For Worcester's Joslyn Fox, it all came down to lip-synching for her life to Aretha Franklin's "Think" against another drag queen, each vying for drag icon RuPaul's approval. The duel was fierce, both female impersonators bristling with energy as they mimed Franklin's hallelujah-like chorus.

In the end, it was Fox who "sashayed away" from the reality TV competition, "RuPaul's Drag Race." But in the show's wake, she suddenly finds herself performing all over the country, her newest career chapter seemingly just beginning.

It's uncharted territory for the 27-year-old Fox, whose alter-ego, Patrick Allen Joslyn, grew up in Auburn, where his parents, Suzanne and Timothy Joslyn, still live.

"They still live in the house I grew up in," says Fox, who prefers to be referred to as a female when in her stage persona. She adds that they're enthusiastic and supportive of her career. "They knew I wanted to be a celebrity � an entertainer."

She also says she suspects they're relieved he found a pursuit, admitting that, as a youth, she bounced between sports and artistic activities with little focus, "until I started doing drag."

That came in 2007, when Fox was beginning a DJ career at the now-closed Blu Ultralounge & Nightclub in Worcester.

"I had begged and pleaded for a night at Blu," says Fox, "and they gave me Sundays, which was the slowest night." It was also the night of a weekly drag show. "That was my first exposure to drag," she said, adding that she also began attending drag shows on Mondays in Boston, which she credits as a major influence.

Fox wanted to perform, but needed to find a way to balance both stage and turntable.

"Why don't you just DJ in drag?" said local drag performer Lady Sabrina, who Fox also credits as a major influence. It worked, and the Joslyn Fox persona was created.

"Sabrina was 'The Voice of Why Not,'" jokes Fox, saying, "I don't know if I could have gone all the way" without the veteran performer's encouragement.

The drag show's audience expanded over the course of three years, according to Fox, often becoming the venue's busiest night, before folding. By that point, Fox had set her mind on drag stardom � a path that leads directly to "RuPaul's Drag Race."

Fox auditioned multiple times before securing a place on the show, which was shot in Los Angeles in June. Fox swears she has no idea who wins.

"I was performing with some of the girls this past weekend in Philadelphia," she said, "and I was like, 'Don't say anything! I don't want to know!'"

Fox, who will return to Los Angeles next week for a "reunion" episode, found herself impressed by the show's iconic namesake.

"Ru is very put together," says Fox, admiringly, "very poised. She's intimidating because you can't crack her. She's very smart � she's learned from her mistakes."

The competition puts the competitors through challenges that, in many ways, mimic or satirize reality TV competitions. One challenge forced the drag queens to rap, another to impersonate a celebrity. Several call for sewing skill, and one asked the competitors to interview celebrity Chaz Bono and his grandmother, singer Georgia Holt, talk-show host style. The show � and a drag career � demands disparate skills. The winner is the performer RuPaul feels has mastered the most of those skills.

Fox says performing, particularly dancing and acting, is her biggest strength. She says she was one of the few competitors to get through the rap battle in only one take, and that RuPaul said "you're perfect" after she shot a comic horror-movie scene. She says her weakness is sewing and editing her outfits, which she admits were often large on sparkly bits and short on fabric.

"I always go too far," she says, giggling lightly. "I never know where to stop."

Fox is bright and breezy in person, comfortable both in a photo shoot on the Worcester Common or sitting across a table from a reporter. Part of the confidence comes from the persona, certainly, but she says "Joslyn is just an extension of Patrick. Joslyn is Patrick turned up to 11."

Still, she's reflective on the episode on which she left "Drag Race." For the episode, she had to give a drag-makeover to a heterosexual basketball player identified as "Brandon." Brandon was resistant, expressing fear about how his fellow players would react.

"I had everything working against me," said Fox, who also had makeup issues and overextended herself making two dresses. She suspects Brandon wasn't entirely clear on what he'd signed up for, and noted that "this was before Jason Collins came out in the NBA."

The conflict led to the pair having a serious discussion about those fears, something which doesn't always happen on a lighthearted show, and Fox says she is "pleased I got to leave on a note like that."

The hard knocks forced Fox to lip-synch against California drag queen and former "American Idol" finalist Adore Delano. Fox admits she might have been overconfident going into the duel, but knew it was over as soon as she finished.

"After the lip-synch, I started to panic," she says, adding, "I didn't realize until I watched it how intense Adore was."

RuPaul kept Delano, but Fox is upbeat about her experience and her new opportunities, referring to the show as "RuPaul's School For Girls" because of all she's learned. She's been on a whirlwind tour, although she laments she has few opportunities to perform in Worcester, where there is no longer a regularly scheduled drag show for her to claim as a home base.

Her next regional performance will be May 1 at the Southern Maine AIDS Walk.

After that, she intends to continue performing, with an eye toward film, television and even Broadway, noting the recent success of "Kinky Boots" and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch."

"My favorite moments are when I get to perform on stage," she says. "That's when my little boy dreams come true."

Email Victor D. Infante at Victor.Infante@Telegram.com, and follow him on Twitter @ocvictor.