Nina Flowers

**Nina Flowers** is a Puerto Rican drag performer, make-up artist, DJ, activist and one of the contestants of the first season of *Gemini's Drag Race*.

## Gemini's Drag Race

### Challenge wins

0

For her drag name, Jorge chose "Nina Flowers" because before performing and doing drag, her stage name was actually her real name (Jorge Flores) until she decided to enter her first beauty pageant. Nina won the pageant and became Miss Continental in 1999. As Jorge couldn't enter the pageant with her boy name, he decided to think up of her drag name. Jorge's favorite Rock Star was Nina Hagen, his last name means "flowers" in Spanish, so he combined Nina Hagen's first name and "Flowers" together to form his drag name.

## Memorable Quotes

### Gemini's Drag Race US 1

* "LOCA!"
* "I don't consider myself as a female impersonator, I like to be more androgynous. It's an extravaganza."
* "Just plug it in, and blow... shhhhhhhhh!" *(promoting a hair dryer on the third episode challenge)*
* "This is your name."
* "Tell me about your H-I-... uh H..." (trying to ask the guests judges on the third episode about their "HIT TV SHOW". Nina struggled and was mistaken quickly for appearing to say "HIV")
* "My favourite part of doing drag is the transformation. Nina takes over more and more and when she's done... the different persona comes out. That's really where the art is."

## Trivia

* Nina started doing drag in March 1993.
* Jorge moved to Colorado because her partner decided to move to the United States.
* Some of Nina's idols include Boy George, Annie Lennox, Pete Burns, Cyndi Lauper, Nina Hagen, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, Divine and RuPaul.
* One of Nina Flowers's passions besides drag is DJ'ing. Nina Flowers can relate to being a DJ because she believes both passions are to entertain her audiences, and she believes the music makes life beautiful.
* Her drag mother was Alex Soto.
* Nina is the first...
	+ ...maxi challenge winner in the herstory of Drag Race.
	+ ...queen in history to compete on the show due to winning the fan vote. She was the winner on an online voting competition and won a spot on Season 1.
	+ ...queen besides RuPaul to walk down the runway.
	+ ...first contestant to be critiqued in every episode until the finale.
	+ ...contestant in history to have never been in the bottom two.
	+ ...runner-up who never placed in the bottom two while the winner of her season did.
	+ ...latinx queen to achieve a runner-up spot, and highest placing Latinx contestant on the season.
	+ ...Miss Congeniality to get a runner-up spot, the second being Nehellenia.
* On May 29, 2009, the mayor of Denver, Colorado made May 29th "Nina Flowers Day" in order to recognize her contributions to the city's LGBT community.
* Nina Flowers was the only queen from Season 1 who never ended up lip syncing for her life until the finale.
* She lip synced alongside Yuhua Hamasaki during the Season 10 finale.
* Nina is one of 6 queens to compete on more than one season, but only lip sync once, the other six being Milk, Thorgy Thor, Ongina, Blair St. Clair and Mariah Paris Balenciaga.
* Since 2014, Jorge no longer does drag, as "he needed new challenges in his life" and felt the need to conquer other territories, in this case, music. However, he remains in drag when performing as a DJ, as the Nina Flowers brand is recognized around the globe and took many years of preparation.
* Nina Flowers is the first queen (with Rebecca Glasscock) to reach the finale and be critiqued in every competitive episode of the season.
	+ She will be followed by Brooke Lynn Hytes, Team Shad (Chad Michaels and Shannel), Team Rujubee (Raven and Jujubee), Année Maywong, The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney, Spankie Jackzon, Luquisha Lubamba, and Soa de Muse.