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Mercedes Iman Diamond is a Kenyan-American drag queen, performer and one of the Season 11 contestants of RuPaul's Drag Race, placing her at 12th. She is the first openly Muslim queen to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race.

This self-proclaimed "African Princess" moved from Kenya to the USA when she was 11, but Mercedes only was born 10 years later at the world famous Gay 90s club in downtown Minneapolis. All about a gorgeous body, Diamond owns any stage she sets foot on, dazzling the crowd with her graceful presence and the expensive bling she's named after. Being the first Muslim Queen on the show, Mercedes hopes to be a voice for others who are too scared to speak for themselves.

Name Origin[]

"Mercedes" comes from the Mercedes Benz she owned around the time she started her career. "Iman" comes from her same-named sister. "Diamond" comes from her drag mother, Prada Diamond (which makes her part of the "Haus of Diamond").

Track Record(s)[]

Mercedes Iman Diamond
Statistics USA Season 11
Ranking: 12th Place
Maxi Challenges Won: 0
Mini Challenges Won: 0
Times as Team Captain: 0
Times in Bottom: 2 (Eps. 2, 4)
Episode Eliminated: Episode 4

During the competition, Mercedes struggled with her runway looks and her overall confidence, and was generally seen as the 'weakling' of the remaining competitors. After eliminating her friend Kahanna Montrese in an energetic lip-sync in Week 2, she was sent home by Ra'Jah O'Hara in Week 4 after failing to convince the judges in her role as Ivanka Trump in "Trump: The Rusical".

Style[]

Mercedes does it all. She does pageants, loves to entertain and is always having a good time. Her style is expensive, like her name, as well as sexy. Since she is only 5'3 she doesn't like to wear a lot of clothes and tends to show off her legs. Inspired by 90's Nickelodeon and Bratz dolls, Mercedes' drag is colorful, outgoing, and energized.

Entrance Quote[]

"Ululululululululululululululay!"

Memorable Quotes[]

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11[]

  • "Opulence! You, earn, everything!"
  • "Opulence! You, own, everything!"
  • ''Yes.''
  • "I'm checking if she's wearing panties."
  • "C'mon waist!"
  • "You know where I'm from we didn't have Rachel Maddow, but we did have a goat."
  • "I am ready to show the world, Muslim is not a terrorist."
  • "Ululululululululululululululay!" (Exit quote)
  • "Lemme get my translushent powder."
  • "Opulence! You earn everyth- you own everything!" (laughs, at the reunion of Season 11)
  • "I am the GOAT: Greatest of all time."

Trivia[]

  • Mercedes Iman Diamond moved to USA from Mombasa, Kenya in 1998, when she was 11.[citation needed]
  • During her time on the show, she discussed being placed on the no-flight list for a wide portion of her life, due to her name sounding Muslim. Eventually, she had to go to court and change her name in order to be removed from the list.
    • Because of this, she had to drive everywhere, which caused her to suffer from two strokes. One temporarily paralyzed her body.
  • She won a few pageant titles, including "Miss Gay 90s", "Miss City of the Lakes", "Miss Queen of Hearts" and "Miss South Dakota Gay United States 2015."[citation needed]
  • She is the first Muslim "RuPaul's Drag Race US" contestant.[citation needed]
  • She is the first contestant originally from Kenya and, overall, the second to come originally from Africa, after BeBe Zahara Benet.
  • She is one of three Season 11 contestants to feature a brand in her name, the other two being A'keria Chanel Davenport and Ariel Versace.
  • Her favorite past-contestant is Shangela.
  • She was paired with Delta Work for Episode 1's mini challenge, a photoshoot.
  • She is the second queen of Islamic faith to compete in a Drag Race franchise, following Vanda Miss Joaquim from the second season of Drag Race Thailand.

Gallery[]

Season 11 Looks[]

External Links[]

References[]

Navigation[]

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