Shannel
Shannel | |
|---|---|
 Shannel lip syncing live in 2018 | |
| Born | Bryan Watkins July 3, 1979 |
| Occupation | Drag queen |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Known for | |
| Website | theofficialshannel |
Bryan Watkins, known by her stage name Shannel,[1] is an American drag queen and television personality, best known for competing on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race and later the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. She placed in the top four on both seasons.
Early life[]
Watkins was born on July 3, 1979,[citation needed] in Orange County, California.[2] He started doing drag at fifteen years old when he entered a Halloween drag contest and won. He worked as a beauty advisor for the cosmetics company Chanel. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2000.[3]
RuPaul's Drag Race[]
Shannel was announced as one of nine contestants for the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2009).[4] In the third episode, she was in the bottom two with fellow competitor Akashia, and won a lip sync against her to "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston. She famously did the first "wig reveal" on the show during the lip sync.[5] She was later eliminated in the sixth episode after losing a lip sync to "Shackles (Praise You)" by Mary Mary against Rebecca Glasscock.[6]
Shannel was announced as being among twelve returning contestants for the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars in 2012.[7] Due to the team twist for the season, Shannel teamed with eventual winner Chad Michaels as the team Shad.[8] They won the third, fourth and fifth episode challenges, until Shannel was eliminated in joint third/fourth place with Jujubee.[9]
Shannel also was a drag professor for three seasons of the spin-off show RuPaul's Drag U in 2010 to 2012.[10]
She appeared as a guest star on the first episode of Drag Race's eighth season.[11] She appeared with her fellow season one cast on the Drag Race season ten finale, lip syncing next to Mayhem Miller.[12][13]
Shannel was credited as a Creative Consultant for the premiere episode of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. She also made an appearance making over celebrity Nico Tortorella, though it was ultimately cut from the episode.[14]
Career[]
Outside of Drag Race, Shannel appeared in an episode of The Arrangement in 2010.[15] She appeared in the music video for Lady Gaga's "Applause" with Raven, Morgan McMichaels, Shangela Laquifa Wadley and Detox.[16] She was also in the video for Xelle's "Queen" in 2012.[17] She was part of Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas show in 2017.[18][19]
In September 2019, at RuPaul’s DragCon NYC, Shannel was named as one of a rotating cast of a dozen Drag Race queens in RuPaul's Drag Race Live!, a Las Vegas show residency at the Flamingo Las Vegas.[20]
Filmography[]
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Contestant (4th place) |
| 2010 | The Arrangement | ||
| 2010-12 | RuPaul's Drag U | Herself | |
| 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Herself | Contestant (3rd/4th place) |
| 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked | Herself |
Music videos[]
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Queen | Xelle |
| 2013 | Applause | Lady Gaga |
Web series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | WOW Shopping Network | Herself | Guest | [21] |
| Ring My Bell | Guest | [22] | ||
| 2016 | The Pit Stop | Guest | [23] | |
| Drag Makeup Tutorial | Guest | [24] | ||
| 2020 | Hey Qween | Guest | [25] |
References[]
- ^ "Q&A: Bryan Watkins". Las Vegas Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Nunn, Jerry. "The drag all-star on surviving RuPaul's Drag Race". ChicagoPride.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "Shannel". Piranha Nightclub. 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Stanley, Alessandra. "Logo's New Reality Competition Explores What It Takes To Be a Drag Star". Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "INTO: A Digital Magazine for The Modern Queer World". www.intomore.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "The Drag Race Rutrospective: Ow! My Balls!". Xtra. 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "'RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race': Meet the Queens". LOGO News. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "Chad Michaels & Shannel Share Tearful Moment on 'Drag Race'". LOGO News. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "'RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race' season finale recap". EW.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ Gascot, John (2011-07-12). "Drag U: Professor Shannel". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 8 Premiere: Keepin' It 100". Observer. 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ VH1 (2018-06-28), Lip Sync Eleganza Extravaganza Performance