Drag Race Down Under season 2 will be hitting screens on July 30, 2022 – so get to know the new cast of queens and find out what you can expect from the werk room.
Season 2 has gathered the very best of Australia and New Zealand’s drag queens, and with intimidating names such as Kween Kong and Beverly Kills, the competition is going to be fearless.
Stakes are higher with a grand prize of $50K AUD, compared to last year’s $30K AUD, so expect more sass and shenanigans. Kita Mean took the crown in the inaugural season, and now 10 more queens have arrived to battle it out.
Meet the cast of Drag Race Down Under season 2
Aubrey Haive
25-year-old Aubrey hails from Timaru, New Zealand, but is now based in Melbourne. Real name Bailey Dunnage, he is a budding actor and singer with a sweet voice fit for acoustic tracks. A fairly new queen on the scene, Bailey started drag at the height of Covid in 2020, but clearly he’s got enough potential to go up against the experienced contestants.
When he’s not recording covers, he’s scribbling away on his graphics tablet to create work for his illustration Instagram account.
Aubrey’s last event was a “drag n draw” where she held life drawing sessions with herself as the muse, whilst wearing couture gowns created by local fashion designers.
Beverly Kills
Beverly will be Drag Race season 2’s youngest contestant at 21 years old. She may be young, but she’s got already got three years of experience on the scene after starting drag just a few months after celebrating her 18th. The Gold Coast native won first prize at a local competition and went on to secure a weekly residency at renowned Brisbane nightclub, Fluffy.
Not just a usual drag queen, Beverly sprinkles a little burlesque into her performances.
Hannah Conda
Hannah is part of Sydney Drag Royalty (SDR), a company that only represents Australia’s most exceptional artists. The 30-year-old will be joined by fellow SDR member Pomara Fifth in season 2, following the footsteps of season 1’s Coco Jumbo.
It’s been about 10 years since her entrance onto the drag scene and after dominating Perth, she moved to Sydney and established her stardom – she was the only queen to win both Rising Star and Entertainer of the Year at the Drag Industry Variety Awards (DIVAs) in one year.
If she looks familiar, you probably saw her on an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians alongside Khloe, or at Drag Con LA 2017.
Faux Fur
Faux Fur is of Vietnamese ethnicity, making her one of the few queens to have Asian heritage. Asian drag queens are rare in Sydney, so she’s definitely been making her mark since at least 2015. She will soon be joining Hannah Conda and Pomara Fifth to become an SDR member.
Kween Kong
With a name like Kween Kong, we already know she’s going to be fearless and take over the drag world. Originally from New Zealand, the 29-year-old is currently based in Adelaide. She is of Samoan and Tongan heritage, reports Variety.
To say she’s got some moves is an understatement. The Haus of Kong matriarch was just age 16 when she was offered a two-year apprenticeship with Black Grace, a leading contemporary dance company in New Zealand.
Minnie Cooper
At about age 50, Minnie is the oldest contestant, but what comes with age is experience. With a glittering career spanning two decades, she is the self-proclaimed “Queen of Oxford Street” in Australia.
Having worked with the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, and Down Under’s most famous queen Carlotta, we’re not surprised that she’s won more DIVA awards than any other artist.
In 2018, she moved into cabaret with her one-woman show From Chorus Boy To Leading Lady – it won Best In Cabaret & Musical Theatre Award.
Molly Poppinz
Hailing from Newcastle, Australia, she reportedly lacked the confidence to perform in her hometown and thus travelled to Canada. Welcomed with open arms by Vancouver’s drag community, she was crowned the most fierce queen in 2018. Upon her arrival back to Newcastle, the drag scene still had’nt developed, so her aim is to build a thriving community in her native city.
Pomara Fifth
Pomara started drag in 2014 and her career has since been travelling full speed ahead. The 28-year-old has performed for the likes of Marcia Hines, Todd McKenney, and Kerri-Anne Kennerley. She is of Aboriginal and Maori descent.
She won the 2018 DIVA rising star award and served as the face of Medibank Private for Mardi Gras 2016.
Spankie Jackzon
Spankie, real name Blair Macbeth, is a native of Palmerston North, New Zealand. She’s garnered 17 years of experience under her belt and at one point in her career, she hosted eight club residences in a single night.
Inspired by Pamela Anderson, Carmen Elektra and 90s supermodels, Spankie calls herself “fun, sexy, naughty” and the “life of the party.”
Drag Race won’t be her first reality competition; she was crowned winner of House Of Drag season 2 in 2020. Her view on drag makes it easy to see why Spankie has been so successful.
“Drag to me is a way of life – it’s more than just dressing as a woman and putting on makeup,” she said. “It is about connecting with people, opening people’s minds and giving the world colour, movement, sparkle and entertainment.”
Yuri Guaii
The 25-year-old got her start at age 18, when she developed her now-famous spooky aesthetic. Although she booked Halloween gigs, she struggled to escape the image. However, she’s now become one of Auckland’s most talented drag make-up artists.
According to Variety, she studied fashion design, meaning that her Drag Race gowns are going to be one of a kind.
Drag Race Down Under season 2 premieres July 30 exclusively on WOW Presents Plus.
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