The Drag Race Elimination That Cancelled a Franchise

[@zackidc]

i think holland is truly an example of production suicide. the first season of holland had the looks, talent and drama necessary for a good series but ultimately the issues with the judging just made the second season unwatchable.

[@idunnowhatimdoin]

i mostly agree and i think inconsistent judging in general is a big problem for drag race in all its incarnations. However, I don't know about unwatchable. As the vid pointed out, not many people were watching before the scandal. We gotta recognize sometimes we don't tune unless it's a train wreck 😅

[@MilesToGoGo]

Holland Season 1 is one of my favorite seasons of all time in any franchise. The runways are still unmatched to this day. I was so disappointed by season 2 it still bums me out that we may never get a redemption for Holland ☹️

[@zackidc]

@@idunnowhatimdoin that’s fair unwatchable may be extreme. there was so much bad judging on both seasons😭

[@legoqueen2445]

The creativity shown by the queens in season 1 was so unique and beautiful! I wanted to watch Season 2 because seeing Keta on Vs had me so impressed, I needed more! But they've removed Holland from the streaming service here. I'll need to wait till I have money to pay for World of Wonder.

[@DdumbaStyle]

Fun fact: Keta Minaj is the ONLY queen in all of Drag Race to have 3+ wins and not be a finalist 😢

[@pup2]

aside from all stars

[@uinventedwhat8975]

olivia lux lol

[@Fortunillo]

@@uinventedwhat8975 Olivia had 2 wins.

[@pedrocunial]

3 wins in 7 episodes btw

[@dirtyrat7181]

@@pup2and Thailand

[@felixhatton7334]

It’s the way production just did NOT care about Holland. Reusing lip sync songs, having a DRESS as a prize for season 1, and really not being able to guess what the fans will like. Did they seriously think a front runner getting sent home by a queen that should have been disqualified the episode prior would just be ignored by the fans? Genuinely insane

[@weirdcrap4951]

the fact that a dress was the prize for season 1... what a joke

[@felixhatton7334]

@@weirdcrap4951 literally omg. Glad to see Envy looks great in it but like girl

[@felixhatton7334]

@@weirdcrap4951 it wasn’t even that great of a dress I can’t lie

[@sanrav8093]

And it's not even a custom one like imagine sederginne in that dress lmao

[@felixhatton7334]

@@sanrav8093 that too lol

[@ColtonMyers1]

I don’t think Keta’s placement on UKvTW should exclude her from potentially hosting Holland Season 3. Nicky Doll went home early, and wasn’t necessarily globally renowned - yet, she landed the host gig for France and has done an impeccable job. Keta would be a great choice: both as a prior contestant who did well, and as someone who experienced the riggory firsthand and would likely seek to avoid it.

[@josephkissel6062]

No offense to any of the winners of "Vs" seasons, but due to the nature of how queens are sent home, it's a bit more like "All Stars" in that it's far more of a showcase than something approaching an actual competition ... Keta could have / probably should have stayed but as Tia pointed out, Gothy needed the experience and exposure more and I think her extra week on the show was lovely if just a hair misguided ...

[@Razorgirl]

Tia kept Gothy because they weren’t a threat. None of the Drag Race franchises are a competition. People go home because the Producers decide that’s who they want to go home. Deserving to go home rarely plays a part The Producers use editing to make their decisions palatable to audiences. Drag Race Holland failed to hide that construction. So has the US season (many, many times).

[@vstoneman]

Keta is so overated. She had an inflated track record and gets more praise than what was presented by her than what she deserves.

[@SerdarWatches]

Fred is overall THE worst host in the entire franchise tbh. Her scandalous decisions, the insincerity and her blant favoritism towards to Vivaldi! If Holland ever gonna be come back i hope they bring Envy or Vanessa as a host!

[@florianmotao3165]

The worst host is Priscilla

[@popcorn5866]

Not Vanessa, she’s also fake af 😅

[@IndigoDeep]

​@@florianmotao3165gurl not after she became mother marble

[@nicojimenez9614]

​@@popcorn5866nepa nepa nepa!😂😂😂😂😂

[@matirose74]

@@florianmotao3165girl Priscilla had the best glow up in S3

[@pedromenchik1961]

I think an important context that is missing is that both The Countess and Vivaldi had a previous relationship with Fred (the host), and it looks like they were being favored.

[@rubenhazenbos8232]

People always bring this one up but Vivaldi was not Fred's wig stylist in season 1. The Countess was his makeup artist but Vivaldi was not involved in production and I don't think she even personally knew him, Fred just bought some wigs for her, like almost every single queen on the season also did bc Vivaldi was just the only person in the country selling these types of wigs.

[@1bwash]

As much as people want to shit on WOW, I honestly think at this point to protect the brand, they need to be more involved at least in giving guidance and rubrics on how to judge and conduct a fair competition. I'm really hoping Spain gets a huge slap on the wrist for how they're handling their All Stars.

[@WhiteBear2024]

​@@1bwashI agree, but the original franchise is rigged like crazy too, so...

[@1bwash]

@@WhiteBear2024 it’s not nearly this bad and whatever the case may be, RuPaul has the credentials and influence to make whatever decisions she wants. They’re at how many Emmy’s at this point? The other franchises don’t have that, so they need to kind of be policed a bit. It’s unfair to the queens otherwise. Sethlas isn’t going to be respected as some great all stars winner like Chad Michaels or something. It’s going to be “oh yeah that weird rigged season no one was happy with.”

[@awkndr1524]

@@WhiteBear2024 At least, RuPaul is practically unfamiliar to all of the recent queens so the riggory just occurs within the season... and not because Ru knew them before filming even started.

[@crispycol4904]

As a Dutchie myself, I think it is such a shame that Holland got cancelled. Fred is just a horrible judge, I think with a rebranding, Holland could be revived again. The talent is there, like I know the talent. It just feels weird that the first non-English native speaking spin-off, the first country in the world that legalised same-sex marriage, is just not there anymore. I would say replace Fred with Envy, she is polished enough to lead this franchise. Have Nikkie de Jager as the co-host and Carlo Boshart and Raven van Dorst as rotating judges.

[@MONKEYDZETS]

Give it to Pajina

[@LetsWinWithTim]

As a fellow Dutchie, I am glad you said this. Fred was a HORRIBLE judge.

[@Paulimograph]

Nope, Thailand was the first non-English native speaking spin-off

[@crispycol4904]

@@Paulimograph , yes you're right, I forgot. But seeing as it gets a S3 after like 5 years... there is hope

[@ChrystalVanDusseldorp]

The Dutch queens are so beautiful and talented, I hope they get the platform back. 🤞

[@rngllr1]

At DragCon UK I met Vanessa and we discussed if the show would ever return. She said that the drama between her and Vivaldi was a big reason they stopped the franchise as it was a lot more heated than what was shown to the public. Love Drag Race Holland and wish for its eventual return!!

[@BeckywiseTheDancingClown]

That makes sense, it was so unfair how Vivaldi barely got a slap on the wrist

[@PatrickJohn-u6v]

I loved this franchise so much.

[@UndercoverBunny86]

​@@PatrickJohn-u6v its such a shame, cause S1 had been AMAZING (in spite of Fred saving Abby just to keep the drama going), S2 had an AMAZING cast and they really effed themselves up by saving The Countess just cause she was part of staff on S1 and Vivaldi because they wanted to push her as a front runner. They're both incredible artists, but it's sad that saving their asses just because, and now knowing that the Vanessa vs. Vivaldi thing got worst, really put the final nail in the coffin

[@SocarellaDeToussaint]

Mother Vanessa Van Cartier is the ghostface of Drag. If you have a phone, she's slaying you.

[@sevds000]

not the ghostface of drag ☠️

[@checkersabrina21]

LOL why did this make me spill my morning coffee

[@Arek.Arkadiusz]

There is some behind the scenes drama, which makes 2 of the discussed eliminations even worse. Countess made Fred's make-up in season one. Vivaldi made her wigs for season one. Two of the queens, who worked for the production of season one were unfairly saved from elimination. That is just crazy.

[@RayatoTV]

You didn’t even mention the bombshell that The Countess had a close personal relationship with Fred and was even her makeup artist in Holland S1. Conflict of interest, if I ever heard of one.

[@willem9538]

People don't understand though that this is almost impossible to navigate. The Netherlands is tiny and the majority of succesfull entertainers live in Amsterdam or within an hour drive of Amsterdam. The longest car ride you can have without leaving the country is 4.5 hours from top to the very bottom. Everyone knows each other if you work in the same industry and since Drag Race is such a big platform, I imagine that the Countess wouldn't been devastated if her make-up job meant not being able to compete and show your skills world wide. The alternative would've been to not hire Fred, but hire a real drag queen but that's the downside of people like Fred being on multi-annual contracts at the tv network (not even knowing which shows they'll be involved in). Fred could've at least been fairer about it and they should've had clearer checks/balances in place, but the conflict of interest is unavoidable in a country like the Netherlands. It's all about how you navigate it.

[@Elise-wo4xf]

​@@willem9538 Yea, the issue isn't that Countess worked with Fred on season 1, the problem is that she was blatantly favored during the lip sync against Ivy Elyse, even with the edit it was crystal clear Ivy demolished her, and they even shamelessly admitted they saved the Countess just for having a better track record, making the lip sync lose its purpose

[@amberjunemeinen8120]

And Vivaldi was her hairstylist for season 1. Wonder why they were favored….👀👀

[@razrv3lc]

@@amberjunemeinen8120Vivaldi wasn’t her hairstylist. Fred bought wigs from Vivaldi… like literally everyone on the season because she was the only one in the country making drag wigs like that lmao

[@amberjunemeinen8120]

@@razrv3lc yeah true production bought the wigs from Vivaldi but she was on set during filming to maintain the wigs only for Fred. Not for anyone else who bought wigs from her.

[@feiery]

If they bring it back they need to rebrand it as Drag Race Netherlands. And most definitely NOT invite Fred back as host.

[@Gay4mi1fz]

Yea they should have envy or Vanessa as the host or cohost

[@johnnybaxter8078]

And they should cast Flemish-Belgian queens too, they are like half of the Netherlands' population, that's a lot of queens that could be casted instead of having an all-Amsterdam season 💀 (season 2)

[@dallasbernieri9156]

I don’t think I would ever recover if I was eliminated like Keta was. Keta was 100% winning had she gotten to that finale. She had a near perfect track record and didn’t bomb the lip sync, she was as good as Vivaldi. I’d be forever pissed. She lost a crown because of some shady judge that wanted to be different and silly. Keta deserves better.

[@lerdog]

Thankfully, I'd say the unfair elimination made international fans more aware of her, probably way more than if she had won. She's one of the 3 or 4 international queens I know by name because of how awful the elimination was. It shouldn't have happened, but she's doing fine.

[@DelosFive]

And she just lost out to Gothy! The cringe!

[@willem9538]

I've spoken to her about this and she has recovered fine, though realized she had been naive about how much of the show was produced and how much is about making a story. We went with our office to one-ff a drag make-up course with her and she was lovely.

[@bluecircle06]

​@@DelosFivelike fr love gothy, but babe she literally wanted a sagittaria for herself lmao

[@josephkissel6062]

As they always say, your time on Drag Race is just the beginning ...

[@toecutterjones]

Sederginne's elimination in season one was when I knew Holland was not it.

[@linppl]

Sederginne‘s elimination is justified，did you see how she looked

[@1bwash]

Whatever happened to the rumors about Sederginne getting on Canada vs the World? I would love to see it!

[@johnnybaxter8078]

@@1bwash they gave the chop to many international options bc processing canadian visas for them would take too long

[@ghostlycorpse]

FRRRRR

[@JurrBTful]

Eventhough Envy was one of the best contestants, she did get a lot of praise and wins, when others were equally good, or even better. No hate to Envy though. She's talented, polished and a great queen and a deserved winner. She was good.

[@wildcard7449]

I think its also imporant to acknowledge that Holland has had bad issues with judging since Season 1 - watching Chelseaboy and Sederginne dominate every week only to be sent home once was definitely crazy to watch - it just amazes me how it managed to get SO MUCH WORSE in Season 2

[@ihaveanopinion888]

Production wanted Envy Peru to win and shine and both Chelsea and Sederginne were threats to her flawless edit.

[@wildcard7449]

@ihaveanopinion888 100% and Envy's a great winner- but like we got the end and despite Janey getting 2 wins, none of the top 4 had any chance of winning over her

[@johnnybaxter8078]

like when the judges literally said to Chelseaboy "you were the winner of snatch game" and Fred still gave the win to Envy.. that's when I knew that crown had a pre-written name.

[@wildcard7449]

@@johnnybaxter8078 I KNOW- they really should've given to Chelseaboy that week just to have someone else on the board

[@JDoradoTube]

It's a shame Tia Kofe probably had no idea how deep the lore went with Keta and DRH2

[@xviolaa]

I think she may have known and made a strategic decision anyway

[@Shyknit]

​@@xviolaa Idk I think she didn't want to send home another UK quuen

[@khil1210]

​@@Shyknit gothy is not a threat so far, so it makes sense to send home the threat

[@Shyknit]

@@khil1210 that definitely helped too lol, and her straight up saying she wasn't going to change anytime soon was crazy

[@khil1210]

@@Shyknit she just needs a reason to why not eliminate her and I don't think she's going to win anyway

[@0p3Q]

I too hoped Keta’s run on ukvstw2 would bring the franchise back. Holland 2 was one of my favorite seasons; the drama, the chaos and the runways. You’re my favorite content creator. Thanks for always "reminiscing" on international seasons. Looking forward to MORE from you!

[@belakboy]

The chaos of Drag Race Holland was EVERYTHINGGGG - a mess you couldn’t look away from! THANK YOU!! I’m so grateful that you enjoy my content so much

[@fervanhier]

The blatant riggery with Countess doing Freds makeup and Vivaldi her wigs the season before being favored in these moments, mostly only queens from the capital being booked for the show, the painful mistreatment of our Asian Queens... I'm Dutch and I'd love for us to get a new season to showcase drag from other cities, but I want a different production company and a new host that doesn't favor his own friends. Like, when it was announced, we all expected Envy or Nikkie Tutorials to be announced as the host. Dutch drag has so much to offer and it hurts that mismanagement of this season is why we can't right now.

[@vbittencourt]

DR Holland suffered from bad decisions since S1. The first snatch game had a queen doing amazin in the challenge and doing great at the runway and not winnig. Fred and production always favored their "friends". I love Envy, but her and her drag family where part of the Fred friends. Vivald also was Fred friend, etc...

[@kev7600]

Not to mention the embarrassing audio editing. Playing “if I dream …” by RuPaul during a huge fight including slur words breaking out like wth 🙈

[@johnnybaxter8078]

the fact that when Envy was at season's 2 finale, she was there to crown her two drag mothers: Vanessa and Tabitha, as the winner of the season and miss congeniality respectively... maybe Keta's elimination was planned to favor Envy's family nepotism

[@perham44]

Totally agree. Chelsea Boy was the winner of the Snatch Game episode,by a long shot. Envy gets the win for no reason,if Abbies outfit was so bad,then so was Envys and therefore she shouldn't have been top.

[@pedromenchik1961]

PS: The queen that will revive the Holland franchise is Envy Peru, once she wins the next All Winners season

[@radiocallum]

This 100%

[@robnoord8858]

Yesss 💯💯💯💯

[@MjYosh]

Not you reminding us the first time Keta was robbed soon after Keta was robbed again at UKvsTheworld 😭😭😭

[@nailartguy3363]

I wouldn’t say she was robbed in UKVTW. She performed abysmally in the previous 2 episodes and Tia’s reasoning that she couldn’t send home two UK queens in a row makes sense. It also is strategic to keep Gothy around as she will have the biggest target on her back going forward as she needs to prove herself.

[@MjYosh]

@@nailartguy3363tru. I guess i’m still “grieving” her elimination 😢

[@handsoaphandsoap]

Not quite a robbery, yeah Gothy probably should’ve gone home based on track record but it’s not like Keta was doing significantly better than Gothy and the All Stars format is a different beast due to the voting. Who the winning queen chooses from the options available is fair game regardless of the reasons given.

[@johnnybaxter8078]

@@nailartguy3363 you just explained _why_ it was strategic to ROB Keta

[@nailartguy3363]

@@johnnybaxter8078 You can’t rob someone who deservedly was in the bottom two weeks in a row. Whatever decision Tia made was justifiable and fair. A robbery requires someone to be in the bottom unfairly and eliminated without reason. Keta had two abysmal weeks of reasons to send her home.

[@Adam-em6wr]

One thing I want to add is that Fred specifically said in the challenge where Keta was eliminated, that the challenge itself would be weighed more heavily than the runway. And when it came time for critiques the challenge ranking was more or less Puny > Keta > Vivaldi > Vanessa, with the runway ranking being in reverse. So by that logic Keta should've still been safe. If production really wanted to crown Vanessa, I think she should've just put her in the bottom the week prior and have her send Vivaldi home. It would've given her a great "hero moment" and combined with her performance in the finale, I think she still could've won and not had fans in a huge uproar. I mean Keta still would've been "robbed' but at least it would've felt more fair.

[@1bwash]

Yeah that was the thing, they needed to knock out Keta before the finale to prevent Vanessa from being discredited.

[@clenshin97]

For all my mexican brothers and sisters, Drag Race Holland 2 is basically what would happen if the La Mas Draga producers were in charge of a Drag Race season.

[@KikiInThisDimension]

LOL 😂 las musculosas y sus gatadas

[@gentrum_6879]

so true lmao

[@ihaveanopinion888]

At least they didn’t eliminate like 4 queens in 2 episodes right before the finale with little to no justification

[@latiosfreak2000]

envy and vanessa have been trailblazing in the franchise by being amazing guest judges. janey, love masisi and keta while not winning is putting dutch drag on the map. the best thing WoW can do rn is keep inviting the girls to allstars even if they dont win they can show what dutch drag is about to a wider audience. queens like love masisi, seddergine, my little puny, chelseaboy are clear allstars invites. hell they could even invite an early out just to put them on the map

[@kevhayden6506]

why does everyone forget Abby lol. I think should would do well on an international season

[@atlashelp3310]

​​@@kevhayden6506 Abby would eat in Brazil vs The World so much

[@1bwash]

@@atlashelp3310 Maybe it doesn't even need to be vs the world or an all stars. So what if Abby already competed, send her ass to brazil for their season 2 for some stunt casting. It could be cute if they figured out how to handle a "visa queen" twist for all the franchises for a year and each cast is brand new except there is one random returning queen from another international season.

[@atlashelp3310]

@@1bwash i like that ideia actually!

[@razrv3lc]

Honestly I want to see Vivaldi again too. Her runways were great and she did well… if she leaves the phone behind but I feel like she probably learned her lesson lmao

[@RyzeandFall]

It was crazy how it rocked the drag race world. I didn't watch the non-English seasons until like last year but even I had heard of Keta's elimination

[@thedallasryan]

Fred really let his personal feelings decide every single elimination.

[@ihaveanopinion888]

And shouldn’t that be the premise? Even though that’s not the case, the host of the season claims to be the sole decision maker on eliminations.

[@thedallasryan]

@@ihaveanopinion888 Fred almost always made decisions based on how he feels about the queens as people and not how they perform in the competition. While someone like RuPaul has their favorites (like Jorgeous) but will still eliminate them.

[@bluecircle06]

​@@ihaveanopinion888no❤

[@darrylstrohl]

Who cares about a torn shirt when such a beautiful man is speaking so eleguantly? ("Spelling?")

[@iamtofuboy]

This is either elegantly or eloquently, but i love how this sounds like it's both!

[@darrylstrohl]

@@iamtofuboy it's a reference to a Michelle Visage verbal gaff. ;-)

[@Rokamadourable]

back in the day, while season 2 was airing, I remember reading a comment describing some things not shown on the show, what I remember from that post: Vivaldi was allegedly doing Fred’s wigs for season 1, thus the favouritism and no disqualification, the second thing was a bit of conspiracy theory: Keta was the biggest threat for Vanessa, Vanessa was the drag mother of Envy Peru, season 1 winner and Fred’s make-up artist for season 2, due to these relations Fred allegedly wanted Vanessa to win, so he got rid of Keta - a clear frontrunner

[@Rokamadourable]

and the summary: all this behind the scenes riggory ended Drag Race Holland

[@clenshin97]

I think you mean Vanessa was Fred's makeup artist in Season 1. She can't simultaneously compete and also work backstage for Fred.

[@Rokamadourable]

@@clenshin97I meant Envy was his makeup artist for season 2, sorry for the confusion

[@razrv3lc]

The Countess was Fred’s makeup artist on S1 of Holland too. Vivaldi apparently didn’t really know Fred though, she’d just sold wigs to him which makes sense considering how small of a country it is and Vivaldi is pretty much the only person doing wigs like that there. Other queens on the season most likely had Vivaldi wigs too.

[@julianneHR]

another belakboy video, another day where i grow ever closer to watching the international seasons of drag race and losing what’s left of my life

[@ggoddf5889]

It just sucks that Keta was done dirty twice. She's such a talented queen that should geta 3rd chance

[@wilfredmkereru4792]

All stars 9??? What, Jimbo, came back again on there, Keta could get another shot

[@weirdcrap4951]

​@@wilfredmkereru4792 i dont think keta is popular/well known enough to get an opportunity on a allstars season. jimbo started quickly gaining traction and becoming a fan favourite after ukvtw and growing his social media etc. keta hasn't really been able to do that as she didn't really make a mark in the second season of ukvtw and isnt a fan favourite this season over queens like la grande dame, marina, tia, hannah etc

[@jesuisleprince417]

I don’t think she was done dirty the second time. She really wasn’t doing as well as the fans seem to think she was and Gothy just seemed to have been more enduring.

[@lebermudez]

I’ve never wanted to sit and talk about our thoughts on Drag Race so much, love your content!

[@belakboy]

Thank you!!

[@JurrBTful]

I've competed at a (Dutch) Mr Gay competition, let me tell you something, It's all shady as f- behind the curtains.

[@saint5939]

but the thing is.. why? and for what?

[@JurrBTful]

@@saint5939 the winner is already selected for the competition even starts. That's one thing.

[@ihaveanopinion888]

@@JurrBTful tell us something we don’t know already. Envy was chosen as the winner of the snatch game episode even though somebody else was told they did the best in the challenge (!) and then they “crowned” her drag mother of all people in the next season (who was the host’s personal make up artist during S1). It cant get anymore shady than that.

[@JurrBTful]

@@saint5939 favors most likely.

[@JurrBTful]

@@ihaveanopinion888 sorry if this comes of as hurtful, but being oppertunistic and having people owning you a favor is part of Dutch culture. Always have an eye out for an oppertunity.

[@Paddy-if3nd]

I would love to see Envy Peru on an all winners season. I feel like she would be the queen to bring back the franchise.

[@joshwindswept5694]

If Holland should return, they should make Keta the main host/judge to at least make up for what they did!

[@mushboi6965]

As a dutch drag race fan, I'm SO glad more people are talking about this!

[@neilan___222]

It's crazy to think about how this is no longer the worst rated episode

[@xzelta]

Holland in hindsight might be my favourite international franchise, messy decisions, insane dramas, some of the most talented queens ever like Keta, Envy, Janey, Chelseaboy, Vanessa and so many more. Lighting in a bottle for two seasons and now it’s all over.

[@SetoKaiba342]

I want to see Mamaqueen again!

[@erinjohnson1124]

Agreed. Mama Queen and ChelseaBoy are my absolute favorites!!!

[@razrv3lc]

Also can we talk about how disgustingly GOOD the runways were? Season 2 had some fantastic runways between Keta, Vanessa, Vivaldi, and The Countess.

[@danozard]

i remember watching both seasons and was shocked by the blatant favoritism from the host towards certain queens. Imagine my surprise when i found out that Vanessa and Vivaldi were people who worked with Fred. He was the worst possible host and that resulted in the downfall of the show

[@KuriaruisBetterThanU]

i miss holland it unironically has one of my fav stages

[@willem9538]

You shouldn't forget though that it's a small country with limited budgets for television that's very competitive (immense amount of tv channels for such a small country). It has led to international successess like Big Brother and The Voice (both were Dutch formats originally), but also means some productions don't last regardless. Drag Race Holland was a shitshow so maybe they lost the small Dutch fandom that they could've had, but it would've always been difficult to survive the Dutch tv landscape. RTL made 'Make up your mind' and as a format it attracts more Dutch straight viewers, due to the involvement of familiar celebrity faces. As we already had a drag race in the 90s (De Travestie Show), Dutch non-queer audiences weren't as easily impressed by the glamour of drag culture as it's been around on tv for much longer. Not to say the production wasn't a travesty (see what I did there?).

[@acediscovery]

Limited budget? Gurl, one of the backdrops in the werk room came from HEMA 😅

[@pieterdepauw6599]

The 90s? That’s almost 30 years ago. I hardly think that De Travestie Show has actually led to anything even close to an oversaturation of drag on Dutch television.

[@willem9538]

@@pieterdepauw6599 That's not what I'm implying and the popularity of Make up your mind also shows that. What it does show in my opinion, is that the audience might need more as the exposure to drag and queer culture has been long standing. Maybe not always in the manner we want, but visibility has been there for much longer than let's say the US. But that's a quick analysis on my part.

[@razrv3lc]

This season was such a train wreck. And something people don’t talk about is that this fucked Vivaldi over too because she caught strays by NOT being eliminated. People act like she chose to not be eliminated and talk badly about her for it. Also something SO frustrating is that this season genuinely had some of the best looks Drag Race ever produced. The runways were SO good.

[@emmymatt]

You won't let me sleep huh. I'm sat

[@BeckywiseTheDancingClown]

I felt so much rage watching Holland 2. The level of bad decision making - far too much!

[@cinnamonroll96]

Looking forward to the video! Since I don’t have tiktok and rarely use the other socials right now, it’s nice when you upload on KZbin!

[@belakboy]

I’m glad you can join on KZbin, then! I know it’s few and far between when I post a video, but I hope it’s worth it 😊

[@19nmiller1]

Further adding to all the ridiculousness is the fact that The Countess was Fred's makeup artist for season 1 and Vivaldi did his wigs. Then, since the clear frontrunner Keta was eliminated in season 2, Vanessa van Cartier was able to swoop in and take the win. While that may seem off-topic, its important to note that Vanessa is the drag mother of Envy Peru, the winner of season 1 and Fred's makeup artist for season 2. I think another thing that you didn't really touch on here is that Holland season 1 was also bad in terms of riggory too. The eliminations of Sederginne and ChelseaBoy with the favoritism of AbbyOMG marred the season greatly. I think it was kinda forgotten about because its generally agreed that the right person won season 1, but it definitely stuck in people's minds going into season 2. Fans were already wary of Fred and tendencies to favor certain queens, which increased tenfold in season 2.

[@vinnym5607]

It's wild that Holland was one of the first international seasons yet, similar to Thailand, got in it's own way and didn't give the people what they want or deserve. It's great that we met some incredibly talented queens (notably Envy Peru) but the chaos you showed (and that I remembered watching) justifies it not coming back unless there's a new host.

[@ajfrostx]

Drag Race Holland didn't deliver on ratings in either season. It was originally contracted for 2 seasons and that's the only reason season 2 happened. It's as simple as that.

[@lune78]

Oh wow, I had never heard about Keta's elimination on Holland 2.That's pure insanity, what was production thinking???

love to see such a handsome guy talking so eloquently about DRworld.

[@jase_allen]

I forgot about all that. I was surprised Vivaldi wasn't sent home for having a phone. It's a shame, 'cause I actually liked Drag Race Holland overall. I was really disappointed when there wasn't a season 3.

[@ItsJustMikee]

i was getting mesmerised by your eyes

[@judeclark1810]

At least this season gave us one of my favorite Drag Race quotes: "Doe normaal! DOE FUCKING NORMAAL"

[@dego5509]

Holland 2 vs Down under 1 vs España 3 A true battle to see wich season is more ridiculously bad

[@arcehiero4796]

vs Canada s1

[@belakboy]

Oh it’s Down Under 1 No Question!!

[@johnnybaxter8078]

add canada and italia's first seasonn

[@iamvovka]

@@johnnybaxter8078especially Italy s1. a winner with 0 wins. i still can’t get over it

[@deltafournumbers]

vs Belgique 2

[@jbarajasp]

Either it’s a lip sync for your life or it’s not, they really messed up

[@scottsinciline7744]

First time watching you and you are a very eloquent speaker very nice 👍🏻

[@r0cky0u]

The countess was Fred's makeup artist on Holland S1, that played a big role in her safety on S2.

[@remconet]

I wonder how many people actually know The Countess did Fred's make-up on season 1 (badly though, but that's my opinion). Envy had done his make-up at times in the past, but couldn't because she was competing, but she returned to do his make-up on season 2.

[@Mudkip0408]

And that Vivaldi did his wigs for season 1 too... the blatant favouritism was very clear on Holland 2

[@razrv3lc]

@@Mudkip0408Vivaldi was doing everyone’s wigs. There’s not really anyone else in that tiny country doing drag wigs but her. It’s unavoidable.

[@Mudkip0408]

@@razrv3lc even if there wasn't many other options, she shouldn't have been cast because it's a conflict of interests and she's bound to get some favouritism. Same with The Countess, they had worked behind the scenes on the show before, so had an unfair advantage over the other queen's

[@Greybears]

I enjoy Drag Race for what it is, a REALITY Competition Show. That being said- there is nothing I hate more than INCONSISTENT JUDGING AND FAVORITISM on the show. It bugs the shit out of me when on a week to week basis the standards are moving or being enforced unevenly.

[@xzelta]

When they eliminated Ivy….. It was the beginning of the end

[@TimothyMorigeau]

I didn’t see Holland season 2 and I knew about Keta Minaj’s elimination.

[@zenithian15]

Vanessa's victory was completely overshadowed by this cheating scandal. It made absolutely no sense for Fred to ask the queens what they thought should be done, then chose to keep his cheating friend anyway. Holland deserved to be cancelled.

[@j-holewyoming]

Another consideration: does the population and size of the drag scene in holland justify a third season without the production drama?

[@1bwash]

I don't want to be cynical, but I got the feeling here and often from other international franchises that they're wanting be seen as even edgier or having better representation than the US Drag Race. Vanessa is obviously an amazing winner, but were they trying to get Keta out of the way so they could have the first out trans winner? I've been noticing on Spain recently too that they're very interested in creating a narrative for their winner from the jump in such an inauthentic way. And that's really the problem, they think that RuPaul's Drag Race got prestige through these gimmicks, but the reality is, when you actually judge more fairly, that's when the competition gains credibility. If Fred had said to Vivaldi "Pack your fucking bags and get off my show" it would have immediately be respected. Same thing with All Stars Spain now, they're totally discrediting their desired winner because their judging is such a joke.

[@jakedoheny3336]

Keta Minaj should have been the winner of Holland 2 idc if anyone in the comments attacks me , it's the solid truth

[@Gay4mi1fz]

Fact are facts America

[@pepitogrillo8263]

The whole phone thing should not have been shown and the judges should have ignored it. They made it feel like the winner won only because someone else cheated and not because she really deserved it. Soemthing similar happened in Thailand and it was also very unpleasent to watch.

[@eckoschreiber]

Lovely;o) Hope to see Chelsea Boy again soon. And the first international All Stars season, Espana, is settting new standards regarding the talent show, gooped!

[@urangawakbujj]

JUSICE FOR KETA!! Its been years and im still angry over Love Maisisi and Keta treatment. Fuck Vivaldi and Fred Also dont forget Vivaldi and Countess work for Fres pior to S2. Clear shit

[@DelosFive]

Even more infuriating that Keta lost her fair chance at a high placement due to Tia power-playing by saving Gothy, who is definitely punching above her weight. Btw, you’re very cute

[@Nelson_504]

OMG.. I got post traumatic stress from recalling all of the buffoonery of this season. The Netherlands has some of my favorite queens from Drag Race ever, but the production and judges ruined season 2 with all the rigging and godawful decisions. Crowning Mother Vanessa Van Cartier was sadly not enough for the production to redeem themselves from all the bs we had to put up with throughout the season.

[@hatelovebowel4571]

This is like the Q and Amanda situation. If one is not galactically better than the other, then the track records should 100% be considered into judging which queen should stay

[@AleCozz]

And Keta was robbed again in Ukvstheworld2 😢

[@uribove]

Not really tho... She was doing worse than on her original season...

[@renatofurquimvry]

Right? I love Tia and have the utmost respect for Gothy but Tia's reasoning for Gothy to stay over Keta was absurd.

[@JunniorStarLight]

All foreign queens getting Pangina'd lmao

[@uribove]

@@JunniorStarLight not really tho..

[@AleCozz]

@@uribove She did good in the talent show and was in the top 2 the following week. She only did bad in the comedy challenges but honestly all the queens who's first language isn't English have a disadvantage there because is really hard to be funny and do improve in another language (Marina and LGD were doing amazing but flopped in those same challenges too) Also, we all know it was Gothy's time to go...

[@sothiquecakes5341]

One important thing to mention is that both The countess and Vivaldi worked on season 1 of holland with helping fred with makeup and wigs respectively, so its not surprising that both of them got favoritism from Fred

[@bender24]

Thanks for making this video. I will never get over this blatant riggory which, to me, is the worst across all franchises. The only way for the franchise to redeem itself is if they bring Keta herself as the host.

[@GeoLibra94]

They thought having Vanessa winning over Keta would have been a bigger PR nightmare, they did not calculate how bigger a PR nightmare would Keta being eliminated early be.

[@AquiNoHayNadaParaTi.4]

It would be perfect poetic justice, if Drag Race Holland gets a 3rd season but with Fred being replaced by Keta and that season goes on to become THE season for the franchise

[@feitocomfruta]

Something else I’d say is that Holland 3 won’t happen any time soon because no Dutch queen worth their charisma uniqueness nerve and talent would TRUST the production. We say that queens blame production for making them look unfavorably to the audience, but this is an example where the audience can very clearly see production screwing over their cast. I think my first thought upon the phone scandal was “if Drag Race is going to allow Vivaldi to stay, then WOW owes Willam a huge apology.”

[@lerdog]

The fact tha Vivaldi was even able to get a phone shows how little production cared. It should be HARD to break that kind of rule.

[@marthagroenwold2140]

And it happened again for Keta on All Stars... don't respect Queens who just are scared of a strong Queen

[@ericoswald8089]

So I'm flipping through KZbin looking for something to watch and there is Matt - the guy from the cleaners in Chagrin!!! This is Eric!! I watch a LOT of Drag Race. Have since episode 1!! I also have World of Wonder and have watched Down Under Canada UK and watch the first two seasons of Holland. I'd like the Holland seasons because they spoke English part of the time which made it easier to watch the Queens rather than having to constantly read the captions. And I was FLOORED at this elimination!!! FURIOUS!! I never watched the finale because I was so upset!

[@ericoswald8089]

PS - Don't even get me started with how upset I am with season 16 so far!!

[@Jake_5693]

Ironically something like this happening is one of the reasons why cash prizes can’t be given out for the normal UK series. Potential Production meddling and their not seeming to be a fair elimination process that’s not ‘clear’ stops it. It’s why UKvTW can have the cash prize, the queens are voted out by their peers and not the head judge who also effectively runs the show.

[@Rayoinfinito]

Spain is on that way, the wins that cancelled a Franchise

[@Kunimitsu877]

Fred saying "that lipsync was bad so I'm going to decide by track record" then send them both home like what the fuck?

[@melissas7980]

New subscriber, here! I was devastated by Keta's elimination by Tia on UK vs The World, (love Tia, no shade, but still...), Keta was mesmerizing to me, it was wrong for her to be eliminated so soon. I haven't watched "Holland,".....now, not sure i will. But i love your style and am looking forward to seeing all of your content. 🙂

[@catsonmars28]

I watched this season and completely forgot the phone drama. Loved Keta on her season and to me, her elimination just felt like it was a combination of favoritism and shock factor.

[@michaeldenney6622]

the inconsistency and rigorybis what solidified my choice to skip the actual episodes and now just watch the pitstop

[@KireDale87]

There is more context to DRH season 3 not happening. Drag Race Holland streamed on Videoland, which is the streaming service of Dutch broadcaster RTL. RTL owns the biggest commercial tv network of the country, RTL4. That channel is basically the pinnacle of Dutch tv with huge market shares, driving Dutch media culture for a good 35 years now. In the year following DRHs2, RTL4 started airing a show called Make Up Your Mind: an original format that could best be described as marrying Drag Race with The Masked Singer. And this show was an instant hit, scoring huge viewership and becoming one of the most popular prime time tv shows of the current tv landscape in The Netherlands. The full media landscape is a lot smaller than the American, of course....so RTL's active strategy is to put all their drag eggs in one basket. They're betting it all on the one show that they know is a guaranteed success (read: cash cow). So with all focus going to Make Up Your Mind, Drag Race Holland has unfortunately been left unrenewed.

[@Bryanbro]

Thank you so much for making this video! I never could place my finger on why this season frustrated me so much. This analysis helped me resolve that :)❤

[@LoftProduction]

DR Holland was wacky, but I will forever be grateful for Phonegate and Nepa Nepa Nepa.

[@AvaAPalma]

I’m acting this is the future that awaits Drag Race Spain after a disastrous season 3 and taking into consideration how badly All Stars is going.

[@TheHelveticas]

So spot on. Fans don’t forgive wonky judging. Sad as there were some amazing queens from Holland. Maybe it will return like Thailand one day

[@ChrisMarrin]

I think major issue here is production by, what I think, a group of people who never seen Drag Race. Even the music was placed in different sections (f.e. you have a winning a challenge music, waiting for lipsync music, etc. that were placed on entrance or confessions). Then they might have cues like "Send a fan favorite home right before the finaly and you will get people talking", like Bendelacreme in S6 or Katya in S7. But you have to produce it in a way that is believable, and the viewer doesnt notice. Well, we did. I think Fred is not the best host, he does not do drag (I think the majority of Dutch people who know him, did not know he did drag). Then the challenges were kind of non sense most of the time and the over all production looks very cheap. I am happy that the queens brought looks and talent though, that made up for it. I'm glad queens like Envy, Janey and now Keta get world wide recognition.

[@gillesnotard69]

Fred really said "It was a track record for your life" meanwhile Ru kept Mhi'ya because she lipsynced for her life and assassinated Plasma. Just imagine if Sapphira was lipsyncing against Dawn and got chopped while doing an even lipsync ? The world would be shacking. Either Vivaldi had secret infos on Fred, or was doing the nasty with him...

[@yourdudevini7407]

If this franchise ever comes back they need a new host

[@egel7736]

And we need it to be a co-production with a Flemish broadcaster or streaming platform, so a larger pool of money can be allocated to set and sound design and Flemish queens can partake in a more natural/logical fashion. Call it "Drag Race De Lage Landen (The Low Lands)" and you've got a killer instalment.

[@coeurdenvie]

People should know we have not that much talent when it comes to reality or presentation. And when someone’s popular, they’re thrown in your face every chance they get. We’re the worst.

[@Gayoinion]

Just goes to show making shocking unfair eliminations just to get people talking online is in the long run bad for the show

[@twister27]

I didn’t like Vanessa. I watched as it aired every week. I thought it was very unfair that she didn’t get any blow back because she knew about the phone, but didn’t say anything until Vivaldi pissed her off.

[@mismismism]

I never watched the season but I heard about this, people were livid. And this is the issue with a lot of these seasons, the judges are not objective. They do not set clear standards and follow them and it just makes everything appear rigged because they constantly move the goal posts.

[@yudeok413]

The category is sexy drag historian with dulcet tones and that's a WIN Yum.

[@Erik_Emer]

Fred was the worse judge. Remember when he made Chelsea not win snatch game after "not" having an outfit that fitted the "half man, half queen" runway that week while someone like Baga Chipz got away with not putting on eyelashes the week of her snatch game in UK1? One of the winners, or even Keta, should host this, should this series return.

[@londonbordeaux]

Also Chelsea's half look was one of the best that night, Chelseaboy had my favorite runway package in all of Drag Race for me

[@walkerthurman4437]

Don’t watch drag race, have never heard of Keta before today, but I am SEETHING, how could they do this to my girl??