0/5

RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under S3: meet the cast

Meet the 10 new queens from Australia & NZ ready to do battle in Season 3.

Cast have been announced for Season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.

RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Rhys Nicholson all returning to the main judging panel. Extra special celebrity guest stars will also be announced soon.

The 10 new cast from Australia and New Zealand follow in the heels of S2 being nominated as Most Outstanding Entertainment Program at the Logie Awards with runner-up Kween Kong for the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent – the first time a drag performer has ever been nominated for a Logie.

Host RuPaul says: “Australasian drag is filled with heart and humour, and I’m thrilled to share my season three queens with the world, for all to see their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.”

 

Amyl (Sydney, NSW), 27 – @amyl.com.au (pictured top)
Born in Colombia but raised in Sydney, Amyl is no stranger to the fashion scene. Amyl’s eye for fashion is unmatched. Having only started doing drag in 2019, Amyl has already made her mark in the editorial space, featuring in publications such as Gut Magazine and Astrophe Magazine, and has cemented herself as a runway model, walking as part of Australian Fashion Week in both 2021 and 2023. She is also known for her sense of humour and silly, light-hearted performances that have wowed audiences in cities including Sydney, Melbourne, and Wollongong.

Ashley Madison (Melbourne, VIC), 25 – @ashleyxmadison
Originally from Shepparton in regional Victoria but now hailing from Melbourne, Ashley Madison has established herself as one of the most notable drag queens that the city has to offer. She has been doing drag for eight years and during this time has garnered many accolades such as 1st runner up at the Miss Gay Australia Pageant and Belle of the Ball at the Drag Industry Variety Awards (DIVA). Through her booking agency “Book A Queen,” Ashley has launched not just her own career but that of many other drag queens around the country. She is also a DJ and owns “Miss Madison”, a successful 3D Printed jewellery business that specialises in making large but lightweight jewellery for stage performers.

Bumpa Love (Melbourne, VIC), 51 – @bumpalove ​ ​ ​
Our oldest queen this season, Bumpa Love (originally from Auckland) has been entertaining audiences in Australia and New Zealand for 25 years. With a passion for supporting the GLBTIQA+ community, Bumpa has produced Auckland’s fabulous night-time Pride Parade, been Sponsorship & Events Manager for Melbourne’s gay rugby team the Chargers, MC for the Candlelight Aids Memorial (part of the 2014 International Aids Conference), creator of Melbourne’s Drag Awards, a member of the Yarra City Rainbow Advisory Committee and has produced work shown at Melbourne Fringe, Melbourne Comedy Festival, and Midsumma Festival. She is also a graduate of the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Arts, NZ, has worked for Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), and runs Australia’s only Drag Queen-owned and produced venue, Vau d’vile Drag Cabaret, performing to sold-out houses all year round.

Flor (Auckland, NZ), 25 – @theofficialflor
Born in Guatemala and now living in Auckland, Flor is a sultry Latin queen. With a talent for makeup, she has been doing drag for six years. She is inspired by strong Latin women who are aware of their voices and stay true to who they are. Her drag name comes from her mother. Representing the Latin communities of Aotearoa, Flor is known as a party queen who always shares the love with her infectious smile.

Gabriella Labucci (Ballarat, VIC), 31 – @gabriella_labucci
Gabriella Labucci is a force to be reckoned with in the world of cabaret and drag performance. Located in country Victoria (Ballarat) her talents include but are not limited to drag, singing, dancing, roller skating, modelling, hosting, voice-over, and acting. She also has a heart of gold and a unique sense of humour and style.

Hollywould Star (Sydney, NSW), 34 – @onlyholywould
Born in the United States, Hollywould has called New South Wales home for the past nine years. Hollywould is classically trained as a singer, touring the world and performing in major stage productions like The Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots as well as slaying the floors of Sydney nightclubs. They most recently were seen performing as a Destiny’s Child member with the Grammy Award-winning Kelly Rowland at the 2023 Domain Dance Party for Sydney World Pride to an audience of 20,000 people. They have also sung the anthem at the 2015 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, and performed as a headlining act at the 2022 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade at the SCG.

Isis Avis Loren (Melbourne, VIC), 33 – @isisavisloren
Isis Avis Loren is a prominent queen of the Naarm, Melbourne drag scene – a slender yet curvaceous catwalk model with a mix of old-fashioned glamour and fierce, edgy entertainment. Having received acclaim since she first hit the stage in 2013 performing both nationally and overseas, she has also found success co-producing her own solo show Ballads & Ballgowns, running two seasons in 2021 and 2022. Well known for her high fashion, gowns, and gorgeous looks that are all custom couture creations made by her own hand, Isis certainly knows her way around a sewing machine taking out Best Costumier and Miss Congeniality at the Melbourne Drag Awards in 2019 and dressing much of the elite Melbourne drag scene in her Haus of Loren creations.

Ivanna Drink (Auckland, NZ), 26 – @ivannadrink
Ivanna Drink is a recognisable face on Auckland’s Karangahape Road, often found at Caluzzi Cabaret as resident Emcee and Showgirl. Her dazzling outfits and hair to match are hard to miss and with her signature beaming smile and hilarious personality she brings a party to life. Married to Drag Race alum Anita Wigl’it, she completes the power couple of drag. With over eight years of experience and tenure that expands over Australia and New Zealand, Ivanna’s career highlights include; winning the Queen of Queens pageant, her role as ‘Hooker #2’ from the television series Cowboy Bebop and more recently a stint across the ditch for World Pride and Sydney Mardi Gras 2023. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Ivory Glaze (Sydney, NSW), 26 – @ivoryglaze
Ivory Glaze brings beauty and glamour to the stage. With a love for fashion, her looks are always polished from head to toe, while pushing boundaries. Ivory’s bank job doesn’t hold her back from exploring all things drag or prevent her from bringing her exuberance to the drag scene, as well as her sweet and wholesome personality.

Rita Menu (Hamilton, NZ), 24 – @rita__menu
Our baby queen, Rita, has only been doing drag for a year. She considers herself super competitive and bills herself as a singer, dancer, and seamstress. Despite her lack of experience, Rita has already wowed audiences in the New Zealand drag scene with performances at local nightclubs as well as winning Kita and Anita’s Drag Wars competition in Auckland. ​

The Stan Original Series RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under is a World of Wonder production in collaboration with Warner Bros. International Production New Zealand for Stan and TVNZ. Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell and RuPaul Charles serve as Executive Producers. Passion Distribution will distribute the series globally in line with Passion Distribution and WOW’s distribution strategy.

Friday July 28 on Stan.

3 Responses

  1. Why o why do they insist on dragging us all down by doing this on a shoestring in NZ? Bring it to Sydney or Melbourne and get some real production nous behind it so the rest of the universe doesn’t think ’down under’ is a third world country.
    .

  2. Sorry still one of the most unwatchable franchises of the Drag Race world. Previously seasons have lacked the style and charm other versions. I am actually surprised that it isnt on every other year. It also lacks the decent topic conversations about issues that the LGBTI+ community that are in the Espana and french versions. If anyone want to see the most breathtaking lip sync Lolita Banana and La Big Bertha from Drag Race France. And on a side note i wonder if anyone has explained to RuPaul what a logie is as they are nominated for a logie ….

    1. The first two seasons filmed when NZ was still in lockdown (yes, RuPaul and Michelle had to go through hotel quarantine last year) which is why they never had judge guests fly into from Australia or elsewhere. Hopefully, this time, it’s more like the standard like the rest of the world. Knock wood.

Leave a Reply