The season finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 11 airs today, but there’s an important connection to Madison some may not know about. Long before becoming an international drag star and contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13, Joey Jay was a familiar face at Madison’s FIVE Nightclub. It was there that she discovered the local drag community, in in particular, a Madison drag legend named Desiree Mathews.

That foundational connection took center stage in episode 10 of this season of “All Stars” during the tournament’s semifinal round. Contestants were challenged to tell a personal story for RuPaul and the judges, and Joey chose to share one about her connection to Desiree. In the story, Joey talks about sneaking out of the house to go to clubs as a teen. It was in one of these excursions that she first encountered Mathews, whose influence stretches back decades in Madison’s LGBTQ+ community. But little did Joey know their connection was far deeper than either of them first realized.

When that episode was set to air, Joey arranged to host the viewing party at FIVE Nightclub. Joey’s mother and grandparents attended, and FIVE owner Dave Eick helped arrange for Desiree to attend as well, unaware that Joey would be talking about her on screen.

The moment was particularly meaningful considering how Joey reached the semifinals: Rather than earning enough points to automatically advance through the tournament, she returned as the wildcard selection. While the twist kept Joey in the competition, many viewers argued she had outperformed her point totals throughout her bracket.

The fact is, it has been widely speculated that the reality show is heavily edited in order to curate a specific narrative structure and uphold pre-selected results, suggesting that competition results can sometimes serve broader season storylines as much as (if not more than) competitive performance. But regardless of how she advanced, Joey seized the opportunity by delivering one of the season’s most memorable personal stories.

Joey, also known as Joseph Jadryev, was born in Iowa City but moved to Madison as a young child and considers the city home. She attended Memorial High School, began skating competitively as a youth, and discovered drag as a teenager at what was then Club 5. She later performed throughout Madison and Milwaukee before relocating to Phoenix, where her initial wig-free drag aesthetic helped earn her a spot on Season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

For local fans gathering to watch today’s finale, Joey’s story is an exciting nod to home, to Madison and Wisconsin’s vibrant queer community, and to the fact that even on drag’s biggest stage, the people who helped get you there are never far away!