“Should I leave now?” Our Latest Eliminated Drag Race Down Under Vs The World Queen Reveals The Struggles Of The Competition

Spanish fan favourite Estrella Xtravaganza talks pairing with Art Simone, navigating the Australian accents, her elimination by M1ss Jade So and the Snatch Game character viewers nearly saw on Drag Race Down Under Vs The World.

After reaching the finale of Drag Race España season two with two challenge wins, Estrella Xtravaganza returned to the franchise ready to represent Spain on the global stage.

Four episodes into Drag Race Down Under Vs The World, the beloved Spanish comedy queen had experienced the full roller-coaster of the competition, placing low in the premiere before rising to the top, sailing safely through Snatch Game and ultimately landing in the bottom.

Episode four saw the queens tasked with choosing a partner before the latest twist was revealed: each pair would select one of the other queen’s outfits and completely redesign it in their own signature style.

Estrella chose Down Under season one finalist Art Simone, someone she adored and admired.

Art and Jade ultimately emerged as the top two queens of the week, leaving Estrella and Vybe vulnerable in the bottom.

After Jade won the lip sync, she chose to save Vybe, bringing Estrella’s international run to an end.

Following her elimination, Estrella spoke with The Star Observer about her time in the competition, the language barrier she encountered, her admiration for Art Simone and why she believed she was going home regardless of who won the lip sync.

Estrella Xtravaganza found herself surrounded by formidable competitors

Despite appearing to embrace every moment of the competition, Estrella admitted that joining a cast filled with established international stars initially left her questioning whether she belonged.

“Yeah, that was mostly the case, because I was a little in my head for a moment. I don’t know if they showed that in the episodes, or maybe it’s in this episode when I share more about it. I’m not sure. But yes, I was a little in my head because it’s quite stressful being there when most of the girls know each other. There were five from Down Under who knew each other, and three girls from the US, who are big competitors.”

“On the first day, when I was with Raven and Nicole Paige Brooks, I was like, ‘Should I leave now? Should I stay?’ I enjoyed it a lot, but I was a little in my head.”

As a queen best known for comedy, Estrella also faced a challenge that many of her fashion focused competitors did not: finding a way to make her particular style of drag translate across languages.

“I think Spain is quite a big franchise, and a lot of people love the Spain franchise. But the language barrier is something. I got to do a tour in Mexico last year, and a lot of people loved me. I could talk with them very fluently because my kind of drag is comedy. If you’re a fashion queen, your language is more international, but with comedy I think it’s more difficult.”

Estrella was previously called for Global All Stars

Down Under Vs The World was not the first international season Estrella had been considered for.

The Spanish finalist revealed she had previously received a call about competing on Global All Stars. Although she did not ultimately make the cast, the experience left her anticipating another opportunity to return to Drag Race.

“I was kind of expecting the call because, two years before, they called me for Global All Stars and I didn’t go to Global All Stars. So I was expecting to have a call another time.”

“I’m not going to say the call didn’t surprise me. It was like, ‘Oh my God—now?’ They called me in August, and I’m always on holiday in August with my family. It was kind of stressful because I didn’t know if I should say yes or no. I was thinking, ‘Should I go? Shouldn’t I go?’ It’s always stressful to be on Drag Race again.”

Estrella clarified that she had taken part in the casting process but was not selected for the final Global All Stars lineup.

“No, I didn’t make it. I know they called some Spanish girls, but I don’t know if I can tell that. I’m not sure if I can say it. They called me, but in the end I didn’t make it, and none of the Spanish girls made it. So yes, I was expecting the call.”

Art Simone’s Australian accent proved to be another challenge

The language barrier became particularly apparent when Estrella began getting to know Art Simone.

While the pair formed a close bond during the competition, understanding the rapid fire Australian queen was not always easy.

“A little! Wow. I remember trying to understand Art for the first few days. Oh my God, girl, it was crazy. I really, really love Art—I deeply love her—but sometimes she speaks so fast. I’m from southern Spain, and when we speak Spanish, we’re also the kind of people who speak fast and drop half the words, so I understand that this is the way she speaks. But it was so stressful talking with her and thinking, ‘Wow, she has said an entire phrase—an entire argument in this conversation—and I didn’t understand a single word.’ For the first three days, it was like, ‘Girl, should I leave? Because I don’t understand anything she’s saying.’”

Despite those early communication struggles, Estrella’s affection and admiration for Art continued to grow, making her an obvious choice when the queens were asked to select their partners for the episode four design challenge.

Choosing Art Simone was a decision from the heart

When it came time to choose a partner, Estrella was not thinking strategically.

Instead, she saw the challenge as an opportunity to work closely with someone she had come to deeply admire.

“No, it was because I really love her and wanted the chance to work with her. Just because of that—because I really admire Art.”

However, the pairing produced dramatically different outcomes for the two queens.

Art’s transformation of Estrella’s garment landed her in the top, while Estrella’s redesigned look placed her in the bottom alongside Vybe.

Although she was disappointed by the result, Estrella remained proud of what she had presented throughout the season.

“Yeah, I think so. I’m so happy with the first runway—the red one. I’m so happy with it. I even brought it back because I like that look. I’m really happy with the episodes. I’m really happy with all of the media.”

Estrella knew she was going home

As Art Simone and M1ss Jade So prepared to lip sync, Estrella faced two potential outcomes.

Had Art won, Estrella believed the Australian queen would protect fellow Down Under competitor Vybe. However, a victory for Jade seemingly offered the Spanish star another path forward if she was saved.

Instead, Jade chose to save Vybe after being declared the winner of the lip sync.

For Estrella, the result confirmed what she had already expected.

“‘I’m going home.’ That’s what I thought. At the end of the day, it’s Down Under vs the World. What I think happens with versus-the-world franchises is that there are five girls from Down Under, and I really think maybe they should stick together. For the girls from the other franchises, if they want to make friends, maybe they have to say, ‘Okay, girls, I’m playing with you. I want to stay with you.’ I don’t know. I think Vybe was making great relationships, and I think she deserved to be there.”

Estrella believed Vybe’s ability to form relationships within the competition may have helped influence Jade’s final decision.

“Yeah, I think so. English isn’t Jade’s first language either, but she manages English much better than I do. Even if you didn’t see her season, she’s one of the favourites of all time. I think the girls also wanted to have Jada close.”

While her elimination arrived earlier than she hoped, Estrella left the competition having shown audiences more than the comedy for which she is best known in Spain.

Her voice breaking when she realizes that she lives so far away from the others😭😭Estrella Xtravaganza you are so loved, queen#DragRaceDownUnder #DragRace pic.twitter.com/7Vc78NnAx6

— luzer⋆🌵⋆ 🐧🐻 #TeamAuroraMatrix #RoundOneSeries (@_Deluzion) August 14, 2026

Puss in Boots nearly appeared on Snatch Game

Before episode four’s design challenge, Estrella survived the season’s Snatch Game after impersonating Spanish-American entertainer Charo.

Although the character carried her safely through the challenge, Charo had not originally been Estrella’s first choice.

Instead, she entered the competition hoping to portray an animated character voiced by the iconic Antonio Banderas.

“I had another option that was really my first option. I really wanted to do it: Puss in Boots from Shrek. I love him. The voice of Puss in Boots was Antonio Banderas, and he’s from Málaga, in Andalucía. I was thinking about doing his Spanish accent while speaking in English. I was so happy with that character, but they told me that maybe Charo was someone people knew more than Puss in Boots. That’s why I chose her. But I don’t really know that much about Charo; I’m not a huge fan or anything.”

While Puss in Boots never made it to the Snatch Game stage, Estrella has not abandoned the character.

“I know. I can’t wait to do it another time.”

Estrella Xtravaganza proved she could do more than comedy

When asked to name the proudest moment of her Down Under Vs The World journey, Estrella did not choose Snatch Game or one of her runway presentations.

Instead, she looked back to the girl group challenge, where she earned a high placement and showed international audiences another side of her drag.

“I think maybe when I was in the top—well, high—in the girl group challenge. Here in Spain, I’m known for being a comedy queen and for being funny. But I know I can dance, and I like to dance. It was a kind of girl group challenge, and I’m so happy that I was high and that people could see I can do more things than just be funny.”

Although her time in the competition came to an end in episode four, Estrella departed with her humour, warmth and unmistakable personality intact and the fire for her next shot at the crown.

Drag Race Down Under Vs The World is streaming on Stan in Australia, with new episodes dropping every Friday at 5pm.