If you are confused by the list of participants in the show RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under vs. the World , welcome to the club. World of Wonder has just announced the names of the 11 queens participating in the upcoming season, and rumor has it that, Raven — one of them. Yes, that same Raven—a season two finalist who rose through the ranks at World of Wonder and now works as RuPaul's personal makeup artist. Fans are completely baffled and full of doubt.
RuPaul's Drag Race fans aren't sure if Raven is actually a contestant.
The upcoming season will be held in Australia for the first time in a "Against the World" format, with a who's who of stars vying for the title of "Queen of the Damn World." Here's the full lineup:
- Art Simone (Down Under, season 1)
- Coco Jumbo (Australia, season 1)
- Estrella Xtravaganza (Season 2)
- Flor (Underland, season 3)
- LaLa Ri (Drag Race Season 13; All Stars 8)
- Miss Jade So (Philippines, Season 2)
- Michael Maruli (Drag Race UK, season 5)
- Nicole Paige Brooks (Drag Race Season 2; All Stars 10)
- Nikita Iman (season 4 of the series «Down Under»)
- Raven (Drag Race, season 2; All Stars, season 1)
- Vybe (Season 4, Down Under)
In Australia, crowd favorites like Art Simone and Coco Jumbo, as well as legends like Nicole Paige Brooks and LaLa Ri, are ready to compete for the crown. And finally, there's Raven, who has completely divided the kingdom.
Raven placed second on both the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the first season of All Stars. Since then, she's become a fixture on World of Wonder, hosting programs like Fashion Photo RuView and Painted by Raven, not to mention her role as RuPaul's makeup artist. Given all this, fans find it hard to believe she'll actually compete again.
«"It's obviously a stunt. If she ever competes again (which is highly unlikely), it definitely won't be on 'Australia vs. the World.' No offense, but still," one skeptical fan wrote online.
Another added: "This overshadowed the announcement that all the other contestants would be competing—if this is a stunt, then stealing their moment for the sake of 'cheating' is extremely unfair to all of them. So I hope she does.".
Apparently, everything points to her actually intending to participate in the competition. If you watch her interview on "Meet the Queens," she made her intentions quite clear.
«"I wanted to come back and compete again because I missed competing. I missed being on the main stage," Raven admitted.
She added: "I'm here for the crown. I'm here to compete. I'm here to win. After all these years, I'm here.".
Seems pretty simple, right? It's also worth noting that RuPaul is no longer hosting Drag Race Down Under, handing over the reins to Michelle Visage in 2024. If there's any franchise Raven could compete on, it's probably this one.
Drag Race Down Under vs. the World premieres July 24 on WOW Presents Plus.
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS ROSTER? DO YOU THINK RAVEN IS A REALLY COMPETITIVE?