RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (season 1)
| RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 Promotional poster for season one | |
| Hosted by | RuPaul |
| Judges |
|
| No. of contestants | 10 |
| Winner | Kita Mean |
| Runner-up | |
| Country of origin | Australia New Zealand |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Stan (AU) TVNZ 2 & TVNZ OnDemand (NZ) WOW Presents Plus (International) |
| Original release | 1 May – 19 June 2021 |
The first season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under began airing on 1 May and concluded on 19 June 2021.
Ten Australian and New Zealand-based drag queens competed 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 of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under was Kita Mean, with Art Simone, Karen from Finance and Scarlet Adams as runners-up.
Production[]
Initially announced as a solely Australian version in 2019,[1] production was moved to New Zealand due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[2] Filmed in Auckland, the series features drag queens from both Australia and New Zealand competing to be "Down Under's first Drag Superstar".[3]
Australian comedian Rhys Nicholson was confirmed to join RuPaul and Michelle Visage as a judge.[4] They officially announced the ten contestants at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on 6 March 2021.[5]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kita Mean | 34 | Auckland, New Zealand | Winner |
| Art Simone | 28 | Melbourne, Australia | Runners-up[a] |
| Karen from Finance | 32 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Scarlet Adams | 27 | Perth, Australia | |
| Elektra Shock | 28 | Auckland, New Zealand | 5th Place |
| Maxi Shield | 46 | Ballina, Australia | 6th Place |
| Etcetera Etcetera | 22 | Canberra, Australia | 7th Place |
| 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[]
Legend:
| Contestant | Episode | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[6] | 2[7] | 3[8] | 4[9] | 5[10] | 6[11] | 7[12] | 8[13] | ||
| Kita Mean | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | BTM | Winner | |
| Art Simone | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Runner-up | ||
| Karen from Finance | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Runner-up | |
| Scarlet Adams | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | SAFE | BTM | WIN | Runner-up | |
| Elektra Shock | BTM | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | ELIM | ||
| Maxi Shield | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | ELIM | |||
| Etcetera Etcetera | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | ||||
| Anita Wigl'it | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | ELIM | |||||
| Coco Jumbo | SAFE | BTM | ELIM | ||||||
| Jojo Zaho | ELIM | ||||||||
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 |
| 5 | Etcetera Etcetera | vs. | Maxi Shield | "Absolutely Everybody" (Vanessa Amorosi) |
Etcetera Etcetera |
| 6 | Maxi Shield | vs. | Scarlet Adams | "Better the Devil You Know" (Kylie Minogue) |
Maxi Shield |
| 7 | Elektra Shock | vs. | Kita Mean | "Untouched" (The Veronicas) |
Elektra Shock |
| 8 | Art Simone vs. Karen from Finance vs. Kita Mean vs. Scarlet Adams | "Physical" (Olivia Newton-John) |
Art Simone | ||
| Karen from Finance | |||||
| Scarlet Adams | |||||
- The contestant was eliminated after their first time in the bottom.
- The contestant was eliminated after their second time in the bottom.
- The contestant was eliminated after their third time in the bottom.
- The contestant was eliminated after the final lip sync of the season.
Guest judges[]
Listed in chronological order:
- Elz Carrad, New Zealand actor
- Rena Owen, New Zealand actress in theatre, television and film
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[14]
Episode 3[]
- Troye Sivan, Australian singer-songwriter
- Leland, American singer
Episode 5[]
- Suzanne Paul, infomercial hostess and television presenter
Episode 6[]
- Aunty Donna, Australian absurdist comedy group from Melbourne
Episode 7[]
- Raven, American drag queen and runner-up on both the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the first season of All Stars
- The Veronicas, Australian pop duo from Brisbane
Episode 8[]
- Dame Olivia Newton-John, British-Australian singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur and activist
- Chloe Lattanzi, American singer and actress, daughter to Olivia Newton-John
- Lance Savali, New Zealand dancer/choreographer from Wellington
Episodes[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "G'day, G'day, G'day" | 1 May 2021 | |
|
Ten new queens enter the workroom. For the first mini-challenge, the queens will perform in an Intergalactic Superhero Acting Audition for the movie "Thar". Elektra Shock wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will create two looks to present on the runway, with themes being Born Naked and No Place Like Home. On the runway, Art Simone, Karen from Finance and Scarlet Adams receive positive critiques, with Karen from Finance winning the challenge. Coco Jumbo, Elektra Shock and Jojo Zaho receive negative critiques, with Coco Jumbo being safe. Elektra Shock and Jojo Zaho lip-sync to "Tragedy" by Bee Gees. Elektra Shock wins the lip-sync and Jojo Zaho sashays away.
| ||||
| 2 | 2 | "Snatch Game" | 8 May 2021 | |
|
For this week's main challenge, the queens will play the Snatch Game. Michelle Visage and Rhys Nicholson star as the celebrity contestants. The characters are as follows:
On the runway, category is Sea-Sickening. Anita Wigl'it is announced to be the winner, with Etcetera Etcetera and Kita Mean being safe. Ru then tells the other queens that they are all in the bottom and any of them could be up for elimination. Art Simone and Coco Jumbo are announced as the bottom two and they lip-sync to "I'm That Bitch" by RuPaul. Coco Jumbo wins the lip-sync, and Art Simone is shockingly eliminated from the competition, much to the dismay of the other queens.
| ||||
| 3 | 3 | "Queens Down Under" | 15 May 2021 | |
|
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens will create a slow-motion surf rescue for "Babewatch". Elektra Shock and Scarlet Adams win the mini-challenge and are team captains for the main challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will write their own lyrics and perform to "Queens Down Under". Elektra chooses Karen from Finance, Kita Mean and Maxi Shield for her team and they form "Three and a Half Men". Scarlet chooses Anita Wigl'it, Coco Jumbo and Etcetera Etcetera for her team and they form the "Outback Fake Hoes". On the runway, category is Bogan Prom Realness. Anita Wigl'it, Kita Mean and Scarlet Adams receive positive critiques, with Scarlet Adams winning the challenge. Coco Jumbo, Elektra Shock and Maxi Shield receive negative critiques, with Maxi Shield being safe. Coco Jumbo and Elektra Shock lip-sync to "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches & Herb. Elektra Shock wins the lip-sync and Coco Jumbo sashays away.
| ||||
| 4 | 4 | "Rucycled" | 22 May 2021 | |
|
For this week's main challenge, the queens will construct a runway outfit from miscellaneous items found in a local op shop. After the main challenge is announced, Art Simone pops out of the items and is announced to be returning to the competition. On the runway, Art Simone, Maxi Shield and Scarlet Adams receive positive critiques, with Scarlet Adams winning the challenge. Anita Wigl'it, Etcetera Etcetera and Karen from Finance receive negative critiques, with Etcetera Etcetera being safe. Anita Wigl'it and Karen from Finance lip-sync to "I Begin to Wonder" by Dannii Minogue. Karen from Finance wins the lip-sync and Anita Wigl'it sashays away.
| ||||
| 5 | 5 | "Marketing Hats" | 29 May 2021 | |
|
For the mini-challenge, the queens read each other, with Art Simone winning the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will create their own infomercial for their own Yeast Spread. Their infomercial products are as follows:
Before the runway starts, Scarlet Adams announces that she has done blackface in the past, much to the dismay of the rest of the cast. On the runway, category is Finest Sheila in the Bush. Elektra Shock and Kita Mean receive positive critiques, with Elektra Shock winning the challenge. Ru then brings up Scarlet Adam's past, and scolds her for it. Etcetera Etcetera, Karen from Finance and Maxi Shield receive negative critiques, with Karen from Finance being safe. Etcetera Etcetera and Maxi Shield lip-sync to "Absolutely Everybody" by Vanessa Amorosi. Maxi Shield wins the lip-sync and Etcetera Etcetera sashays away.
| ||||
| 6 | 6 | "Family Resemblance" | 5 June 2021 | |
|
For the mini-challenge, the queens will interact with local wildlife, with Maxi Shield winning the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will transform rugby players into members of their drag family. On the runway, Karen from Finance and Kita Mean receive positive critiques, with Kita Mean winning the challenge. Elektra Shock, Maxi Shield and Scarlet Adams receive negative critiques, with Elektra Shock being safe. Maxi Shield and Scarlet Adams lip-sync to "Better the Devil You Know" by Kylie Minogue. Scarlet Adams wins the lip-sync and Maxi Shield sashays away.
| ||||
| 7 | 7 | "Talent Show Extravaganza" | 12 June 2021 | |
|
For this week's main challenge, the queens will perform a talent in front of the judges.
On the runway, category is How's Your Head Piece? Scarlet Adams wins the challenge. Elektra Shock and Kita Mean are the bottom two and lip-sync to Untouched" by The Veronicas. Kita Mean wins the lip-sync and Elektra Shock sashays away.
| ||||
| 8 | 8 | "Down Under Grand Finale" | 19 June 2021 | |
|
For the final challenge of the season, the queens will write, record and perform their own versus to RuPaul's song "I'm A Winner, Baby". The queens then walk the runway one last time. They are all told that they will be lip-syncing to "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. Kita Mean is announced as the winner, leaving Art Simone, Karen from Finance and Scarlet Adams as the runners-up.
| ||||
Controversies[]
Following the cast reveal, video footage and images surfaced of 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 during 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 via social media in 2020 before being revealed as a cast member and later released a new apology in March 2021.[15] In the series fifth episode, RuPaul addressed the controversy during the judges' critiques. Adams said, “I can’t deny that that happened. As a dumb, ignorant teenager, I made some mistakes that I’m really not proud of, and every day, I regret those decisions, I regret the fact that I used my platform as a performer to ridicule people who have faced systemic racism for hundreds of years and I’m so ashamed of the person I once was. I’m really sorry to you and to everyone that I have hurt.”[16]
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."[15]
Art Simone's return to the competition in Episode 4 also led to accusations of racism, with the show's lack of explanation for Simone's return leading to some viewers to question why a white contestant was allowed to return, but not the two recently eliminated contestants of colour.[17][18]
Etcetera Etcetera's performance as Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton in the Snatch Game (episode 2) draw widespread condemnation, as her impersonation heavily mocked the death of Chamberlain's baby daughter, accompanied with a bloodstained dingo puppet, which was criticised as being cruel, offensive and insensitive considering how Chamberlain-Creighton was wrongfully convicted for her daughter's death.[19][20]
Certain jokes made by Anita Wigl'it about Prince Andrew during her Snatch Game appearance as Elizabeth II in Episode Two were censored by the BBC for the UK screenings of the episode.[21] Wigl'it was later accused of plagiarism by Australian comedian Anthony Lehmann, who claimed that Wigl'it stole a joke that he had originally cracked in August 2020. Wigl'it later issued an apology on her Instagram, saying “Oh no! I do apologise!! When I was doing research for the Queen character I knew that there was something funny about the letter writing[...]Friends suggested the text. Turns out they had heard it somewhere before!”[22]
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | New Zealand Television Awards | Television Personality of the Year | Anita Wigl'it | Pending | [23] |
References[]
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Australia has been announced". PinkNews. 26 August 2019. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ Carmody, Broede (8 January 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race to sashay its way to Australia – thanks to NZ". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is coming to Aotearoa!". TVNZ. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ "New judge joins RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under". Stuff.co.nz. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ STREET, MIKELLE (2 March 2021). "'Drag Race' Has an Important (Envy-Inducing) 'Down Under' Announcement". Out. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ "G'Day, G'Day, G'Day". RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Season 1. Episode 1. 1 May 2021.
- ^ "Snatch Game". RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Season 1. Episode 2. 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Queens Down Under". RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Season 1. Episode 3. 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Rucycled". RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Season 1. Episode 4. 22 May 2021.
- ^ "Marketing Hats". RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Season 1. Episode 5. 29 May 2021.
- ^ "Family Resemblance". RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Season 1. Episode 6. 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Talent Show Extravaganza". RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Season 1. Episode 7. 12 June 2021.
- ^ "Down Under Grand Finale". RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Season 1. Episode 8. 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Taika Waititi & Kylie Minogue to appear as special guests on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under". The Edge. 22 April 2021. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ a b Bosely, Matilda (18 March 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under contestant apologises for past performances in blackface". Guardian Australia. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "RuPaul calls out Drag Race Down Under contestant for racist past". GAY TIMES. 2021-05-30. Archived from the original on 2021-05-30. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
- ^ Law, Benjamin (13 June 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under: Local version of hit reality TV series missteps when it comes to race and representation". ABC News. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ Dashenas, Sam (18 June 2021). "Exclusive: Art Simone dispels wild theories about her Drag Race Down Under return". Gay Times. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under star Etcetera Etcetera under fire for portrayal of Lindy Chamberlain - Perth Now, Krystal Sanders, May 9, 2015
- ^ RuPaul’s Drag Race: Fans Denounce Etcetera Etcetera's Snatch Game Choice - Screenrant, Maggie Mead, May 12, 2021
- ^ Martin, Josh (12 May 2021). "BBC censors Royal Family jokes in 'RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under'". NME. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ Smith, Reiss (15 July 2021). "Drag Race queen apologises for stealing infamous joke". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "NZ TV Awards Names 2021 TV Legend And TV Personality Of The Year Finalists". Scoop Media. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
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- 2021 in Australian television
- 2021 in LGBT history
- 2021 in New Zealand television
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBT community
- Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
- Race-related controversies in television
- RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under