November 22, 2023
With Season 1 Winner, 'Drag Race Germany' Breaks New Ground in Franchise
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The "RuPaul's Drag Race" global franchise scored a new groundbreaking moment with the Season 1 finale of "Drag Race Germany."
Entertainment Weekly reported that the reality show's freshman season "ended Tuesday with the coronation of Pandora Nox as its inaugural Drag Race Superstar, marking the first time since 'Drag Race' debuted in the United States in 2009 that a cis woman has won any of the 14-year-old series' competitive seasons."
Competition was tough right to the end. "Nox went up against Metamorkid and Yvonne Nightstand in the finale," UPI recounted. "The trio of contestants performed a lip-sync dance number to RuPaul's 'Call Me Mother' and brought their best drag looks to the runway."
Nox declared in her victory remarks that her win was "really, extremely overwhelming because I'm not just the first winner of 'Drag Race Germany,' but also the first cis woman," UPI relayed.
In a confessional, she addressed viewers, saying: "To everybody out there, I think this is the best example that, even if something seems impossible, you can still dream, and dreams sometimes do come true. So, go for it. Thank you."
Source: Courtesy of World of Wonder
EW recalled that Nox is not the first cisgender woman to compete in the franchise, though she is the first to snatch the crown. Other cis women who have competed include "'RuPaul's Drag Race UK' and 'Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World' star Victoria Scone and 'Drag Race España' queen Clover Bish."
Added the report: " 'The Boulet Brothers' Dragula' also crowned a cis woman as winner when drag king Landon Cider was named season 3 victor in 2019."
The "Drag Race" phenomenon has spread across the world, with more international versions still pending. EW noted that "other iterations air... in Thailand, Chile, the U.K., Canada, Holland, Australia, Spain, Italy, France, the Philippines, Belgium, Sweden, Mexico, and Brazil.
"A 'Global All Stars' edition is also in the works, with multiple contestants from various worldwide competitors set to return to the competition."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
