Denver drag queen Willow Pill competes in "RuPaul's Drag Race"

Willow Pill, a Denver native and former Colorado State University student, will compete for the crown Friday night in the finale of "RuPaul's Drag Race."

Details: The fan favorite has captured hearts across the country, particularly after sharing an emotional social media post that she had come out as transgender and was "starting to finally feel bits of happiness" despite her struggle with cystinosis, a chronic illness.

• The charismatic performer is also the mentee of Yvie Oddly, Denver's first winner of a previous RuPaul contest, who was announced this month as a cast member in the latest season of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars."

What she's saying: Being on the show has changed Willow "immensely," she told CityCast Denver.

• "It's almost like you enter this new world that you've never been in before and you kind of have to figure out who you are without all of the resources and relationships that you're used to having," she said.
• "Mainly … [what] changed about me is I realized a lot of things about gender. I realized a lot of what it is that I really want out of drag. And I realized I'm a very tired person," she quipped.

How to watch: The season finale premiers at 6pm on VH1 and can also be viewed on select streaming services.