Premiered: August 17, 2022
Starring: Paolo Ballesteros, Jiggly Caliente, KaladKaren, Rajo Laurel, BJ Pascual, Jon Santos, Dheyle Dizon, Jaycee Sahagun, JP Ocat, Ricardo de Jesus, Precious Paula Nicole, Marina Summers, Eva Le Queen, Xilhouete, Minty Fresh, Brigiding, Viñas DeLuxe, Lady Morgana, Turing, Gigi Era, Corazon & Prince Marell
Guest Judges: Pops Fernandez, Pokwang, Nadine Lustre, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Pia Wurtzbach, Patrick Starrr & Boy Abunda
Drag Race Philippines doesn’t shy away from the drama in its first season, but rough camera work and audio problems distract from the competition.
Filipino drag queen Paolo Ballesteros hosts the competition to find the first Filipino drag superstar alongside judges Jiggly Caliente (RuPaul’s Drag Race season four and All Stars season six), television personality KaladKaren, photographer BJ Pascual, designer Rajo Laurel and comedian Jon Santos.
While the queens are exquisite, the majority of episodes run around 90 minutes and it gives a (pun not intended) dragging feeling. Episodes could easily be edited down with content.
There are times when the background music is too loud and drowns out the judges and contestants. Extreme closeups of the judges that make the panel look awkward while many freehand filmed moments are too shaky.
Final say: Production needs to up its game. ★★★☆☆
Not So New Review 