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Alyssa Edwards is the stage name of Justin Johnson, an American drag performer and choreographer from Texas. He is best known for being a contestant on Season 5 and All Stars 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race.

RuPaul's Drag Race

"RuPaul's Drag Race" Stats

Alyssa Edwards
Season Competed: Season 5 All Stars 2
Ranking: 6th Place 5th Place
Mini-Challenges Won: 2 (Eps. 5, 9)  0
Times as Team Captain: 1 (Ep. 9)  0
Main Challenges Won: 1 (Ep. 4)  2 (Eps. 3, 5) 
Times in Bottom Two: 3 (Eps. 7, 8, 9)  2 (Eps. 4, 7) 
Eliminated: Episode 9 Episodes 4 & 7

Drag Name Origin

She grew up in a large family where everyone all had to agree upon a TV show to watch, and Who’s the Boss was the one. She thought if she ever was a girl, she would be Alyssa Milano. Her last name came from her drag mother, Laken Edwards. Alyssa's early mentors were Miss Manny, her drag grandmother, and Whitney Paige, a Texas pageant queen.

Entrances

Season 5

"Girl, I am gagging!"

All Stars 2 (episode 1)

"Alright... My name is Alyssa Edwards and I need, I need, I need, I need, I need to get up in this all-star gig! *Tongue pop*"

All Stars 2 (episode 5)

"I'm back, back, back, back again!"

Farewell Message

Season 5

"The sky is the limit when your ♡'s in it. Don't dream it, be it. Always and forever, Alyssa."

All Stars 2 (Episode 4)

"It's Not Personell... its DRAG! P.S. Log Off. Always & Forever, Alyssa E. 💋"

All Stars 2 (Episode 7)

"IMAGINE, CREATE & INSPIRE! ♥ you all! Always & Forever, Alyssa Edwards ALL STARS"

Beyond Belief

Following Season 5, Logo started working with Justin on a show called Beyond Belief which focuses on the Beyond Belief Dance Company, which he is the director of. However, the airing of the series was cancelled following the tragic death of Johnson's mother, who featured heavily in the show. A new version of the series is going to be on Netflix, premiering Oct. 5, called "Dancing Queen"

Trivia

  • Alyssa was originally shortlisted for Season 4, but did not make the final cast and was later cast on Season 5 instead.
  • Alyssa was the last queen in the show ever to be given immunity, as she was saved on Season 5's Snatch Game despite giving one of the worst performances.
  • Alyssa is the first and currently the only queen to have 5 Low placements in a row on a season: She was Low on episodes 5 and 6 and was in the Bottom 2 on episodes 7, 8 and 9.
  • Alyssa is the second queen to be eliminated 3 times in total from both the regular series and in the All Stars series, the first being Tatianna.
    • Her third elimination was on the first anniversary of her mother's passing.
  • Alyssa has been impersonated for Snatch Game by Violet Chachki from Season 7 and Aja from Season 9.
  • Alyssa is the first queen to have been saved in a double shantay you stay twice (in episode 7 of Season 5 against Roxxxy Andrews, and against Tatianna in episode 5 of All Stars 2), the second being Eureka.
  • Alyssa is the drag mother of Season 2 & 3 contestants Shangela Laquifa Wadley, Season 11 contestant Plastique Tiara, and Season 6 contestants Laganja Estranja and Gia Gunn. Fellow Season 5 queen Vivienne Pinay is also considered an honorary member. Alyssa's drag mother is Laken Edwards, a drag sister of Alexis Davenport and the Davenport drag family.
  • Johnson owns his own dance studio, 'Beyond Belief', located in Mesquite, Texas.
  • Along with Victoria Parker, she appeared in the 2008 documentary, "Pageant," a film documenting five men competing in the Miss Gay America pageant.
  • Alyssa won several prestigious pageants including Miss Gay USofA in 2006 (also won by Asia O'Hara in 2007 and Kennedy Davenport in 2019), Miss Gay America in 2010 (also won by Coco Montrese in 2010 and Asia O'Hara in 2016), and All American Goddess in 2010 (also won by India Ferrah in 2008, Asia O'Hara in 2012 and Alexis Mateo in 2016). She was also Trinity Taylor's first runner up for National Entertainer of the Year 2014.
  • Alyssa is the third queen to stay past the episode she returned in defying the "Returning Queen Curse". The first queen to do so is Trixie Mattel of Season 7, and the second being Naysha Lopez of Season 8.
  • Alyssa is only one of five queens to be eliminated thrice. The other queens that have been eliminated thrice are Tatianna, Morgan McMichaels and Shangela.
  • Alyssa is not only known for her quotes, but also for the faces she makes in the mirror.
  • Alyssa had her own web series on the Wow Presents YouTube channel, called: Alyssa's Secret counting 114 episodes.
  • Alyssa made a guest appearance as the choreographer for the Pharmarusical Challenge in season 10 episode 2, and in the Farm To Runway Challenge in season 11 episode 7.
  • A Netflix documentary series about Alyssa's life, called Dancing Queen, was released on October 5, 2018.
  • She appeared on The Bachelorette.
  • She has her own eyeshadow palette with Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Videos

Best_of_Alyssa_Edwards_Season_5

Best of Alyssa Edwards Season 5

Alyssa_Edwards'_All_Stars_2_Runway_Looks

Alyssa Edwards' All Stars 2 Runway Looks

The_Evolution_of_Alyssa_Edwards

The Evolution of Alyssa Edwards

Memorable Quotes

Season 5

  • "Don't get bitter, just get better."
  • "Jealousy's a killer in this industry!"
  • "...Alright. Oh, I see where this is going."
  • "Why you being cute?"
  • "I don't get cute I get drop dead gorgeous."
  • "Get a grip, get a life, and get over it."
  • "BACKROLLS?!?!"
  • "Game on, bitch. The sequel."
  • "Every woman has a secret. Mine happens to be a little bigger... I'm a man."
  • "They read me the house down underneath the cement."
  • "What the hell are you squirping like a chirping like a bird?"
  • "It's not personal, it's drag."
  • "Girl look how orange you fuckin' look, girl!"
  • "And then walks in Coco Montrese."
  • "She was the one backstabbin' me, behind my back."
  • "Bitch, sit yo ass down and shut the hell up, bitch!"
  • "The Ghetto's a place mama, so don't call someone a place."
  • "Reading you is like reading a Walt Disney book, it's simply too easy."
  • "Santino, will you please shut the fuck up with your no-drag-knowledge mouth?"
  • "Oh she really came that way? ...alriggghht."
  • "I'm not bothered.com."
  • "Not on tonight!"
  • "I need to get up in this gig, girl."
  • "Wrong queen mama cuz I'm not the one."
  • "Mama, this is garbage."
  • "Gurl, you're a joke gurl. I could read you on your lack of talent."
  • "This is human, mama. This is $450, that is $35."
  • "Put your mouth where your fashion is."
  • "Cause I'm what? Sickening!"
  • "Face crack of the century."
  • "Deuces!"
  • "Always and forever, Alyssa Edwards."
  • *Tongue pop*
  • "Oh, but you wanna really fight."
  • "Shade"

All Stars 2

  • "BEAST!"
  • "You're a Gila monster."
  • "Well, I was a lovely fifth alternate!"
  • "Now it was a lovely- *counts* - fourth runner-up!"
  • "If I go home, it was rigged. Rigga morris, girl.  It was Rigga Morris!"
  • "You think you're clever don't ya?"
  • "I need, I need, I need, I need, I need to get up in this all star gig!"
  • "You're that girl I knew you were."
  • "Phi Phi I tried to hug you though."
  • "Girl why you gagging, you never done a beauty mask before?"
  • "Log off, Phi. Log off. Delete the account."
  • “Baby, nothin’ was notarized. No contracts are signed. My attorney was not present. That was hog wash."
    Alyssa edwards6
  • "Bitch, that was all 3 years ago!"
  • "Oh my gosh, look at Katya Zigawadawadawada!"

Alyssa's Secret

  • "What the fuck is goin' on in here on this day?"
  • "Baby I got a doctorate... in drag"

Other

  • "I am so glad we didn't have no Charlie Hides in this group, y'all girls came to SLAY!"
  • "A kinda, Big Spender moment."
  • "Karb, ah... you think you're clever, don't you."
  • "If I could describe my spirit animal... that might be Miss Silky."
  • "Plastique, girl if you come around that corner and have me act like a stage mom from Toddlers & Tiaras."
  • "Ok she's disqualified."
  • "And now she's punching, this bitch has gotta get to the bus stop... let's don't say that, rewind back, I don't want Roxxxy sendin' me a tweet."

Gallery

Season 5 Looks

All Stars 2 Looks

Follow Alyssa

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