From the producers of RuPaul's Drag Race, Paramount+ is launching a brand-new competition series, Queen Of The Universe, featuring live singing from international drag performers. After expanding the Drag Race franchise to so many different parts of the world, RuPaul and World of Wonder are now unleashing a new drag-centric competition series known as Queen Of The Universe. Fans have been eagerly waiting for new information about this series since it reportedly entered production in early 2021.
With ViacomCBS intensely pushing its new streaming service, it was subsequently announced that Queen Of The Universe would stream exclusively on Paramount+. Then, Eurovision host and RuPaul's Drag Race UK judge Graham Norton was announced as the host of this new show. The judging panel was later revealed as featuring longtime Drag Race judge Michelle Visage, All Stars 3 winner Trixie Mattel, legendary actress and singer Vanessa Williams, and The X Factor winner Leona Lewis.
Now, it's been announced that Queen Of The Universe will premiere on Paramount+ on Thursday, December 2. The show is expected to release new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+. Unlike other streaming services, however, Paramount+ is known for releasing one episode per week. This inaugural season will feature 14 international contestants: Ada Vox (Texas, US), Arla B. Cassadine (Georgia, US), Betty Bitschlap (Denmark), Chy'enne Valentino (Illinois, US), Gingzilla (Australia), Grag Queen (Brazil), Jujubee (Massachusetts, US), La Voix (UK), Leona Winter (France), Matante Alex (Canada), Novaczar (New York, US), Rani Ko-He-Nur (India), Regina Voce (Mexico), Woowu (China).
The filming of Queen Of The Universe season 1 took place at the Excel Centre in London. In accordance with local COVID-19 protocols, the series was still able to be filmed in front of a live audience. Filming reportedly took place on September 28 and 29, as well as October 1, 4, 6, and 8. This show appears to follow a similar format to singing competitions such as American Idol and The Voice. However, given that this is the first season of Queen Of The Universe, fans will have to wait for more details regarding the full format of the series. Nonetheless, it's been made clear that this show is totally unrelated to Drag Race despite featuring Michelle Visage and Trixie Mattel as judges and Jujubee as a contestant.
This is the first truly international competition featuring drag performers from all over the world. It's also the first reality series on TV to challenge drag performers to sing live throughout the entire competition. Lots of queens have done that in past seasons of Drag Race, but Queen Of The Universe is all about live singing from start to finish.
Queen Of The Universe premieres Thursday, December 2 on Paramount+.