Rhys Nicholson On Drag Race Down Under Season 4 Being A Cast of ‘Assassins’
Image: Photo: Monika Pronk, supplied
Rhys Nicholson, one of the beloved judges of Drag Race Down Under, is back for the show’s fourth season and couldn’t be more thrilled about its direction. In a candid discussion with Star Observer, Nicholson shared insights into the new season, praised Michelle Visage’s seamless transition as host, and offered their take on the remarkable chemistry of this year’s cast.
Rhys Nicholson on S4 being the strongest yet
Nicholson didn’t hold back in praising the season’s queens. “It sounds like such a pre-rehearsed line, but I think this is absolutely our strongest cast,” they said.
Highlighting the performers’ collective prowess, they add, “There’s something about the concentration this year of like, everyone is like slamming their pussies into the floor. All of them are assassins.”
Nicholson also credited the season’s success to the queens’ fresh attitudes. “They’ve come in without baggage,” they explain. “They haven’t come with an attitude of ‘I knew this queen from this thing and why isn’t she performing exactly the way that I wanted her to perform’.”
“We’re kind of learning, we’re meeting a lot of these girls fresh and it feels like a season where they’re all getting on and they’re working together as a unit.”
“[But] there’s gonna be drama, don’t worry about it,” says Nicholson reassuringly. “Some seasons on other franchises you watch as well it feels like there’s kind of a toxicity to it and there’s none of that this year, like the queens are looking after each other and they want to make a good show.”
Michelle Visage’s seamless hosting debut
Michelle Visage stepped into the hosting role following RuPaul’s departure this season, and Nicholson couldn’t be prouder of her.
“If you’re watching Drag Race only for RuPaul, you’re watching it for the wrong reason,” they assert. “It’s about the queens, the competition, and Michelle has really blown everyone away.”
Nicholson reveals that Visage took her role seriously, occasionally feeling the weight of the responsibility.
“She was nervous. Like there were times we would be on set and she would cover of her mic and be like ‘is this ok?’ ‘This is good right?’ And I would always be like ‘yeah, it’s really fucking good’. Like people are gonna eat this up.”
“She felt the pressure of filling big shoes, but she filled them and stomped around in them.”
Her nurturing side shone through as well. “Michelle has a mothering attitude,” says Nicholson. “The job that she got now has given her an opportunity to be more mothering, which I would say having worked with her for four years now is like her default setting.”
Nicholson also says that they saw the caring and nurturing side of Michelle, both on and off screen.
“When we our dressing rooms were next to each other. She’s getting her face done while he’s talking to her kids like on the phone and like everything she’s doing is for her family, and that comes out in the show.”
This season has given Michelle more of those moments, and Nicholson highlights a particularly emotional moment for Max in episode three.
“We saw the last episode with Max telling us that her mother had passed away. Michelle knows exactly what that feels like and was able to comfort her in a very kind of real way.”
“And you don’t see all of what happened that day. But we were crying, and [the] things that Michelle was able to say in that moment were very important.”
Breaking the dreaded Down Under Snatch Game curse
Nicholson also mentions the latest twist on Snatch Game, which saw queens divided into two groups as a smart production choice.
“Trying to squeeze that many queens into one Snatch Game would’ve been fucking chaos,” they laugh. “This gave them more space to shine.”
Reflecting on those who have criticised the decision, they believe it simply comes down to understanding television production. “I think people just don’t understand how TV shows are made and sometimes you just have to do that to make it seem less chaotic.”
Nicholson also highlights that the long-running struggle with the iconic challenge in the Down Under franchise: “We broke the curse. I think the curse is over!”
Snatch Game, Nicholson says, is a particularly unique challenge for Down Under queens.
“Snatch Game is a funny thing for Down Under drag because we don’t do impersonation in the same way and so celebrity impersonation isn’t in our blood in the way that it is in, say, American drag or even English drag. So I think we finally had at least, we had a decent Snatch Game. Good for us!”
Rhys Nicholson gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of DRDU
With Visage now at the helm, the judges’ decision-making process has become more collaborative.
Notably, Michelle now announces that ‘we have made our decision’ — rather than RuPaul‘s iconic line of ‘I have made my decision’.
“In the past, the decision was presented as Ru’s alone, maybe to shield the other judges from backlash. Now, we’re more openly involved” reflects Nicholson.
“I think part of it was just Michelle wanting to be a little bit more open about the process. It has felt nice to have a little bit more say, but it’s not like it’s wildly different.”
However they reveal that there have been times over the four seasons where they’ve had an influence on deciding who goes and who stays. “I won’t name what they were, but there’s been probably 3 or 4 times in the history of the seasons that I feel like I’ve been able to say something that has changed the trajectory of the outcome.”
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One of the most difficult parts of that process, Nicholson explains, is making the decision collectively whilst the queens are standing in front of them. “The way that we used to do it with Ru is, she we would have a fan up [in front of her face] and we would talk to like the people in the control room about how they think it went, because also, you know, the people in the control room are seeing it from all angles.”
With the queens awaiting their fate, the judges are pressed to make their decision as subtly and as quickly as possible.
“We have a list of Queens in front of us and I would like kind of circle or put a line to people,” Nicholson explains. “We might as well be like typing it out in Braille or something, as we kind of try to do it without anyone knowing what’s going on because [the queens] are standing right there and it’s real.”
“Then after Michelle would circle the name and show it and we’re like, ‘yeah’.”
After the emotional decision is made, Rhys says they avoid eye contact at all costs. “I just look nowhere because I know that in that moment it’s moments before they are about to be told they’re going home or they’ve won. I just have to look anywhere because otherwise I’m just gonna accidentally make eye contact and be like ‘ohh, I’m so sorry!’”
But ultimately for Rhys Nicholson and the judges, they are acutely aware of the gravity of the decisions they are making in the lives of these queens, which they always try and handle with grace and kindness.
“We just try and communicate without hurting anyone’s feelings or making them feel like they’re just part of the process. Because this a big moment in someone’s life and I think it’s easy to forget that.”
The evolving role of Rhys Nicholson & the judges
As the only judge to remain since the series’ inception, Nicholson has seen their role grow. “I feel like I’m involved in the conversations more these days,” they explain.
“I’ve been a performer for years, and I try to act as a conduit for the audience. I’m there to experience what’s happening in the room and almost be like a canary down the mine” they laugh.
Nicholson emphasised their long-standing love for the show, recalling their excitement each time they’ve been asked to return.
“It’s never lost on me that I get to watch a lip sync for your life like that, as someone who’s been a fan of the show, you know.”
“I used to have a podcast about Drag Race that I quietly took down when I got [the judging role],” they reveal, laughing. “You can’t find it anywhere. I’ve gotten rid of it!”
“But I’m such a fan of the show and I’m so excited that I get to still be there after four years.”
Nicholson’s DRDU standout moments and queens
When asked about standout queens from the season opener, Rhys Nicholson singled out Lazy Susan for her versatility and creativity.
“She was able, in the two runways in the same episode, to be like, ‘look, I’m a fucking horrifying horror monster, but I also know about our history’. She gave us two distinct looks and showed us exactly who she is. She’s someone to watch.”
Another queen that caught their eye was Queensland queen Mandy Moobs, after her incredible efforts during the design challenge.
“Fucking Mandy, fucking Mandy!” Nicholson exclaims, adding that a huge amount of their gobsmacked reactions to her outfits are likely on the cutting room floor. “To me it is like watching someone do a magic trick every night.”
“So when she was like, ‘Oh, I made this in afternoon’, I was like, ‘You shut the fuck up! How? How dare you? How?’” they laugh.
Rhys Nicholson’s enthusiasm for Drag Race Down Under remains infectious, with their mix of humour, sincerity, and deep love for the show and our Down Under queens shining through. As the season progresses, it’s clear that Nicholson and the rest of the cast are delivering their best season yet — and the fans are loving it.
You can watch the full interview with Rhys Nicholson and Michael James below.
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