Kitty girl’s outta the bag!
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under’ is finally beginning on Stan this year with the 10 queens announced at the iconic Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on Saturday.
The queens were revealed at the 2021 event at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where tens of thousands of people turned out to watch community groups take centre stage in the stadium on various floats, as well as celebrity performances from the likes of Rita Ora, Montaigne, G Flip and Electric Fields.
The eight-part ’Drag Race Down Under’, which was filmed in New Zealand, will be hosted by RuPaul and veteran judge Michelle Visage along with newbie third judge Rhys Nicholson. Celebrity judges and the air date will be announced in the near future.
Who are the queens in RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under?
Jojo Zaho
When a Dubbo council member said homosexuality was not part of the Indigenous culture, Jojo’s drag career was born out of a political retaliation.
At the regional city’s first annual Central West Pride March, she schooled that politician by walking the parade in a costume she made with both the Aboriginal and gay pride flag.
“I was taken aback by that … in retaliation, I was like ‘well, I’m going to rock up to the pride march in full drag in a black, yellow red dress with a pride flag at the end of it,’” she told ABC.
“Homosexuality is part of the Indigenous culture, we exist.”
Multiple TV and hosting gigs later, Jojo is one of Australia’s most iconic queens and is about to blow the Drag Race community away with her faboriginality. Bring it.
Etcetera Etcetera
If you’ve heard of the iconic Imperial Hotel Sydney, you’ve heard of Etcetera Etcetera. Yes, that’s the pub that was once an illegal cruise sex club in the 70s and where the ground-breaking Priscilla Queen of the Desert movie was filmed in the 90s. Now, it’s home to a high-end Drag N’ Dine restaurant with Australia’s only “Rood Food” menu - all hosted and curated by one of Sydney’s most immersive drag artists Etcetera Etc. Certainly one of Australia’s most polished queens, they are known as the “glamour bug” in Sydney. Good luck, Etcetera.
Art Simone
This Geelong queen has a swag of awards and accolades under her belt including snagging Drag Performer of the Year for the last two years running.
Art represented Australia in the world’s largest drag convention, RuPaul’s DragCon.
Art performed at Sydney’s Imperial Hotel for Mardi Gras with Jojo and Etcetera, telling her followers she’s a Ru girl not a ”(kanga)roo” girl.
“I’m going to fucking drink tonight,” Art told her followers during a string of Instagram Stories from the historic Erskineville pub.
“I’m here with one of my fellow Ru girl Etcetera Etcetera.”
Etcetera chimed in: “We’re Ru girls, do you know Ru personally, I’ve met her once or twice... I’ve got to go up the stairs sideways because my dress is so tight.”
Art chuckled: “A normal Ru girl wouldn’t be allowed to but the Down Under Ru girls still have to take flights of stairs.”
Zing!
Coco Jumbo
One of the best hostesses in Sydney, Coco has performed on the Mardi Gras party main stage many times and is a multi DIVA (Drag Industry Variety Awards) award winner for most prestigious Entertainer of the Year in 2017, Sydney’s Favourite Showgirl in 2016-2019 and Rising Star in 2015.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ star and season 6 runner up Courtney Act was hosting SBS’s coverage of Mardi Gras on Saturday and asked Coco about the announcement, which was quite cheeky as the cast had not been announced yet.
Elektra Shock
Elektra Shock hails from Tāmaki Makaurau AKA Auckland.
She was runner up on season 2 of the Kiwi show ‘House of Drag’ and star of Pleasuredome The Musical.
The NZ Herald called her “utterly charismatic” and we couldn’t agree more.
Karen from Finance
You cannot get more Aussie than Karen from Finance.
One of the original members of the award winning, cult queer cabaret ‘YUMMY’, Karen is one of the most renowned drag artists in Australia. But she’s not that kind of Karen.
She’s worked the room at many RuPaul’s DragCon circuits, toured worldwide and is the Ambassador for DragExpo in Melbourne. Just make sure your work expenses are filed by end of the day or else!
Maxi Shield
Maxi is part of Australia’s drag herstory, oozing “Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent” as a drag artist for 23 years. She’s a veteran on the “Drag Storytime” scene too – a practice that sees queens read stories to kids, teaching them messages of acceptance and inclusion.
In 2015 Maxi won ‘Entertainer of the year’ at the Drag Industry Variety Awards, was Madonna’s national Hostess for her Australian Rebel Heart Tour and helped closed the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Scarlet Adams
Since turning 18, Scarlet has worked tirelessly to build her reputation and brand as a drag artist burlesque performer, pole dancer, and costume designer.
Anita Wigl’it
Anita is the owner and resident queen of Auckland’s famous Caluzzi Cabaret and already knows her way around a TV show - she’s the host of the TVNZ’s ‘House of Drag’ as well as the monthly comedy show ‘Drag Wars’.
Her favourite performances to date include Mardi Gras (Sydney 2016 and 2019) as well as Adele’s world tour after party in 2017.
Kita Mean
Kita is another Auckland queen who joined Anita Wigl’it to make a drag duo. The pair started a monthly event Drag Wars, which gave local Kiwi drag artists a platform to perform. Kita now co-owns the iconic Caluzzi Cabaret and Phoenix Venue in Auckland and has since hosted two series of TVNZ’s ‘House of Drag’ as well as maintaining her position as resident Drag Queen at Family Bar and Club.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under’ premieres later this year on Stan in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, and WOW Presents Plus in the US and select territories.
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