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BeBe Zahara Benet is a Cameroonian-American drag performer, television personality and musician and one of the contestants of the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Where she would be crowned America’s First-ever Drag Superstar.
BeBe later returned as one of the contestants for the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars where she placed 3rd/4th.
Drag Name Origin[]
According to BeBe, she's always had a fondness for the name and thought it really reflected and suited her character. "Zahara", ties her to her African roots, her origin. And "Benet" refers to her French side, also because she partially grew up in France.[4]
Track Records[]
| Statistics | USA Season 1 | USA All Stars Season 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking: | 1st Place (Winner) |
3rd/4th Place |
| Maxi Challenges Won: | 2 (Eps. 3, 6) | 2 (Eps. 5, 6) |
| Mini Challenges Won: | 0 | 0 |
| Times as Team Captain: | 0 | 0 |
| Times in Bottom: | 1 (Ep. 5) | 1 (Ep. 7) |
| Episode Eliminated | N/A | Episode 8 |
Memorable Quotes[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 1[]
- "I bring a lot of international influence, and right now I really feel like I'm ahead of the game."
- "I want to win this because there is pride and dignity in what we do. Dressing up for a living does not make us less of a man."
- "Obviously, I was coming to compete to win, but then you come and then you find people that you get along with so well, you know, and you just build that friendship."
- "When I first walked into the competition, I told myself that I was going to stay true to myself and that has taken me all the way up to the Final Three".
- ♪ "Face, face, face, I give face, beauty face, you can't take? It's ok, watch my body go insane! Everyone keeps looking at me, you know I am stirring up heat, If you wanna come for me and you feel the need, come right now now and walk the beat!" ♪ (BeBe's verse in "Cover Girl")
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3[]
- "Mother, another day; another slay. Who's first?" (to RuPaul)
- "I'm not going to read Morgan McMichaels, life already has." (BeBe reading Morgan)
- "Everybody, I'm the only African here. But why does it look like with Kennedy Davenport you can sponsor her for 30 cents a day?"(BeBe's reading Kennedy)
- “Mother, she looks homeless.” (In the Reading is Fundamental mini challenge about Thorgy Thor)
- "Hahaha, bitch you got jokes!"
- "Paramedics! Paramedics, make sure she's okay because I was not ready!" (reacting to Aja's dip in the Variety Show)
- "Miss Thorgy drew the... a very like, you know, a picture of what the...*laughs*…she drew a picture!"
- "That's the gag of the season."
- "So RuPaul, when are we going to FUCK?" (as Grace Jones on All Stars 3's Snatch Game)
- "Oooh, the drama in the pageant!"
- "Bitch, I'm a performah!"
- (Tearfully) "I am going to send Aja home."
- "Rrrrra-ka-ta-ti-ti-ta-ta, yeah, I'm pussy, bitch! Ooh la la la la la la, c'est bon, c'est bon! Do-go-choco-la-ta-la, you can't take my snatch, drag it up, wild it up, give me more, bring it to the ball!" (BeBe's verse in "Drag Up Your Life")
- "Who's Ornacia? I don't know who that is."
- "Mirror, mirror on the wall I'm the fiercest of them all Face, face, face, body and all Another day, another slay Meow meow, savage beauty Steppin' out on a mission Get fierce, stay ready The OG's back for another crown" (BeBe's verse in "Kitty Girl")
Trivia[]
- She is the first:
- Winner on RuPaul's Drag Race, and therefore America's first Drag Superstar.
- Queen to hail from Africa, specifically from Cameroon.
- Black contestant to win RuPaul's Drag Race.
- Queen to win 2 ball challenges on 2 separate seasons.
- International queen to win a regular Drag Race season.
- Winner to compete in an All Stars season.
- Queen on the show with a three-word drag name.
- After winning, BeBe moved from Minneapolis to Brooklyn, New York.[5]
- Her first drag performance was alongside Cyndi Lauper in The Gay 90s bar after moving to Minneapolis in 2000.[6][7]
- She is the only winner to earn a $20,000 cash prize, the lowest winning cash prize in series history.
- Bebe shares her birthday with Chad Michaels.
- Coincidentally, they both won the first season of two separate RuPaul's Drag Race series.
- As the winner of Season 1, she was given a featured cameo in the music video for RuPaul's song "Cover Girl (Put The Bass In Your Walk)". The version of the song featuring Bebe was included in RuPaul's 2009 album, Jealous of My Boogie - The RuMixes.
- According to BeBe, she never received her prize of $5,000 worth of MAC Cosmetics, though did receive everything else in the prize package.[citation needed]
- On both seasons she competed in, she won 2 main challenges including the ball, placed high once, was up for elimination once at the final 5, and participated in exactly 2 lip syncs.
- Bebe is the second queen to be considered a winner of both the ball and the girl groups challenges in the same season, accomplishing that during her time on All Stars 3
- The first queen to accomplish that is Adore Delano back on season 6
- She lip-synced alongside both Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams and Miz Cracker during the Season 10 finale.
- Aja revealed on Trinity The Tuck's Podcast 'Werk' that BeBe had chosen Trixie's lipstick in Episode 6 of All Stars 3.
- BeBe is on "Drag Me Down the Aisle" together with Drag Race-alumni Jujubee, Thorgy Thor, and Alexis Michelle.
- BeBe has a movie about her called "Being BeBe", which premiered at the Tribeca Festival from June 19th to June 23rd of 2021.
Gallery[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 1[]
Reaction Selfies Photo – "Sad news: Cher just announced that she's retiring, for real"
Paper Magazine Photo-Spread - July 2009 (First Drag Race Prize)
L.A. Eyeworks Advertising Campaign (Second Drag Race Prize)
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 1 Looks[]
Promo Look (Best Drag)
Promo Look (Best Drag)
Promo Look (Drag Race)
Entrance Look
Confessional Look
Drag On A Dime Look
Girl Group Look
Dressed To Impress Look
Queens of All Media Look
Makeover Look
Executive Realness Look
Swimsuit Look
Evening Wear Look
Finale Drag Look
Reunion Look
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3[]
Mini Promo
#TeamBeBe Promo
Mini Trailer
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3 Looks[]
Promo Look
Entrance Look
All-Star Variety Show Look
VH1 Divas Look – Diana Ross
RuDemption Look – Entrance Look (S1; E1)
Wigs on Wigs on Wigs Look
Wigs on Wigs on Wigs Reveal
Snatch Game Look – Grace Jones
Flower Power Look
Soup Can Look – ZaZa Soup d'arachide Peanut Soup
Studio 54 Look
Episode 5 LSFYL Look
Kitty Girls Group Look – Jungle Kitty
Episode 6 LSFYL Look
Red For Filth Look
Kitty Girl Remix Look
Best Drag Look
LSFTC Look
Videos[]
Best of Bebe Zahara Benet Season 1
Meet The Queens BeBe Zahara Benet
Bebe On Her Drag Origins in Cameroon ‘Deleted Scene’ RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
Meet Bebe Zahara Benet- 'Nothing to Prove' - RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3
Whatcha Packin'- BeBe Zahara Benet - S3 E8 - RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Nubia: Amplified | Themself | OutTV original | [8] |
| 2021 | Being Bebe | Themself | Documentary about Bebe's life | [9] |
TV[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 1 | Themself | Contestant (Winner) | [10] |
| 2010 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 2 | Themself | Episode: "The Main Event Clip Show" (Special guest) | |
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag U | Themself | Episode: "Nominated by Loved Ones" Episode: "Mama Mia, I Need Help" |
[11] |
| 2013 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 5 | Episode: "Reunited!" Episode: "RuPaullywood or Bust" (Archive footage) | ||
| 2016 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 8 | Themself | Episode: "Keeping It 100" (Special guest) Episode: "Grand Finale" | |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Season 3 | Themself | Contestant (3rd/4th place) | [12] |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 10 | Themself | Episode: "10s Across the Board" (Archive footage) Episode: "Grand Finale" | |
| 2019 | Vice Live | Themself | Guest | [13] |
| 2019-2020 | Dragnificent! | Themself | Also known as 'Drag Me Down the Aisle' | [14] |
| 2019 | The Rachel Ray Show | Themself | Guest | [15] |
| 2020 | Infinity Train | Sashay | Episode: "The Parasite Car" | [16] |
| 2022 | Nubia Amplified: The Series | Themself | Panelist | [17] |
Web series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | WOW Shopping Network | Themself | Guest | [18] |
| 2014 | Transformations | Themself | Guest | [19] |
| 2015 | Drag Queens React | Themself | Guest | [20] |
| 2018 | Whatcha Packin' | Themself | Guest | [21] |
| 2018 | Hey Qween! | Themself | DragCon L.A. 2018 (Special) - Guest | [22] |
| 2019 | Follow Me | Themself | Episode: "Pangina Heals" | [23] |
| 2020 | Bobbin' Around | Themself | Episode: "Nubia" | [24] |
| 2020 | Binge | Themself | Podcast by Entertainment Weekly | [25] |
| 2021 | Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire presents Drag Queen Summer Glamp | Themself | Produced by Jack Daniel's | [26] |
Music Videos[]
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Cover Girl" | RuPaul ft. Bebe Zahara Benet | |
| 2009 | "I'm The Sh*t" | BeBe Zahara Benet | |
| 2010 | "A Little Respect" (HMI Redux) | Erasure | [27] |
| 2010 | "Cameroon" | BeBe Zahara Benet | |
| 2014 | "Face" | BeBe Zahara Benet | |
| 2017 | "Fun Tonite" | BeBe Zahara Benet | |
| 2017 | "Get Fierce (Lose Yourself)" | BeBe Zahara Benet | |
| 2018 | "Jungle Kitty" | BeBe Zahara Benet | [28] |
| 2018 | "Jolene" | Dolly Parton | [29] |
| 2018 | "Little Drummer Boy" | BeBe Zahara Benet | [30] |
| 2020 | "Banjo" | BeBe Zahara Benet | [31] |
| 2020 | "Body On Me" | BeBe Zahara Benet | [32] |
Discography[]
EP's[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Face" | |
| 2017 | "Kisses & Feathers" | |
| 2020 | "Broken English" | |
| 2021 | "The Christmas Chantuese" |
Singles[]
| Year | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "I'm The Shit" | Non-album single | |
| 2010 | "Cameroon" | Non-album single | |
| 2012 | "Dirty Drums" | Non-album single | |
| 2014 | "Face" | Non-album single | |
| 2017 | "Fun Tonite" | "Kisses & Feathers" | |
| 2017 | "Starting A Fire" | "Kisses & Feathers" | |
| 2017 | "Get Fierce (Lose Yourself)" | "Kisses & Feathers" | |
| 2018 | "Dirty Drums / Cameroon All Stars Mix" | Non-album single | |
| 2018 | "Jungle Kitty" | Non-album single | |
| 2020 | "Banjo" | "Broken English" | |
| 2021 | "Fever" | Non-album single |
Appearances/Features[]
| Year | Title | Artwork | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Cover Girl" | RuPaul ft. BeBe Zahara Bonet "Jealous Of My Boogie - The RuMixes" | |
| 2018 | "Drag Up Your Life" | RuPaul Feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 3 | |
| 2018 | "Kitty Girl" | RuPaul Feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 3 | |
| 2018 | "Little Drummer Boy" | "Christmas Queens 4" | |
| 2021 | "Winner Winner (Chicken Dinner Remix)" | Ft. Yvie Oddly, Brad Kemp, Shea Coulée |
External Links[]
References[]
[]
| Winner | BeBe Zahara Benet |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd: Nina Flowers (Miss Congeniality) • 3rd: Rebecca Glasscock |
| Other Contestants | 4th: Shannel • 5th: Ongina • 6th: Jade • 7th: Akashia • 8th: Tammie Brown • 9th: Victoria "Porkchop" Parker |
| Host | RuPaul |
| Judges | RuPaul • Santino Rice • Merle Ginsberg |
| Pit Crew | Emanuel Palmer • Max "The Body" Philisaire |
| Winner | Trixie Mattel |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd: Kennedy Davenport • 3rd & 4th: BeBe Zahara Benet & Shangela |
| Other Contestants | 5th: Morgan McMichaels • 6th: BenDeLaCreme (Quit) • 7th: Aja • 8th: Chi Chi DeVayne• 9th: Milk • 10th: Thorgy Thor |
| Host | RuPaul |
| Judges | RuPaul • Michelle Visage • Carson Kressley • Ross Mathews |
| Pit Crew | Jason Carter • Bryce Eilenberg |