Stan has officially unveiled the cast and premiere date for Drag Race Down Under vs the World, marking the first time queens from across the global Drag Race franchise will compete against alumni from Australia and New Zealand in a dedicated format.
The new series will premiere on July 24th on Stan, with new episodes released weekly. The competition will be hosted by Michelle Visage, who returns to the franchise’s Down Under edition alongside returning judge Rhys Nicholson and season four winner Lazy Susan.
Eleven queens will compete for the title, including five representatives from Drag Race Down Under and six contestants drawn from international versions of the franchise.
Who is competing on Drag Race Down Under vs The World?
Representing Down Under are Melbourne performer Art Simone, Fijian-Australian queen Coco Jumbo, Guatemalan-born New Zealand representative Flor, Auckland queen Nikita Iman and Sydney-based finalist Vybe.
The international contingent features Spanish runner-up Estrella Xtravaganza, American fan favourite LaLa Ri, Filipino star M1ss Jade So, UK finalist Michael Marouli, veteran US competitor Nicole Paige Brooks and franchise icon Raven.
The majority of the cast had already leaked ahead of Wednesday’s announcement; however, fans were shocked to see Raven make a return to the competition after reaching the finals of both RuPaul’s Drag Race season two in 2010 and the inaugural All Stars season in 2012. She has since become RuPaul’s official makeup artist and even won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2020, so fans had assumed she would never want — or even be allowed — to compete on the reality show again.
Before this announcement, Raven was famously part of a stunt on All Stars 7 where she pretended to be part of the cast of all winners (despite never having won the show), so fans are rightfully dubious about her involvement this season.
If she is competing this is the best kept secret Drag Race has ever done. The spoiler divas are freaking out
— JackFed (@JackFedYT) June 23, 2026
If she isn’t and it’s a way to draw viewers…that’s still funny lmaooo https://t.co/ZaFs5DQN3x
How didn't we know about this in the spoilers? #DragRace #Allstars11 https://t.co/3Dc6lftLVM
— auntie sam ethic (@auntiesamethic) June 23, 2026
little did we know they were teasing her down under vs the world return here pic.twitter.com/wOXnxNT1TI
— Kas (Seddera Side) (@sedderaside) June 23, 2026
Just saw that Raven is competing on down under vs the world and in the airport terminal screamed very loudly “WHAT?!?!”
— Briar Blush (@BriarBlush) June 23, 2026
The competition will introduce a format change from the standard Drag Race Down Under structure. Rather than judges determining who leaves the competition, the top two queens each week will decide which of the bottom contestants faces elimination. Following a final lip-sync battle, the winning queen will reveal who has been sent home.
The eight-episode season will premiere exclusively on Stan on July 24th, so racers, start your engines, and may the best drag queen win!
This was originally published on Variety Australia.
The post Drag Race Down Under Vs The World Unveils All Star Cast Ft. A Truly Shocking Addition appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
