Apparently, Last Night’s Runway Theme On Drag Race Down Under Was Originally Something Different

art simone rupauls drag race down under makeover

*Spoiler alert for Rupaul’s Drag Race Down Under S1E6*

Last night’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under was probably the most wholesome and joyful celebration of queerness we’ll see this season. Over the episode, the queens gave six players from the gay rugby team, the New Zealand Falcons, a total drag makeover.

The queens were rewarded for having a strong family resemblance between them and their new drag daughters, but, according to one contestant, the runway theme for the episode wasn’t originally called ‘Family Resemblance’; it was something quite different.

Art Simone has revealed that the original runway theme wasn’t exactly to make a clone of yourself or have a drag daughter but to put someone in the same style—or House—of drag that you’re known for.

“When we got the runway list, this category said ‘House of…: bring two coordinated wigs and costumes that represent your drag family’, Art said on Twitter.

“It wasn’t till we were on set that they renamed the runway to ‘Family Resemblance’.

“So that’s why I decided to bring the two complementary looks that represent my chosen drag family. We have been doing our Priscilla tribute show for over seven years. It’s such a big part of how I know all my drag sisters.”

Art added that The Adventures of Priscila, Queen of the Desert meant a lot to her and her drag family, so it was an easy choice that she replicated it on-screen last night with her new drag daughter, Craft.

“Every year I have always played Mitzi and worn a thong dress, while my big sis @Philmahbocks [Philmah Bocks] paid homage to Felicia. I thought it was only fitting to pass down the role to my drag daughter and create a reinvented version of the costume for her.”

Call me a gay conspiracist Nancy Drew but this *does* make a lot of sense to me. I mean, when preparing for the show, queens are often sent a list with hundreds of runways, and only some are selected for the show (with some others used in mini-challenges like the clown costumes in the pie challenge in the semi-finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4).

And, for Art, it does explain why she decided to makeover her and her new drag daughter Craft into the drag stars of The Adventures of Priscila, Queen of the Desert, Mitzi (Hugo Weaving), and Felicia (Guy Pearce). And, y’know, why she may have been so pressed as a panini that others made a straight-up “carbon copy of themselves” AKA Karen From Finance.

P.S. You can catch all the drama, lewks and wholesome rugby hotties turned drag divas over on this week’s recap here. In the meantime, I’ll be here, spiraling into the Always Sunny in Philadelphia Charlie Day meme as I start to wonder what other runways this season had an original different theme.

You can catch all locally home-grown episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Down Under on Stan.

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