RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE DOWN UNDER

series 2 (Stan)

Covid lockdown didn’t serve the first season of Drag Race Down Under well. Everything was ho-hum, paint-by-numbers, with little freshness or effort. World Of Wonder have smartened up their act this follow-up season.

The girls work very hard on both seasons, but it’s hard to find energy if everyone behind the scenes is not on their game. Starting with Ru himself. The buck stops with him.

This time round, everyone seems a bit more infused with energy, starting at the top. This means all the girls have so much more to werk with, and werk they do! Says Minnie Cooper: “50-year-old cross-dresser from Sydney. Once you get inside me I go real fast.”

The quotable lines come thick and fast from everybody, rehearsed within an inch of their life. “I don’t like to stick myself in a box.” Of course not, honey.

At stake is a year’s supply of cosmetics and $50,000 of a sponsor’s cash. Not a bad haul, but the real win for each of the girls is some extraordinary exposure, whether they chanté or sashay away early. For many of them, it’s the pinnacle of an extremely strenuous and taxing career that’s difficult physically, emotionally and financially.

This time round there are long-time veterans and brand spanking newbies. Everyone has a go but due deference is paid to the groundbreakers. Casey: “We wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing if it weren’t for people like Minnie.” Even though it’s revealed Minnie can’t sew! She staples her dress together. Horrors!

The first lip-sync battle is performed to Kylie’s Get Out Of My Way, which is just perfect.

Judge Michelle Visage brings class of her own, judge Rhys Nicholson is bright and fresh, and special guests Bindi and Robert Irwin bring an appealing vanilla-slice innocence. As Ru says: “No one can top the queens from Down Under.” (MA 15+, 8 x 60-min episodes)