Onya Nurve is an American drag performer and one of the contestants on the seventeenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.
Onya would later be crowned America's Next Drag Superstar at the finale.
About[]
"Smashburger cook by day, enchanting and in-demand drag artist by night. Onya Nurve got bitten by the performance bug in high school, and took an artistic career path to drag via a BFA in Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art. A comedic actress as well as being able to belt out a tune, Onya represents a real threat in this competition!"[2]
Drag Name Origin[]
Onya's drag name was given to her from her brother, as both a reference to their mother's name and as a play on "on your nerve".[3]
Track Records[]
| Seasons Competed: | USA Season 17 |
|---|---|
| Ranking: | 1st Place (Winner) |
| Maxi Challenges Won: | 4 (Eps. 4, 7, 11, 12) |
| Mini Challenges Won: | 2 (Eps. 6, 13) |
| Times as Team Captain: | 0 |
| Times in Bottom Two: | 1 (Ep. 13) |
| Episode Eliminated: | N/A |
Memorable Quotes[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17[]
- "Well, it do take Nurve." (entrance quote)
- "It's your girl, Onya Nurve, aka Onyanetta, aka Miss Nerve if your nasty, and bitch, I'm from Cleveland!"
- "I'm not about to ask no bitch for something that I need, and we're supposed to be sharing.” (Trying to justify stealing Jewels Sparkles’s materials)
- "I was in the top and they were bothered!" (about Crystal and Jewels)
- "Be mad while I eat." (about Crystal)
- "I'M OWNING IT NOW!" (To Lexi Love)
- "They said 'Lynch', I got nervous." (referring to Lydia's Snatch Game character)
- "This next entertainer has the comedic timing of a cancer diagnosis." (in The Villains Roast)
- "You might also recognise them as the cast of 'STD: The Rusical'!" (to Plane Jane, Kandy Muse and Mistress Isabelle Brooks in The Villains Roast)
- "Eat that up, piggie." (after winning the Episode 13 mini challenge)
- "Hell yeah! It do take Nurve!" (Winning speech)
Farewell Message[]
N/A
Trivia[]
- Onya got her BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art.[2]
- She won the title of Mx. Zephyr in the first Zephyr Drag Takeover competition in 2022.[4]
- Onya was the 2024 inaugural ArtReach fellow for Haus of Transcendent, a Cleveland-based LGBTQ nonprofit.[5]
- Prior to appearing on Drag Race, she worked at Doinks Burger Joint in the Waterloo Arts District of Cleveland, OH as a cook.[2]
- She has two drag kids, Ariyah Fuego and Bia Jewel.[5]
- Onya is a Gemini sun, Leo moon and Leo rising.[6]
- Onya is the first and only queen on Season 17 to achieve 4 Main Challenge Wins.
- Onya is the first queen to win a Singing Challenge, after a gap of 10 years, following Ginger Minj.
- Coincidentally, both queens won both a Singing Challenge and Snatch Game.
- Onya Nurve is the 16th contestant on the US franchise (excluding All Stars) to win 2 Maxi Challenges in a row after Raven, Alexis Mateo, Manila Luzon, Adore Delano, Violet Chachki, Shea Couleé, Eureka!, Gigi Goode, Jaida Essence Hall, Symone, Olivia Lux, Sasha Colby, Anetra, Sapphira Cristál, and Plane Jane.
- Onya is the fifth queen to fall in the bottom two directly after receiving their fourth maxi challenge win, after Alaska, Symone, Sapphira Cristál, and Plane Jane respectively.
- Onya and Jewels Sparkles are the third pair of queens to have survived a Double Shantay that would go on to become the Top 2 of their season, and ultimately lip-sync against each other again in the final Lip-Sync for the Crown, after Yvie Oddly and Brooke Lynn Hytes on Season 11 and Symone and Kandy Muse on Season 13.
- Onya is the first queen from Ohio to win RuPaul's Drag Race.
- Onya is the fourth queen to win four maxi challenges and win the season (in the US franchise), after Sharon Needles, Symone and Sasha Colby.
- She is the only queen to achieve this whose name doesn’t start with S.
- Of all the main U.S. series winners judged on Fashion Photo RuView, Onya is the only one to never receive a Top Toot of the Week.
- Onya is the second ever winner (in the US franchise) to have just placed SAFE for the Ball Challenge, after Symone.
- She’s the first winner since Willow Pill to not have won this challenge.
Gallery[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17[]
Mini Promo
Mug Promo
Alternate Promo
Alternate Promo
Alternate Promo
Polaroid Promo
Countdown Promo
#TeamOnya Promo
Winner Congratulatory Post
Custom Logo
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 Looks[]
Promo Look
Entertainment Weekly Press Week Look
New York Holiday Look
Buzzfeed Celeb Press Week Look
Premiere Look
Confessional Look
Entrance Look
Masked for Masked Singer Look
Masked for Masked Singer Look (Reveal)
Is It Cake? Look
Drag Queens Got Talent Look
Monopulence Look – North Carolina Avenue
Quilted For Your Pleasure Look
Tickled Pink Look
Bathing Beauties Look
Sea Creature Couture Look – African Sea Star
Sea Sickening Eleganza Look
Snatch Game Look – Eddie Murphy
Nailed It Look
Parasols, Shady Ladies Look
Betsey's Prom Look
Who Wears Short Shorts? Look
Black & White Ball Look
Ugliest Dress Ever Look
Drag Family Resemblance Look – with Nunya Bidness
Opulent Outerwear Look
Lip Sync LaLaPaRuZa Smackdown Audience Look
Grand Finale Eleganza Look
Finale Performance Look
LSFTC Look
Finale Viewing Party Look
Videos[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17[]
Onya Nurve Season 17 - Entertainment Weekly Interview
S17 E4 Bitch, I'm A Drag Queen! Singing Challenge Volume 2
S17 E6 Lexi Love’s Outfit Gets Ruined By Spray Paint
S17 E7 Snatch Game
S17 E11 Ross Mathews vs The Ducks Acting Challenge
S17 E12 Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve & Talent Monologues Stand-Up Challenge
S17 E13 “1 Thing” Lipsync
Whatcha Packin’ Onya Nurve
HELLO HELLO HELLO Onya Nurve
Season 17 Top Two's “Abracadabra” Lip Sync
Season 17 Top 4 Finale Live Reaction
Filmography[]
TV[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 17) | Self | Contestant (Placed 1st) | [2] |
Discography[]
| Year | Title | Artwork |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | In and Out | 
|
| 2025 | Put Your Lighters Up | 
|
| 2025 | It's Got Soul | 
|
| 2025 | It Do Take Nurve | 
|
External Links[]
References[]
|
[]
| Winner | Onya Nurve |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd: Jewels Sparkles • 3rd & 4th: Lexi Love • Sam Star |
| Other Contestants | 5th: Suzie Toot (Queen of SDADHH) • 6th: Lana Ja'Rae • 7th: Lydia B Kollins • 8th: Arrietty • 9th: Kori King • 10th: Acacia Forgot • 11th: Crystal Envy (Miss Congeniality) • 12th: Hormona Lisa • 13th: Joella • 14th: Lucky Starzzz |
| Host | RuPaul |
| Judges | RuPaul • Michelle Visage • Carson Kressley • Law Roach • Ross Mathews • Ts Madison |
| Pit Crew | Bruno Carvalho • Bryce Eilenberg • Asaf Goren • Jesse Pattison • Calixto Quan |