After a Season 7 elimination on RuPaul's Drag Race, Trixie Mattel returned to take the crown in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3. Since her win, the Barbie-inspired queen has continued serving greatness. From a hit YouTube series to folk albums to a successful cosmetic brand, Trixie's created a name in drag that's right up there with RuPaul's. Now, she's landed her own TV series on Discovery+, Trixie Motel.
Trixie's latest endeavor is not the queen's first rodeo. Since 2016, she's co-hosted UNHhhh with fellow Drag Race contestant Katya Zamolodchikova. Together, they comically discuss a variety of topics in front of a green screen. While the concept is simple, Trixie and Katya's quick wit and chemistry quickly gathered a cult following, (finally) earning them a Steamy Award for Best Unscripted Series in 2020. The attention resulted in Viceland picking up the show. However, the re-stylized The Trixie & Katya Show was short-lived.
During that same time, Trixie put out the documentary Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts, which follows her country music career and the struggles of touring and performing. It also features the now-resolved emotional tension between Trixie and Katya, resulting from Katya's drug addiction and following rehab hiatus. Since her documentary, Trixie's also linked up with Netflix, co-hosting the movie/TV review series I Like to Watch with Katya.
With an impressive resume and solo career, it's no surprise the queen landed her own show. Discovery+ announced Trixie Motel will air sometime in late 2021 or early 2022. The series follows Trixie, her boyfriend, David, and her "famous friends" as they renovate an old motel in Palm Springs, converting it into "the glossiest Drag motel of your wildest fever-dreams." The first season is set to run eight episodes.
It's an exciting premise and certainly unique as one of the only shows to combine home renovation with drag. Not to mention it brings more diversity and representation to the Discovery network. Trixie is a big advocate of LGBTQ+ rights. In early 2020, she became the co-owner of Wisconsin's oldest bar -- and her personal favorite -- to save it from shutting down, a fate so many restaurants faced during the pandemic. The bar -- This is it! -- is a significant part of the state's LGBTQ+ history, and as Trixie said, "In 2020, it's been thrown in our faces that queer spaces can disappear like that. And it really makes you think this is a really valuable service they are providing, not just to the community, but to humanity."
As it is right now, RuPaul's Drag Race is the juggernaut of drag. It's won Emmy's and captured the attention of a massive audience. Trixie Motel is one step in the right direction for queer representation, with drag still criminally underrepresented in mainstream media. In fact, Trixie Motel has the potential to pave the way for more drag content outside of Drag Race, pushing drag into the spotlight and giving the entertainers the appreciation they deserve.
Trixie Motel will air on Discovery+. A release date has not yet been confirmed.