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 Drag is a performance of exaggerated femininity, masculinity, or other forms of gender expression, usually for entertainment purposes. Drag usually involves cross-dressing. A drag queen is someone (usually male) who performs femininely and a drag ...

known for competing on the tenth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

'' and placing fifth on the

eleventh In music theory, an eleventh is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a fourth. A perfect eleventh spans 17 and the augmented eleventh 18 semitones, or 10 steps in a diatonic scale. Since there are only seven degrees in a diaton ...

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 Secret Celebrity Drag Race'' (often abbreviated as RSCDR) is an American reality competition series that premiered April 24, 2020 on VH1. A spin-off of the television series, celebrities competing for their chosen charity, mentored by ...

'', '' RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue'', ''

Canada's Drag Race ''Canada's Drag Race'' is a Canadian reality competition television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and is the Canadian edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by Blue Ant Studios. In a similar format to t ...

'', and ''

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, ...

'', the latter of which she appeared as a contestant for its ninth season, where she placed runner-up along with

season five A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...

and All Stars 2 contestant

Roxxxy Andrews Michael W. Feliciano, known by their stage name Roxxxy Andrews (born September 23, 1983), is an American drag performer who came to international attention for being a contestant on the fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and the second and ...

Early life

Vanjie Mateo was born in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and grew up in

Kissimmee, Florida Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a principal city of the Greater Orlando, O ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and is of Puerto Rican descent. He started doing drag when ''Drag Race''

season three A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...

and ''

All Stars An all-star is an individual with a high level of performance in their field. All-star or All Star may also refer to: Awards * GAA GPA All Stars Awards, annual awards given to practitioners of Gaelic games ** Camogie All Stars Awards ** Ladies' ...

'' alumna

Alexis Mateo Alexis Mateo Pacheco (born July 24, 1979), best known as Alexis Mateo, is a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican drag queen, performer, reality television personality, fashion designer, and the winner of All American Goddess 2016, Miss Gay Days 201 ...

hired her as a backup dancer.

Career

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was announced as one of the fourteen contestants competing for the crown on the tenth season of ''

'', which premiered on March 22, 2018. She was eliminated in the first episode, after

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the Hard and soft C, spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a Speech, speaking or singin ...

ing to

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

's "

Ain't No Other Man "Ain't No Other Man" is a song recorded by the American singer Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album '' Back to Basics'' (2006). Aguilera co-wrote the song with Kara DioGuardi, Charles Martin Roane, Harold Beatty and its producer DJ Pr ...

" against competitor Kalorie Karbdashian Williams, while Aguilera was the guest judge. As she walked backwards off the stage, her parting words were "Miss Vanjie... Miss Vanjie... Miss... Vanjie", which later became an

internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

. "Miss Vanjie" was tweeted by many, including several by

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...

, as well as

Michelle Visage Michelle Visage (born Michelle Lynn Shupack, September 20, 1968) is an American television personality, singer, broadcaster, producer, and actress. She gained recognition as a member of the dance-pop group Seduction (group), Seduction, who char ...

and

Kathy Griffin Kathleen Mary Griffin (born November 4, 1960) is an American comedian and actress who has starred in television series, comedy specials and has released multiple comedy albums. In 2007 and 2008, Griffin won Primetime Emmy Awards for her rea ...

. The meme was also edited into clips of various movies, TV shows, and even on dating apps, with clips appearing in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'',

Grindr Grindr () is a location-based social networking and online dating application for gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender people. It was one of the first geosocial apps for gay men when it launched in March 2009, and has since become the large ...

, and '' The Shining''. The "Miss Vanjie" catchphrase was said by

Rylan Clark-Neal Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), commonly known as Rylan Clark, is an English broadcaster and television personality. He came to prominence as a contestant on the ninth series of the television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2012, in ...

while commenting on the

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (E ...

first semi-final broadcast during the presentation of

Eleni Foureira Eleni Foureira (; born Entela Fureraj, ; 7 March 1987) is an Albanian-born Greek singer. She began her music career in 2007 as a member of the Greek girl group Mystique, pursuing a solo career after the group disbanded in 2009. She has released ...

from

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

; he also said it in reference to

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

singer

Vanja Radovanović Vanja Radovanović (; born 28 October 1982) is a Montenegrin singer and songwriter. He represented Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, with the song " Inje", however failed to make the final, coming 16th place ...

, whose name resembles Miss Vanjie's.

wore a "Vanjie" necklace during the Time 100 Gala red carpet. The catchphrase was also referenced in multiple further episodes of ''Drag Race'' season ten. A

Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as "snaps", are usually availa ...

filter of Vanessa's runway look was made available the day after the season ten reunion. On January 24, 2019, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was announced as one of the fifteen competitors of season 11 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. She was in the bottom two for episodes

nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

and

ten Ten, TEN or 10 may refer to: * 10, an even natural number following 9 and preceding 11 * one of the years 10 BC, AD 10, 1910, 2010, 2110 * October, the tenth month of the year Places * Mount Ten, in Vietnam * Tongren Fenghuang Airport (IATA c ...

, and won both lip syncs against

Plastique Tiara Plastique Tiara is the stage name of Duc Tran Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American Drag (entertainment), drag performer, dancer, and model who competed on RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11), season 11 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and RuPaul's Drag Race All Star ...

and

Shuga Cain Shuga Cain is the stage name of Jesus Martinez Jr. (born November 20, 1977), an American drag queen and baker who came to international attention on the eleventh season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Early life Martinez was born in Oakland, Calif ...

. She was eliminated by

Brooke Lynn Hytes Brooke Lynn Hytes is the stage name of Brock Edward Hayhoe (born March 10, 1986), 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 Mont ...

in the penultimate week in episode twelve, and placed fifth. In Episode 5 of All Stars 5, she made a guest appearance as a "Lip Sync Assassin", where she lip-synced against

Shea Couleé Jaren Kyei Merrell (born February 8, 1989), known professionally as Shea Couleé, is an American drag queen, singer, rapper, actor, podcaster, and fixture of the Chicago nightlife scene. Born in Warsaw, Indiana, they began their drag career in 2 ...

, but lost. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo at Dragcon 2019 by dvsross

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was featured on the September 2018 issue cover of ''

Gay Times ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''GAY TIMES Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ magazine established in 1984. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company began including content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...

''. She appeared with

Nina Bo'nina Brown Pierre Leverne Dease (born July 12, 1982), better known by the stage name Nina Bo'nina Brown, is an American drag queen and television personality best known for starring on the ninth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', where she placed sixth. ...

for two episodes of the WOWPresents internet series " Fashion Photo RuView" on November 3 and 17, 2018, filling in for

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

and

Raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

. She appeared with

Silky Nutmeg Ganache Silky Nutmeg Ganache (born December 31, 1990) is an American drag queen, drag performer most known for competing on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11), eleventh season (2019) of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and on the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (se ...

and

Derrick Barry Derrick Prentice Barry (born July 18, 1983) 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 eig ...

for an episode of the fourteenth season of ''

Germany's Next Topmodel ''Germany's Next Topmodel'' (often abbreviated as ''GNTM'') is a German reality television series based on the concept introduced by Tyra Banks with ''America's Next Top Model''. The competition is hosted by Heidi Klum, who also serves as the ...

'' in 2019. On May 12, 2019, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was sponsored by

Chips Ahoy! Chips Ahoy! is an American chocolate chip cookie brand, baked and marketed by Nabisco, a subsidiary of Mondelez International, that debuted in 1963. Chips Ahoy! cookies are available in different variations such as, original, reduced-fat, chunk ...

for a social media post for

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in Mar ...

, which got homophobic backlash. On April 23, 2024, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was announced as one of the eight contestants competing on the ninth season of ''

''. She is one of the most followed queens from ''Drag Race'', and has accumulated over 1.5 million

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

followers as of October 2021.

Music

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo released her first single, "I'm Vanjie", on June 21, 2018. She appeared in the music video for

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ), is an Australian rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. She earned public recognition ...

's " Sally Walker" on March 14, 2019. She performed as a backup dancer to the song on

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

in April 2019. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was also in the video for Azalea's " Started" with

Trixie Mattel Brian Michael Firkus (born August 23, 1989), better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, makeup entrepreneur, DJ and singer-songwriter originally from Silver Cliff, Wisconsin, Silver Cliff, Ma ...

Filmography

Television

Music videos

Web series

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

José Cancel
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Living people 20th-century Puerto Rican LGBTQ people 21st-century Puerto Rican LGBTQ people American drag queens Drag performers from Florida Drag performers from Los Angeles Drag performers from Texas Hispanic and Latino American drag queens LGBTQ people from Florida People from Tampa, Florida Puerto Rican drag queens

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo 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 th ...