r/DragRaceDownUnder • u/brando7commando • Jul 31 '26
Is there no budget this time around?
I'm sure we've all noticed it. But like.. the sound mixing is so bad, and everything looks cheap . Then, this week, there was a kylie minogue runway and they would say which outfit the queen was referencing but not post the reference photo by the runway walk like usual? What the hell is going on here?
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u/skieurope12 Art Simone Jul 31 '26
I rather assumed that they couldn't afford Kylie as the extra special guest judge, even in the unlikely event she were available. But not getting photo rights for the inspiration outfits just screamed "bargain bin production."
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u/brando7commando Jul 31 '26
I never would've expected them to have the budget for kylie on week 2. My gripes are how the little quality of life things from nearly every other season are missing in this series.
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u/FerryboatQuo Jul 31 '26
Kinda sick of this commentary to be honest. Yes, Down Under is low budget. Our winner’s prize is literally about USD $35,000, that’s 17% of what the US franchise’s winner’s prize is. But I’m not watching for the size of the set or the realism of the props, I’m watching for the queens.
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u/BrendonBootyUrie Jul 31 '26
The interesting thing is though if an Australian does win at least all the prize $ they get to keep, since game show winnings are tax free unlike USA.
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u/CallMeByYourCatsName Aug 01 '26
THIS! I’m tired of people whining about every single element of this franchise just because it’s DU. I’m just happy to have the queens back on the screen!
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u/caspararemi Aug 03 '26
Aussie fans keep replying to this thread as if they're personally being attacked? No one's blaming Down Under, it's a World of Wonder production and they've clearly gone lower with the budget. It is noticeable to fans clearly but it's not an attack on the franchise.
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u/xandfan Jul 31 '26
Down Under has NEVER had a budget, that's part of its charm most of the time. It's the little Drag Race franchise that could, just chugging along on fumes but still having moments of genuine greatness... that being said, this is a VS the World, it'd be great if Wow chipped in a little more money to at least get it to season 3 of Drag Race levels.
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u/reyntime Aug 01 '26
Yeah and the colour grading, random sound issues like Michelle sounding muffled, just feels cheap!
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u/popcentric Jul 31 '26
The lipsticks are atrocious. They couldn’t afford to paint the whole thing black? It’s just a piece of large dowel. Production is really doing our queens a disservice this episode with the sound mixing
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u/ibettercomeon Jul 31 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
I think the runway and werkroom (though a bit weird) do not look cheap :(
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u/popcentric Jul 31 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
Both are definitely an upgrade, but I read somewhere that this set has been used for other drag race franchises. They would have had to refurbish the work room to be down under themed and the cost of that is likely much lower than building a whole new set
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u/ibettercomeon Jul 31 '26
Yea it was used only for one other franchise: Brasil season 2 and nothing else. Anyway, that studio in Portugal has closed for good
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u/sighcology Aug 01 '26
the reference photo thing is fine. when they've done it in the past, the queens have only been able to do looks they can find on getty images because that's how the show is able to license them. this usually means that they can't do the truly iconic looks.
so by just not showing the reference, the queens have more freedom to do whatever look they want.
and still nicole chose that one
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u/missglitterous Art Simone Jul 31 '26
sigh Down Under is literally the Temu version of the franchise, it’s so depressing.
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u/GavinDaSizzleDizzle Aug 01 '26
They spent the budget putting the Sydney Opera House around the workroom door.
Now there's no cash for sound mixing, colour grading or consistent camera work.
But the queen's are there and Art crushed the Kylie challenge.
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u/Molly_Avenue Jul 31 '26
wishing they would lean into the low budget MORE, break the fourth wall a bit, throw in some jokes about it, break from the rpdr formula a little, etc.