Vanessa Vanjie Mateo is an American drag queen, dancer, reality-TV star, singer, and actress. She made her reality-TV show debut as a contestant on the 10th season of ‘s Drag Race in 2018 and finished 14th. Due to popular demand, she was brought next year to compete in the 11th season of the same TV show and ended up in 5th place. Vanessa also released her debut single, I’m Vanjie, on June 21, 2018.
Born Name
José Cancel
Nick Name
Miss Vanjie, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Vanjie
Sun Sign
Libra
Born Place
Tampa, Florida, United States
Residence
- Tampa, Florida, United States
- Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
Occupation
Drag Queen, Reality-TV Star, Actress, Singer, Dancer
Family
- Siblings – She has 2 brothers.
Manager
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo is represented by –
- Kings Queens Entertainment (Talent Agent) in Los Angeles, California, United States
- Voss Events (Manager) in New York City, New York, United States
Genre
Dance
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Quantum Noise Records
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 9 in or 175 cm
Weight
68 kg or 150 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo has dated –
- (2019) – She dated a fellow drag queen and reality-TV contestant, Brooke Lynn Hytes, during the 11th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race (2019). It was the 1st on-show romance or “showmance” as coined by their fanbase, in the show’s history. They dated for 4 months after the show ended.
Race / Ethnicity
Latino
She is of Puerto Rican descent.
Hair Color
Black
She often tends to wear blonde or pink-colored wigs.
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Gay
Distinctive Features
- Strong cheekbones
- Multiple tattoos
Brand Endorsements
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo has endorsed brands such as Chips Ahoy!
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Favorite Things
- Singer –
- Christina Aguilera’s Album – Stripped (2002)
- RuPaul’s Drag Race Contestant –
Source –
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Facts
- She became a drag queen after she was hired as a backup dancer by , who competed in the 3rd season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. When Alexis initially told her “you’re gonna be my best girl ever,” she replied with “I will NEVER do drag!”
- Alexis Mateo subsequently became her drag mother and Jeffrey Kelley her drag father. Victoria Mateo and Jenavive thus became her drag sisters.
- Alexis gave her the name of Vanessa due to her resemblance to the human form of Ursula, named Vanessa, from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid (1989).
- Vanessa was initially named “Banjee” due to her “banjee attitude.” However, Alexis couldn’t pronounce the word, so it turned to Vanjie.
- As she was walking away after being eliminated in the 1st episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2018, she said: “Miss Vanjie, Miss Vanjie, Miss… Vanjie.” Her quote became an Internet meme and was tweeted by many.
- A leaked picture of her in the 11th season of the show before it aired spoiled the surprise for her fanbase.
- She appeared in 2 music videos by in 2019 titled Sally Walker and Started.
- Her mom was extremely proud and supportive of her. Vanessa feels like she always wanted a daughter but had 3 boys, while her fanbase thinks that they’re “carbon copies of each other.”
- Vanessa was influenced and inspired by and .
- Her personality on-stage is known as “not politically correct” and she has a habit of cussing a lot.
- RuPaul once wore a “Miss Vanjie” necklace in her honor.
- Vanessa was the 7th contestant of RuPaul’s Drag Race to reach the Top 5 without winning any challenges. The other 6 that achieved this before her were , Jujubee, Pandora Boxx, Dida Ritz, , and Kenya Michaels.
- She has a dog named Riley.
- In early January 2020, Vanessa became the most followed contestant of RuPaul’s Drag Race with more than 1.3 million followers on Instagram. , who competed in the 2nd season of the show, used to be in the 1st place.
Featured Image by dvsross / / CC BY-2.0
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Facts of Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
- full nameVanessa Vanjie Mateo
- Date of Birth October 03, 1991
- Age 32 years 11 months
- Horoscope Libra
- Lucky Number 6
- Lucky Stone Peridot
- Lucky Color Blue
- Best Match for Marriage Gemini
- weight68 kg
- height5 ft 9 in