RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under: G'Day, Mate!

[Diane Mars]

7 minutes ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

So of the three eliminated queens including the only two of colour, they randomly bring back the white one? 

 

THIS !!!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I had to laugh at the utter absurdity that Ru brought Art Simone back with no explanation other than "she's back!" Like she didn't even try to make up a reason for it.

I liked that Art Simone had a pink Marie Antoinette theme for her runway look, but her entire look was a leotard with some foof for the skirt and arms.

Kita Mean's balls at the beach look was fun and colorful but it definitely looked like an unconventional materials challenge on Project Runway.

Etcetera Etcetera's 1920s look was pretty but it was really just a sheer robe made of curtains.

I was impressed that Maxi's outfit was so fitted because sewing that stiff bag material is difficult. I wanted to high five her when someone in the workroom asked if she could sew and she said no, but she took sewing lessons in preparation for being on the show.

Karen's Schapelle Corby was a complete look and character, but it was a white t-shirt with a striped tube skirt. I think she spent more time decorating the boogie board and making the doobie than she did on her outfit.

Electra's dress made of ties was really fun. Although the concept was simple, she did a nice job putting it together.

Anita's book dress was an interesting concept but I didn't like how lumpy the dress looked at the bottom because of the pages.

Scarlet's picnic look was cute. It fit her really well and the props really complemented the gingham.

I could tell that Karen was winning the LSFYL. I'm sad to see Anita go because she was one of the few very upbeat contestants. I fear that with her gone, it will be all squabbling all the time.

[heckkitty]

I'm super bummed that Anita is gone. I'll be taking to my bed now.

On Scarlet vs. Electra, I'm definitely Team Electra.  Did not expect that; I really like Scarlet at the beginning, but she's so damn shady. 

I don't really feel like I know Art but I'm glad to have the chance though. Word to whoever said they should have given one of the POC girls a chance though.

[853fisher]

I agreed that Anita could have executed her concept better.  However, I found it a bit galling for the judges to criticize her for doing something we've seen before, while praising the 327th take we've seen on Marie Antoinette.  Then that lip-sync was really not very good from either one of them.  Oh well.  I'm sorry to see Anita go.  She was a definite bright spot.

I was surprised and disappointed that Art was out so soon, but I don't feel like she did anything more sickening than many other contestants who had surprise early exits, to justify being brought back without even cursory explanation.  It's the producers' prerogative to do whatever they want, but if Art leaving second absolutely spoiled their vast eternal plan, they should just have saved her over Coco.  It still would have been a relative shock for Art to be in the bottom.

I am also finding myself a little annoyed by the minimal effort Ru seems to be putting into the Down Under of it all.  I understand the real world considerations of international distribution etc, but I would like a bit more from Australia and New Zealand, actually.  When I watch foreign TV, learning about their references and idioms and so on is a big part of the appeal.  I just do a quick Google here and there as I go.  Any show could also choose to put a little chyron up on the screen, although I grant that some things are tough to condense.  But there are rewards to just looking it up.  "Coming to the stage, Margaret River," for instance.  Margaret River is a town near earth known for getaway wineries.  I laughed twice one I figured out what it meant, and I learned a little something.  Fun!

It just doesn't make sense to me to see a room full of Antipodeans trying to tailor their references to an American who was, I guarantee, the only person in the room who didn't know who Schapelle Corby is.  I know who she is and I'm not being paid to helm a show with "Down Under" in the title, for goodness sake.  I would rather have to put in a little effort than blunt the local aspects of the show.  Ru should definitely, in my opinion, have taken some sort of pop culture crash course, and at least pretend to be interested beyond cashing another check.  She has done a lot for drag over her career, and is a charismatic person, but in the context of these shows abroad is totally extraneous for me.

The vibe of this whole thing is a little off.  Scarlet especially needs to tone it down.  Maybe I need to stop watching all of these and let absence make the heart grow fonder.  it does seem like there's something every week most of the year now.

Edited May 22, 2021 by 853fisher

[theatremouse]

Maxi has my love for "I'm not really a sewer but I took fucking lessons because I'm on RuPaul's Drag Race and not a moron." (I paraphrase)

I thought that grandma nightgown purple thing was way worse than Anita's look. I don't disagree on the judging of the lipsync, but I do disagree about who was in it.

 

[Rai]

I legit don't find these queens particularly nasty. In fact, I find it downright refreshing after seasons of very self-aware American queens doing their best not to be too shady on TV. It reminds me of earlier seasons of Drag Race Prime when the show was rougher but had more energy. Even Scarlet isn't that shady when compared to Raven from Season 2 and the Heathers on Season 3. I mean, Shangela was an outright BIIIIIIIIIITCH on season 3 for all that she's beloved now (and I do love her). And even Elektra isn't as wallowing in hurt over it in comparison to people like Laganja or, IDK, Silky.

In general, UK queens and their territories -- including Australia and New Zealand -- have sharper tongues and less regard for kindly sisterhood than American queens have come to present, and so, let them go at one another. I'm rooting for Elektra to rise to the challenges she's being given, but at the end of the day, I think she's going to be fine. I think Scarlet is very good, but I hope she doesn't win because of her problematic performance past (blackface, apparently). If it weren't for that past though, I'd be totally fine with her winning.

Etc. Etc. is the only one who really bugs me, no pun intended. I think I'm rooting for Maxi overall, but it'd be for Karen if, again, she didn't have some unfortunate problematic aspect to her (racist tattoo).

[rlc]

Nope. Don’t agree with anything about that episode. First they bring back the white queen who was eliminated two episodes ago without even a lame attempt to justify it. Not okay. Scarlet isn’t a fun shady bitch- she’s just a mean bully. Etcetera sure has a lot to say about others considering she’s been in the middle the entire competition...until this episode, for which she in no way, shape, or form deserved to be in the bottom. Kitta was safe for hot gluing balls, but Anita was on the bottom for a very well executed look??? The only part of this episode that I’m okay with was Maxi being on top. She’s my stealth favorite at this point. Obviously they want the final showdown to be between Karen and Art, so they kept Karen over Anita in a lip sync that Anita clearly won,  it why bother? Ru could have just brought Karen back in three weeks without saying anything. 

[Wonderlad71]

 

 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E5

Quote

The queens put their marketing hats on, as they are given the challenge to create and market a product, green screen infomercial and all.

Original air date: 5/29/21

[violet and green]

I'm really thrilled for Elektra. Such a deserving winner! That joyful smile afterwards, and Kita's response. I'm really enjoying the genuineness of the two NZ queens, and wish Anita was still there.

Some interesting moments - the weird praise for Karen from Finance's godawful runway outfit... Oh, but the kid has great runways, from Ru after the Scarlett Adams apology moment... Poor Suzanne Paul having to deal with that level of vulgarity, with no warning...

Victory! One of the mean ones has been slayed! Only one to go...

I was so thrilled when Maxi got to stay - it was quite a music video of its own, the plump Picnic at Hanging Rock schoolgirl from 1900, with her sparkly mic, doing a word-perfect emotive lip sync to the 2000 Sydney Olympics anthem - a weird mashup of one hundred years of herstory!

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Elektra's runway look wasn't my favorite but I will concede that it was different and it definitely had some visual impact. I thought the costume itself was a bit simplistic but she really committed to the goth raven lady look. She had the whole informercial vibe down. Compared to everyone else, hers was great.

I know butterflies have been done before on RPDR but I loved Kita's look.

When Maxi first hit the runway, I thought she was dressed as Mary Poppins. It was the combination of the white dress, the hair, and the umbrella.

I liked the message behind Karen's firefighter look, but I didn't love the actual look.

Art Simone's Kath look was fun. I remember learning about corks being hung on hats to keep away the bugs when I read The Thorn Birds. Adding the Billy Porter opening made me laugh. My issue with her informercial was that there was too much talking and not enough focus.

Etcetera's tree coat looked like a big old mess. Her story about how the black dress underneath was a burnt tree seemed like a bit of a stretch. It felt like she wanted to wear this black outfit so she made the coat to sort of fit the challenge. Her infomercial definitely stuck with the piss theme but it wasn't very clear what the point of her product was.

Scarlet's Priscilla Queen of the Desert look was great. I was surprised that her blackface came up. I thought the show was just going to pretend it never happened. I agreed with Michelle's assessment: filthy is not always funny. I actually don't mind filthy at all. I just wanted the skit to be funny and it wasn't.

Maxi definitely won that LSFYL, even without the microphone.

[Wonderlad71]

Mixed feelings about this episode 

I love Elektra (hot guy and all) and am happy for her win but really thought that Kita Mean won both in the challenge and the runway this week ( and up until last week I thought Kita should have gone home by now).

The bottom two were correct - Etcetera's ad was really bad but she looked great in yellow. Also thought that Etecetera won the lipsync. 

Regarding Scarlet's outing regarding the blackface -  I was also surprised to see it addressed as I thought the story broke only after production. That said I though Ru handled it as well as could be, and I hope that SA is truly on a journey where she can make reparations for what she has done. She's definitely not winning this though.

 

[853fisher]

I'm glad Elektra won, Maxi's lip-sync was great, and some of the reads were very good.  Otherwise, I didn't enjoy much of that episode.

The guest judge seemed a little deer-in-the-headlights and the informercial coach clearly wanted the earth to swallow her whole.  I know all the Drag Race franchises want to show that drag has become "mainstream," but I wish they would stop booking people who don't know what they're in for.  I think it makes for uncomfortable viewing. 

Also, where is this magical line of good taste?  The Divine scene being riffed on has her literally eating dog shit, but that was phenomenally clever and a reference worth sharing with the next generation.  Crouching by a urinal to talk about piss and make a bunch of jokes about "#1" and being "on the piss," on the other hand, was just beyond the pale.  I don't get it.  Both bits seemed to me to be in purposefully bad taste in similar ways.  Maybe that style resonates with the judges and maybe not, that's their prerogative, but at least be consistent in the approach.  Personally, what I disliked was all the cheap jokes about how the female body functions.  I didn't think there was any malice intended, but a bunch of gay guys shrieking "ew, vaginas!" has never impressed me.  Art overthought her ad a little, but at least "scare the Americans away with Vegemite" was a more original take than "lol yeast means vagina means pus."

The discussion of Scarlet's blackface seemed really disingenuous, especially brushed off so quickly afterwards.  The "I know some people would just want me to cancel you right now" line was especially glib.  I don't believe for a second that the production team had "just" learned anything, although I don't know why this would be the moment to bring it up.  Ru herself has not shied away from blackface in the past.  One of her good friends is a white man from Saskatchewan who plays the "Mammy Welfare Queen" Shirley Q Liquor, in full blackface, and Ru has appeared with him several times.  Some would argue that there are more layers to what he does than apparently what Scarlet did, but I think Ru blows with the wind on some things.

I'm just really not feeling this season.  I know they're all reality shows, and this franchise has it all down to a science by now, but the first seasons of other international franchises still seemed more authentic to me.

Edited May 31, 2021 by 853fisher

[Rai]

I'm very happy Elektra won. Hers was the most in line with a standard RPDR queen's commercial, and it's nice to see an underdog gain some momentum. I didn't love Kita's, but I do love Divine, so I enjoyed that aspect. The rest...yeesh. And yeast! Very old school in the sense of "queens have been known to make a lot of mean jokes about vaginas, actually." Karen and Scarlet were especially hitting that for me, and I didn't love it. On the other hand, you ask a bunch of Aussie/Kiwi queens to make jokes about "yeast spread," any idea that there will be taste goes right out the window. (Their sense of humor can be brutal. Like, how is Muriel's Wedding a comedy? It was a mean-ass movie.) So I cringed mostly, but I enjoyed the reactions of Paula Don't-Remember-Her-Last-Name. She overreacted in some places, but girl, I felt her.

I hated Etcetera's runway outfit but thought she did a solid lip sync. I think Karen's outfit was cute but hardly chic. Tina Burner did a more fun take on a firefighter's outfit, IMO. Scarlet Adams referencing Priscilla Queen of the Desert in THAT look was a delight, can't lie. But nothing was more delightful than Maxi's lip sync. I was smiling throughout it. It was total joy. The prop was perfect, there was no need for stunting, she just embodied that song all the way around. I loved it.

As for the blackface thing -- first of all, I'm totally team Etcetera on this one. I loved how they spoke to Scarlet about it and didn't back down. They weren't particularly mean about it, just firm. It's unacceptable and it shouldn't be a surprise that it's unacceptable. in this day and age, how do  you not know? You can say you don't, but then you just come off as disingenuous as well as racist, sooooooooo. Bad look all around.

I think Ru was too mild on Scarlet, but based on Ru's age, earlier, non-RPDR years, and the history of drag being intentionally offensive at times, I'm going to guess Ru isn't actually all that offended by it, he just knows it's not worth defending it. I think of Utica having a meltdown over both the Bob Ross wig and dressing in the BAPS outfit Symone provided her, and RuPaul saying as long as it's done in love, nothing is offensive. To me that's a slippery slope! To Ru, that's the heart of things. I can't speak definitively for Ru, but it's pretty easy for me to see him as waving off a queen in blackface if they got along most of the time. I mean, he's at the beginning of To Wong Foo wearing a dress that has the Confederate stars and bars as a queen named Rachel Tension. I think that is HILARIOUS, and also it would not at all fly in a contemporary movie made today.

Maybe I'm wrong! But Ru was influenced by John Waters and punk and underground weirdness, and I bet anything he saw the movie Forbidden Zone and loved it, despite it being one long blackface joke. (I feel incredibly uncomfortable watching it because it's both so good and so awful all at once. Danny Elfman gives a great performance as the devil though.) I don't think we're in an era where we get to say "Sure, it's offensive BUT" anymore, and I think Ru has been battling with that reality for a while. Ultimately, it's better we move away from that, of course. But I think Ru and queens of his generation often think of offensive as "provocative," and provocative art really can change culture and narrative. If we remove provocation, are we leaving culture to stagnate? (The answer is no, of course we're not. Again though, looking at it through Ru's probably lens, not mine.)

Anyway, I think Scarlet should've been in the bottom partly for her commercial and partly as consequences for her actions. But if she had been, we wouldn't have gotten that transcendent lip sync from Maxi. I'm torn. I hope though that Scarlet doesn't win, talented as she is.

[Marisagf]

23 hours ago, 853fisher said:

I'm just really not feeling this season.  I know they're all reality shows, and this franchise has it all down to a science by now, but the first seasons of other international franchises still seemed more authentic to me.

I completely agree!  I'm going to finish it, but I'm just not invested.  Even RuPaul doesn't seem interested.  Season 1 of Canada and U.K. were so much better.   The best part about RDRDU is the third judge.  Can't remember his name, but he is funny!

Maybe it's me.  Too much Drag Race, with season after season in a row.  I think I need a break. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E6

Quote

Can you see the family resemblance? The queens are challenged to makeover and raise their very own Drag family members, out of drag first timers.

Original air date: 6/5/21

[Wonderlad71]

@Rai  - very very  astute commentary on Ru's reaction to the issues raised this week. 

Before we dive into episode 6 here are some vids from the past week :

 

[Fake Jan Brady]

Finally, an entertaining episode. Thank you, Falcons [all adorable and no-one complained about tucking - usually a staple of this challenge].

Of course, the judging was as suspect as usual [except for Kita's well deserved win] but we can't have everything.

[akr]

I thought Karen from Finance missed an opportunity to call her daughter Sharon (from HR was my guess). (Not just for the rhyme - Karen was the #2 girls' name in Australia in 1960, and Sharon was #7). 

The rugby guys were great, though, and I enjoyed most of the interactions. I kind of appreciated the shade Art was getting for ignoring her partner during the makeup, but I thought the outfits did the work of making them sisters and didn't particularly notice any issues with the makeup in the end. I did not enjoy how left out Craft seemed to be feeling while Art was spending so much time on himself, though (I don't recall the guy's actual name, just the apt choice of drag name).  

I also loved how Elektra Shock didn't even look at Scarlett after she won the lip synch and went back to stand next to the rest (and right next to Elektra Shock). Both Art & Scarlett are wearing out their welcome with me (well, Scarlett has, and Art is getting there even though I find him funny - but he hasn't done enough to justify the unexplained reinstatement, and I find myself wondering if he threatened to sue or something. There was some suggestion that he had yelled about having been promised a better outcome when he was kicked off.)

Can't argue with Maxi being in the bottom. She was lovely with her partner & set everybody up nicely, but I wish she'd chosen better outfits for the both of them. I was skeptical of her at the outset - hers and Elektra Shock's were the two intro outfits I didn't care for - but both she and Elektra Shock have really grown on me. I think they both will have won a lot of new fans from having done the show. 

Edited June 5, 2021 by akr

[Wonderlad71]

Yes was a really good episode after a meh couple of weeks. 

Fun mini challenge - Check

Good makeover subjects - Check 

Werqroom Shade - Check

Fair judging - Check

Kita Gets a Win! - Check

Kylie Classic Lipsync - CHECK!!!

[rlc]

That was the best that Ru has looked in ages. My daughter proclaimed it her favorite Ru look of all time (she’s only 10, but she’s watched every season).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4 hours ago, rlc said:

That was the best that Ru has looked in ages.

I thought her eye makeup made her eyes look very squinty.

[theatremouse]

But the outfit was actually interesting. I've been a bit bored by Ru's looks recently, but this one was fresh.

[violet and green]

Good win for Kita. Rise my NZ queens, rise! I did think Elektra and her sister's makeup was a bit harsh, but they did have a resemblance. Sad Maxi went. Weird they used Danni Kylie Minogue for this lipsync and not the episode when the Minogues were on. Scarlett was flailing about as madly and flinging herself to the ground as Etcetc the week before, and yet stayed. It all feels so tired compared to DR Spain though.

Edited June 10, 2021 by violet and green
wrong Minogue

[TallulahBelle]

On 6/8/2021 at 9:39 AM, violet and green said:

Good win for Kita. Rise my NZ queens, rise! I did think Elektra and her sister's makeup was a bit harsh, but they did have a resemblance. Sad Maxi went. Weird they used Danni Minogue for this lipsync and not the episode when the Minogues were on. Scarlett was flailing about as madly and flinging herself to the ground as Etcetc the week before, and yet stayed. It all feels so tired compared to DR Spain though.

'Better The Devil You Know' is classic Kylie, not Danni - but yes, it's so very strange that when covid stuffed up their opportunity to have the Minogues PHYSICALLY in the room with the Queens or Judges, that they then also shunted songs by both to different episodes.  

[Wonderlad71]

Here's Maxi:

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E7: Talent Show Extravaganza

Quote

The queens compete in a talent show and attempt to cement their place in the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.

Special Guest: Raven

Original air date: 6/12/21

Edited June 12, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Fake Jan Brady]

How did none of the queens answer "Who should go home and why" with "Art, because bitch was eliminated weeks ago"??

Easiest answer ever.

Worst franchise ever.

[Diane Mars]

That was RIGGA MORRIS !!! The only two good things I will keep from this EP :

- Kita in the final four

- Michelle telling Elektra : "I really hope Sia saw that and you can be in the next video"

The end.

[Fake Jan Brady]

29 minutes ago, Diane Mars said:

That was RIGGA MORRIS !!! The only two good things I will keep from this EP :

- Kita in the final four

- Michelle telling Elektra : "I really hope Sia saw that and you can be in the next video"

The end.

And Elektra hitting on Raven.

[violet and green]

Oh, man. I should have known they were going to do that. The inevitable winner is not my choice at all. I feel sad for Elektra, and also sad for the whole season as this is not the season it should have been. Mind you, for me and many others, Elektra has almost single-handedly carried this season. I hope good things come from this for her.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, Diane Mars said:

That was RIGGA MORRIS !!!

RIGGA MORRIS will never not be funny. I still laugh every time.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Karen's poodle look made me laugh. It was fun and frothy. Her makeup was beautiful and her headpiece was HUGE! She had the best headdress. Was there no minimum/maximum time limit for the talent portion? From what we were shown, she blew up one balloon dog.

Art's "talent" was shoving things in her mouth? I appreciate that she mad it into a whole act, but I still didn't think it was really a talent that required even a full minute. She looked beautiful during her act though. Her flower look on the runway was pretty but I felt it wasn't very original.

Kita's quick change act is the kind of thing you seen on America's Got Talent, cruise ships, and Las Vegas. I know how it works but I still love seeing it happen. If that makes me a basic bitch, I don't care. Her runway look was very Burning Man. All she needed was goggles and a dust mask.

Scarlet's pole dancing was the most impressive talent of the five because it took skill, strength, and flexibility. Some people have one or two of those things, but pole dancing is a lot harder than people want to believe. I know Scarlet has been a bitch most of the season, but this was by far the best talent act. Her runway look was glamorous but the feathers on her bodice made her look too big.

After all of Elektra's bragging about what an amazing dancer she is and how none of the girls girls can do what she does, I was expecting to see a lot more than falling out of turns, awkward arms, shaky balance, shoddy leaps, and bad choreography. The skill level of her dancing was about the same as a 13 year old girl who's been taking contemporary for about a year because all of her other friends love SYTYCD and decided to start taking dance together. Her Moulin Rouge swing costume was a fun idea but I was surprised that Michelle didn't tell her that she needed to be cinched. There was something about her makeup that I didn't like (maybe it was too angular/harsh?). I was really disappointed because she did so well the rest of the season so I was rooting for her to make the finale.

[rlc]

Was Scarlet actually claiming that this was her first time pole dancing??!?

[stormy weather]

I honestly don't understand the hype for Karen from Finance. Is it only because she had been mentioned by some other drag queens before the Down Under season started? Why is she in the final four? I mean, I have nothing against her personally, she seems very nice, but she's been kind of middle-of-the-road for the entire season. I wish Maxi was still here instead of her. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

15 hours ago, rlc said:

Was Scarlet actually claiming that this was her first time pole dancing??!?

No, she said this was her first performance, which makes more sense because I know people who have taken various classes (pole dancing, aerials, circus arts, etc) for years before ever performing in public.

[Wonderlad71]

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

S1.E8: Grand Finale

Quote

The final queens write their own verses to RuPaul’s “I'm a Winner, Baby” and compete to be crowned winner of the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.

Special Guest: Olivia Newton-John

Original air date: 6/19/21

[violet and green]

There is a God! So happy for the winner. I still feel traumatised by the season's emphasis on mean girls from episode one to seven, though.

[Fake Jan Brady]

Phew! Electra called it.

Man oh man, Ru and Michelle's psychobabble during the TicTak Jaffa lunch was excruciating.

[Ms.Lulu]

This was, without a doubt, the right outcome.  Kita Mean is talented and humble.  She shoots for the stars and is kind.  She is everything that RuPaul could have chosen as the winner of Down Under.

Well done!

[phoenix780]

This was a good outcome for a disappointing season. It felt too American to me, for lack of a better term, especially all the pop psychology in the final episode. The whole... Thinking so much (and talking so much) about yourself your trauma and your motives for living didn't feel authentic here. It's almost insulting to me as a viewer to think I have to have this be part of the show.

I hope we get a second season without RuPaul and Michelle.

Edited June 19, 2021 by phoenix780

[Wonderlad71]

Happy for Kita but overall a big MEH! The psychobabble was indeed exhausting - I thought Art was going to win after her session ( I guess she's a shoo-in for an All Stars). The musical number was nice enough and the runways ok. Kinda surprised we didn't see all the eliminated girls return for an Untucked Kiki

[Iguana]

I liked Kita from the beginning and am glad she won. I think Scarlet would have won if she didn’t have the blackface problem.  But no way was Ru going to take on that kind of controversy for a winner.

I was really turned off when Ru and Michelle turned the “lunch” with the finalists into therapy sessions. Not cool at all. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Where in the hell did Scarlet get that ratty looking wig she wore for the group performance? It looked like someone took a Party City wig and then coated it with baby oil for that extra greasy look.

[Rai]

I was extremely surprised that Kita Mean won. I really thought Scarlet Adams had it in the bag, controversy or no. I hope it's losing the crown that teaches her the lesson about blackface and other appropriative drag since I bet Etcetera's lecture didn't stick.

I'm happy for Kita Mean though! Honestly, I think Anita Wiglet might have been a stronger contender, but she had an off week, I guess. The momentum that Kita has been building since the makeover challenge made me hope for her, but she really seemed in third place going through this episode. (Scarlet, Art Simone, Kita, and Karen was how I was viewing the rankings). I'm also happy a Kiwi queen took the crown given how dismissive the Aussie queens could be about New Zealand. Yo, Aussie queens, no one writes discourses about how New Zealand is actively trying to kill everyone through its flora and fauna. I'm just saying.

I would watch another season because I'll watch pretty much any version. I find their shade refreshing after seasons of the American version trying very hard not to be bitches. Be your bitchy selves, ladies! I live.

[hatchetgirl]

Of the 4, I wanted Kita or Karen to win and they sort of were giving Kita a winning edit.  I'm so glad Art didn't win.  I think Art and Scarlett are too immature and need a little growing up.  Karen was just lovely through the whole thing - did she ever say anything mean to anyone?  I didn't like Kita in the beginning, but she did seem to blossom after Anita left (and I'm still bummed she left).  All in all, it was ok, but certainly still doesn't explain why Ru went to Oz, and the UK, but didn't hit up Thailand or Canada!

[Ms.Lulu]

Didn't RuPaul mention their husband is from Perth?  Perhaps they wanted to spend some time with family.  The 6 hour flight between Auckland and Perth is much shorter than flying from Douglas, Wyoming to Perth.

[Rai]

I was going to say I assumed Ru went to countries where they spoke English, but that doesn't explain Canada, it's true. That might have just been a scheduling thing?

[TallulahBelle]

I like Kita fine, but man alive, I haaaaaaated every single thing she wore except for the week of family resemblance challenge.  This was clearly going to be a Scarlet win but the online backlash about her history changed that and rightly - she should never have gotten on the show in the first place - without that, I don't think Kita had a chance to win up against Scarlet's looks and challenge wins.

If there's a next time, can we have judges who get that drag here in the Antipodes is quite different, please?  Imagine not knowing that a crowd in Geelong watching Art stuff a whole meat pie into her gob, wouldn't be in fucking hysterics, that was TALENT.  Michelle understands Drag in the UK because of her time there and it was just painfully apparent the whole season that no one 'got' Aussie or Kiwi drag and they wanted them to be like the US or even the UK, which it really isn't*.

 

(*I can only speak to the drag I've seen here in Australia, but I got the impression drag in NZ is just as camp and daggy, both good things!!)