Across its three seasons, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under has featured 30 of Australia and New Zealand's finest drag queens. Unfortunately, that might not actually be obvious if you've watched the show, which has struggled to really show off the calibre of our local drag scene - even as we approach the series finale on Friday.
The multinational series has attracted millions of fans since it first debuted in the US in 2009, and has contributed significantly to broader awareness of drag. Fan reaction to the news that Australia was finally getting its own iteration of the show was overwhelmingly positive, but three years in, many are now wondering why Australian Drag Race isn't hitting quite as hard and feels so much more awkward (has anyone ever had "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" as a call-and-response at a drag show?).
This isn't just a case of classic Australian cultural cringe. Globally, fans agree. Out of the more than 16 international franchises and fifty-plus seasons that make up the Drag Race empire, Down Under is home to some of the series' lowest-rated episodes on IMDB.
It's also regularly cited by critics and Drag Race aficionados as the worst of the pack. But with the show crowning its third winner on Friday, co-producers Stan, TVNZ and US Drag Race producers World of Wonder have an opportunity to revitalise the series.
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