RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (2021– ) User Reviews

A Dingo Ate My Reality Competition Format!

[owen-watts · 6/10 · 21 June 2021]

RuPaul drags her bloated franchise to the lands down under and the results are somewhat mixed - despite what appeared to be a fairly impressive cast of distinguished Oz & Kiwi queens, an impressively hefty roster of webcam-based star guests, and generally looking far glitzier than Canada's attempt it became quickly apparent that there was some sort of bizarre "narrative" in play right from the off, which muddied the fun considerably.

Bouyed by some endearingly brash antipodean queens and some great looks - the characteristically cheap editing and talking heads began to carve a strange arc which seemed completely at odds with the performances on show and the general vibe. Randomly bringing back a disqualified queen with no justification, never addressing the real-life context for a numerous awkward editorial decisions... yes it was a series made under crisis and it's a small miracle it ever happened at all but you can't help but feel the vibrant and passionate AUS/NZ scene deserved better from the flagging brand. Here straying, in many ways, as far from reality as it's possible to get.

(I'm preserving this S1 outrage for posterities sake but essentially S2 was promising, and S3 was excruciating. Something needs to be fixed here!)

Meh.......

[kylemileham · 6/10 · 22 May 2021]

So far it's a very forgettable season. Compared to UK 2 and 13.

Lukewarm beginnings for Aussie drag

[RuskiiHuskii · 6/10 · 8 May 2021]

*This review was written after the first 2 episodes*

Glad ANZ queens are getting the spotlight. Always worth the watch for the sheer talent of these queens and the crass Aussie & Kiwi humour, and damn they lip sync well! I do feel bad for the New Zealand queens - 'Down Under' usually just refers to Australia. The judges only make corny American-centric Australian references. By the looks of things not a single challenge is going to revolve around New Zealand culture or comedy at all. Rhys Nicholson was actually a great pick as a judge, all things considered.

I'd put the production quality as better than Canada's Drag Race but worse than Drag Race Holland, so not bad for a first season and small-ish budget. The main judge refused to get into drag because they apparently can't be bothered to paint themselves come the circumstance, which is highly disappointing. The covid celebrity appearances were either filmed in 2k or on a 144p webcam, and were either presented to the queens on a big tv screen or on a tiny 2013 iMac computer. Where is the consistency and quality? Also not happy about them purposefully sending queens undeserving of the bottom 2 home for the 'gag', just for them to come back later in the competition. It is going to happen just like it has time and time again on other RPDR seasons, mark my words...

The Girls know How To Banter

[billypinkerton-44604 · 7/10 · 2 May 2021]

Not always been a great fan of the original show because it's been more about the look than their character but these girls are funny. They had me in stitches. I really was upset to see any of them leave.

Overly'Produced and killed the franchise for me.

[saleh-79636 · 1/10 · 29 May 2021]

The producers have the Top 3 in mind , and nothing seems like a competition anymore but almost a scripted show with weird judging and clear favoritism. I lost the interest in the whole series and the franchise by episode 4.

Possibly the worst season yet

[lysimaciel · 1/10 · 12 June 2021]

Absolute nothing makes sense in this season.

Every episode is overproduced and doesn't feel natural. My favs were the kiwi queens since day one but wtf wanting to push KFF and Art to the very top no matter what they do and how bad they perform. Anyways, at least I got to know Kita, Anita and Elektra...

Australian Drag💕

[jansendaniel-00693 · 10/10 · 2 August 2022]

This show is truly camp, colorful and crazy... just like Australian drag in real life! Also very happy for the representation of drag from New Zealand. This show has some questionable characters, but overall i really recommend to watch!! Especially if you are a fan of drag and/or Australia.

The worst season of the franchise

[davidfantasyvii · 1/10 · 13 June 2021]

I can't believe what I witness in the hidden talent episode ... it's all scripted and planned.

Not bad

[coreykdelahunt · 10/10 · 28 June 2021]

People forget this was filmed in a pandemic and rushed. Jojo Zaho and Coco Jumbo are incredible drag queens!

Terrible... WORST SEASON

[akibirfan-90666 · 1/10 · 1 June 2021]

Possibly the worst season out there, stop pushing your favs to the top, nobody cares about Karen and Scarlet.

Hmmm

[benswindin-41035 · 2/10 · 27 May 2021]

Not really sure on this one yet, so far its just been leaving a bad taste with me after watching. Something about it seems rather bitter, think it might be both the queens and also the judging. Don't really get that excited feeling to watch it like I do with the other versions of drag race.

Down Under has so much potential but Ru has ruined it

[emmerindeed · 2/10 · 18 June 2021]

This is the worst version of drag race despite Aus and NZ being excellent places for talent. The show is overproduced to a point where it is not enjoyable to watch, it's clearly rigged, and leaves you dying for some good producing.

I can't recommend it, especially how clear it is that Ru is clueless about NZ culture and is only taking advantage of their COVID-free status.

WORST SERIES OF RUPAUL DRAG RACE

[tjclarkk · 24 August 2022]

This series is absolutely diabolical. The cast is a horrendous bunch of idiots who call themselves drag queens even though they can't do anything of the sort. The runway outfits have been awful and the lipsyncs are boring. There is no highlight in this series as the production has stooped so low it does not seem like Rupaul even cares about the show anymore. It feels like a parody of the original whilst Rupaul fake laughs in the background. Watching this series is like watching paint dry. It is very boring and like flogging a dead horse. Michelle Visage's stylist this season deserves to be sacked as her fake wigs don't even try to hide her alopecia. This series is cheap.

Definitely one to keep on watching

[rodrigues-39189 · 9/10 · 10 May 2021]

Drag race down under has stolen my heart after only two episodes. The queens are drop dead gorgeous and absolutely hilarious, they definitely know how to banter among one another and with the judges. The conversations in the workroom are wholesome and emotional, some of the most beautiful and eye opening after drag race UK. This series has really surprised me and I can't wait for more!

Could be called...

[cyndi_fan247 · 1/10 · 6 July 2021]

The judging has to be the most questionable and inconsistent of any season. I've never seen a worse Top 4 with such obvious favoritism except in an All Stars Season. Arguably the most deserving ones went home mid season.

An eliminated contestant inexplicably comes back without any other contestants having the opportunity to do so.

There was one Queen who the judges think is "so fun" and they tell her this constantly, despite her being objectively the worst almost every week. So they keep her around to the end, but the story line was so obviously forced that it seems like the producers ultimately felt they had to choose another contestant to win to leave a shred of credibility. And the winning queen was arguably most deserving of the top 4 but... that's not saying much.

amazin best with uk

[adamchard-28336 · 10/10 · 2 June 2021]

Love it alot pf people think the queens are nasty its australian humour they dont get it,, considering it was rushed due to covid they did well ,,, it is alot of drag race layely ill be giving the subtitle countries a miss of drag race and will just stick with aussies and uk.

Worst season by far

[mzxz · 1/10 · 21 June 2021]

I get it. Covid. But what's the excuse for it looking like it had the budget of that would barely cover the costs of a meal at McDonald's? It looks and feels so cheap, I could barely watch the screen. The queens were ok but the over production left us with little to no character development. Hence the whole season went by without us even knowing who was who or why we should care. The lip syncs were boring. So so boring. This season is truly a set in the background while you're doing your chores around the house kind of season. Already forgotten. Shame. There shouldn't be a down under season 2 if this is the standard.

Do it right or don't do it at all

[kowas_2 · 3/10 · 8 September 2023]

I'm so confused as to why they created this spin off?? Is it showcasing great talent? No! Is it a man amazing production .. NO! Is Ru slaying it. NO! Fr the budgeted week room to the 3 meter runway to the queens who deuces to go to GOLO and grab what was left at the bargain bin this spin of hasn't got anything. I would strongly suggest actually spending the $$$ and give these queens the chance to shine. I would hope we have better talent than these 3 seasons have showcased.

I'm guessing that Ru and Michelle haven't watched back a single episode so far otherwise they would have stepped in and made some changes.

The challenges are dart the talent shows are talentless the whole thing is a let down. When other smaller countries such as Sweden and holland can produce a better production we know something is wrong fix it or can it. Stop the massacre!!!

Appalling

[barambah · 1/10 · 30 May 2021]

Apart from the fact that Drag Race has been done to death, the Down Under version scrapes the bottom of the barrel. A bunch of talent limited queens from Australia plus some Kiwis making up the numbers due to filming in Auckland. The episode tonight about a spread in a jar crossed the line of humour to plumb the depths of down right disgusting. The contestants, producers and RuPaul knew the episode had crossed the line so tried to disguise it by a lot of contrived PC chat and learning moments for all us red neck Australians. If the series gets another season, they have to film it in Australia and access 'celebrities' that at least some of us have heard of.

Worst season ever

[marilenbazyomon · 1/10 · 25 June 2021]

Everything in this season was disappointing, from the editing to the judge's critics.

Please, RuPaul, stop being greedy and let others handle it

[sami-27950 · 4/10 · 20 June 2021]

If this was "Australia's Top Drag" I would give it 8. The queens are talented. They could probably show their talent. But since it's RuPaul, it's a 4.

He doesn't care. It's obvious. The top 3 is chosen before the show starts, like in other spin-offs usually. There's nothing the others can do. There can be "this is the best you've done so far" followed immediately by "you're up for elimination." There can be "this was definitely worst you've done" and it gets "you're safe" because they chose them to the top three.

He just barely is there, fake laughing and pretending to be nice. It doesn't work.

If he let it go, like Thailand, it might be good. But greedy is as greedy does.

a whole new level of mess

[berrucespu · 3/10 · 5 January 2022]

We have seen some messy seasons like Holland S2, Italia S1 and Canada S1 but this is...beyond.

I can cope with some questionable placements, ineffective storytelling, a bit of riggory and so on but this season was really too much.

It simply didn't make sense. It was painful to watch. The judges were delusional. Production was on something. I don't even have the words to say how awful the entire thing was...I liked the queens, let's leave it at that.

Disappointing season

[jasondbrown84 · 3/10 · 5 December 2021]

As a person living in Australia, I was looking forward to Drag Race Down Under. What I saw was a cheap production, with many drag queens who have had a racist past. If I was Rupaul I wouldn't bother with another season of Drag Race Down Under. If you are looking to watch an "international" version of Drag Race I would suggest checking out the UK version.

Let's hope for a better 2nd season with better judging and no forced storylines.

[Falala-27862 · 4/10 · 13 July 2021]

The First Season of Drag Race Downunder ought to be a great show, given its talented cast featuring queens from both sides of the Tasman Sea. However, the judging is not only puzzling, but you are given the sense that Rupaul and Michelle, maybe due to the quarantine, did not seem to enjoy themselves during filming. The show can also benefit from a panel of jury members from the local scene. The ratio of having two American judges with one Australian judge as a permanent panel seems off.

The show is plagued with favouritism where poor performing queens are saved while deserving queens are routinely placed in the bottom for no apparent reason. A queen is brought back for no justifiable reason. This all gives a bitter impression to the viewers that there is a predetermined elimination order of queens and the prewritten storyline. As such, deserving queens were not given the opportunity to shine.

Poor judgment or lack of due diligence could be discerned by the fact that two queens of problematic past with racial issues. While it is admirable that these issues were discussed in the show, it is hard to believe that the host can single handily absorbed the mistake on behalf of a nation.

I look forward to the next season, hopefully with more engaging judges from the local scene of Australia and New Zealand with a more diverse cast.

Fixed for sure!!!

[taranorton-41710 · 1/10 · 30 September 2021]

Episode 2 baffled me and couldn't understand the choices by the judges, didn't get it at all!

On top of this shady judging, the editing was shocking and the whole cheapness of the show fell soooo short!