TV

Shangela and pro partner tease big reveal if they make Dancing With the Stars finale

Shangela and Gleb Savchenko. (the drama/YouTube)

RuPaul’s Drag Race alumna Shangela has been strutting her stuff on the latest series of Dancing With the Stars as the first ever drag queen contestant – and her pro partner Gleb Savchenko has teased some big reveals if they make the finale.

Shangela, best known for popping out of various boxes on Drag Race season two, three and All Stars three (and being ‘burglarised’ on the latter), is partnered up with Russian dancer Gleb Savchenko.

Speaking with OnlineCasino.ca, Savchenko has teased some big things in store for the pair if they reach the esteemed finale, the most notable of which would be the pro-dancer transforming into a drag queen himself.

Drag performer Shangela wears a blue dress

Shangela will make her Dancing with the Stars debut as she competes alongside Gleb Savchenko. (Getty)

“If we go far and maybe reach the final I might become a drag queen and we’ll do a full-on drag performance.”

When pushed on whether this was actually a possibility, he replied: “Totally, I have to start learning to walk in heels, I’d need some tips as I’ve never tried them on.”

Two men have never danced together on Dancing With the Stars, something Savchenko was keen to point out: “I know on Strictly last year they had a partnership like that but the difference here with me is… Shangela, when she performs she is a full on drag queen.

“He rehearses without the full costume because it takes him four and a half, five hours to put this whole thing on. So for me as a professional it is a big change.

“When you work with someone, when you perform and you’re like ‘oh my god, Shangela’ and you go to rehearsal and you’re like ‘OK cool, DJ [Shangela’s non-drag name]’, so it’s a big change and it’s different for me but I enjoy it, I love it.

“We had great scores last night, the salsa, fire, it was great. We had a standing ovation.”

Gleb Savchenko is dancing with Shangela. (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)

The dancer – and soon to be winner of our favourite ally ever – has said that even when he was on Strictly Come Dancing, which he appeared on for one season, he advocated for same-sex pairings.

“Even when I did Strictly… they asked me if I would ever be paired with another male partner and I said ‘of course’. Because number one, it is a challenge, but it is also visibility. It’s raising awareness and educating a lot of people.

“It’s great to educate and show people it doesn’t always have to be a guy and a girl dancing together, it could be two girls, it could be two guys, it doesn’t really matter because we are creating an art form.

“It’s all about love and it’s all about art. I have only received a tonne of support and only good comments and no one said anything bad.”
See – a top ally!

Shangela wears a gold dress as she stares somewhere off camera

Shangela rose to fame on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she’s set to gain more fans as she competes on Dancing with the Stars. (Getty)

Savchenko also said that there was not much difference between dancing with Shangela and a woman:

“He is in his drag outfit and I’m teaching him as a girl. For him it’s a big challenge because he has to be in heels and be led by a partner.

“He’s never done ballroom dancing before and everything is reversed for him.”

The pro, whose highest placement on the show is fourth place, thinks the LGBTQ community could give him and Shangela an edge this season: “There is huge support from the LGBTQ+ community, huge love and only positive comments. It’s something very important, especially for us being on a reality television show, when people need to vote.

“To have a community come together and support us is super important and gives us a little extra advantage to hopefully go far in the competition.”

We know he mentioned voting, but hopefully there won’t be any juries…

More:
Register to save articles and more. It'll only take a minute and it's free.
JOIN US TODAY!