“Drag Race” deceives contestants, viewers by revealing iconic returning queen was actually secret mole: ‘Not happy’

Joey NolfiFri, July 31, 2026 at 8:41 PM UTC

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Raven on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under vs. the World’; Nicole Paige Brooks on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’Credit: WOW Presents PlusKey Points -

Drag Race Down Under vs. the World duped fans, contestants, and Entertainment Weekly by in a shocking episode.

Michelle Visage revealed that season 2 alum Raven, who competed on episode 1 of Down Under vs. the World, was actually an undercover guest judge the whole time.

Raven was previously announced as part of the cast in an official press release obtained by EW, which touted her as an official contestant.

Well, perhaps RuPaul’s Drag Race icon and Drag Race Down Under vs. the World star Nicole Paige Brooks put it best upon learning about the franchise’s latest shocking (and deceptive) twist: “Are you f---ing kidding me?”

Episode 2 of the Australian spinoff (hosted by longtime Drag Race judge Michelle Visage) shocked viewers and competing queens after revealing that returning contestant Raven — who previously competed alongside Nicole on the American edition’s season 2 in 2010 — was actually a secret mole the whole time.

Visage gathered the 10 all-star contestants (also including All Stars 8’s Lala Ri) to inform them about a Kylie Minogue-themed challenge, and told them that they’d be performing “in front of an extremely special guest judge, and that extra, extra special someone is... in this room right now!” The cast excitedly looked around the room, clearly expecting Minogue herself to join them.

Michelle Visage and Raven shock ‘Drag Race Down Under vs. the World’ contestantsCredit: WOW Presents Plus

However, Visage instead went on to make the following announcement: “Joining the judges panel tomorrow will be: Raven,” she said, as Raven stepped out from the contestant lineup to join Visage at the front of the room.

“I’m not happy,” Nicole said in a confessional. “Yeah, I’m not excited about this now that she’s revealed as a f---ing judge. What was all that bonding? Was it all fake again?”

Back in the Werk Room, Visage explained that “Raven is not — I repeat — is not a contestant,” and that she “asked Raven to be my mole to get to know you all as quickly as possible, and now that assignment has come to an end.”

Nicole wasn’t the only person deceived by the move. A June 23 press release announcing the Drag Race Down Under vs. the World cast formally touted Raven as one of “the eleven queens returning to compete,” and explicitly listed her as a contestant — and even included a photo of her posing alongside the rest of the cast in the group promo portrait.

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Later in the most recent episode of Down Under vs. the World, Raven formally sat on the judging panel in full drag, and presided over the competition alongside Visage.

“I was going to compete just like anyone else,” Raven, who previously won an Emmy for her work on RuPaul’s makeup, added in a confessional of her own. “I think I did show you that I am that bitch and I’ll always be that bitch.”

Michelle Visage and Raven on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under vs. the World’Credit: WOW Presents Plus

She admitted that she was “really harsh with Nicole on season 2, but I changed and I do really genuinely like Nicole” after reuniting with her on the set of Down Under vs. the World.

Fans of the franchise will remember that speculation about a contestant “mole” dating back to All Stars 3, when many viewers assumed that returning contender BeBe Zahara Benet — who won season 1 of the show — was actually a secret mole infiltrating the contestants as a spy for RuPaul, given that she’d already won the crown. That speculation, however, proved to be unfounded, and BeBe ultimately placed third on the season overall.

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Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Drag Race production company World of Wonder for comment.

Drag Race Down Under vs. the World airs weekly on WOW Presents Plus.

on Entertainment Weekly

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