Courtney Act is an Australian drag queen, performer, music artist, one of the "Wigs by Vanity" owners and The Bi Life TV show hostess, known for being a contestant on Season 1 of Australian Idol and Season 6 of RuPaul's Drag Race, as well as the Season 21 winner of Celebrity Big Brother UK, and the runner-up of Dancing with The Stars Australia.
Quick Answers
What was Courtney Act's journey like on RuPaul's Drag Race?
Australian drag queen Courtney Act competed in the 6th season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Despite early criticism from RuPaul for 'resting on pretty', she improved significantly, winning two main challenges. Courtney Act finished as a runner-up, sent home in episode 14 by Bianca Del Rio.
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How did Courtney Act become the winner of Celebrity Big Brother UK?
Australian drag queen Courtney Act emerged as the winner of Celebrity Big Brother UK's Season 21 in February 2018. This achievement followed her stint as a runner-up on the 6th season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Courtney Act has also competed in several other reality TV shows, including Dancing with The Stars Australia.
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What is the significance of 'Wigs by Vanity' in Courtney Act's career?
Courtney Act, an Australian drag queen and performer, co-owns 'Wigs by Vanity'. This venture has diversified her career and solidified her position in the entertainment industry. She has also gained recognition from her participation in TV shows like Australian Idol, RuPaul's Drag Race, Celebrity Big Brother UK, and Dancing with The Stars Australia.
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What led Courtney Act to become a hostess on The Bi Life TV show?
Courtney Act, an Australian drag queen, became the hostess of The Bi Life TV show after a series of successful TV appearances. She first gained fame on Australian Idol, followed by a runner-up finish on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6. Her TV career further flourished with a win on Celebrity Big Brother UK Season 21 and a runner-up spot on Dancing with The Stars Australia.
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What was Courtney Act's early life like in Brisbane, Australia?
Born in Brisbane, Australia, Courtney Act attended Sandgate District High School and moved to Sydney at 18. She began her entertainment career hosting movie nights on Nickelodeon. After this, she worked as a drag queen in nightclubs and auditioned for 'Australian Idol' in 2003.
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About[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6[]
Already a household name in Australia (thanks to a stint on Australian Idol), Courtney describes herself as "a singer, dancer, actor and a goddamn supermodel." She's clearly more than just a pretty face—her competitors should definitely be worried about this Down Under dynamo.[4]
Drag Name Origin[]
"Courtney Act" is a play on "caught in the act", as pronounced in a non-rhotic accent like Australian English.
Track Records[]
| Statistics | USA Season 6 |
|---|---|
| Ranking: | 2nd/3rd Place (Runner-Up) |
| Maxi Challenges Won: | 2 (Eps. 4, 9) |
| Mini Challenges Won: | 0 |
| Times as Team Captain: | 0 |
| Times in Bottom: | 0 |
| Episode Eliminated: | Episode 14 |
Biography[]
Courtney Act born in Brisbane, Australia to Gill Jenek and Annette Jenek and grew up with 2 siblings. She attended Sandgate District High School and later moved to Sydney, Australia at the age of 18. Initially, Act had went to audition for theatre schools but found herself in a year-long contract with Nickelodeon as a movie night host. After the contract expired, she started selling candy as a drag queen at nightclubs to make money.
In 2003, Courtney (as Shane Jenek) auditioned for the 1st season of "Australian Idol" without much success. She came back the next day and auditioned again (as Courtney Act) and made it through to the next rounds. She was considered to be "strangely, the sexiest woman on the show". She became a semi-finalist and was the third singer of the competition to release a solo single, "Rub Me Wrong".
In December 2013, Logo TV announced that Courtney Act was amongst 14 drag queens who would be competing in the 6th season of "RuPaul's Drag Race". Doing so, she ended as a runner-up.
In February 2018, she was announced as the Season 21 winner of "Celebrity Big Brother UK". In April 2019, she was announced as the runner-up on Season 16 of the Australian edition of "Dancing with the Stars".
Entrance Quote[]
"Is this America's next top model? No? Sorry..." *leaves room but runs back in* "Just kidding!"
Memorable Quotes[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6[]
- "Courtney knows how to do sexy."
- "I don't do dairy, but for Milk I'll make an exception."
- "Courtney. The first time, every time."
- "My voice is really high I could be lying?"
- "I can look good, I can sing good, I can dance well."
- "Sewing is not my forte but everything else is."
- "I can look like Linda, and walk like Naomi, get messed up like Kate, and you don't even know me. Looking like this is a goddamn stunt. All you other bitches better lick my... foot." (Verse in Oh No She Betta Don't)
- "Well, everyone is resting on ugly, why can't I rely on being pretty?"
- "In her own unique way, so no." (answering if she thought Bianca Del Rio was pretty)
- "As you may have all gathered from my accent, I am from Idaho! I'm kidding, I'm from Australia! Land of kangaroos, land of Olivia Netwon-John and throw another shrimp on the barbie!. Well, what if I don't want shrimp thrown on me!? I want to LOOK fishy, not SMELL fishy."
- "I wanna see this on BLOGS, I wanna see this on FACEBOOK, ain't nobody gonna top this." (referring to her "Animal Kingdom" runway look on episode 9 of Season 6)
- "Now I'm ready for anything!" (On Australian Idol, 2003)
- "Both of the girls, on the same beat of the song, not looking at eachother JUMP into the splits and hit the floor. It is SO good." (referring to Joslyn Fox and Laganja Estranja when they do the double splits in their lipsyncs)
- "Trinity is lipsyncing the house down boots. I don't know what that means but shes doing it." (Referring to Trinity K Bonet's lipsync against April Carrion)
- "I had gold bamboo hoop earrings Michelle!"
Trivia[]
- On Season 6, Courtney became:
- The first contestant ever to win the Rusical Challenge.
- The third Runner-Up to never be up for elimination, after Nina Flowers and Alaska.
- Along with Bianca Del Rio, the only winner and runner-up pairing to never be up for elimination.
- The first contestant to walk down the runway with articulated wings.
- The second finalist ever to reach the finale with having received mostly positive critiques in only two competing episodes, after Jujubee.
- Courtney is a part of "The AAA Girls", a musical group with Alaska and Willam. Together, they appeared in the music video for Power by Little Mix.
- Courtney is pansexual.[5]
- Courtney is vegan and loves to eat Vegemite. When she has to wake up really early for an event or interview, keeps one or two squares of dark chocolate beside her bed to motivate her to get up.[citation needed]
- Courtney competed in various reality TV series:
- In 2018, she won the 21st season of "Celebrity Big Brother UK".
- In 2019, she competed on the 16th season of "Dancing With The Stars Australia" where she finished as a Runner-Up.
- In 2022, she returned for the 19th Season of "Dancing With The Stars Australia", also known as 'All Stars 2', where she finished as a Runner-Up once again.
- In 2019, she competed in Eurovision - Australia Decides, Australia's national selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, her single Fight for Love was shortlisted as part of the top ten but ultimately placed 4th.
- Courtney appeared in various other media:
- She was on episode 52 of UNHhhh hosted by Katya Zamolodchikova and Trixie Mattel.
- In 2020, she made her West End debut in the show Death Drop, playing the role of Shazza.
- In 2021, she started hosting a podcast with fellow drag queen Vanity Faire called Brenda, Call Me.
- Courtney was rumored that she would be in Drag Race Down Under as the host or judge, however all of that changed when it was announced that RuPaul would be the host and Michelle Visage the regular judge.[6]
Gallery[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6 Looks[]
Promo Look
Confessional Look
Entrance Look
Party Box Look – Republican Party
Best Drag Look
Tony Awards Look
Snatch Game Look – Fran Drescher
A Night of Thousand RuPauls Look
Crazy Sexy Cool Look
Black and White Look
Comedy Look
Animal Kingdom Look
Wedding Makeover Look
Banjee Girl Bling Look
Platinum Card Executive Realness Look
Dripping in Jewels Eleganza Look
Final 4 Look
Finale Look
Crowning Look
Videos[]
Welcome To Disgraceland - Courtney Act (Official Music Video) HD
The Pit Stop[]
The Pit Stop AS2 E5 with Courtney Act
Filmography[]
Movies[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Meet the Glamcocks | Self | Documentary | [7] |
| 2015 | Luna Goes Cruising | Koda (voice) | Shortfilm | [8] |
| This Is Drag | Self | Documentary | [9] |
TV[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Snick Flicks | Self | Host | |
| 2003 | Australian Idol | Self | Contestant, Placed 13th | [10] |
| 2010 | Sleek Geeks | Self | Season 2, Episode 8: "Wee Across the World" | |
| 2012 | Are You There, Chelsea? | Self | Episode 8: "Dee Dee's Pillow" | [11] |
| I Will Survive | Self | Episode 4 | ||
| 2014 | RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 6) | Self | Contestant, Placed 2nd/3rd | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked! | Self | |||
| Candidly Nicole | Self | Episode 2 | [12] | |
| 2017 | Single AF (Season 1) | Self | Contestant | |
| 2018 | Celebrity Big Brother (UK Season 21) | Self | Contestant, Placed 1st | |
| The Bi Life | Self | Host | ||
| The Courtney Act Show | Self | Host | [13] | |
| 2019 | Eurovision - Australia Decides | Self | Contestant, Placed 4th | |
| Dancing with the Stars (Australia Season 16) | Self | Contestant, Placed 2nd | ||
| 2020 | Neighbours | Self | Guest role | |
| Celebrity Karaoke Club | Self | Contestant | ||
| 2021 | Courtney Act's One Plus One | Self | Host | [14] |
| 2022 | Dancing with the Stars: All Stars (Australia) | Self | Contestant, Finalist | [15] |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2022 | Self | Australian jury spokesperson | ||
| Queens for the Night | Self | Judge | ||
| 2023 | Top of the Pops | Self | Host | |
| The Masked Singer (Australia Season 5) | Cowgirl | Contestant, Placed 4th |
Web series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Transfashionable | Self | By The Stylish | [16] |
| 2014 | Reality Relapse | Self | By BiteSizeTV | |
| Transformations | Self | By World of Wonder | [17] | |
| Hey Qween! | Self | [18] | ||
| 2017 | UNHhhh | Self | By World of Wonder | [19] |
| 2019 | Jag Race | Self | By Attitude | [20] |
Music Videos[]
| Year | Title | Artist | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Applause" (Lyric video) | Lady Gaga | Lady Gaga | [21] |
| 2014 | "Sissy That Walk" | RuPaul | Steven Corfe | |
| 2015 | "Jump the Gun" | Adore Delano | Josef J. Weber | |
| 2017 | "Power" | Little Mix feat. Stormzy | Hannah Lux Davis | [22] |
Discography[]
Solo Albums[]
| Year | Title | Tracklist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Rub Me Wrong" |
|
|
| 2010 | "Welcome to Disgraceland" |
|
|
| 2015 | "Kaleidoscope" |
|
|
| 2016 | "Kaleidoscope (Rexmixes)" |
|
|
| 2020 | "Drop of Fluid" |
|
Solo Singles and EPs[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Rub Me Wrong" | |
| 2010 | "Welcome to Disgracelan" | |
| 2014 | "To Russia with Love" | |
| 2014 | "Mean Gays" | |
| 2015 | "Ecstasy" | |
| 2015 | "From Head to Mistletoe" | |
| 2016 | "Wigs by Vanity Jingle" | feat. Vanity Faire |
| 2016 | "Stayin' Alive" | |
| 2016 | "Chandelier/Diamonds/Titanium" | |
| 2017 | "Illuminate" | |
| 2018 | "Fight for Love" |
The AAA Girls' Albums[]
| Year | Title | Tracklist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Acess All Areas" |
|
The AAA Girls' Singles and EPs[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "American Apparel Ad Girls" | |
| 2014 | "Dear Santa, Bring Me A Man" | |
| 2015 | "Christmas Sweater" |
Appearances/Features[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Downton Abbey... Snore" | by Jimmy Ray Bennett, Stephen Guarino & Jeff Hiller ft. Willam, Vicky Vox & Courtney Act |
| 2014 | "Oh No, She Better Don't" | by RuPaul ft. Drag Race Season 6 Cast |
| 2014 | "American Apparel Ad Girls" | by Willam ft. Alaska & Courtney Act |
| 2015 | "The Shade of It All" | by Alaska ft. Courtney Act & Willam |
| 2017 | "Dance Again" | by Bielfield ft. Courtney Act |
Podcasts[]
| Year | Title | Topic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Brenda, Call Me! | Pop Culture | with Vanity Faire |
| 2021 | Building Queertopia | Queerness |
External Links[]
References[]
[]
| Winner | Bianca Del Rio |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd & 3rd: Adore Delano & Courtney Act |
| Other Contestants | 4th: Darienne Lake • 5th: BenDeLaCreme (Miss Congeniality) • 6th: Joslyn Fox • 7th: Trinity K. Bonet • 8th: Laganja Estranja • 9th: Milk • 10th: Gia Gunn • 11th: April Carrión • 12th: Vivacious • 13th & 14th: Kelly Mantle & Magnolia Crawford |
| Host | RuPaul |
| Judges | RuPaul • Santino Rice • Michelle Visage |
| Pit Crew | Jason Carter • Shawn Morales • Miles Davis Moody • Simon Sherry-Wood |