What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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I always enjoyed the shows. But after a couple years of going to the shows, I had ideas of my own of what I would do if I ever performed. And then in 2017, they had an open stage competition pop up, and a friend gave me the push to do it, and I fell in love with it. The rest is history." As of last week, viewers can see Maddy on Season 14 of "RuPaul's Drag Race" on VH1. It may not change the world, Maddy says, "but if there's anything that I hope people take away from my being on the show, it's that 'masculine' and 'feminine' really don't matter. I do drag. I wear makeup and dresses, and run around in six- inch heels. But at the end of the day, I go home to a beautiful girlfriend, play video games, etc. It doesn't change who I am. And I hope that seeing me on the show will make some people realize that the 'rules' are just made up, and help give them the courage to just be their authentic selves." Ross Harris Contestant 'Finding Magic Mike' Born and raised in Little Rock, Ross Harris was just 20 when he joined the U.S. Army, serving in Ranger Regiment, the 82nd Airborne and finishing his time as a Marksmanship Master Trainer. After a brief stay in Boston after his military service, he lives in Maddy Morphosis Ross Harris PEOPLE TO WATCH JANUARY 9-15, 2022 WHAT'S UP! 9 Fayetteville where he remodels and flips homes. But he's about to take the national stage as a contestant on a new series now streaming on HBO Max titled "Finding Magic Mike." Hosted by Adam Rodriguez, it's a dance competition that brings together "a diverse set of 'everyday' men who 'lost their magic' to dig deep and bare their souls (and more!) for a chance at reinvention, a performance on the famed 'Magic Mike' stage, and a large cash prize," the network says. Harris says he really didn't want to sign up for the show. "I was speaking with a good friend of mine, Danielle Keller, and expressed my desire to start a podcast centered around mental health for veterans, fitness and suicide awareness. She then forwarded the application for a 'Magic Mike' reality show and said that she thought I'd be able to bring attention to those issues [by appearing]. I figured there were absolutely zero holes in that logic, so I applied. "As a veteran and father who suffers from PTSD and who has lost close personal friends to suicide, my desire is to edify and encourage those who have been in similar positions and demonstrate that there is hope. I have managed to fight my way back to peace and joy by embracing gratitude for the experiences I've had that were meant to make me grow, and I want to get that message out as effectively as possible. I'm still not entirely sure how stripping plays into that, but obviously it was meant to happen," Harris says with a shrug. "As far as what's in store for me for 2022, I believe that it's vital to keep your plans to yourself and the few people whom you can trust," Harris says. "However, I can confidently say that you'll be hearing more from me, because I have no intention of being satisfied with where I am now." — COMPILED BY BECCA MARTIN-BROWN, JOCELYN MURPHY AND LARA JO HIGHTOWER Ross Harris