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“Shangela Was Robbed”: A Snapshot of a Queen's Journey Through Rupaul's Drag Race.

The Emmy winning reality competition show, Rupaul's Drag Race, has been exposing audiences to the world of drag since 2009. The art of drag is the expression of gender identity to entertain. Drag Race has showcased well over 150 unique queens in its twelve Drag Race seasons, six All Stars seasons, and multiple spinoff international franchises as well

When I think of a queen who exemplifies what it means to be a performer and entertainer I think of Shangela. Shangela was a queen who first graced our screens on the second season of Rupaul's Drag Race. Coming in as a baby queen (someone with little experience) she was not ready for the challenges the show presented her. Thus, she was the first queen eliminated from that season. Her skills might not have been up to the standard the judges were looking for, but her personality left a deep impact. Shangela was then asked to return for the third season of Rupaul's Drag Race. This time around she was able to showcase her growth and talent. Her charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent landed her in sixth place. Her run on the show spawned many memorable phrases such as, "Halleloo!" and the iconic, "I don't have a sugar daddy, I've never had a sugar daddy, yes I could probably go out to get one because I am what? Sickening! You could never have a sugar daddy because you are not that kind of girl."

Shangela had become a sensation in the world of drag. Her quick wit and humor was appealing to many, and her fashion sense was cutting edge and pushed boundaries. Fans of the show were able to witness the growth outside of the show too. Shangela was a headline performer, toured the world, released music, walked runways for fashion shows, and even appeared in television and film. Shangela was thriving.

The third season of Rupaul's Drag Race All-Stars was released in January of 2018. The cast featured ten queens from previous seasons who would compete for the crown and a spot in the exclusive All Stars hall of fame.  The outcome of the show was one not many people expected. Many fans of the show were upset by the elimination format which caused a winner that the audience didn't necessarily agree with. In this season of All Stars, a queen who won a challenge had the ability to eliminate one contestant from the bottom. This elimination style brought lots of drama. Friends seemed to save each other from elimination, and not every elimination was unbiased. The power to eliminate a queen was then interrupted at the top four. At this time all of the eliminated queens were asked back to the competition. Not to compete, but to serve as a grand jury. This jury would vote on which two of the top four would advance to the finale. This jury format ensured that past tensions were reignited. For example, Shangela who had done well, was responsible for a majority of the eliminations. Viewers of the show worried that the jury would hold these grudges against her when making their final decision. When it came to reveal the top two queens.The jury did not pick Shangela. This was followed by outrage in the Drag Race community almost immediately. She was "robbed," and the queen who won was rejected by many.

Shangela had done well, yet she didn't even place in the top two. This was a heartbreaking moment for her. All of her hard work was not rewarded in the way she thought it would be. She excelled in the competition and was a frontrunner throughout the entire season. However, due to the jury vote Shangela would lose yet again. This being her third attempt to snatch the crown. Some say that this is all a part of the game, and that Shangela's loss was understandable. Others argue that the result was a failure and that the jury vote format was unfair towards the queens who had been doing well. I can agree with the second argument. The queens who were eliminated by Shangela obviously felt some type of way. They were, in simple terms, salty. Their own chances of winning the competition were cut short by Shangela. This act of ensuring she didn't make it to top two was a form of revenge. If the top two were based on statistics, Shangela would have been one of the two queens advancing. With a high possibility of winning too. I do believe Shangela was robbed.

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