The Switch Drag Race[2] is a Chilean reality competition television series, presented by Mega as a Chilean version of the hit American show RuPaul's Drag Race.[3][4] The purpose of the series is to find Chile's top transformista (transformer, drag queen) of the season.
| The Switch Drag Race | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Based on | RuPaul's Drag Race |
| Directed by | Ricardo Durán[1] |
| Presented by | Karla Constant |
| Judges |
|
| Country of origin | Chile |
| Original language | Spanish |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 55 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer |
|
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Running time | 60–90 minutes (without commercials) |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | October 8, 2015 – August 15, 2018 |
| Related | |
| Drag Race franchise | |
Later, on the second season, the eligibility for competitors was expanded. The contestants were still predominantly from Chile & Argentina (with select returning queens from season one); the other half hailed everywhere from Puerto Rico, Spain, and Mexico, to Brazil and even France and the U.S.
The Switch was the second international localization of Drag Race, following Drag Race Thailand. Like the American version, The Switch requires its contestants to sing live, lip-sync, dance, and perform impersonations, but the show's format is significantly changed.
Hosted by Karla Constant (one of the hosts of Mucho gusto, also on Mega), the first season of The Switch, subtitled El Arte de Transformismo, premiered on October 8, 2015, and ended on January 17, 2016. After over two years’ hiatus, The Switch returned to MEGA for a second season, subtitled Desafío Mundial, on Sunday, March 25, 2018. Season two ended on June 15, 2018.
Format
editSeason 1 of The Switch consisted of seventeen participants, often split into two groups, that were challenged with demonstrating their ability to perform makeovers, impersonate female characters, dance, lip-sync, and sing live on stage. Along with the demonstration of their skills, The Switch shows each contestant's life story, giving details of their personal experiences to Chilean viewers.
Season 2 consists of six returning contestants from the previous season as well as seven new contestants from outside of Chile. The participants being split up into two groups; one group consisting of the returning contestants and the other group formed from their challengers from around the world.
Judging
edit| Judge | Occupation | Country of Origin | Season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||
| Uruguay | Main | |||
Actor
|
Chile | Main | ||
Juan Pablo González
|
Musician
|
Chile | Main | |
Sebastián Errázuriz
|
Composer
|
Chile | Main | |
Composer
|
Argentina | Main | ||
| Coach | Occupation | Country of Origin | Season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||
Nicole Gaultier
|
Drag entertainer
|
Uruguay | Main | |
Íngrid Cruz
|
Actor
|
Chile | Main | |
Singer and TV Personality
|
Chile | Main | ||
Nicanor Bravo
|
Fashion designer
|
Argentina | Main | |
Darwin Ruz
|
Dancer
|
Chile | Main | |
Singer
|
Chile | Main | ||
Season 1
editSeason 2
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Director de "The switch": Queremos dignificar el oficio del transformista" [Director of "The Switch": We Want to Dignify the Art of Female Impersonation], Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish), August 26, 2015
- ^ "The Switch Drag Race – Official Site", Mega.cl (in Spanish)
- ^ Blake Jacos (September 24, 2015), "RuPaul's Drag Race is Heading to Chile!", World of Wonder
- ^ Daniele Alcinii (September 25, 2015), ""Drag Race" heads to Chile for local version", Realscreen
- ^ "Jurado/Coach" [Judges/Coaches], Mega.cl (in Spanish), archived from the original on August 27, 2017, retrieved August 26, 2017
