Wikipedia

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, sometimes known as Vanessa Vanjie, Miss Vanjie, or simply Vanjie, is the stage name of José Luis Cancel,[1] 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.

Vanessa Vanjie
Vanessa Vanjie at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2018
Born
José Luis Cancel

(1991-10-03) October 3, 1991 (age 33)
OccupationDrag queen
Known forCompeting on RuPaul's Drag Race
Websitevanessavanjie.com

Early life

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Vanjie Mateo grew up in Orlando, Florida[2] and Texas, and is of Puerto Rican descent. She started doing drag when Drag Race season three and All Stars alumna Alexis Mateo hired her as a backup dancer.[3][4]

Career

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Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was announced as one of the fourteen contestants competing for the crown on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, which premiered on March 22, 2018.[5] She was eliminated in the first episode, after lip syncing to Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" against competitor Kalorie Karbdashian Williams, while Aguilera was the guest judge.[6] As she walked backwards off the stage, her parting words were "Miss Vanjie... Miss Vanjie... Miss... Vanjie", which later became an internet meme. "Miss Vanjie" was tweeted by many, including several by RuPaul, as well as Michelle Visage and Kathy Griffin. The meme was also edited into clips of various movies, TV shows, and even on dating apps, with clips appearing in The Simpsons, Pokémon, Grindr, and The Shining.[7]

 
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, 2019

The "Miss Vanjie" catchphrase was said by Rylan Clark-Neal while commenting on the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 first semi-final broadcast during the presentation of Eleni Foureira from Cyprus; he also said it in reference to Montenegro singer Vanja Radovanović, whose name resembles Miss Vanjie's.[8] RuPaul wore a "Vanjie" necklace during the Time 100 Gala red carpet.[9] The catchphrase was also referenced in multiple further episodes of Drag Race season ten. A Snapchat filter of Vanessa's runway look was made available the day after the season ten reunion.[10]

On January 24, 2019, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was announced as one of the fifteen competitors of season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race.[11] She was in the bottom two for episodes nine and ten, and won both lip syncs against Plastique Tiara and Shuga Cain.[12][13][14][15] She was eliminated by Brooke Lynn Hytes in the penultimate week in episode twelve, and placed fifth.[16][17][18] In Episode 5 of All Stars 5, she made a guest appearance as a "Lip Sync Assassin", where she lip-synced against Shea Couleé, but lost.

 
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo in 2019

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was featured on the September 2018 issue cover of Gay Times.[19] She appeared with Nina Bo'nina Brown for two episodes of the WOWPresents internet series "Fashion Photo RuView" on November 3 and 17, 2018, filling in for Raja and Raven.[20][21] She appeared with Silky Nutmeg Ganache and Derrick Barry for an episode of the fourteenth season of Germany's Next Topmodel in 2019.[22] On May 12, 2019, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was sponsored by Chips Ahoy! for a social media post for Mother's Day, which got homophobic backlash.[23]

On April 23, 2024, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was announced as one of the eight contestants competing on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[24]

She is one of the most followed queens from Drag Race, and has accumulated over 1.5 million Instagram followers as of October 2021.[25]

Music

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Vanessa Vanjie Mateo released her first single, "I'm Vanjie", on June 21, 2018.[26] She appeared in the music video for Iggy Azalea's "Sally Walker" on March 14, 2019.[27] She performed as a backup dancer to the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in April 2019.[28][29] Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was also in the video for Azalea's "Started" with Trixie Mattel.[30][31][32]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself Contestant (14th place)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
2019 RuPaul's Drag Race Contestant (5th place)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Backup dancer
Germany's Next Topmodel Guest
2020 AJ and the Queen[33] Guest appearance
RuPaul's Drag Race Guest
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race[34] Mentor
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Lip Sync Assassin
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked
RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue[35]
2022 All Star Shore Contestant (Finalist)
Canada's Drag Race (season 3)[36] Guest judge
The Book of Queer Episode: "Queens' Work Makes the Team Work"
2023 Drag Me to Dinner Hulu original[37]
2024 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Contestant Runner-Up
2024 Everybody Still Hates Chris Drag Queen (voice) Episode: "Everybody Still Hates Bullies"

Music videos

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Year Title Role
2019 Iggy Azalea – "Sally Walker" Funeral attendee
Iggy Azalea – "Started" Real Estate Agent
2020 Yvie Oddly - "Hype" Herself

Web series

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2018, 2019 Queen to Queen Herself With Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams, later with Silky Nutmeg Ganache and A'keria C. Davenport [38]
Countdown to the Crown Season 10 and Season 11 [39]
Whatcha Packin' Guest [40]
2018 Cosmo Queens Cosmopolitan Series [41]
2019–2022 The Pit Stop Guest, 2 episodes [42]
2019 Reading Queens Episode: "Miss Vanjie" [43]
Follow Me [44]
2019, 2020 Be$tie$ for Ca$h With Silky Nutmeg Ganache, later with Alexis Mateo [45]
2020 Silky's Snack Shack Guest [46]
Werq the World [47]
2021 Out of the Closet [48]
2022 Vanjie: 24 Hours of Love Host [49]
2023 LGBTQ Herstory Month: Honoring Latinx Heroes Web special [50]

Discography

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Singles

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Year Title
2018 "I'm Vanjie"
2019 "Queens Everywhere" with A'keria Davenport, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Rupaul, Yvie Oddly
2020 "Hype" with Yvie Oddly[51]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award ceremony Category Work Results Ref.
2019 People's Choice Award The Competition Contestant of 2019 Herself Nominated [52]
2023 Queerties Awards Future All-Star Herself Nominated [53]

References

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  1. ^ Kelly, Emma (August 24, 2018). "Drag Race viral sensation Miss Vanjie wants you to stop saying 'Vanjie' during sex". Metro. UK. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  2. ^ "Miss Vanjie talks her 'RuPaul's Drag Race' exit, memes, drag roots".
  3. ^ Koch, Drew. "How Vanessa Vanjie Mateo's Drag Mom Came to Her Rescue After That 'RuPaul' Elimination". Bustle. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race:' Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Talks Meeting Christina Aguilera, Her Favorite Local Queen & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  5. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 10 is Premiering a Week After 'All Stars'". February 16, 2018. Archived from the original on February 17, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  6. ^ Sheehan, Paul (March 28, 2018). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' 10 episode 1 elimination interview: Vanessa Vanjie Mateo dishes '10s Across the Board' [WATCH]". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  7. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race:' The Very Best of the 'Miss Vanjie' Memes". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  8. ^ "Rylan Clark wins Eurovision semi-final with Miss Vanjie Drag Race gag". Metro. May 8, 2018. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  9. ^ "RuPaul Donned a 'Miss Vanjie' Necklace on Time 100 Gala Red Carpet". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "There's Now A Miss Vanjie Snapchat Filter". LOGO News. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  11. ^ Rudolph, Christopher (January 24, 2019). "Meet the Queens of "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 11". New Now Next. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  12. ^ "Lip-Sync Herstory: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Fantasia's 'Hood Boy'". Billboard. April 30, 2019. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  13. ^ Sheehan, Paul (April 26, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race': Was the right queen eliminated in episode 9 'L.A.D.P.'? [POLL]". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  14. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Power Ranking Season 11: Episode 10". Billboard. May 9, 2019. Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  15. ^ Swift, Andy (May 3, 2019). "RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Which Queen Disappeared Like Magic?". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  16. ^ Sheehan, Paul (May 17, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race': Was the right queen eliminated in episode 12 'Queens Everywhere'? [POLL]". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  17. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race review: Canada vs. Vanjie". Culturess. May 17, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  18. ^ "'RPDR' Season 11 Has One Clear Winner • Instinct Magazine". Instinct Magazine. May 17, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  19. ^ "Yaaas honey! See Drag Race's Miss Vanjie like you've never seen before". Gay Times. August 24, 2018. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  20. ^ WOWPresents (November 3, 2018), FASHION PHOTO RUVIEW: Dancing Queen with Miss Vanjie and Nina Bo'nina Brown!, archived from the original on February 4, 2023, retrieved November 3, 2018
  21. ^ WOWPresents (November 17, 2018), FASHION PHOTO RUVIEW: Vanessa Vanjie and Nina Bo'nina Brown!, archived from the original on November 6, 2019, retrieved November 22, 2018
  22. ^ "Die Dragqueens sind zurück bei "GNTM"! Alles, was ihr zu Miss Vanjie & Co. wissen müsst". watson.de (in German). Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  23. ^ Bollinger, Alex (May 13, 2019). "Conservatives got triggered by a Mothers Day commercial from Chips Ahoy!". LGBTQ Nation. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Juengling, Konrad (October 15, 2021). "Here are the 25 Most-Followed "RuPaul's Drag Race" Queens on Instagram". IntoMore. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  26. ^ I'm Vanjie – Single by Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, June 21, 2018, archived from the original on June 21, 2018, retrieved June 21, 2018
  27. ^ "Iggy Azalea – Sally Walker (Official Music Video)". YouTube. March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  28. ^ "Miss Vanjie Slays Live Las Vegas Performance With Iggy Azalea". Newnownext. April 6, 2019. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  29. ^ "Iggy Azalea Delivers First "Sally Walker" Performance On 'Jimmy Kimmel'". Idolator. April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  30. ^ "Watch: Iggy Azalea recruits Trixie Mattel and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo for 'Started' music video". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. May 6, 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  31. ^ "Miss Vanjie, Trixie Mattel Are Femme Fatales in Iggy Azalea's "Started" Video | NewNowNext". www.newnownext.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  32. ^ "Iggy Azalea & Trixie Mattel Kill Their Sugar Daddies in New Video". www.pride.com. May 3, 2019. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  33. ^ Nolfi, Joey (December 3, 2019). "RuPaul brings 22 Drag Race queens to costar on AJ and the Queen". EW.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  34. ^ Desta, Yohana (October 22, 2019). "RuPaul Announces Drag Race Spin-Off Featuring All-Celebrity Competitors". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  35. ^ Vary, Adam B. (July 22, 2020). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' to Launch New Docuseries on Las Vegas Live Show". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  36. ^ Joey Nolfi (June 29, 2022). "Brooke Lynn Hytes reunites with Werk Room crush Miss Vanjie on Canada's Drag Race season 3". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  37. ^ Rice, Lynette (May 1, 2023). "'Drag Me To Dinner': Hulu Announces Premiere Date For Unscripted Series From Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  38. ^ Kalorie & Vanjie: Life After RPDR & Going Viral | Queen to Queen | RuPaul's Drag Race. VH1. June 28, 2018. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  39. ^ "Impressions" COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11. YouTube. May 21, 2019. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  40. ^ Whatcha Packin: Vanessa Vanjie Mateo | Season 10 Episode 1 | RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10. VH1. May 26, 2018. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  41. ^ Vanessa Mateo | Cosmo Queens | Cosmopolitan. YouTube. August 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  42. ^ The Pit Stop Season 4 Episode 7: Miss Vanjie Spills the Tea | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4. YouTube. January 26, 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  43. ^ Miss Vanjie: Reading Queens with Psychic Char Margolis. YouTube. May 16, 2019. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  44. ^ FOLLOW ME: Miss Vanjie. YouTube. June 17, 2019. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  45. ^ BESTIES FOR CASH – Holiday Edition with Silky and Vanjie. YouTube. December 17, 2019. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  46. ^ Silky's Snack Shack: Episode 6 "Shrimp Po'Boy & Macaroni Salad". YouTube. April 15, 2020. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  47. ^ Dino-Ray Ramos (May 19, 2020). "World Of Wonder Sets U.S. Premiere Dates For 'How's Your Head, Hun?', 'Canada's Drag Race' And Return Of 'Werq The World'". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  48. ^ Vanjie: Inside The Dwelling Of A Diva 💄 S4 E2 | Out of the Closet. YouTube. May 4, 2021. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  49. ^ Sim, Bernardo (May 26, 2022). Meet the Men Competing For Miss Vanjie's Love on Her New Dating Show. www.out.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  50. ^ Behind-The-Scenes 🤩🎬 Honoring Latinx Heroes | LGBTQ Herstory Month | RuPaul's Drag Race 👠✨. RuPaul’s Drag Race. October 2, 2023. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  51. ^ John Boone (June 18, 2020). "Check Out Yvie Oddly and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo's New Music Video for 'Hype' (Exclusive)". ETOnline. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  52. ^ Evans, Greg (September 4, 2019). "E! People's Choice Awards Finalists Announced; Voting Open Through Oct. 18 – Complete List". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  53. ^ "Future All-Star Nominees". The Queerties. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
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