"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").
RuPaul's Drag Race
Mercedes Iman Diamond
Season Competed
Season 11
Ranking:
12th Place
Mini-Challenges Won:
0
Times as Team Captain:
0
Times Placed High:
1 (Ep. 3)
Main Challenges Won:
0
Times Placed Low:
1 (Ep. 1)
Times in Bottom:
2 (Eps. 2, 4)
Episode Eliminated
Episode 4
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.
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
"Opulence! You, earn, everything!"
"Opulence! You, own, everything!"
"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 Kenya in 1998, when she was 11.
Diamond was on the no-flight list for a large portion of her life, due to her name sounding Muslim. Because of this, she had to go to court and legally change her name.
She experienced a stroke which paralyzed half of 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."
She is the 1st Muslim "RuPaul's Drag Race US" contestant.
She is the 1st contestant originally from Kenya and, overall, the 3rd to come originally from Africa, after BeBe Zahara Benet and The Princess.
