Culture

Canada’s Drag Race star Rita Baga to host Belgium spin-off

By Sam Damshenas

6th July 2022

Rita Baga has been announced as the host for the first season of Drag Race Belgique.

The latest international iteration in RuPaul’s Emmy Award-winning empire will highlight the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent of the Belgian drag community, and will be the second series in French following Drag Race France.

Rita, the third former alumni to host a series of Drag Race after Brooke Lynn Hytes and Nicky Doll, memorably shot to fame as a contestant on the first season of the Canadian spin-off, where she won three maxi-challenges (more than any other competitor) and placed runner-up behind Priyanka.

“Three years after participating in the first season of Canada’s Drag Race, what an honor to reunite with the Drag Race franchise team as the host of the very first edition of Drag Race Belgique!” Rita said in a statement.

“Belgium, where I lived a few years ago to complete my university studies, has always had a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to meet my Belgian colleagues. The Belgian drag scene is wonderful and I feel privileged to contribute to make it shine.

“From the beginning of my career, I wanted to democratise the art of drag and make this wonderful, magical universe accessible to everyone. To see that today, I can continue this mission beyond borders, it is the most beautiful thing that there is.

“It’s a dream come true! And now, may the best drag queen win!”

Drag Race Belgique will air exclusively on WOW Presents Plus in the UK and globally outside of Belgium, where it will air in 2023 on Tipik.

New iterations of RuPaul’s Drag Race have also been confirmed for the Philippines and Sweden, the former of which will premiere 17 August 2022.

In a statement confirming the latter, World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato said: “Drag Race and the art of drag are worldwide phenomena that continue to attract global viewers, so we are thrilled to introduce a fierce new group of queens with Drag Race Sweden.

“As our drag family continues to grow, we look forward to watching these new queens sashay onto our screens.”

This year alone has witnessed brand new seasons in countries such as the US, UK, Spain and France, with more to follow in territories such as Canada, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.