Silky Nutmeg Ganache | |
---|---|
Born | Moss Point, Mississippi, U.S. | December 31, 1990
Education | Wabash College (BA) Indiana Wesleyan University (MBA) |
Occupation | Drag queen |
Years active | 2012-present |
Television | |
Website | silkyganache |
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (born December 31, 1990) is an American drag performer most known for competing on the eleventh season (2019) of RuPaul's Drag Race and on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2021. She has also been involved in numerous Drag Race spin-offs, including RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue (2020) and RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race (2022). She also competed in the first Canadian-based international All Stars spin-off series, Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World in 2022, finishing as a runner-up. [1]
Silky Nutmeg Ganache was born on December 31, 1990, into an African American Pentecostal family [2] in Moss Point, Mississippi, but eventually moved to Chicago as a young adult. Growing up, she was an avid fan of the Food Network, and most frequently watched Emeril Lagasse’s programs. [3] She is a Hurricane Katrina survivor, and, as a result of the flooding sustained during the natural disaster, only a few visual records of her childhood exist. [4] She came out to her family as gay when she was in her senior year of high school. [2] She earned her MBA in organizational leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University in December 2017. According to Silky Nutmeg Ganache's website, she is currently pursuing her PhD. [3] Because of her Master's and PhD pursuit, she is often jokingly referred to as "The Reverend Dr. Silky Nutmeg Ganache". [3]
She went to Wabash College, an all-male college, where she came out as gay to her college community during her junior year of college, [5] [2] and she thought of her original drag name, "Lasagna Frozeen", which was considered alongside the name "Honeybutta Biscuit Superbottom". [lower-alpha 1] The name "Lasagna Frozeen" originated from when Silky Nutmeg Ganache drank too much at parties and her peers gave her the nickname "Lasagna", quipping that "Lasagna was coming out" whenever she had drunk too much alcohol. [6] She had first discovered drag during her senior year of college, when, over spring break, she attended a drag show at nearby DePauw University. Her drag mother and mentor, Vanessa Ryan, [2] later dubbed her "Silky" because she could be rough around the edges but also classy. One night, Silky went home where she watched the Food Network, and, while watching a program, she overheard the phrase "silky ganache." She added “nutmeg”, a nickname she had gained while working in food services to the name, and, from there, she would hence be known as "Silky Nutmeg Ganache". [7] [2] She considers the anniversary of her first time performing in drag to be March 18, 2012. [8] Silky Nutmeg Ganache graduated from Wabash College the same year. [2]
Silky Nutmeg Ganache has participated in many pageants, and has over 100 competition credits. Her pageant history includes Miss Gay Indiana University 2014 (winner), Indiana All American Goddess at Large 2014 (first alternate), Miss Unlimited Newcomer 2015 (winner), Miss Latina Continental Plus 2017 (winner), Miss Continental Plus 2017 (second alternate), and Miss Illinois Continental Plus 2018 (first alternate). [9] Prior to her time on RuPaul's Drag Race, she performed drag for six years, working at Hydrate, Roscoe's, Splash and Berlin in Boystown. [10] She drank vodka the day she received the call to appear on Drag Race, ending a six-month abstention from alcohol. [6]
Silky Nutmeg Ganache was announced to be one of fifteen contestants competing on season eleven of RuPaul's Drag Race on January 24, 2019. [11] She won two main challenges, in episode four and eight. [12] [13] She portrayed Oprah Winfrey for her winning performance in Trump: The Rusical . [14] Ts Madison, whom Silky Nutmeg Ganache portrayed in the season's Snatch Game challenge, praised Silky Nutmeg Ganache for her performance. [15] In episode 11, Silky Nutmeg Ganache landed in the bottom two, where she sent home Nina West to TLC's "No Scrubs". [16] [17] In the season finale, held in Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theatre, Silky Nutmeg Ganache was a part of the final four, and lip-synced against Brooke Lynn Hytes to Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious", which she lost, finishing the competition in 3rd/4th place alongside A'keria Chanel Davenport. [18] [19] On July 24, 2019, Silky Nutmeg Ganache performed alongside Iggy Azalea at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. [20] Silky Nutmeg Ganache guest starred in Germany's Next Topmodel, alongside fellow RuPaul's Drag Race alum Derrick Barry and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo. [21] She appeared in a music video for Lizzo's song "Juice" on April 17, 2019. [22]
From March 26 to September 6, she was a part of the rotating cast for RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 11 Tour, presented by Voss Events and World of Wonder, and hosted by Asia O'Hara. [23] The show kicked off in Los Angeles on May 26 during the RuPaul's DragCon LA wrap party (hosted by Drag Race judge Michelle Visage) and concluded with a final bow on September 6 in New York City (also hosted by Visage) at the top of RuPaul’s DragCon NYC. [23] In April 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Silky Nutmeg Ganache was announced as a featured cast member for the very first Digital Drag Fest , an online drag festival for all ages, with attendees given opportunities to interact with the artists, tip them, and win prizes during the broadcast. [24] In 2020, she was featured in Magnus Hastings' Rainbow Revolution photography book. [25]
Silky Nutmeg Ganache starred in her own series on WOWPresents Plus series entitled Shantay You Pray, a series exploring her relationship with religion, which aired four episodes in October 2020. [26] She is also set to star in Nightmare Neighbors with Silky & Vanjie, another WOWPresents series with Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, a docuseries chronicling their life together as they move into the same apartment. [27] As of July 2023, this series is yet to be released.
Silky was announced to be one of thirteen contestants competing on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars on May 26, 2021. She was eliminated in the third episode, placing 11th overall. [28] Soon after her elimination, she released Cocktails for a Queen, an alcoholic beverage recipe book inspired by Drag Race alum. [29] She returned in the tenth episode as a part of the "Game Within a Game" twist, making "herstory" as the queen with most lip-syncs in a single episode, with seven, and the most lip-sync wins in a single episode with six. [30]
Silky was announced to be one of the nine contestants competing on the first season of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World on October 17, 2022. Silky won 2 maxi challenges and placed in the bottom once, where Rita Baga sent home Vanity Milan (in place of Silky Nutmeg Ganache) after winning the lip-sync against Victoria Scone to ”Freak” by Estelle featuring Kardinal Offishall. Silky eventually placed runner up in the season after losing the lip-sync for the crown of Celine Dion’s cover of “River Deep – Mountain High” to Ra'Jah O'Hara.
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 . [31] [32]
Ganache is a registered Republican, although she does not hold conservative political views. In the Drag Race episode "Trump: The Rusical", she explained that this is because of party gerrymandering and "gentrification and movement of the districts", and stated that despite her official party affiliation, she does not vote for Republican politicians. She says "It's very important that people realize that if you want to stop that within the political process, get smarter than them. Register as a Republican, and they'll have to redo everything." [33]
After her run on Drag Race, Silky Nutmeg Ganache later revealed that due to the online hate and abuse she received, she fell into a depression and nearly quit drag. [34] [35]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Contestant | 3rd/4th place; Season 11 (14 episodes) | [11] |
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | Herself | Season 10 (12 episodes) | ||
Germany's Next Topmodel | Guest; Season 14, episode 13 | [21] | ||
2020 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue | Guest | [36] | |
2021, 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Contestant | 11th place; Season 6 (4 episodes) Lip Sync Assassin; Season 8 (1 episode) | [37] |
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked | Herself | Season 3 (4 episodes) Season 5 (1 episode) | ||
2022 | RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race | Guest; Season 2, episode 4 | [38] | |
Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World | Contestant | Runner-Up | [39] | |
2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Herself | Special guest; Episode: "Tickety-Boo" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Queen to Queen | Herself | With Vanessa Mateo and A'keria Chanel Davenport | [40] |
Meet the Queens | Herself | Stand-alone special RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11 | [41] | |
Whatcha Packin' | Herself | Guest | [42] | |
Countdown to the Crown | Herself | Season 11 | [43] | |
Cosmo Queens | Herself | Cosmopolitan Series | [44] | |
Remember That Time | Herself | Guest | [45] | |
Be$ties for Ca$h | Herself | With Vanessa Vanjie Mateo | [46] | |
2020 | Elevate Your Slay | Herself | Guest | [47] |
Silky's Snack Shack | Herself | Host | [48] | |
Shantay You Pray | Herself | Host | [26] | |
Hey Qween | Herself | Guest | [49] | |
2021 | Meet the Queens | Herself | Stand-alone special RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 6 | [50] |
Whatcha Packin' | Herself | Guest | [51] | |
Ruvealing the Look | Herself | Guest | [52] | |
Trixie Cosmetics TV | Herself | Guest; Episode: "Kiki with Silky Nutmeg Ganache" | [53] | |
2022 | The Pit Stop | Herself | Guest | [54] |
Binge Queens | Herself | RuPaul's Drag Race: UK series 4 | [55] | |
Meet the Queens | Herself | Stand-alone special Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs The World | [56] | |
EW News Flash | Herself | Guest with Ra'Jah O'Hara | [57] | |
2023 | Give It To Me Straight | Herself | Guest | [58] |
Kerri Kares | Herself | Special guest; Episodes: "Fabulosity - Part One" & "Fabulosity - Part Two" | [59] [60] | |
Unpacked with Jan Sport | Herself | Guest; Podcast | [61] | |
2024 | House of Laughs | Herself | WOWPresents Plus original | [62] |
Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | "Juice" | Lizzo | [63] |
2020 | "Hype" | Yvie Oddly | [64] |
2021 | "Wig Remix" | Serena ChaCha | [65] |
2021 | "Silky" | Cuee | [66] |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Queens Everywhere" [67] (RuPaul featuring A'keria Chanel Davenport, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Vanessa Mateo, & Yvie Oddly) | 2019 | non-album single |
"Bonjour, Hi!" (SRV Version) [68] (The cast of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs The World) | 2022 | non-album single |
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Work | Results | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | The Queerties | Future All-Star | Herself | Nominated | [69] |
Derrick Prentice Barry is an American drag performer, Britney Spears impersonator and reality television personality. He is best known for competing on the third season of America's Got Talent (2008), and later the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2016) and fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2020). Outside of reality television, Derrick Barry has toured internationally, released several musical singles, and has numerous film and television credits.
Alexis Mateo Pacheco, best known as Alexis Mateo, is a Puerto Rican drag queen, performer, reality television personality, fashion designer, and the winner of All American Goddess 2016, Miss Gay Days 2016 and National Showgirl 2017. She became internationally known as a contestant on season three of RuPaul's Drag Race, seasons one and five of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars and season two of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World. Alexis Mateo is also drag mother of viral sensation and "RuGirl" Vanessa Vanjie Mateo.
James Jeffrey Wirth, better known as Jaymes Mansfield, is an American drag queen, TV personality, and YouTuber. She is best known for competing on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, and playing the part of Delia Von Whitewoman in the film The Bitch Who Stole Christmas.
Eureka, also known as Eureka O'Hara and Eureka!, is the stage name of Eureka D. Huggard, an American drag queen and reality television personality. Eureka rose to prominence competing on the ninth and tenth seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race. She was removed from the ninth season due to a knee injury, becoming the first contestant in the history of the show to be sent home due to injury; she was then given an automatic berth to season 10, where she placed as runner-up. In 2021, Eureka competed on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, where she once more placed as a runner-up. In 2024, she competed on the second season of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World.
Dane Young, known professionally as Kameron Michaels, is an American drag performer who came to international attention after competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Originally from Columbia, Tennessee, she began her career in Nashville, where she performed locally from 2004 or 2005 until her appearance on television. Since her season aired in 2018, Michaels has been a staple of several domestic and international tours that feature Drag Race contestants, including Werq the World, Christmas Queens and Drive 'N Drag. She has also appeared on a number of web series produced by World of Wonder. In June 2019, she released "Freedom", her debut single and music video. Since January 2020, she has been a staple cast member of RuPaul's Drag Race Live!, a residency show in Las Vegas, and also stars in the accompanying VH1 miniseries RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue.
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, sometimes known as Vanessa Vanjie, Miss Vanjie, or simply Vanjie, is the stage name of José Luis Cancel, an American drag performer known for competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and placing fifth on the eleventh season of the show. In addition to competing on Drag Race, she has also appeared in many of its spin-offs, including RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue, Canada's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, the latter of which she appeared as a contestant for its ninth season, where she placed runner-up along with season five and All Stars 2 contestant Roxxxy Andrews.
Nina West is the stage name of Andrew Robert Levitt, an American drag queen, queer activist, actor, and singer-songwriter based in Columbus, Ohio. She rose to national prominence with her appearance on the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race, where she placed sixth and won Miss Congeniality. In 2024, she competed in season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. She was named the Top Local Artist of 2019 by Columbus Underground. Levitt has also created three EPs—Drag Is Magic, John Goodman, and The West Christmas Ever, which were all released in 2019.
Brooke Lynn Hytes is the stage name of Brock Edward Hayhoe, a Canadian-American drag queen, ballet dancer, and television personality. After working as a dancer with Cape Town City Ballet and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Brooke Lynn Hytes achieved international recognition for competing on the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race; Brooke Lynn Hytes placed second, only to winner Yvie Oddly. Brooke Lynn Hytes is the first Canadian to compete in the series. Since 2020, Brooke Lynn Hytes has been a main judge on the spin-off series Canada's Drag Race, and is the first Drag Race contestant to become a full-time judge in the franchise.
Kahanna Montrese is the stage name of Tyrone Hardiman, an American drag performer most known for competing on season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Benni Miller, better known by the stage name Ra'Jah O'Hara, is an American drag queen best known for winning the first season of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World. She previously competed on the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2019 and the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2021.
Jovan Jordan Bridges, known by the stage name Yvie Oddly, is an American drag queen, performer, fashion designer, rapper, and recording artist from Denver, Colorado who came to international attention in 2019 when she won the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. She later returned to compete on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, an all-winners season, in 2022. Oddly has been on the worldwide Werq the World drag concert tour since 2019. In addition to music videos and performances, she explores what she sees as a transformative power of drag by making thrift store finds into wearable art in Yvie Oddly's Oddities series on WOW Presents Plus. She released her debut album, Drag Trap, in 2020.
A'Keria Chanel Davenport is the stage name of Gregory D'Wayne, an American drag queen best known for competing on the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2019) and the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2021). As a professional entertainer, she has won several national titles in drag pageantry systems, including Miss Black Universe in 2017. Davenport was recognized by Dallas Voice as a Texan of the Year in 2019.
"Trump: The Rusical" is the fourth episode of the eleventh season of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race, which aired on VH1 on March 21, 2019. The episode has contestants deliver Rachel Maddow impressions for the mini challenge, and perform a musical parody of Grease about Donald Trump and the women in his life and cabinet for the main challenge. The musical features choreography by Yanis Marshall, and sees Donald Trump portrayed by former contestant Ginger Minj. Maddow appears as a special guest; Joel McHale and Tiffany Pollard serve as guest judges, alongside regular panelists RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and Ross Mathews.
"Dragracadabra" is the tenth episode of the eleventh season of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race. It originally aired on May 2, 2019. Katherine Langford and Gina Rodriguez are guest judges.
"Bring Back My Queens!" is the eleventh episode of the eleventh season of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race. It originally aired on May 9, 2019. Wanda Sykes and Lena Waithe are guest judges.
"Queens Everywhere" is the twelfth episode of the eleventh season of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race. It originally aired on May 16, 2019. Todrick Hall is a guest judge.
Jared Johnson, best known by the stage name Jaida Essence Hall, is an American drag queen and reality television personality best known for winning the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, and later returning to compete on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, an all-winners season. Since her season aired in 2020, Hall has been a staple of several domestic and international tours that feature Drag Race contestants, including Werq the World, A Drag Queen Christmas, and Drive 'N Drag. In October 2020, Johnson was a featured performer in Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Fashion Show Vol. 2.
Nick Hall, better known by the stage name Anita Wigl'it, is a British-New Zealand based drag performer best known for hosting House of Drag from 2018 to 2020, and competing on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under in 2021. She competed in Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World in 2022.
"Whatcha Unpackin?" is the first episode of the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. It originally aired on February 28, 2019. Miley Cyrus is a guest judge. Silky Nutmeg Ganache wins the episode's mini-challenge, and Brooke Lynn Hytes wins the main challenge. Soju is eliminated from the competition after placing in the bottom two and losing a lip-sync against Kahanna Montrese to Cyrus' "The Best of Both Worlds".