Heidi N Closet
Heidi N Closet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Trevien Anthonie Cheek September 29, 1994 |
| Occupation | Drag queen, entertainer |
| Known for | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12) |
| Predecessor | Nina West |
| Successor | LaLa Ri |
| Website | theheidincloset |
Heidi N Closet is the stage name of Trevien Anthonie Cheek,[1] an American drag queen from Ramseur, North Carolina, best known for competing on the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, where she placed 6th and won the Miss Congeniality award.
Early life[]
Cheek was raised in Ramseur, North Carolina.[1][2] His mother died at a young age,[2] and he is estranged from his father. He was raised by his grandmother.[3]
Career[]
In 2014, shortly after turning 18, Cheek's sister invited her to a drag show in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Cheek has said of seeing his first drag show, “I saw the glamour of being able to do whatever you want to do.”[4] Cheek said his drag name “came from a joke. It started out as a lot of men from my hometown are closeted and they would always try and get my goodies and whatnotries. I was like, ‘There’s no need to be hiding in the closet.’”[1]
Cheek's participation as a cast member on season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race was announced on January 23, 2020.[5] He is the third contestant on the show from North Carolina, following Victoria "Porkchop" Parker (Season 1) and Stacy Layne Matthews (Season 3), and had not previously auditioned for the show.[6] Heidi experienced an allergic reaction on her first day of shooting, but finished safe. During the competition, RuPaul expressed disapproval with her name choice,[7] stating during episode 10: "I don't know if you've heard the story, but she came here as Heidi N Closet. Rotten!"[8] With each episode RuPaul refers to Heidi by different names, including Heidi Ho,[2] Heidi N Seeky, Heidi Hydrates,[8] and Heidi Afrodite.[8][9] Despite this, Heidi revealed during the Season 12 reunion episode that she had decided to keep her name.
Heidi was dubbed the "heart" of the season by Out.[10] During the competition, she placed in the top three times, winning one challenge. She also placed in the bottom two on four occasions. Her first two times in the bottom she survived the lip sync, sending home Nicky Doll and Brita respectively. Her third time in the bottom she lip-synced against Jackie Cox, and both were saved by RuPaul in a double shantay. She was eliminated in the eleventh episode, placing 6th overall in the competition, after losing her fourth lip sync to eventual winner of the season Jaida Essence Hall. During the season finale, she was named Miss Congeniality as voted on by her peers.[11]
He has experienced extreme poverty in his life and career, having indicated that he made $9,000 the year before competing on Ru Paul's Drag Race, while working at a gas station.[12] When talking on his show Gap Chat, Heidi said, "When I went to Drag Race, I actually had only 33 cents in my bank account the day I showed up [...] Even to just pay for the suitcases to get there was stressful." Many queens join the show hoping that experience will pay out for them, but they first need to have a significant amount of money upfront to pay for their looks. Heidi borrowed money from his boyfriend and friends for materials, then sewed all his looks with his drag sisters. The quality of the looks came up during the season during various moments but the different financial starting points were never openly acknowledged. The show does not give any financial support to participants, they must all come with their costumes and are only compensated a few hundred dollars an episode. Heidi recounted the experience, "I’m sitting up here spending between $4,000 and $5,000 on everything. Whereas some girls spent 20, 30, 40, even $50,000 on garments [...]Yeah, my garments just aren’t gonna stand up to their outfits. It’s just not gonna happen.”[13]
Music[]
In February 2021, she released a music video for her first single, G.A.P, a parody of "WAP", featuring fellow RuPaul's Drag Race season twelve alum Widow Von'Du.[14] In March 2021, Cheek will be featured in Tiger Queens: The Tiger King Musical, a TikTok musical parody of Tiger King, starring as the tiger.[15]
Personal life[]
Cheek is openly gay and currently living in Los Angeles, California .[6][13]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Bitch Who Stole Christmas[16] | TBA |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12) | Herself | Contestant (6th Place) | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | Contestant | |||
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 13) | Guest (2 episodes) | [17] | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 6) | "Lip Sync Assassin" (episode 8) | [18] | ||
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (season 3) |
Music videos[]
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Always" | Waze & Odyssey | [19] |
| 2020 | "Gorgeois" | Rigel Gemini | [20] |
| 2020 | "STFUK" | Salina EsTitties | [21] |
| 2020 | "Fallen Angel" | Erasure | [22] |
| 2021 | "G.A.P." | Herself | [14] |
Web series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | In Touch Weekly | Himself | Guest | [23] |
| 2020 | Whatcha Packin' | Himself | Guest | [24] |
| 2020 | Review with a Jew | Herself | Guest | [25] |
| 2020 | The X Change Rate | Herself | Guest | [26] |
| 2020 | Hey Qween | Herself | Guest | [27] |
| 2020 | Countdown to the Crown | Himself/Herself | Guest | [28] |
| 2020 | The Pit Stop | Herself | Guest | [29] |
| 2020 | Gap Chat | Herself | Host | [30] |
| 2020 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Bring Back My Ghouls | Herself | Host | [31] |
| 2021 | That's a Gay Ass Podcast | Herself | Podcast | [32] |
| 2021 | The Queerties Awards | Herself | Host | [33] |
| 2021 | The Pit Stop | Herself | Guest | [34] |
| 2021 | Drag Tots | Judy Thorns | Season 2 | [35] |
| 2021 | The Awardist | Herself | Guest | [36] |
| 2021 | Binge Queens | Herself | Guest | [37] |
| 2021 | Out of the Closet | Herself | Guest | [38] |
Discography[]
Featured singles[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "I'm That Bitch"[39] (with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12) |
2020 | non-album single |
| "Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical"[40] (with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12) | ||
| "The Shady Bunch"[41] (with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12) |
Titles[]
| Competition | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina Entertainer of the Year F.I.. | Winner | 2019 |
| RuPaul's Drag Race | Miss Congeniality | 2020 |
References[]
- ^ a b c Fowler, Hayley (March 5, 2020). "One of the new contestants on RuPaul Drag's Race is from a tiny town in North Carolina". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c "We asked Drag Race's Heidi N Closet if she'll ever change her name". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ Heidi N Closet answers our burning questions and discusses the digital drag revolution. The A.V. Club. April 14, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Biggs, Jamie. "NC drag queen to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ Amanda Mitchell (2020-01-23). "See the "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 12 Queens Competing to Take Home the Crown". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ a b Murawski, Katie. "Heidi N Closet is 'blessed and highly-favored' on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Yes! Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ Swift, Andy (2020-03-14). "RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Season 12's First Elimination Poses a 'Problem'". TVLine. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ a b c "Watch Heidi N Closet adorably steal more stuff in exclusive 'Drag Race' preview". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ McCallion, Paul (2020-05-01). "RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Drag Brings Joy". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ^ "'Drag Race's Heidi N. Closet Is the Heart of the Season". Out. 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ "Dolly Parton's big wig crashes 'Drag Race' finale to crown Miss Congeniality". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "'Drag Race's Heidi N. Closet Is the Heart of the Season". Out. 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ a b Miller, Rachel (April 15, 2021). "Shantay, You Pay: Inside the Heavy Financial Burden of Going On 'Drag Race'". Vice. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Robledo, Jordan. "Heidi N Closet features fellow Drag Race alum in new video for G.A.P." Gay Times. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ Haithman, Diane; Yee, Lawrence (March 20, 2021). "'Tiger King' Anniversary to Be Celebrated With TikTok Drag Queen Musical". AV Club. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Joey Nolfi (October 29, 2021). "RuPaul's new Christmas movie unites the largest Drag Race cast in history". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 1, 2021). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 13 To Feature Appearances From Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Byer, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson And Others". Deadline. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ Spencer, Samuel. "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 6' Episode 8 Recap: Who Bombed the 'Snatch Game of Love'?". Newsweek. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ George Michael (May 21, 2020), Always (Drag Stars Official Video), retrieved May 21, 2020
- ^ "Exclusive First Look: LGBT Artist Rigel Gemini Recruits Heidi N Closet & Plastique Tiara for 'Gorgeois' Music Video". Culture Fix. July 23, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ "Salina EsTitties, Heidi N' Closet wants Karens to STFU". Reel 360. October 13, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ Martoccio, Angie (October 28, 2020). "Erasure Drop Mystical 'Fallen Angel' Video in Time for Halloween". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ 'Drag Race' Star Heidi N Closet Reveals Truth Behind 'Untucked' Outburst & Lip Syncing For Her Life. In Touch Weekly. April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Whatcha Packin': SPOILER ALERT | S12 E11 | RuPaul's Drag Race". YouTube. May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Miz Cracker's Review with a Jew - S12 E11 Feat. Heidi Aphrodite. Miz Cracker. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ The X Change Rate: Bowen Yang & Heidi N Closet. BUILD Series. May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ HEIDI N CLOSET on Hey Qween At Home Special Edition Part 1. Hey Qween. May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN: Never Before Seen Looks. RuPaul's Drag Race. May 31, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ The Pit Stop S1 E3 | Trixie Mattel Kikis w/ Miss Congeniality Heidi N Closet