Cheryl made herstory as the first queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK to compete for their third time on the reality franchise. She also made personal history by finally making it to the finale! As she put it, “It’s the embodiment of everything that we have been doing in the outside world, finally being showcased on a big platform because we know we’ve been killing the game beyond everybody’s tv screens. But some people just take what you do on a season and that is all you’re known for. So for me, I knew I had something to prove.” She may not have had a challenge win this season, but she killed it on Canada’s Drag Race vs the World 2. And she can finally say she’s a finalist baby!

Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs the World 2 showcased some of the Drag Race Cinematic Universes biggest names. The season featured Lemon, Miss Fiercalicious, and Tynomi Banks from Canada’s Drag Race, Alexis Mateo, Eureka, and Kennedy Davenport from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Cheryl and Le Fil from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, and La Kahena from Drag Race France. Hosted by Brooke Lynn Hytes, the season was a celebration of top-tier drag where only one queen could take home the crown and the title of Queen of the Motherpucking World!

Cheryl’s Bond With Lemon Extended from the UK to Canada and Beyond

Cheryl, whose drag name is inspired by Girls Aloud’s Cheryl Cole, first rose to prominence during her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 1. She finished just shy of the grand finale. She would then be invited back to compete in the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs the World. Unfortunately, that time didn’t end up as successful. Cheryl was the second queen eliminated. It was a shock to the heart, but when the opportunity came to try again, Cheryl took it. This time in Canada in front of Brooke Lynn Hytes. For the second time, Cheryl was able to spend a season competing alongside Lemon. Having both appeared on RuPau’s Drag Race UK vs the World, where they were eliminated first and second, the two queens have a special bond. And it was all thanks to their background in the world of theater. Cheryl shared, “We’re very like-minded people. We’re the professional theatre-trained divas that have had the grueling schedule that has been embedded in us. So our work ethic is to be early is to be on time. Always make sure you pack an extra pair and a spare.” She said, “Everything we have done in the lead-up to drag has prepared us to just go balls to the walls for this journey. When you’ve got the girls that know exactly how your brain ticks, then that’s just the recipe for a good bloody dinner. When I tell you the first time that me and Lemon met back in 2018, we just knew straight away that we were our people.”

Their bond prior to Drag Race was just a precursor to the strong friendship they’d establish on reality television. She continued, “And granted, I may be two years older than Lemon. Two years is nothing really, is it? So, for me, I just knew instantly. So, the fact that we can say not only were we friends, not only did we go through a first season of Drag Race technically together, because we were the institutional people in our original franchises. We then did UK vs the World together, and now we’re here. So, it’s the world bringing us together. We’re not like begging the world to be like, put us together. It’s just happening because it’s meant to be.”

While we did roll the tapes to learn that there was never an official Canada alliance, there were other alliances budding in the Werk Room. Was the bond that brought Cheryl and Lemon together an alliance this season? As Cheryl put it, “Well, Lem was there?” Lemon, who sat in on the interview along with Cheryl, stated “Okay, well, for me, my alliance was to myself. And I know that might sound crazy, but you know, at the end of the day, there’s one winner of Drag Race. So an alliance, you know, can get you to the top two, but can it give you a crown?” Lemon and Cheryl were friends, and they certainly confirmed that they hyped one another up in the competition. Especially during the Reading Battle. Check the tapes! The chuckles were genuine and authentic.

Cheryl Never Wants To See a Ball Again

This season, Cheryl was able to earn herself immense redemption throughout the competition. From being a top performer in the girl group challenge to slaying the improv challenge, Cheryl proved that her ability to shine as a seasoned performer was a winning formula. When it came to “Snatch Game: the Rusical”, it was a challenge that combined two infamous Drag Race staples into one single Maxi Challenge. Again, it was a strong showing from Chez. With so many iconic challenges in the Drag Race lexicon, I asked Cheryl if she could combine two classic challenges into one, like “Snatch Game: the Rusical,” what would they be? First, Cheryl reminded us that on the most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, they were tasked to do a girl group makeover challenge. But for her answer, Cheryl said, “Ooh. The ball. The ball in a bin. I don’t know. I never want to ball, ball again in my life.” The ball challenge was one of the bottom performances from Cheryl this season.

Cheryl’s journey on Canada’s Drag Race vs the World 2 proved worthy. In the finale, she lost the first round of the Lip Sync Smack Down for the Crown to Alexis Mateo in a very tough battle. While Cheryl may not have taken home the crown, she can forever say she is a Drag Race finalist. From the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK to Canada’s Drag Race vs the World 2, Cheryl has established herself as a legend of the franchise. Outside of the show, she will forever remain a legend of the British drag scene. No matter where she heads next, Cheryl can hold her head high as a pioneer and a fan favorite.

To hear the full interview with Cheryl and Lemon, listen to Block Talk on your favorite podcast platform. Canada’s Drag Race vs the World 2 is available to stream on WOW Presents Plus.

Stream on WOW Presents Plus