Cheddar Gorgeous

Cheddar Gorgeous
Cheddar Gorgeous at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2023
Born	Michael Atkins Birmingham, England
Education	University of Manchester (PhD)
Occupation(s)	Drag performer, academic
Website	cheddar-gorgeous.co.uk

Cheddar Gorgeous is the stage name of Michael John Atkins, a British drag performer and academic who competed on series 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race UK .

Career

Atkins competed as Cheddar Gorgeous on the fourth series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK , ^[1] where she finished as the runner-up. She had previously appeared on Drag SOS. ^{[2] [3]} In 2023, Cheddar Gorgeous was a guest celebrity on series 5 of Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star airing on BBC Three. ^[4] She won Celebrity Mastermind in 2023. ^{[5] [6]}

Formerly known as "Sisters Gorgeous" with her "drag sister" Anna Phylactic, the two formed "The Family Gorgeous", a drag house akin to the drag family model seen in the United States. ^[7]

Personal life

Atkins was born in Birmingham and now lives in Manchester. ^{[8] [9]} His drag name comes from the landmark Cheddar Gorge. ^[10]

Atkins holds a PhD in anthropology from the University of Manchester. ^[11] In September 2023, Atkins began a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Manchester. ^[12]

Discography

List of featured singles

Title	Year	Album
"Come Alive" (Queens of the Bone Age version) (with the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, series 4)	2022	Non-album singles
"Lairy Poppins: The Rusical" (with the cast RuPaul's Drag Race UK, series 4)
"UK Grand Finale Megamix" (RuPaul featuring the cast RuPaul's Drag Race UK, series 4)

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2019	Drag SOS	Herself	Mentor
2022	RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 4		Contestant
2023	Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star series 5		Guest Judge
2023	The After Shave with Danny Beard		Guest
2023	Celebrity Mastermind (series 22)		Contestant (Winner)

• Bring Back My Girls (2024)

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist	Role
2020	"Nerves of Steel" [13]	Erasure	Herself

References

1. Baska, Maggie (1 June 2022). "'Disruptively gendered' drag icon Cheddar Gorgeous to lead Platinum Jubilee parade". PinkNews . Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
2. "21 questions with 'Drag SOS' star Cheddar Gorgeous". Attitude.co.uk. 12 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
3. "Cheddar Gorgeous delivers out of this world lip-sync to David Bowie's 'Starman'". Attitude.co.uk. 27 June 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
4. "Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star Series 5: Episode 6". www.bbc.co.uk. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
5. Noyce, Eleanor (5 December 2023). "Cheddar Gorgeous says Mastermind was 'the right throne' to win". PinkNews. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
6. James, Alastair (4 December 2023). "Drag Race UK's Cheddar Gorgeous wins Celebrity Mastermind". Attitude. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
7. Ryan, Gary (3 August 2017). "Big Issue North". Big Issue North. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
8. "Who is Cheddar Gorgeous, Manchester contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race 2022?". www.manchesterworld.uk. 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
9. "StackPath". xtramagazine.com. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
10. Burgos, Joey (21 September 2022). "Meet RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 4's Queens". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
11. Owen, Christopher J. (16 July 2019). ""Outside of What is Human": An Interview with SFF Drag Queen Cheddar Gorgeous". Anglia Ruskin Centre for Science Fiction & Fantasy. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
12. Wratten, Marcus (18 September 2023). "Drag Race UK's Cheddar Gorgeous begins 'radical' career change". Pink News. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
13. Erasure (11 August 2020). "Erasure - Nerves of Steel (Official Video)" (YouTube video). Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.

External links

• Media related to Cheddar Gorgeous at Wikimedia Commons