After MUCH anticipation, RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under finally landed on our screens this weekend.  Some fans are loving the haphazard approach but others are calling it a mixed bag. 

Most shockingly, due to some unforeseen circumstances, RuPaul appears as the ‘special guest’ on the panel out of drag for the first time in the show’s herstory. This is explained away by Ru saying his make-up had been misplaced but hadn’t he already been quarantining in New Zealand for two weeks?

Nevertheless, there were two Ru’s judging with a second Ru in drag edited in for a few jokes here and there. RuPaul famously doesn’t enjoy getting into full drag that much anymore so could this be the shape of things to come for the whole series? A glimpse at next week’s show puts paid to that hopefully, with Ru shown on the judging panel in drag. 

Hollywood actor/director Taika Waititi turns up as a judge for the mini acting challenge but it’s pretty shoddily done with no real reaction to what’s happening on screen. We hope that’s now how all the guests are going to be handled.

All in all the show was off to a fabulous start with the Aussie and Kiwi queens really showing their stuff with talent, emotion and good crude humour. The production let them down a little but let’s hope these are just growing pains and there is better yet to come.