If you had to think of your top three favourite moments from RuPaul’s Drag Race, the odds are Alyssa Edwards is responsible for at least one of them.
From the iconic “back rolls?” in season five to her phoenix-like comeback in All Stars 2, Alyssa has never been anything but a true-born entertainer. In fact, the now-famous tongue pop is even taking over The Great British Bake Off.
Despite never taking home a crown, she is still referred to as “Drag Race Royalty” in her guest appearances on the show. And with her new docu-series Dancing Queen coming to Netflix on October 5, she has become one of a select few queens to be given their own bona fide spin-off.
It’s worth noting that the only other Drag Race alums to boast this achievement are All Stars 3 winner Trixie and Kata (who were snapped up by Viceland) and Courtney Act (who has been inundated with offers following her Celebrity Big Brother win, including a Dragazine talk show for Channel 4 and an E! reality dating series called The Bi Life). So Alyssa is in great, yet selective, company.
If the trailer for Alyssa’s Dancing Queen is anything to go by, Netflix appears to be taking some cues from its breakout hit Queer Eye with the tagline “all tears, all shade”.
The fly-on-the-wall show promises to explore the difficulties of living as an openly gay man in the American south – in one particularly standout scene, Alyssa, aka Justin, asks a family member why they think his life is an “abomination.”
But the serious and emotional moments look set to be interspersed with some good old-fashioned reality TV hijinks, as the cameras go behind-the-scenes at Alyssa’s dance studio. And if you thought Dance Moms was over the top, just wait until you see what happens with a drag queen in charge.
Part of Alyssa’s appeal has always lain in her earnestness. Sure, she might be 90 per cent wig and false eyelashes, but she’s not fake. She speaks her mind and she’ll stand up for herself, but just as importantly, she is never malicious and manages to avoid the trap many Drag Race queens fall into – aiming for shady but just coming off as mean.
Alyssa came out of All Stars 2 more popular than ever; despite never winning the competition, it has always been a pure joy to watch her embrace each challenge and have a great time with it.
Sure, viewers stan queens like Trixie and Alaska, and love to hate controversial figures like Phi Phi – but they just downright love Alyssa. Forever the underdog, she always gives everything her all. Take that Annie Oakley All Stars performance, for example – a deserved winner if ever we saw one.
Fans might like a queen who can throw shade and make it to the top, but they also want someone they can root for.
And in Alyssa, they have found it.
Dancing Queen lands on Netflix on October 5.
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