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Shannel
Shannel at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2024
Born
Bryan Watkins

(1979-07-03) July 3, 1979 (age 45)
Orange County, California
OccupationDrag queen
Years active1994–present
Known for
Websitetheofficialshannel.com

Bryan Watkins, known by his stage name Shannel (born July 3, 1979),[1] is an American drag queen and television personality, best known for competing on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race and later the first and ninth seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars.

Early life

[edit]

Watkins was born to Debbie and Gary Watkins[2] on July 3, 1979,[citation needed] in Orange County, California.[3] He was raised in Cypress, California, and attended Pacifica High School.[2] He was introduced to drag at age 8 when he was taken to a Las Vegas boylesque show, and started doing drag at fifteen years old when he entered a Halloween drag contest under the name “Elvira” and won. A year later, he began working as a makeup artist, hairstylist, and photoshoot coordinator for glamour photography.[2][4] He worked as a beauty advisor for the cosmetics branch of fashion house Chanel for ten years.[1] He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2000.[5] He owns one of the largest collections of Lucille Ball memorabilia in the world, and has stated that if he wasn't a drag queen, he'd work as an interior designer.[1]

RuPaul's Drag Race

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Shannel touring with RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars LIVE, 2024

Shannel was announced as one of nine contestants for the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009.[6] In the third episode, she was in the bottom two with fellow competitor Akashia, and won a lip sync against her to "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston. She famously did the first "wig reveal" on the show during the lip sync.[7] She was later eliminated on the sixth episode after losing the bottom-two lip sync, to "Shackles (Praise You)" by Mary Mary, against Rebecca Glasscock; she would attempt to change the narrative by stating she was “choosing” to go home and was, essentially, self-disqualifying.[8]

Shannel was announced as being among twelve returning contestants for the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars in 2012.[9] Due to the team twist for the season, Shannel teamed with eventual winner Chad Michaels as the team Shad.[10] They won the third, fourth and fifth episode challenges, until Shannel was eliminated in third place with Jujubee.[11]

Shannel also was a drag professor for three seasons of the spin-off show RuPaul's Drag U in 2010 to 2012.[12]

She appeared as a guest star on the first episode of Drag Race's eighth season.[13] She appeared with her fellow season one cast on the Drag Race season ten finale, lip syncing next to Mayhem Miller.[14][15]

Shannel was credited as a Creative Consultant for the premiere episode of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. She also made an appearance making over celebrity Nico Tortorella, though it was ultimately cut from the episode.[16]

In 2023, Shannel appeared as the "lip-sync assassin" of the fourth episode of the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, where she lip-synced against Jimbo to Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation”. Shannel won the lipsync and, as the winner, revealed which of the queens in the bottom had been voted to be eliminated, which was Darienne Lake.[17]

On April 23, 2024, Shannel was announced as one of the eight contestants competing on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[18]

Career

[edit]
Shannel lip syncing live in 2018

Outside of Drag Race, Shannel appeared in an episode of The Arrangement in 2010.[19] She appeared in the official lyric music video for Lady Gaga's "Applause" with Raven, Morgan McMichaels, Shangela Laquifa Wadley and Detox.[20] She was a part of CeeLo Green’s show, "Loberace", in 2013.[4] She was also in the video for Xelle's "Queen" in 2014.[21] The same year, she began producing her own "dinner and drag" show, "Lipstick & Lashes", in Santa Ana. In 2016, she joined the cast of "53x", a Vegas show produced by the Chippendales. She was part of Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas show in 2017, impersonating Barbra Streisand and Adele.[22][23][4]

Since 2018, she has hosted Drag Brunch at Señor Frog's in Las Vegas alongside fellow Drag Race alums Yara Sofia, Kahanna Montrese, and DeJa Skye, as well as Hot Chocolate and Roxy Brooks Lords in collaboration with Voss Events.[4][24]

In September 2019, at RuPaul's DragCon NYC, Shannel was named as one of a rotating cast of a dozen Drag Race queens in RuPaul's Drag Race Live!, a Las Vegas show residency at the Flamingo Las Vegas.[25] In 2022, Shannel (billed as Bryan Watkins) was a contestant on the premiere episode of Season Ten of ABC's The Great Christmas Light Fight, where he was awarded the $50,000 grand prize for his decorated house. He also owns his own company, Santa's Helper Designs, which creates festive displays for clients such as Allegiant Stadium.[26][27] In 2024, she was announced as one of eight former Drag Race contestants participating in Painting with Raven, a spin-off of the WOW Presents Plus series Painted with Raven.[28][29]

On August 13, 2022, Shannel was accused of stealing seven-hundred dollars out of a female audience member's purse at a drag show.[30] Shannel has since repeatedly claimed that she did not steal the money, stating instead that she took two dollars as a joke and gave it back (which the event organizers said was corroborated "by statements taken from nearby customers and our own security camera footage. Additionally, management counts all tips collected during the show which did not even total the $700 this person alleges was taken from her purse").[31]

Filmography

[edit]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2009 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself Contestant (4th place)
2010 The Arrangement
2010–12 RuPaul's Drag U Herself
2012 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 1 Herself Contestant (3rd/4th place)
2012 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked, Season 1 Herself
2023 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 6 Herself Lip Sync Assassin; Episode: "Screen Queens"
Special guest; Episode: "You're A Winner Baby!"[32]
2023 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked, Season 6 Herself Episode: "Untucked - Screen Queens"
2024 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 9 Herself Contestant (7th Place)
2024 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked, Season 9 Herself

Music videos

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Year Title Artist
2012 Queen Xelle
2013 Applause Lady Gaga

Web series

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2013 WOW Shopping Network Herself Guest [33]
Ring My Bell Guest [34]
2016 The Pit Stop Guest [35]
Drag Makeup Tutorial Guest [36]
2020 Hey Qween Guest [37]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Q&A: Bryan Watkins". Las Vegas Magazine. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Larsen, Peter (August 23, 2010). "Drag Queen To The Rescue". Santa Ana Orange County Register. Santa Ana, California. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  3. ^ Nunn, Jerry. "The drag all-star on surviving RuPaul's Drag Race". ChicagoPride.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "Biography". theofficialshannel.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  5. ^ "Shannel". Piranha Nightclub. February 7, 2017. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (February 2009). "Logo's New Reality Competition Explores What It Takes To Be a Drag Star". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  7. ^ "INTO: A Digital Magazine for The Modern Queer World". www.intomore.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  8. ^ "The Drag Race Rutrospective: Ow! My Balls!". Xtra. November 6, 2013. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  9. ^ "'RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race': Meet the Queens". LOGO News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  10. ^ "Chad Michaels & Shannel Share Tearful Moment on 'Drag Race'". LOGO News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  11. ^ "'RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race' season finale recap". EW.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  12. ^ Gascot, John (July 12, 2011). "Drag U: Professor Shannel". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  13. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 8 Premiere: Keepin' It 100". Observer. March 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  14. ^ VH1 (June 28, 2018), Lip Sync Eleganza Extravaganza Performance 💃 'Finale Sneak Peek' | RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10, archived from the original on August 21, 2018, retrieved August 17, 2018{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Watch 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 1 queens reunite to slay in season 10 finale preview". EW.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  16. ^ Damshenas, Sam (April 27, 2020). "Shannel says she was "cut" from RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race". GayTimes. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Screen Queens". RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Season 8. Episode 4. May 26, 2023. Paramount+ / WOW Presents Plus.
  18. ^ Vary, Adam (April 23, 2024). "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Season 9 Queens Revealed, Will Compete for Charity for the First Time". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "Shannel Guest Stars on "The Arrangement" - The Arrangement (Video Clip) | LOGOtv". Logo TV. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  20. ^ "Detox, Raven, Shannel & Morgan McMichaels To Star In Lady Gaga "Applause" Music Video". LOGO News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  21. ^ "20 Music Videos With Drag Queen Cameos". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  22. ^ "'Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas': Bigger and better". Las Vegas Magazine. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  23. ^ "The stars align with 'Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas'". Las Vegas Magazine. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  24. ^ @yarasofiapr (July 5, 2023). "Getting ready for the bottomless mimosas with my girls at @dragbrunchvegas" – via Instagram.
  25. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (September 7, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Sets Live Show In Las Vegas". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  26. ^ Kamra, Bhavya (November 29, 2022). ""Well deserved": The Great Christmas Light Fight fans cheer as the Watkins family wins $50,000". sportskeeda.com. Sports Keeda. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  27. ^ Schultz, Jaclyn (December 16, 2022). "Retired Christmas displays from Las Vegas Strip revived by local Drag Brunch team". fox5vegas.com. Gray Television, Inc. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  28. ^ Sharpe, Josh. "PAINTED WITH RAVEN Spin-Off Series Coming This Summer". Broadway World. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  29. ^ "Painted with Raven is back with a new format". Pride.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  30. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race star denies stealing hundreds of dollars from woman's purse". August 19, 2022. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  31. ^ "'Drag Race' star Shannel denies woman's claim that she stole $700 from purse". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  32. ^ Benutty, John. "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' season 8 episode 8 recap: 'You're a Winner Baby!'". Goldderby.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  33. ^ Shannel on WOW Shopping Network. YouTube. April 25, 2013. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  34. ^ Shannel - Ring My Bell. YouTube. September 5, 2013. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  35. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 8 Ep. 8 Recap) | The Pit Stop with Kingsley & Shannel | Logo. YouTube. April 25, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  36. ^ Drag Makeup Tutorial: Shannel's 'Medusa Look' | RuPaul's Drag Race | Logo. YouTube. April 30, 2016. Archived from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  37. ^ SHANNEL on Hey Qween! with Jonny McGovern. YouTube. February 3, 2020. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
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