Three American queens — including one shocker — will return on the “Drag Race Down Under vs. the World” all-star edition.

RuPaul’s Drag Race alum makes shocking return to compete on new season

Three American queens — including one shocker — will return on the "Drag Race Down Under vs. the World" all-star edition.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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June 23, 2026 6:15 p.m. ET

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'Drag Race Down Under vs. the World' cast promo looks. Credit:

- *Drag Race Down Under vs. the World* all-star edition has added three American alums to the cast.

- Emmy-winning* Drag Race* icon Raven has joined the cast of the Australia- and New Zealand-set season hosted by Michelle Visage.

- *All Stars 10 *alum Nicole Paige Brooks and season 13 Miss Congeniality winner Lala Ri are also on the cast.

Did you ever doubt that *RuPaul’s Drag Race* would bring Raven back to compete on another season? Well guess what, Mimi? They did!

Tuesday’s all-star *Drag Race Down Under vs. the World* cast announcement included some shocking news for fans of the franchise, as Raven — Emmy-winning makeup artist for RuPaul and season 2 alum — has returned to compete on her first season since *All Stars 1 *in 2012.

Raven joined *Drag Race Down Under vs. the World *as one of three contenders for the crown hailing from American versions of the show. She’s accompanied by fellow season 2 queen (and returning *All Stars 10* competitor) Nicole Paige Brooks, as well as season 13 Miss Congeniality winner and *All Stars 8* Queen of the Fame Games title-holding contestant Lala Ri. **

Raven's 'Drag Race Down Under vs. the World' promo look.

Raven, who first competed on *Drag Race* season 2, where she finished in second place, has since earned four total Emmy nominations for her work in makeup, ultimately winning in 2020.

Raven additionally "returned" as a surprise competitor on the all-winners *All Stars 7* edition of the show, though it was later revealed to the cast that her placement among them was a joke, and she quickly exited the Werk Room.

Lala, who uses he/him pronouns, previously told EW that he quit drag because he was “doing drag for everybody else” and wanted to get back in touch with his other artistic interests. He eventually rejoined the art form.

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Speaking to EW following her elimination from *All Stars 10*, Nicole spoke on drama amid the cast after other contestants schemed their way through the bracket-based point system format of the season.

“What drew me to the show is that the Werk Room shows an accurate dressing room. There’s going to be a queen in there trying to get the show director job, who will lie and scheme,” she said. “She’ll stab you in the back the second you turn around. On *Drag Race*, we have cameras everywhere, so we see it played back when we get home. It’s an accurate view of life. Your co-workers don’t have your best intentions at heart; they want to be in charge.”

Nicole Paige Brooks joins 'Drag Race Down Under vs. the World' cast of queens.

The trio of *RuPaul’s Drag Race* alums joins the cast of 11 queens from around the globe, who will compete for the title of Queen of the Mother Tucking World.

Other returning contestants from international *Drag Race* seasons who are headed to *Drag Race Down Under vs. the World* include* Down Under *stars Art Simone (season 1), Coco Jumbo (season 1), Nikita Iman (season 4), and Vybe (season 4); *Drag Race España* season 2 queen Flor; *Drag Race Philippines* season 2 competitor M1ss Jade So, and Michael Marouli from *RuPaul’s Drag Race UK* season 5.

Lala Ri for 'Drag Race Down Under vs. the World' cast.

Also returning to judge the all-star *Down Under* edition are Michelle Visage, Rhys Nicholson, and Lazy Susan, winner of *Drag Race Down Under *season 4.

*Drag Race Down Under vs. the World* is the third of the *Vs. the World *iterations, with others preceding it in the United Kingdom and Canada.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Past winners of the *Vs. the World *seasons include Blu Hydrangea, Tia Kofi, Gawdland, Ra’Jah O’Hara, and Lemon.

*Drag Race Down Under vs. the World* season 2 premieres July 24 on the WOW Presents Plus streaming app. See the full cast’s promo shoot above.

- RuPaul's Drag Race Fandom

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Source: “EW RuPaul”