The ever-expanding RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise currently has more than 10 international spinoffs. Even though Mama Ru appears as the host and main judge on shows like Drag Race UK and Drag Race Down Under, in certain countries, she has officially passed the hosting baton onto other legendary queens.
There are currently nine Drag Race shows not hosted by RuPaul, including three seasons of Canada’s Drag Race (and the upcoming Canada vs. the World spinoff), two seasons of Drag Race Thailand, Drag Race España, and Drag Race Holland; and newcomers such as Drag Race Italia, Drag Race France, Drag Race Philippines, Drag Race Belgique, and Drag Race Sverige.
With so much going on in the Drag Race universe, it can be hard to keep up with all the judges and queens in these different series. Alas, there are plenty of drag performers leaving their marks in the overall franchise by showing different styles and approaches to hosting Drag Race.
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World of Wonder recently announced that Robert Fux will be hosting the upcoming Drag Race Sverige series in Sweden. A self-proclaimed Swedish queen, Austrian circus horse, and actor, Fux has a lot of years of experience to back her up in this new hosting gig.
Photo: Instagram (@fuxdelux).
Fans have been waiting for updates on Drag Race Thailand season three for a few years now, but while the show has yet to be officially canceled, a third season hasn’t been confirmed by World of Wonder, either. Nonetheless, Art Arya and Pangina Heals are fantastic hosts in the series, and Heals had a career resurgence within the fanbase after competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Versus the World.
Photo: Courtesy of World of Wonder.
In 2020, Brooke Lynn Hytes became the first-ever contestant from a U.S. season of RuPaul’s Drag Race to then appear as the host of an international spinoff. Certain fans threw shade at this decision at the time, but that discourse is completely in the past now. Three seasons later, Hytes has certainly found her footing on Canada’s Drag Race and has become an integral part of this global franchise.
Photo: Courtesy of World of Wonder.
Dutch stylist and TV host Fred van Leer hosted both seasons of Drag Race Holland. The status of season three is still unknown, but one can expect Leer to come back as the host if/when this show comes back for another cycle.
Photo: Courtesy of World of Wonder.
Due to her low placement on Drag Race season 12, Nicky Doll also faced some initial criticism from the fandom when she was announced as the host of Drag Race France. Nonetheless, Doll won the viewers over with her empathetic and compassionate judging style in the French series, as well as her abilities to serve looks and provide insightful critiques.
Photo: Courtesy of World of Wonder.
After so much speculation over who would be sitting in the judging panel of Drag Race Philippines, World of Wonder announced Paolo Ballesteros as the main host of the series. Since the very first episode of the show, it became clear that Ballesteros was the perfect choice for this coveted job.
Photo: Courtesy of World of Wonder.
The second season of Drag Race Italia is happening, and Priscilla is expected to return as the host and main judge on the show. With so much experience as a drag performer, Priscilla was able to steer the queens in the right direction and help them “level up” in their careers over the course of Drag Race Italia season one – which is what viewers have come to expect from these hosts.
Photo: Courtesy of World of Wonder.
Similar to Hytes hosting Canada’s Drag Race and Doll hosting Drag Race France, fans had something to say about Rita Baga being chosen as the host of Drag Race Belgique. In this case, though, the complaint was less about whether or not she was qualified to host a Drag Race show and more about Baga’s actual connection to the drag scene in Belgium. With that said, time proved that Hytes and Doll were the right choices for their respective shows, and that might be the case for Baga as well.
Photo: Courtesy of World of Wonder.
One can argue that Supremme de Luxe is the most unanimously beloved host of an international Drag Race series. After two seasons of Drag Race España, viewers have learned a lot about Luxe as a drag performer and fell in love with her charm, wittiness, and judging style on the show. The Spain seasons have been wonderful so far, and Luxe definitely gets a lot of credit for her contributions to the series.
Photo: Courtesy of World of Wonder.
