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RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (season 1)

Company type	Television season
Industry	Television entertainment
Founded	May 1, 2021 (2021-05-01)
Headquarters	Auckland , New Zealand
Area served	Australia and New Zealand
Key people	RuPaul (host), Michelle Visage (host), Rhys Nicholson (judge)
Products	Reality competition television series

The debut season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under was broadcast from 1 May through 19 June 2021. A group of ten drag performers hailing from Australia and New Zealand vied for the distinction of becoming "Down Under's first Drag Superstar," alongside prizes including a year-long supply of Revolution Beauty Cosmetics and a $30,000 cash award. The winner was Kita Mean, with Art Simone, Karen from Finance, and Scarlet Adams finishing as runners-up.

Production

Initially announced in 2019 as a series focused solely on Australia, the production location was relocated to New Zealand due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Filming took place in Auckland, featuring contestants representing both nations competing for regional drag supremacy.

Australian comedian Rhys Nicholson joined the judging panel alongside hosts RuPaul and Michelle Visage. The full roster of ten contestants was unveiled during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras event on 6 March 2021.

Significantly, three queens based in New Zealand had previously competed on House of Drag: judges Anita Wigl'it and Kita Mean, as well as runner-up Elektra Shock.

Contestants

The ages, names, and hometowns are listed as they were at the time of filming.

Participants in RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under season 1 with their details

Contestant	Age	Hometown	Result
Kita Mean	34	Auckland, New Zealand	Template:Sort
Art Simone	28	Melbourne, Australia	Template:Sort
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	Auckland, New Zealand	8th place
Coco Jumbo	29	Coffs Harbour, Australia	9th place
Jojo Zaho	30	Newcastle, Australia	Template:Sort

Lip syncs

Key:

Episode	Competitors			Track	Eliminated / Winner
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 song)|Physical]]" (Olivia Newton-John)	bgcolor="#D4AF37"| Kita Mean

Guest judges

Presented in order of appearance:

• Elz Carrad, actor from New Zealand
• Rena Owen, New Zealand-based actress known for theatre, television, and film

Special guests

Featured in episodes without participating as main stage judges.

Episode 1

• Taika Waititi, director in film and television from New Zealand

Episode 2

• Kylie Minogue, Australian singer and actress
• Dannii Minogue, Australian singer and actress

Episode 3

• Troye Sivan, Australian singer-songwriter
• Leland, American vocalist

Episode 5

• Suzanne Paul, television presenter and infomercial host

Episode 6

• Aunty Donna, Melbourne-based Australian absurdist comedy troupe

Episode 7

• Raven, American drag performer and runner-up on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 and All Stars Season 1
• The Veronicas, pop duo originating from Brisbane, Australia

Episode 8

• Dame Olivia Newton-John, British-Australian singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, and activist
• Chloe Lattanzi, American singer and actress, daughter of Dame Olivia Newton-John
• Lance Savali, dancer and choreographer based in Wellington, New Zealand

Controversies

After the announcement of the cast, photos emerged featuring Scarlet Adams wearing a shirt emblazoned with the Aboriginal flag, sporting darkened skin, and blackened teeth. These images, taken during the 2012 Australia Day festivities, also depicted Adams in blackface as an African American character and adopting Asian stereotypes while dressed in a sari. Adams issued public apologies via social media in 2020 and again in March 2021. During the fifth episode, RuPaul addressed this issue during the critiques segment; Adams conveyed remorse for using her visibility to mock marginalized communities.

Karen from Finance encountered criticism following the discovery of a golliwog tattoo in photographs. The contestant publicly accepted responsibility for this error, noting that the tattoo was concealed and related dolls were discarded.

The return of Art Simone in episode four generated controversy concerning alleged racial partiality, as viewers questioned why a white contestant was reinstated while two contestants of color were not given the same opportunity.

Etcetera Etcetera’s Snatch Game impersonation of Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton was met with widespread disapproval for making light of the tragic death of Chamberlain’s daughter through a blood-stained dingo puppet. This portrayal was widely condemned as harsh and lacking sensitivity, especially considering Chamberlain-Creighton’s wrongful conviction.

Anita Wigl'it’s jokes about Prince Andrew during Snatch Game were edited out by the BBC for broadcasts in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, comedian Anthony Lehmann accused Wigl'it of plagiarizing a joke he originally performed in August 2020; Wigl'it issued an apology on Instagram, explaining that the joke had been shared by friends who had heard it elsewhere.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award ceremony	Category	Nominee	Results
2022	New Zealand Television Awards	Television Personality of the Year	Anita Wigl'it	Template:Nom

External links

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