Review of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under

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.