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Shea Couleé is an American drag queen, performer, rapper, and one of the Season 9 contestants of RuPaul's Drag Race and placed 3rd/4th alongside Trinity The Tuck.

On May 8, 2020, it was announced that she would be competing on All Stars 5. She won the season in July of 2020, beating fellow finalists Jujubee and Miz Cracker.

Shea also hosts Wanna Be On Top?, a discussion podcast where guests join her to discuss recent episodes of America's Next Top Model.

She later returned to All Stars 7, the first All Winners season of Drag Race. She placed 3rd/4th.

Name Origin[]

"Shea" is slang spell of her real middle name, Kyei (Swahili for "beautiful boy"). "Couleé" is a reference to the dessert coulis[5] and an East African riddle.[6][7]

Drag Family[]

Couleé has three drag daughters: Kenzie Couleé, Bambi Banks-Couleé & Khloe Couleé. They all represent the drag house, Maison Couleé.

Track Record(s)[]

Shea Couleé
Statistics USA Season 9 USA All Stars
Season 5
USA All Stars
Season 7
Ranking: 3rd/4th Place 1st Place
(Winner)
3rd/4th Place
Maxi Challenges Won: 4 (Eps. 4, 5, 9, 11) 2 (Eps. 2, 5) 2 (Eps. 1, 11)
Mini Challenges Won: 0 0 0
Times as Team Captain: 0 1 (Ep. 2) 0
Times in Bottom: 1 (Ep. 10) 3 (Eps. 3, 6, 7) N/A
Episode Eliminated: Episode 14 N/A Episode 12

Memorable Quotes[]

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9[]

  • "My name is Shea Couleé, and I didn't come to play, I came to slay!" (entrance quote)
  • "Chicago drag is the motherfuckingbomb.com... that's right, bitch, it's got its own domain!"
  • "Nothing reminds me of home more than a big wiener sandwiched in between 2 buns."
  • "WHY Y'ALL ACTING BRAND NEW? We have to get out of here! Who's after Peppermint?... Damn!" (to castmates during Untucked Episode 3)
  • "CHARLIE, DO SOMETHING! [...] CHARLIE, COME ON!"
  • "Mama, you look so good it's damn near sinful." (to RuPaul)
  • "And I don't taste a day over 15." (Naomi Campbell in "Snatch Game", to RuPaul after he said she didn't look a day over 16)
  • "I thought about Tyra Banks' modeling career, so I said: the toilet." (as Naomi Campbell in "Snatch Game")
  • "Michelle, we know you for being a kind patient shero... and gonorrhea clinics know you as patient zero." (said during "Michelle Visage's Roast")
  • "...If you liked my performance my name is Shea Couleé, but if you hated it my name is Nina Bo'nina Brown." (said during "Michelle Visage's Roast")
  • "Trinity, when's your birthday? I'mma mail you some edges."
  • "I will subpoena Nina."
  • "Messica Simpson." (referring to Nina Bo'nina Brown)
  • "I see the claws... comin' out, gurl."
  • "I think we got a real lip sync ASSASSIN on our hands!" (referring to Peppermint)
  • "Oh, SHE DOESN'T KNOW THE WORDS." (referring to Valentina during her lip sync against Nina Bo'nina Brown)
  • “Slay Couleé, look at the edges I snatched today. I see you watching how I sashay, them other girls best get out my way. 'Cause I want, I get it and came up in here and did it. And girl I'm ready to show 'em, how these bitches I own 'em. Got that supermodel switch, Ms. Couleé she a real, real bad bitch. Let me rock this mic, leave 'em in my dust like Tina did Ike. I'm sickening, no? And real fierce too. Chicago in the house, girl whatcha gon' do? About to shut it down, come on Mama Ru, bring the queen her crown. I approve this message and all I'm gonna say is I'm Shea Couleé and I always...” (verse in Category Is)
  • "Do I look upset to you?" (to Valentina)
  • "TIMESTAMP, TIMESTAMP."
  • "When we were doing the promo for the show, you go...Shea, I just wanna say: If anyone comes for Nina, I told her that I will stand up for her, and I will make it all right'. And I'm confused!" (Imitating Valentina)
  • "Talk shit, get hit."

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 5[]

  • "I'm blaaack." (entrance quote)
  • "I'm Shea Couleé, I know you have missed me, but it's ok."
  • "Wow Ru, love what you've done with the place."
  • "She's here to save the day!" (commenting on Mariah's entrance look)
  • "WoOoOo!" (impersonating Derrick Barry’s entrance quote)
  • "Mama, the drama!"
  • "...Sure!"
  • “Chadwick Boseman. Oh, yeah, girl, he's my boo. The mother-tuckin Black Panther, what you gonna do? He's tall, dark, long and lean and he rocks my kitty world like you never seen. He's the king and I'm his queen, I'm dreaming about what kind of life we'll lead.” (verse in I'm in Love)
  • "I might be pretty on the outside, but on the inside I'm pure garbage!" (during the TMZ challenge)
  • "But were you surprised?"
    • “Better be careful how you talk to me. There's no mistaking that I'm the queen. Fall in line, you don't want me to come for you. Ask your homegirl because she got dragged too. Trollin’ on me? Better back down. Want the truth? You better sit down. Give the clap back heard across the world. Need a good reading, then I'm your girl.” (verse in Clapback)
  • "My name is Shea Couleé and I didn't come to slay, I came to WIN!" (victory line)

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7[]

  • "Oh, I didn't know I needed an introduction." (entrance quote)
  • "That's right save the best for last, I'm Miss Couleé but did you got to ask? I'm dripped in designer, hot on fire, strutting down the runway building my empire. You better bring the energy, 'cause slaying is my legacy, if you ain't scared of me, miss thing you better be!" (Shea's verse in 'Legends')
  • "I don't have anything prepared." (after Jinkx Monsoon chose to block her)
  • "Hell nah boy, you best stop trippin', what's wrong boo, your CD skippin'? Better not play me like a clown or like Titanic, it's going down, like that JLo neck, turn around boo, let me see that back. Just got hit up by your friend 'cause oops, I did it again!" (Shea's verse in 'Titanic')

Trivia[]

Citations This article needs citations

This article is in need of citations to make sure all information stated is correct.

  • Shea Couleé graduated with a degree in costume design on Columbia College in 2011.[5]
    • The summer after her graduation, Couleé started doing drag.[5]
  • Shea speaks French.
    • Even though Shea speaks French, her drag last name is considered to be misspelled, since all French adjectives ending in "é" in the masculine form are followed (and not preceded) by an "e" in their feminine form, thus making "Coulée" look more correct.
  • Shea was named by New York Magazine as one of the top 100 most powerful drag queens in America in June 2019.[5]
  • Shea auditioned five times before appearing on Season 9.
  • Shea had the most challenge wins out of any queen on Season 9.
    • Across their three seasons of competing, Shea has the second most amount of Maxi Challenge wins (8) behind Trinity The Tuck (11) as well as the most wins for an African-American queen on the show.
  • Between 2018 and 2020, Shea was nominated twice for the WOWIE Awards, and once to The Queerties Awards.[5]
  • Alongside Monét X Change, The Vixen, and Dax Exclamationpoint, Shea inspired the Marvel Comics' drag queen superhero "Shade".
  • Shea has a dog named Baby Couleé.[8]
  • Sadly, Shea lost her father to cancer two weeks after the Season 9 cast review, and her sister four weeks later to breast cancer.
  • Shea slipped on Sasha Velour's rose petals during their lip-sync on Season 9 finale, but this was edited out of the televised cut.
  • Not including All Stars seasons, Sasha Velour and her are the first pair of contestants to share 2 joint challenge wins.
  • Shea's Season 9 entrance look has Pearl on it.
  • Shea was the first contestant to win three challenges on Season 9, including two consecutive ones.
  • Shea is the third ever contestant to win four main challenges during her season, after Sharon Needles in Season 4 and Alaska in All Stars 2.
    • She is also the first contestant with 4 or more challenge wins not to be crowned the overall winner of her season, followed by BenDeLaCreme in All Stars 3, who voluntarily eliminated herself after winning five challenges, and by Gigi Goode, who also won four challenges and did not win Season 12.
  • Shea is tied with Season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon for the third best pre-finale track record on a regular season behind Season 6 winner Bianca Del Rio, as well as All Stars 1 and Season 1 contestant Nina Flowers.
  • Much like Trinity The Tuck, Season 2, Season 3 and All Stars 3 contestant Shangela, BenDeLaCreme, as well as Season 11 contestants Brooke Lynn Hytes, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, A'keria Chanel Davenport and Nina West, Shea had more wins than the winner of her season.
  • Shea was asked to be in both All Stars 3 and All Stars 4, but declined.
  • Shea is the 30th queen to gain 1 million followers on Instagram, achieving this in June 14, 2020.
  • Shea is the first queen of All Stars 5 to win a lip-sync.
    • She is also the only queen of All Stars 5 to have won any lip-sync and not lose against or tie with the "Lip Sync Assassin".
  • Shea is the third queen to win Snatch Game while portraying a male celebrity, after Kennedy Davenport as Little Richard and BenDeLaCreme as Paul Lynde.
  • Shea is the second queen to win the Ball Challenge, a Rusical and the Snatch Game (after Gigi Goode), however, Gigi won all three challenges in the same season (Season 12), whereas Shea won the Ball Challenge and Rusical in Season 9 and Snatch Game in All Stars 5.
  • Shea is the second queen (after BenDeLaCreme) to be the first to win two Maxi Challenges on two different seasons.
  • Shea made her gold necklace in the "Nude Illusion" runway, the night before in her hotel room. She stated it was made out of a lamé covered cord hot glued to an iced venti Starbucks cup.
  • Shea's All Stars 5 entrance look pattern (blue monstera leaves on pink) has the exact same pattern as Monét X Change's All Stars 4 confessional sweater.
    • Coincidentally, they both won their All-Stars seasons.
  • Shea is the second queen to win All Stars from Season 9, after Trinity the Tuck in All Stars 4.
    • Coincidentally, they both placed 3rd/4th after being eliminated in the finale of their original season.
  • Shea is the fourth queen of African-American descent to win a Drag Race season in a row, after Monét X Change, Yvie Oddly and Jaida Essence Hall. This makes Shea the seventh queen of African-American descent to win Drag Race overall.
  • Shea is the first queen to win with three bottom placements. However, this is only due to the twist introduced in Episode 5. Had it not been for that, she would’ve only had one bottom placement (Episode 3).
  • Shea is the sixth winner to not have the most challenge wins of their season, after her fellow Season 9 contestant, Sasha Velour, Trixie Mattel, Monét X Change, Yvie Oddly, and Jaida Essence Hall.
  • Shea is the first, and currently only, winner of All Stars to have fewer main challenge wins than she achieved on her original season.
  • She is the second All Stars winner to win every lip-sync for your legacy that she was in (Alaska being the first one).
    • Across All Stars seasons, Shea has the most lip-sync for your legacy wins with four.
  • Her track record on All Stars is similar to Valentina's run on All Stars 4: both were safe on the Talent Show, they won the second challange as well as the lipsync and fell in the bottom in the very next episode. Both competed in seven episodes collectively and were up for elimination three times.
  • Shea was previously tied with Alaska for the most money won in a season, $130,000. (Both winning $130,000 in their All Stars season)
  • She referenced Alexis Mateo in her acceptance speech.
  • Shea appeared on 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen' alongside Tatianna and Jaida Essence Hall.
  • Shea is the fourth queen to have a tied win, and later be sent home by their tied win partner, after Shangela, Derrick Barry and Alyssa Edwards.
  • Shea is the first ever winner to win a Rusical Challenge however, that was the Kardashians: The Musical on Season 9 (the season where Shea didn't win).
  • Interestingly, the reunion for Season 9 was filmed after the finale, so both Shea and Trinity The Tuck knew they didn't win had to pretend to still be eligible for the crown.
  • Shea revealed that prior to the Season 9 finale, all the Top 4 queens were told to have an outfit with reveal(s). The day before the finale was filmed, two of Shea's outfits were stolen. Due to this, she had to get new outfits made. This is why she was the only queen in the Top 4 to not have a reveal during the finale.
  • Shea is the host of the Moguls of Media-produced America's Next Top Model-themed podcast, Wanna Be On Top?.
  • During both of her All Stars entrances, Shea entered the Werkroom first.
  • Shea revealed in a Twitter post that her original idea for the 'Before and After' portion of the 'Realness of Fortune' Ball, was 'Janet Jackson Pollock' (a combination of Janet Jackson and Jackson Pollock), but production told her that she could only use fictional/ non-licensed characters, and not celebrities. [9]
    • Yvie mentioned, in response to Shea, that production told her that she had to use celebrities, but later updated her letting her know that she could use fictional characters. [10]
  • Shea will portray a yet to be confirmed character in the upcoming Disney+ Series 'Ironheart' [11]
  • Shea and Trinity the Tuck are the first pair to finish in the same position on 3 different seasons.
  • Shea and Trinity join Jujubee as the only contestants to place in the finals (Top 3/4) on at least three separate seasons.
    • Jujubee holds the record for making it to the finale on four separate seasons.
  • Shea is the fourth contestant to win a Maxi Challenge across three seasons of competing, following Manila Luzon, Latrice Royale, and Yara Sofia. They would later be followed by Trinity The Tuck and Jimbo.
  • She is the only queen to be up for elimination on a season more times than times she won a challenge, and go on to win the season.

Gallery[]

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9[]

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9 Looks[]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 5[]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 5 Looks[]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6[]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 Looks[]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7 Looks[]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7 Looks[]

Videos[]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 5[]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7[]

Discography[]

EPs[]

  • Couleé-D (Tracklist: 1. "Ride"; 2. "Cocky" with Lila Star & The Vixen; 3. "Feeling So"). (2017)

Non-Album Singles[]

  • "Crème Brûlée". (2018)
  • "Gasoline". (2018)
  • "Brand New". (2019)
  • "Rewind" with GESS. (2019)
  • "Collide" with GESS and Mykki Blanco (2020)

Appearances[]

  • "Category Is... (Season 9 Remix)" by RuPaul with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 9. (2017)
  • "R U Mad (John 'J-C' Carr & Bill Colemax Mix)" by Michael Blume with Peppermint. (2018)
  • "Symphony" by GESS. (2018)
  • "Snooze" by Big Dipper. (2018)
  • "Room, Pt. 2" (2018) by The Vixen. (2018)
  • "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Aja. (2019)
  • "Double Filter Face" by Shawn Hollenbach. (2019)
  • "I'm In Love" by The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 5 (2020)
  • "Clap Back" by RuPaul with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 5 (2020)
  • "bad juju" by Jujubee. (2021)

Filmography[]

Movies / Documentaries[]

  • Lipstick City, as "Mrs. Couleé/Shea". (2016)

TV[]

  • You're So Talented, in Seasons 1 and 2 as herself. (2015-2016)
  • RuPaul's Drag Race, in Season 9 as contestant. (2017)
  • Breakfeast Television Toronto, as herself. (2017)
  • WGN-TV, as guest. (2017)
  • Hey Qween, as herself. (2017)
  • Windy City Life, as herself. (2018)
  • RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, in Season 5 as contestant. (2020)
  • Watch What Happen Live with Andy Cohen, as herself. (2021)
  • RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, in Season 7 as contestant. (2022)

Web Series[]

Music Videos[]

  • Too Funky by Peppermint. (2017)
  • "Ride". (2017)
  • "Cocky". (2017)
  • "Feeling So". (2017)
  • "Crème Brûlée". (2018)
  • "Sally Walker" by Iggy Azalea, as a traffic collision driver. (2019)
  • "Rewind". (2019)
  • "Bubblegum Brain" by Ellise. (2021)

Advertising Capaigns[]

  • Merry DRAGmas by Lush, as herself. (2018)

Theatre[]

Tour[]

Co-Headlining[]

External Links[]

References[]

Navigation[]

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