Drag Race Belgique debuted on 16 February 2023, on Tipik.[2] Episodes premiere on a weekly basis every Thursday, and later aired on Auvio [fr] on primetime.
Drag Couenne won the first season, with Athena Sorgelikis as runners-up, while Valenciaga was named Miss Congeniality. In May 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.[3]
Production
Judges
The competition series is hosted and judged primarily by French Canadian drag queen Rita Baga, who competed in the first season of Canada's Drag Race and the first season of Canada vs. the World.[4] Belgian-Italian entrepreneur and content creator Lufy and Belgian singer and actor Mustii, made appearances as the competition's prominent judges.[5]Lio, who first appeared as a guest judge, replaced Lufy on the judging panel after the first season.[6]
In April 2022 the production company behind RuPaul's Drag Race, announced that a Belgian adaptation of the show, specifically from the French-speaking area of Wallonia, was in the works.[7] On the same day, it was announced via the shows official Instagram page, that casting for the first season was now open. Applications remained open for one week until closing on 8 May 2022.[8]
In January 2023, Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF) revealed the first ten contestants for its first season.[9] The first season of Drag Race Belgique began airing on 16 February 2023, on Tipik and Auvio [fr] in Belgium and on WOW Presents Plus internationally. The season ran for 8 episodes and concluded on 4 April 2023. Athena Sorgelikis and Susan made the final, and Drag Couenne was the winner of the first season.
