RuPaul’s Drag Race Alum Shangela Becomes the First Drag Queen to Compete on Dancing with the Stars

From drag queen to dancing queen, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Shangela will be showing off her dancing skills in season 31 of Dancing with the Stars.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Paris, Texas native is the first drag queen to compete on the show out its 30 seasons. Shangela was also the first RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant to compete on the show three different times. Don’t ask me if she deserved the RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars crown because the answer is yes. But hopefully, she has a good shot at taking home a trophy instead. 

Since appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Shangela has continued to be booked and busy. She appeared on the TV series Community, Glee, 2 Broke Girls, and Broad City. The charismatic drag queen was also featured in the Oscar-winning and Grammy-winning musical drama A Star is Born. Additionally, she represented the film at the 91st Academy Awards and became the first person to walk the Academy Awards red carpet in drag. 

Plus, we can’t forget that she co-hosts HBO’s We’re Here alongside fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Eureka O’Hara and Bob the Drag Queen. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dancing with the Stars first premiered in 2005, becoming the U.S. equivalent of the U.K.’s Strictly Come Dancing. The show has brought on several high-profile entertainers, reality TV stars, athletes, and TV hosts who have danced in hopes of winning the coveted mirror ball trophy  Zendaya, Adam Rippon, Lance Bass, Nyle DiMarco, Margaret Cho, Niecy Nash, Kim Kardashian, JoJo Siwa, Normani, and more have competed on the show. 

Paired with her dancing partner Gleb Savchenko, Shangela will soon join the fold of Dancing with the Stars alums, along with several other contestants below:

• Fitness model and actor Joseph Baena, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, with partner Daniella Karagach
• Selma Blair with partner Sasha Farber
• Let’s Make a Deal host Wayne Brady with partner Witney Carson
• Good Morning America contributor and WABC-TV New York’s weather anchor Sam Champion, with partner Cheryl Burke
• TikTok star Charli D’Amelio with partner Mark Ballas
• Heidi D’Amelio (The D’Amelio Show) with partner Artem Chigvintsev
• Country star Jessie James Decker with partner Alan Bersten
• Actor Trevor Donovan (90210) with partner Emma Slater
• Actor Daniel Durant (CODA) with partner Britt Stewart
• Teresa Giudice (The Real Housewives of New Jersey) with partner Pasha Pashkov
• Vinny Guadagnino (Jersey Shore) with partner Koko Iwasaki
• Cheryl Ladd (Charlie’s Angels) with partner Louis van Amstel
• Actor Jason Lewis (Sex and the City) with partner Peta Murgatroyd
• Drag queen superstar Shangela with partner Gleb Savchenko
• Platinum recording artist Jordin Sparks with partner Brandon Armstrong
• Gabby Windey (The Bachelorette) with partner Val Chmerkovskiy

All of the pairs will be judged by Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough. Tyra Banks will return, but as a co-host because season 19 winner Alfonso Ribeiro will join her with co-hosting duties as well. 

We can’t wait to see Shangela dance her way into the hearts of many soon-to-be fans. Season 31 of Dancing with the Stars premieres on Disney+ as the streaming giant’s first live show on September 19, 2022.