Ongina

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Ongina
Ongina from RuPaul's Drag Race.jpg
Ongina in 2009
Born
Ryan Ong Palao

(1982-01-06) January 6, 1982 (age 39)[1]
Siasi, Sulu, Philippines
OccupationDrag performer
Years active2001–present
Known for
Websitewww.onginaofficial.com

Ongina is the stage name of Ryan Ong Palao,[2] an American drag performer and HIV activist who came to international attention on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[3] He was one of the first reality TV stars to come out as HIV-positive.[2]

Early life[]

Palao was born in the Philippines in 1982.[4] He and his family relocated to Seattle, Washington, in 1994. His original drag name, before Ongina, was Peck-Peck Galore.[5] He started performing in drag in 2003 [6] at an Asian restaurant called Lucky Cheng's, where he worked alongside then-unknown Laverne Cox.[7]

Drag Race and career[]

Ongina was selected as one of nine contestants for the inaugural season of RuPaul's Drag Race and was officially announced on February 2, 2009. He revealed her HIV status in the fourth episode, where he won his second challenge.[8] He was eliminated in the next episode after losing a lip sync to "Stronger", by Britney Spears, against eventual winner BeBe Zahara Benet, placing her in fifth.[9]

Outside of season 1, he made a cameo appearance on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. He also made five appearances in the first and second seasons of RuPaul's Drag U. In November 2017, Ongina was a featured performer in Queens United, a benefit show created by Jaremi Carey in an effort to raise money to people affected by Hurricane Maria.[10]

He appeared as a guest for the first challenge in the premiere of season 11 of Drag Race.[11]

Ongina was in the 2009 music video for "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas.[12] An animated version of her appeared in the RuPaul's Drag Race: Dragopolis 2.0 mobile app.[13] He appeared in three episodes of the WOW Presents web series Fashion Photo RuView with Mayhem Miller, filling in for Raja and Raven in September and October 2018.[14][15][16] He was a backup dancer for Nico Tortorella on an episode of Lip Sync Battle in 2019.[17]

In June 2019, Ongina performed at Motor City Pride.[18] Later that year, he performed at Virginia Pridefest, headlined by Betty Who.[19] Later that year, he starred in Tammie Brown Walking Ongina in Nature!, a "two-woman show", alongside fellow Drag Race alum Tammie Brown, in reference to Tammie’s quote: “I don’t see you walking children in nature” from the Drag Race Season 1 reunion.[20][21]

On May 8, 2020, Ongina was announced as one of the ten queens competing on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[3] He was the second queen eliminated from the show, ultimately placing 9th.[22][23]

In November 2020, Ongina hosted "Constellations of Change", a live-streamed cabaret show produced by ViiV Healthcare as a part of its annual Community Summit.[24]

In 2020, he was featured in Magnus Hastings' Rainbow Revolution photography book.[25]

He hosted the 2021 Los Angeles AIDS Walk, and was featured in an accompanied televised special, Localish LA AIDS Walk Special.[26]

Impact[]

Since coming out as HIV-positive, Ongina has become an HIV activist. He was the host for the online web show HIV and Me, a talk show featuring interviews with different individuals on how they live with HIV/AIDS.[2] Ongina also was a spokesperson for OraQuick, one of the first at-home HIV testing kits, in 2013.[27] He won the NewNowNext Award for Most Addictive Reality Star in 2009.[28]

RuPaul's 2009 song "LadyBoy" was inspired by Ongina.[29]

In an interview with amFAR, Ongina said that he used his drag persona to advocate for awareness for HIV, trans rights, equality, and basic human rights.[30]

Personal life[]

Palao is openly gay.[31] He was diagnosed as HIV-positive on April 13, 2006.[4] He currently lives in Los Angeles.[30] Palao is involved in an amFAR campaign called Epic Voices, whose mission is to find a cure for AIDS by 2030 and to reengage the conversation about the virus.[18]

Discography[]

As Featured Artist

Title Year Album
"I'm in Love"[32]
(with the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 5) 		2020 Non-album single

Filmography[]

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2009 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 1) Herself Contestant (5th place) [8]
2010–11 RuPaul's Drag U Guest [33]
2010 One Night Stand Up Episode: "Dragtastic"
2012 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 4) Zombie Episode: "RuPocalypse Now!" [34]
2012 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 1) Herself Guest - Episode 6 [35]
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 10) Guest - Episode 1 [36]
2019 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11) [37]
2019 Lip Sync Battle Backup dancer Guest appearance [17]
2020 AJ and the Queen Ongina Guest appearance [38]
2020 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 5) Herself Contestant (9th Place) [3]
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (season 5) [39]

Music videos[]

Year Title Artist Role
2009 "I Gotta Feeling"[40] The Black Eyed Peas Party-goer
2015 ”Not a Pearl” Willam Belli Herself

Web series[]

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2014 HIV and Me Herself Host [2]
Ring My Bell Guest [41]
Wow Shopping Network Guest; one episode [42]
2016 Bestie$ For Ca$h Guest, with Thed Jewel [43]
2017 The Pit Stop Special Guest [44]
Epic Voices amFAR mini-series [30]
Hey Qween Guest [45]
2018 Drag Queens React Guest, Episode: "Drag Queens React to Mamma Mia!" [46]
Fashion Photo Ruview Special Guest [47]
Cosmo Queens Guest [48]
Wait, What? Guest, Hosted by Kimora Blac [49]
2019 Tails of the City: Pets 4 Pets Quest, Episode 2 [50]
Follow Me Episode: "Mariah Balenciaga" [51]
2020 The Vivienne Takes On Hollywood Guest appearance
The X Change Rate Guest [52]
Whatcha Packin' Guest [53]
Binge Podcast by Entertainment Weekly [54]

References[]

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b c d "Amazing HIV+ Gay Men: Ongina". 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  3. ^ a b c Adam B. Vary (May 8, 2020). "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Moves Back to VH1 From Showtime, Reveals Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Ongina: Queen for a Day". Brandon Voss. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  5. ^ "Last Night's RuPaul's Drag Race: Ongina & Jade & Rebecca, Oh Hell!". LOGO News. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  6. ^ Cameron, Keady (June 18, 2018). "Hot Tea with Ongina". Standard Hotels. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  7. ^ Qween, Hey (2017-07-12). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Star Ongina Talks All Things Drag". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  8. ^ a b "RuPaul's Drag Race Contestant Ongina is the Challenge Winner!". Zimbio. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  9. ^ "12 Lip Sync Battles that Define 'RuPaul's Drag Race's' Queer Canon". 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  10. ^ Armbruster, Jessica (October 5, 2017). "Flip Phone and Phi Phi O'Hara team up for a Puerto Rico benefit loaded with 'RuPaul's Drag Race' alumni". City Pages. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  11. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' 11 episode 1 recap: Which queen was sent packing on 'Whatcha Unpackin'? [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]". Goldderby. 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  12. ^ BlackEyedPeasVEVO (2009-12-23), The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling, retrieved 2018-03-02
  13. ^ "Dragopolis 2.0 Has Arrived! | NewNowNext". www.newnownext.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  14. ^ WOW Presents (2018-09-29), FASHION PHOTO RUVIEW: Madonna with Mayhem and Ongina!, retrieved 2018-10-14
  15. ^ WOW Presents (2018-10-06), FASHION PHOTO RUVIEW: Lady Gaga's 'A Star is Born' with Mayhem and Ongina!, retrieved 2018-10-14
  16. ^ WOW Presents (2018-10-12), FASHION PHOTO RUVIEW: Kelly Clarkson with Mayhem and Ongina!, retrieved 2018-10-14
  17. ^ a b "WATCH: 'Younger' Star Nico Tortorella Stunned as Ariana Grande on 'Lip Sync Battle' • Instinct Magazine". Instinct Magazine. 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  18. ^ a b Michael, Jason (2019-06-05). "Motor City Pride 2019". Pride Source. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  19. ^ "VA Pridefest coming to Brown's Island". Instinct Magazine. 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  20. ^ Frye, Javay (January 24, 2019). "Let's Take a Walk in Nature! Get Ready for the Tammie Brown and Ongina Show". World of Wonder. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  21. ^ Cook, Michael (June 18, 2020). "The Trailblazing Ongina Talks Returning To 'RuPaul's Drag Race' for 'All-Stars', Becoming An Activist, & Possible Upcoming Career Pivot". Instinct Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  22. ^ Fitzgerald, Christine (June 13, 2020). "Let's Kiki About RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 5: Episode 2, 'I'm In Love!'". Socialite Life. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  23. ^ Damshenas, Sam. "Ongina issues statement following the events of Drag Race All Stars 5". GayTimes. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  24. ^ Sharon Klahr Coey (November 13, 2020). "GSK's ViiV Healthcare caps virtual HIV summit with a Facebook Live cabaret". FiercePharma. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  25. ^ Rudolph, Christopher (September 25, 2020). ""Drag Race" Queens Make Love to the Camera in "Rainbow Revolution"". NewNowNext. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  26. ^ APLA Health (July 7, 2021). "APLA Health Launches AIDS Walk Los Angeles 2021 Hosted by Ongina of RuPaul's Drag Race". APLA Health. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  27. ^ "Ongina for OraQuick: Newest Drag Spokesmodel". Drag Official. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  28. ^ ""RuPaul's Drag Race" Season One, Meet The Queens: Ongina". LOGO News. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  29. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race [@rupaulsdragrace] (2013-11-11). "'My song #LadyBoy was inspired by @Ongina.' - @RuPaul" (Tweet). Retrieved 2018-02-25 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ a b c "Living Out Loud: An Interview With Drag Performer Ongina". amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. 2017-09-28. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  31. ^ "Living Out Loud: An Interview with Drag Performer Ongina". amfAR. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  32. ^ "I'm In Love - Single". iTunes. 13 June 2020.
  33. ^ Stransky, Tanner (August 3, 2020). "'RuPaul's Drag U' series premiere recap: To judge or not to judge such tragic figures?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  34. ^ Polly, John (October 31, 2011). "Drag Race Zombies? Happy Halloween from RuPaul!". NewNowNext.
  35. ^ Stransky, Tanner (November 27, 2012). "'RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race' season finale recap". EW.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  36. ^ Damshenas, Sam (22 March 2018). "Watch Drag Race fan favourites return for the season 10 premiere". Gay Times. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  37. ^ O’Keeffe, Kevin (28 February 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 premiere recap: Queens here, queens there, queens everywhere". Xtra.
  38. ^ Nolfi, Joey (2019-12-03). "RuPaul brings 22 Drag Race queens to costar on AJ and the Queen". EW.com. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  39. ^ Dino-Ray Ramos (June 8, 2020). "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Brings Back 'Untucked' Aftershow For Season 5". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  40. ^ Munzenrieder, Kyle (2019-05-03). "How RuPaul's Drag Race Queens Became the Hottest Music Video Accessory". WMagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  41. ^ Ongina on Ring My Bell. YouTube. May 24, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  42. ^ Ongina on WOW Shopping Network. YouTube. May 23, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  43. ^ BESTIE$ FOR CA$H: Ongina & Thed Jewel. YouTube. September 23, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  44. ^ The Pit Stop w/ Raja & Ongina | RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 9 Ep 11) | Now on VH1. YouTube. June 5, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  45. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race Star ONGINA on HEY QWEEN with Jonny McGovern Part 1 | Hey Qween. YouTube. July 10, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  46. ^ Drag Queens React Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again w/ Aja Chad Jaidynn Jinkx Kimora Ongina Raja & Raven. WOW Presents. May 17, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  47. ^ FASHION PHOTO RUVIEW: Madonna with Mayhem and Ongina!. YouTube. September 29, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  48. ^ Ongina | Cosmo Queens | Cosmopolitan. YouTube. October 29, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  49. ^ Entomology with Ongina and Kimora Blac: WAIT, WHAT?. YouTube. December 7, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  50. ^ Ongina - Tails of the City: Pets 4 Pets Episode 2. YouTube. January 13, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  51. ^ FOLLOW ME: Mariah Balenciaga. YouTube. May 6, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  52. ^ The X Change Rate: "All Stars" Season 5 Queens (Part 3). YouTube. June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  53. ^ Whatcha Packin’: SPOILER ALERT! | S5 E2 | RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. YouTube. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  54. ^ Nolfi, Joey (July 2, 2020). "Drag Race's BeBe and Ongina reveal the truth behind season 1's infamous filter". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 28, 2021.

External links[]

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