Alt. News 26:46, an alternative news group that covers unique and creative stories, took over Ballroom B of the SIU Student Center on March 30, 2026 to host the first ever Alt. News 26:46 Drag Race. Co-Executive Producers Sam Bakos and Kaylin Williams, who helped lead the event, provided the community with a fun time raising money for the RSO.
Clarice Leona was the main queen and announcer of the event, which was inspired by “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a hit reality TV series that has been airing since 2009. She said she planned the event to be an alternative take on the celebrated tv series.
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“As an alternative person, I think ‘(RuPaul’s) Drag Race,’ specifically Season 4 of ‘American Drag Race,’ was the first time I really saw someone on TV I could relate to,” Leona said.
Two teams, each with three Alt.News members, competed at the event. One team had queen Elly Gay Clampette played by Dahlia Dahl, and the other team had queen Eden Dream played by Dylan Copple. All acts were judged by SIU faculty member Andrea Snow.
Dahl said her persona was inspired by the character Elly May Clampette from “The Beverly Hillbilles.” To keep in theme with the Southern-style sitcom, Dahl lip-sang “The Giver” by pop star and drag queen Chappell Roan. The song choice was also a tribute to her late partner, she said.
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“‘The Giver’ was absolutely, not even close, my late wife’s favorite song,” she said, adding that her partner had listened to the song on loop, even right up to before they passed.
Copple said their persona was inspired by The Donner Party, a historical event in which a group of American pioneers were trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter with a lack of natural resources, which resulted in the pioneers turning toward extreme measures like cannibalism before receiving help. Copple’s costume included a fake snow in their hair, blue contour and black finger tips to resemble frostbite. Copple chose “The Devil In Camp,” a song by the band American Murder Song that was inspired by the same event, for their lip-sync performance. Copple said their team wanted to find something gothic to fit the alternative theme of the drag race.
“Whenever I heard the song, I could imagine the choreography a lot easier than other songs,” Copple said, adding that they were also happy “to do some body contortion stuff.”
The southern belle Elly Gay Clampette took home the golden rhinestone heel trophy. Snow said that Dahl’s ability to jump in heels was so astonishing, she had to give her first place.
In the end, these SIU dawgs turned into some divas, and Dahl sashayed away with an unforgettable memory.
“If I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said.
Staff Photographer Soph Levinson can be reached at [email protected] or hpos.artz on Instagram.
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