05.03.10

Bebe gives her ‘Best Of’ for the Race!

The reigning Drag Race queen goes though her list of season two superlatives

by Bebe Zahara Benet

Wasn’t it great to see me on the special episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race this week? Well, it was wonderful to sit down with RuPaul and my season one sisters Ongina and Nina Flowers to critique season two, but there was still so much more to be said that I thought I’d dedicate this week’s column to some of my favorite moments that we didn’t get a chance to talk about during the show.

Funniest Moment: There’s plenty to choose from, but for me it has got to be Jujube during the reading challenge. I just loved everything she said about everybody – calling Raven legendary – as in “leg” and “dairy,” snapping at Jessica in Chinese and even talking smack about Tyra’s grill – that reading was hilarious! A second runner-up moment was Pandora Boxx playing Carol Channing in the “Snatch Game” challenge. Ms. Boxx knows how to mine a laugh.

Biggest Diva Moments: We had more than a few moments to judge this season. I’ll skip ranking catfights and assess in terms of performance. I’d say the other Tyra coming out as sophisticated lady on a mad shopping spree was a great diva moment, as was Jujube’s peach dress in the Old Hollywood fashion challenge. It was mentioned in the live show, but it bears mentioning again – Raven’s gold Cleopatra dress and blonde afro was really, really fierce!

Best Makeup: Oh honey! Give it to Raven! I think Raven really switched up her makeup to go with different looks. Even when she did the country girl or the rock ‘n’ roll look or the whole glamour thing she was able to create a different persona through makeup. She is really mastering the craft and art of drag.

Best Runway: I will go with Jujube. I really will! She walks with confidence, walks with so much fierceness, so much attitude and so much personality. I really love how she does all levels of her presentation.

Best Lip-sync: It seems like I’m a fan of Jujube! I love how she lip-syncs. Sometimes she gives a little too much, but she is more often right on the money. She is able to catch the little things the artist does. She’s right on point with it. That’s someone who has studied the music and knows what the whole song is about. I also liked Raven’s lip-syncing. There is something about it that is a little sassy. I’d give it to both of them.

Biggest Wish: To see Jessica Wild last longer. She had so much potential! If she had been given another chance I am convinced there would have been other things about her performance that would have made us all go “wow.”

Catch the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race at 9p (ET/PT) this Monday night on Logo and visit LOGOonline.com to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and good luck!

04.26.10

The red carpet is the way home for one Drag Race contestant

Fashion can kill when one queen doesn’t have the threads on RuPaul’s Drag Race

By Bebe Zahara Benet

If you’re like me, you’re sad about RuPaul’s Drag Racegetting closer to its finale. But what makes me happy is getting the chance to talk to the queens I’ve enjoyed watching all season. Queens like Tatianna, who I think handled the stress of the show exceedingly well considering she was the target of significant shade from some of the other girls. Tatianna told me she wanted to take the Race plunge during season one, but at only 20, she was too young! “I vowed I was not going to stop trying until I made it.” 

I wanted to know how someone so young stayed grounded in a very tough competition. “I just kept (thinking) in the back of my head, I was chosen for a reason,” Tatianna explained. “I pushed everything aside when I got on the main stage. I did make great friends. Juju, Pandora and Jessica were all great.”

Not on that list? Raven! I wanted to know what their relationship is like now. “We don’t have one,” Tatianna said. “When I left the show I had a lot of negative feelings toward her,” she told me. “Since watching the show I have even more negative feelings toward her. If you feel so on top of it, why spend so much time on what I’m doing? Concentrate on yourself.”

So what did Tatianna think of Tyra? Does she feel Tyra’s behavior is based on her age?

“Me and Tyra are the same age,” Tatianna said. “I don’t necessarily think it’s young. She came into the competition with a kind of strategy being the way she was. I don’t think she’s a bad person, but just a little misguided in the way she was acting toward her competition.”

That is some smart analysis. Almost as smart as Tatianna’s Britney impersonation, which I think was one of her top moments on the show. “At first I was really scared,” she said. “When I did it I was surprised how easy it came out of me. I was really proud of myself.”

Tatianna knew the last challenge was going to be a tough one for her since it required her to come up with three looks. “Throughout the whole season the judges didn’t particularly enjoy the clothing I brought,” she said. “I thought, Do I have enough clothes for this? I had to make something.”

Clothes were an issue, but so was the lip-sync for her life. She explained that the show gave them all the songs to memorize about a month before production, but this week’s song was changed out three days prior! “All the lyrics are ad libs,” Tatianna explained, “So I tried to distract them from my mouth!”

It’s great Tatianna used the show to learn more about herself and drag. I can’t wait to see how she evolves. She’s a trooper!

Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race at 9p (ET/PT) every Monday night on Logo and visit LOGOonline.com to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and perseverance!

04.19.10

It’s Bebe’s turn to dish the Race!

Last year’s RuPaul’s Drag Race winner gives her take on season two’s final four

By Bebe Zahara Benet

Can you believe we are nearing the final stretch of the current season of RuPaul’s Drag Race? Sometimes wonderful things go very fast! This week a repeat episode is running, so I thought I’d take this time to give you my assessment of the final four queens. The talent level has been high this year, so things will only get tougher as we go to a final three, a final two, and ultimately a new “Race” winner.

First up, Tatianna! I think Tatianna has a strategy that is working well for her; she is looking at the people around her, and she is watching and studying. “This is how I am going to handle this situation,” she is saying. And guess what? She succeeds at that. She’s learning along the way and she’s growing. And best of all, she is being outspoken and bold while standing firm in what she believes in. I hope that she pushes herself and becomes more than just pretty. I’ve seen all this beauty, and now I want to see a showgirl. I’ve got one word for Jujube – wonderful! I love how she performs, and I love her sense of style. The thing is, she plays it safe most of the time. At this point she needs to step up and give us a different side of Jujube. Give me a little bit of attitude! There’s a fierceness there, but show me some grand diva. A lot of the girls this season do over-the-top glamorous, but Jujube is also very approachable, very easy to talk to and very funny. People like that, and people want that.

The other Tyra! She’s a gorgeous, polished doll, and you know she puts a lot of work in her craft to do great illusion. But at the same time, people want to see the human side to someone. Even as much as we queens are fantasies, people want to connect with the soul. Maybe this is who she is, but it could be a handicap. If she were more approachable, I feel it would add the delicious icing to the beautiful, tasty cake.

Raven! She is a great contender! She can be funny, she can be sweet, while at the same time her persona is also so outspoken. But sometimes I think, “OK, girl, that’s not everything you have to talk about.” It’s best to say just enough and not too much. She could tone that side of her persona down. Sure, sometimes she has hurt some feelings, but she is a terrific competitor. Talk about polished – she has a great sense of style and a great sense of her own makeup. I totally see her making it all the way to the top.

And congratulations to Felony Misdemeanor at the nightclub Tracks in Denver, Colorado for winning the Exceptional Queen online contest! Miss Felony gets the honor of kicking off the Logo Drag Race tour featuring exceptional Absolut drinks at Tracks! Until next week, kisses and good luck!

04.12.10

Who’s your drag Momma?

An intergenerational challenge sends another queen home on RuPaul’s Drag Race

By Bebe Zahara Benet

Respect your elders and your history! That was one of the themes of this week’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and no one did that better than the very funny, very open Miss Pandora Boxx.

When I sat down to interview her, I asked Pandora where she got her wonderful name. “At the time I started drag I was really into Greek mythology,” she told me, explaining the myth of Pandora. “She was the first woman ever created.” The original Pandora set the opened up a forbidden box that let out all the world’s evils. Ms. Boxx thought it would be a good name because it plays up the idea that you don’t know what to expect. An approach I think is amazing!

It turns out Pandora auditioned for the first season, but was turned down. “I was kind of devastated,” she admitted, noting she wanted to hate the show but got hooked. As soon as she heard there was a second season she reapplied and got the gig, which was a huge moment. “If something didn’t change in my drag career, I was going to quit,” she revealed to me. “Well, it changed in a big way.”

I love how funny and approachable Pandora was on the show, a trait that definitely helped her stand apart from many of the other girls. One of my favorite Pandora moments was her Carol Channing impersonation during the “Snatch Game” competition. I was shocked to find out Ms. Channing was not her first choice – she almost became Jan Brady instead! “It was only the fourth time I’d done Carol,” she revealed. You fooled me, honey!

Pandora did admit her biggest frustration on Race was the judges’ reaction to her style, particularly her green leopard print dress. “It’s like telling a joke that flopped…and flopped and flopped,” she explained. “Yeah, I know the dress didn’t work, can we drop it and move on?”

When it came to the drag mother competition, Pandora enjoyed working with her unconventional partner, even with his American flag bikini. Pandora was surprised by the judges’ comments that her mom outshined her on the stage. That was her strategy. “I planned everything,” Pandora explained, telling me the upstaging showbiz mom was the whole idea of the gag. “If it was funny and you liked it, I should be getting credit for it.”

One of the wonderful things Pandora takes away from Race is sharing her own struggle with depression and suicide. She wasn’t sure about saying something on TV, but since Race ended she has gotten thank you letters from people struggling with the same challenges. “I’m starting to tear up now,” she marveled. “That’s an amazing thing for a reality show that’s supposed to be about a drag queen competition.”

What a funny queen! And what an inspiration! Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race at 9p (ET/PT) every Monday night on Logo at and go to LOGOonline.com to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and laughter!

04.05.10

Your life is an open book on RuPaul’s Drag Race

The autobiography challenge sends the latest queen packing on RuPaul’s Drag Race

By Bebe Zahara Benet

As I travel all around the country to promote my new single, so many people have told me that this season’s Jessica Wild reminds them of me. I told my mija this during our interview this week, and she was as excited by the comparison as I was. “That makes me feel like a queen,” Jessica told me, exhibiting her charm and positive attitude, which were two of the many things I loved about watching her on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Jessica explained that she got her first name by borrowing it from a girl she was close to in school. Wild came from the character’s personality. “I am a shy guy and I am wild on stage,” she said. “I love to dance, I love to perform, I love the make-up, so I put together everything in just one thing, and that thing is Jessica.”

When she saw last season, Jessica realized Drag Race could be a huge opportunity for her. She applied to this season’s online casting contest and ended up winning by a landslide. “I never thought that was going to be the path to the show,” she admitted. “I was like, Oh my God, I’m here!”

Unlike a lot of the other girls, Jessica stayed out of the catfights. “It’s my reality to be polite,” Jessica explained. “I don’t like cat fights in my life, so I don’t like it on the show, too. I think the girls had a lot of problems that to me were stupid things. Some think Tatianna is too girly, but it’s her character. Maybe Raven is too strong, but that’s her character.”

Even though performing in English was a challenge for Jessica, I respected how much she would not let any language barrier get in her way. “Maybe with my language, people would think I’m not ready to be a drag performer,” she said. “But I learned I didn’t need to be afraid. I’m so proud of myself!”

Native speaker or not, Jessica wasn’t the only girl who had trouble saying “Absolut Berri Açaí” (pronounced ah-sah-eee) during the video interview competition. Jessica admitted she wrote the vodka’s name on her hand so she wouldn’t forget. “In the workroom, all the girls and I were practicing; we were saying, ‘açaí, açaí, acai!’” But Jessica said the most difficult speaking for her was when she dressed up as a chicken for the TV commercial competition. “It’s more hard to say ‘cockle-doodle-doo’ than açaí,” she revealed.

So what’s next for Jessica? She is going to perform live shows with a rock band, and she hopes to travel so she can meet her fans. “I’ve been given a gift and I’m making the best out of it,” Jessica said. “I’m so happy to meet all these new people in my life.”

What a positive spirit! Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race every Monday night at 9p (ET/PT) on Logo and visit LOGOonline.com to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and positivity!

03.29.10

The latest queen rocks away on RuPaul’s Drag Race

A rock ‘n’ roll-themed competition sends another contestant home

By Bebe Zahara Benet

Being able to lip-sync is a crucial skill for any drag queen, but so is the ability to deliver a song in your own voice. This week on RuPaul’s Drag Racethe queens found that out with a musical competition that featured rock-and-roll as the chosen form of expression. I recently chatted with Sahara Davenport, who was eliminated after a strong and uncompromising run that culminated in the rocked-out singing exercise.

Although she went home, Sahara told me she is no stranger to singing musical theater and gospel. “I knew that had to be coming, (that) we are going to have to sing live, do something vocally,” Sahara said about the competition. “Then I was like, it’s rock-and-roll!”

During the challenge, Sahara tried not to focus on the vocals and instead went out on stage to have fun. I told Sahara, with that high note of hers, she knows how to make an entrance! “I felt good about it,” Sahara said. “I thought, oh my God, I’m living. I French kissed a girl in the audience!”

One element of Sahara’s drag artistry that has always struck me is her use of movement, which makes sense considering Sahara is trained in ballet, jazz and modern dance. I asked her if she considers that her trademark – and got back a hilarious answer.

“My trademark, Bebe, is my beauty!” she said, which had me in hysterics.  “After the beauty, people come see the kicks and tricks and comedic timing. Dance is the basis of my show. It’s how I express myself when I’m not at the microphone.”

Sahara is comfortable around a microphone. With a full resume as a male dancer and model, she uses drag as a way to support herself. “I’m not one to wait tables or cater events,” she explained. “Drag was my side gig.”

A side gig that grew into a career! As a drag performer who sings and just released a single (check my song out on YouTube!), I spoke to Sahara about the balance between lip-syncing and live-singing performances, and how both are equal forms of expression. “It’s about my message in that moment,” Sahara said in agreement. “I don’t think there should be a lip-sync versus live singers debate.”

One characteristic I think makes Sahara so successful is her vulnerability. I respected how open she was on the show about her struggles with identity and family acceptance. “I made a decision to go out there and just be me,” she said. “So many kids are now hitting me up, saying you understand me. What the show has done is given me a voice. I tell everyone going through a dark time, ‘You are never the only one.’”

Now that’s a message to live by! Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race at 9p (ET/PT) every Monday night on LOGO and visit LOGOonline.com to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and self-acceptance!

03.22.10

Another queen exits the stage on RuPaul’s Drag Race

Wedding bells ring, but one contestant gets left at the altar

By Bebe Zahara Benet

After a week’s hiatus, it’s wonderful to be with you again! It’s week five of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and if things weren’t competitive enough for you before, they certainly are now. I chatted with California girl – and Scotland native – Morgan McMichaels, whose fashion-forward take on wedding couture landed her in the bottom two, and ultimately made her the queen slated to sashay away.

Morgan admits she started her drag artistry because she loved the attention, but over time her punk-rock glam persona has grown fierce. ”It’s become more of an art form for me,” she revealed. “It’s like a personal challenge. It’s not about the attention anymore. It’s a chance to be creative, to get on stage and let people see how you express yourself. I feel you can get a lot of important messages through your performance.”

I loved the fact that Morgan spoke out so strongly about the civil right of marriage during the bride competition. “How dare you tell me I can’t marry the person I love,” Morgan said. “The gay community has taken a massive hit, but we’re the ones that cuts everyone’s hair. How about a day without a gay? Women would go crazy.”

While many of the girls openly expressed their issues with fellow contestant Tyra, Morgan said they had a mutual respect for each other. “I think Tyra comes from a side if the country where drag is not to be messed around with,” Morgan explained. “Girls from the East Coast are very pageant oriented.”

As a fellow pageant queen, I relate. But Morgan noted Tyra’s behavior is something she might grow out of. “Tyra is very unapologetic,” Morgan added. “But that’s an age thing. When we’re young we don’t want to hear how we have to change. I know I was there. There was nothing you could tell me about my drag. Once Tyra opens up to people, she will be 10 times the queen she is today.”

Morgan admits she was shocked when she made the bottom two. “When they told me I was very costume, I was confused,” she said, arguing the previous week Tatiana was criticized for not being costume-y enough. But she accepted it and moved on. Morgan revealed the reason she started laughing was a nervous reaction. “You can laugh or cry, and I’m not a big crier,” she said.

Unlike some past lip-syncs, Morgan was not going to cartwheel in her tight-fitting dress. “My feet were not going to leave the stage,” she said. “They are not there to see you jump around, they are there to see you lip-sync for your life.”

Kudos to Morgan for doing what she had to do and making her statement on stage! Being true to yourself in drag and in your beliefs is a priceless commodity in a queen. Catch RuPaul’s Drag Raceat 9p (ET/PT) every Monday night on Logo and visit LOGOonline.com to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and equality!

03.08.10

Week four and so much more on RuPaul’s Drag Race

A game-show competition claims another drag queen

By Bebe Zahara Benet

Welcome back to my column! It's week four of RuPaul's Drag Race, and once again the competition has been taken up a notch. I recently got a chance to chat with Sonique, the no-nonsense Atlanta darling who flipped her way through the fiercest lip-sync of the season.

If you were like me, then you were floored at the performances Sonique and fellow bottom-two drag queen Morgan McMichaels rolled out for the Lip-Sync of Your Life. Sonique may have gone home, but I told her she definitely pulled out all the stops!

"That morning when I woke up, I had a different energy going through my body than I had ever had," Sonique told me of her last day on the show. "Something wasn't clicking with me. I just knew something dramatic was going to happen."

A trained gymnast, Sonique cartwheeled and flipped her way through an amazing Lip-Sync, which meant coming out of her tiger-print dress. "I kept going back and forth; should I lip-sync only or just perform?" she said. "You never know what the judges are going to look for. But I can't go back and change anything."

Sonique also told me that RuPaul was clearly moved by the intense Lip-Sync performances. Although it wasn't shown in the episode, RuPaul had to walk away and take time to decide who went home that week. Although she sashayed away, Sonique enjoyed her experience on the show and her relationship with Lip-Sync rival Morgan McMichaels.

"Morgan comes across as feisty, like, don't cross her path, but she reminds me of myself in different ways," Sonique revealed.

One of the things Sonique takes away from the show is a better understanding of her own performing. "I put so much pressure on myself," she told me, noting that she learned she needed to enjoy the competitions. By choosing Lady Gaga to impersonate in the Snatch Game, she went with a difficult persona to parody. "I took the role a little too serious," Sonique said. "I could have had more fun with it."

Because Sonique is a military school dropout, I wanted to know what her conservative mother thinks of her full-time career as a drag performer. "Several times she told me, ‘You need to stop it,’" Sonique explained, "but I was just determined. You have to accept who you are and what you love about yourself no matter what. It took a couple years, but two years ago she saw me perform, and now she's my biggest fan."

Sonique may have seemed tough on the show, but talking to her showed me her sensitive, vulnerable side. It was so refreshing to discover the person behind the drag mask, which proves this artistry allows performers to embrace totally different alter egos!

Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race at 9p (ET/PT) every Monday night on Logo, and visit LOGOonline to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and perseverance!

03.01.10

Week three is a charm on RuPaul's Drag Race

The most recent contestant to sashay away talks food, country vs. Western and the beauty of splits

By Bebe Zahara Benet

Hello all you beautiful people! Can you believe it is week three of RuPaul’s Drag Racealready? So much is happening - let's get right into my conversation with Mystique Summers Madison, the Texas beauty who went out with a bang!

I was impressed how well Mystique did in the third episode's opening challenge, when she just dove right in and swallowed down all those mystery foods she had to eat. "I was like, 'Oh no, it's fried food,'" Mystique remembered. "I hadn't had fried food in four months. Oh my God, I just went for it. I was just swallowing, I wasn't tasting." Even though she looked like a cool cucumber, Mystique was nervous. "It was the scariest thing ever," she revealed. "That was drag Fear Factor!"

That win made Mystique one of the group leaders for the Disco "Extra Greasy" shortening TV commercial exercise, and I wanted to know what her strategy was for picking which girls would be on Team Mystique. "Pandora did work editing TV commercials, and Jessica is a dancer," Mystique explained. "Everybody else had pretty makeup and were people I got along with."

I was surprised to learn Mystique was ecstatic over RuPaul switching out their script with the one being used by the other team. "For us, it got easier because the script was easier," she explained. "I was happy. It was actually fun." I also wanted to know what she thought of Raven, and her sometimes very cutting comments about Mystique and food. "Out of everybody on the show, Raven is the only one I have not heard from," Mystique told me. "Haters are everywhere, but haters make my life easier, because I work harder just to make you hate on me even more."

Mystique stands by her decision to go with a very modern interpretation of country wear for her runway walk, and argues what the other girls presented was more a Western look. "I don't like making fun of people," she explained, noting that if she had gone for a stereotypical look it may have offended her most dedicated fans.

When I think Mystique, I think splits, more splits, which leads to additional splits. And then remember Mystique? She's the one who nails the splits! I can barely lift my leg, and here is a big girl making it look so easy. "My signature is my eyes and my spins," she said. But when she really wants to shock, she breaks out a split. Mystique must get into the zone, because when she watched her solo on TV last week, she didn't even remember she did a death drop! Now that's a girl who knows how to work for a crowd.

Mystique, thank you for your inspiration, thank you for your self-integrity and thank you for being yourself.

Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race at 9p (ET/PT) every Monday night on Logo and visit LOGOonline.com to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and splits!

02.22.10

Rounding the first Drag Race curve

Eliminated contestant Nicole Paige Brooks explains why a pole dance competition was never going to be her strong point

By Bebe Zahara Benet

It's the second week, which means this season's queens on Drag Race are dropping their polite demeanors and getting ruthless. Talk about a fun set of competitions! My season of queens would have loved the chance to work Hollywood Boulevard. I asked this week's eliminated girl, Nicole Paige Brooks, what she thought of sashaying down one of L.A.'s main drags to sell cherry pie.

"Luckily it was Hollywood, and not Arkansas," Nicole told me. It turns out Nicole's maternal instinct kicked in, because she spent time approaching families and warning them of the more outrageous girls farther down the street.

That instinct is real, because Nicole has a three-year-old son who she loves with all her life. "He doesn't know what daddy does for work yet," Nicole admitted. But I pointed out kids have a sense for things around them. Nicole told me her son did see her perform once, and later said he liked daddy's feathers!

One of the things I really liked about Nicole's story on Drag Race was her connection to her Atlanta drag family, and in particular her drag mother, Shawnna. For many girls, coming under the wing of established drag performers who have formed a family – or house – is an important step in the development of their artistry. I wanted to know what Nicole thinks are the advantages and disadvantages of being part of a house. "I don't like so many people with the same last name," she confided. "At the same time it creates a legacy."

Overall, she's very honored to be a member of the House of Brooks. "Shawnna has instilled in me this is a business," Nicole said. "A lot of people don't have people around to tell them that."

This is why Nicole was stunned when her picture of Shawnna went missing. "It never turned up," Nicole told me. "I don't know if it was taken to push my buttons."

I was glad to hear Nicole was fine being one of the last picks for the burlesque exercise. "I'm just not a dancer to start with, girl," she said. "I kept saying that…and then I had to swing around this pole." I commended Nicole for sticking by who she is, and also for her take on the final lip-sync with Raven. "I'm not going to pull my titty out to win," Nicole said, referring to Raven's attention-grabbing move. "I didn't fall apart on stage in order to stay."

Now that she can see what the other girls were saying about her, Nicole noted Raven wasn't that critical of her in person. "To each their own," Nicole told me. Instead of being upset, Nicole said she was relieved when she was eliminated, because it meant she would be seeing her son very soon. "It was kind of ridiculous how excited I got to go home," she said.

I love that kind of personal perspective!

Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race at 9p (ET/PT) every Monday night on Logo and visit LOGOonline.com to find out about viewing parties in your area. Until next week, kisses and family values!

02.15.10

Ladies, Start Your Engines!

By Bebe Zahara Benet

The reigning drag queen from last season's RuPaul’s Drag Racefollows the new season each week with a conversation with the latest eliminated contestant.

Have you missed me? I've missed you! It's been nearly a year since I won the first season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" on Logo, and I've been one busy drag queen. It's been overwhelming in a good way. "Drag Race" opened a door for me. Besides traveling all over, I've released a single, "I'm the Shit," and I'm also in the process of creating a one-woman show. Best of all I'm writing this column every week! I can't wait to interview the girls about the second season of "Drag Race," their experiences on the show and what really happened behind the scenes.

First up is Shangela Laquifa Wadley, who had been doing drag for only five months before scoring a spot on the show. In my interview with her I asked Shangela to describe herself in three words. She answered, "entertaining, comical and most definitely open." One word for Shangela – nice!

From the start, Shangela knew she was up against 11 other contestants with a lot more experience, but that didn't stop her. "I'm not the kind of person who backs down from competition," she told me. "I was there battling for my life until the very end." Shangela's first challenge was the “Gone with the Wind”-themed photo shoot, where she endured the mother of all wardrobe malfunctions. Shangela used an adhesive to attach her "jelly looking boobies," but her strapless dress was losing the battle against a very big wind machine. "Those cutlets weren't going anywhere, but the dress, it was going down south," Shangela admitted to me. Don't worry, honey! It's just another experience to go in your little diary.

Shangela said she was ecstatic to see her old college friend Sahara Davenport was on the show with her, but devastated when the two of them ended up in the bottom two. "It made no sense to me," Shangela argued, telling me she thought Mystique Summers Madison (whose gown RuPaul described as "raggedy") deserved to be at the bottom. "But it made for one dramatic lip sync for your life," she said. "Both Sahara's and mine strongest strength is performance."

It sure is! There was a cornucopia of splits, kicks and shimmies, but in the end Shangela was the one to go. Since then, the show life has been good for Shangela. Besides winning drag competitions and hosting events, Shangela's male alter ego DJ is doing stand-up comedy. "It's been a really great ride and I'm looking forward to the climb," she said.

The sense I get from Shangela is she's very comfortable in her own skin. I love her honesty. I love her positive outlook and also her message that you can do this. There is no age limit. If you have a passion, then go ahead and do it!