The ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Queen Playing the Best Reality TV Game
When the cast lineup of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 was announced, there were certainly a few unexpected queens in the mix. There were alumni like Jessica Wild, who had not competed on the show since Season 2; Jaymes Mansfield, who was eliminated first in Season 9; and Mrs. Kasha Davis, more known for her kindness than her competitive streak.
But there was one wildcard who really stood out to Drag Race aficionados: Alexis Michelle. The Season 9 queen finished in fifth place, which is certainly nothing to scoff at; countless queens in the show’s history would kill for that spot. But what was so surprising about Alexis was that she climbed her way up to that spot without much, well, how do I put this…blatantly visible talent.
No doubt Alexis was and is a skilled queen, you’ve got to be to make it that far. She even won one of the show’s most notoriously difficult recurring challenges, the Snatch Game. But her run on the show was often hampered by her runway looks, which were some of the worst that the show has seen since its post-Season 6 renaissance. But like all truly great reality television stars, Alexis never knew it. She was so hilariously self-consumed that the judges couldn’t give her a bad critique without it visibly dancing through one ear and out the other.