sixth international adaptation of the American reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, following Chilean, Thai, British, Canadian, and Dutch versions. It has been followed by Spanish, Italian, French, Filipino, Belgian, Swedish, Mexican, Brazilian, and German 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 of $30,000. The winner of the first season was Kita Mean. In September 2021, the series was renewed for a second season. Casting closed on 5 October 2021. It premiered on July 30, 2022. The winner of the second season was Spankie Jackzon. Casting for season three opened on 24 October 2022. 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, due to premiere in 2024. Because of RuPaul’s exit as host and judge, the show was renamed Drag Race Down Under.