Eureka, also known as Eureka O'Hara and Eureka!, is the stage name of Eureka D. Huggard (born August 26, 1990), an American

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

and

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

personality. Eureka rose to prominence competing on the

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

and tenth seasons of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

''. She was removed from the ninth season due to a knee injury, becoming the first contestant in the history of the show to be sent home due to injury; she was then given an automatic berth to season 10, where she placed as runner-up. In 2021, Eureka competed on the sixth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, ...

'', where she once more placed as a runner-up. In 2024, she competed on the second season of '' Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World''. From 2020 to 2022, Eureka co-hosted ''

We're Here ''We're Here'' is a HBO reality television series featuring former ''Drag Race'' contestants, documenting the drag queens as they travel across the United States to recruit small-town residents to participate in one-night-only drag shows. The sh ...

'' on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

alongside fellow ''Drag Race'' contestants

Bob the Drag Queen Christopher Delmar Caldwell (born June 22, 1986), also known by his stage name Caldwell Tidicue and better known by his drag name Bob the Drag Queen, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, author, and reality television ...

and Shangela. The series received acclaim from critics.

Early life and education

Huggard was born August 26, 1990, in

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary be ...

, and started performing in drag at the club New Beginnings. She chose the drag name Eureka for its phonetic similarity to her mother's given name, Ulrike, and the last name O'Hara from the ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' character

Scarlett O'Hara Katie Scarlett O'Hara is the protagonist of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 in literature, 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind (novel), Gone with the Wind'' and the 1939 Gone with the Wind (film), film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Le ...

. Eureka's drag mother is Jacqueline St. James, a former winner of the Miss Gay USofA at Large competition. Eureka won the National title for anti-bullying organization as Miss Don't H8 DIVA and awarded Hall of Fame. Prior to her appearance on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', Eureka had participated in the

drag pageantry Drag pageantry is a form of pageantry for female impersonators, drag queens, and trans women, styled after traditional beauty pageants or contests for cisgender women. It has also evolved into a pageantry for male impersonators, drag king ...

system. She withdrew from

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

to compete on the show.

Career

''RuPaul's Drag Race''

Eureka has competed on the

and tenth seasons of ''

'' and on the sixth season of ''

''. She also competed on the '' RuPaul's Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular''. On February 2, 2017, it was announced that Eureka was selected alongside thirteen other contestants to compete on season nine of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. She was removed from the competition in episode five due to a torn ACL from the episode two challenge, making her the first contestant in the history of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' to leave due to an injury. She received

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

before returning to compete on the show's tenth season in 2018. During this season, Eureka won two main challenges (in episodes five and six) and also had to lip sync for her life twice. Eureka ultimately finished as a runner-up of season 10, alongside

Kameron Michaels Dane Young (born July 23, 1986), known professionally as Kameron Michaels, is an American drag performer who came to international attention after competing on the tenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Originally from Columbia, Tennessee, sh ...

and behind eventual winner Aquaria. After competing on season 10, Eureka continued to work prominently as a drag queen in the entertainment industry. She starred in the music video for country singer Brandon Stansell's song "For You", released in July 2018. In September 2018, she gave a drag

makeover A makeover is a radical change in appearance. When the word is used to describe a change in human physical appearance, it may imply a change in clothing, haircut, or cosmetics. A personal makeover might also include weight loss, plastic surgery, ...

Zachary Quinto Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in the film ''Star Trek ...

for Them's makeover series ''Drag Me''. In December 2018, Eureka competed in the television special '' RuPaul's Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular''. In 2019, she appeared as a guest for the first challenge in the premiere of season 11 of ''Drag Race''. In June 2021, Eureka was revealed to be one of the thirteen cast members of the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars''. After failing to win any main challenges but remaining safe throughout the season, Eureka was voted out by her competitors at the top five, but subsequently won re-entry into the competition after winning a lip sync battle against Silky Nutmeg Ganache. Upon returning to the competition, Eureka won the next main challenge (episode 11) and a $25,000 cash prize. In the season finale, Eureka once again placed as a runner-up alongside Ginger Minj and

Ra'Jah O'Hara Benni Miller (born Bennie Roy Miller; December 31, 1984), better known by the stage name Ra'Jah O'Hara, is an American drag queen best known for winning the first season of '' Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World.'' She previously competed on ...

, losing out to eventual winner,

Kylie Sonique Love Kylie Sonique Love (born May 2, 1983), formerly known as Sonique, is an American entertainer, singer, dancer, model and reality television personality. She rose to prominence as a contestant on the second season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' in 2009 ...

''We're Here''

Since 2020, Eureka has co-hosted ''

'' on

alongside fellow ''Drag Race'' contestants

and Shangela. In the series, the trio of

s travel across the United States to recruit small-town residents to participate in one-night-only

drag show A drag show is a form of entertainment performed by drag (entertainment), drag artists impersonating men or women, typically in a bar or nightclub as a burlesque-style, adult-themed nightclub event. The modern drag show originated in the speake ...

s. After premiering on April 23, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 11, 2021. In December 2021, the series was renewed for a third season. The series has received acclaim from critics.

Music

In April 2017, O'Hara and Adam Barta premiered a single and music video for "Body Positivity", which features Kandy Muse, a drag queen from the Haus of Aja who would later go on to compete on season 13 of ''Drag Race''. The video features cameo appearances by ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' contestants Charlie Hides and Cynthia Lee Fontaine, as well as reality television personality Farrah Abraham. "Body Positivity (part ii: Electropoint)" was released in March 2018. Eureka released her first solo single, "Stomp", on April 28, 2017. She released their second solo single, "The Big Girl", co-written by Bob the Drag Queen, on June 28, 2018. The accompanying music video has been viewed more than two million times on YouTube. As part of the final challenge of season 10 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', O'Hara and the other top four contestants wrote and recorded their own verses for

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...

's song " American". The song reached number 12 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Dance/Electronic Songs Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (formerly Dance/Electronic Songs) is a record chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is their first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according ...

chart. In November 2018, VELO released the single "Where My Man At", featuring O'Hara and ''Drag Race'' season three runner-up

Manila Luzon Karl Philip Michael Westerberg (born August 10, 1981), known professionally as Manila Luzon, is a Filipino-American drag queen, reality television personality, recording artist, and comedian. Luzon came to international attention as a contestant ...

. The two also appear in the song's music video, together with Thorgy Thor, Ginger Minj, and Trinity the Tuck.

Personal life

Eureka lived as a

trans woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

for about five years before deciding to

detransition Detransition is the cessation or reversal of a transgender identification or of gender transition, temporarily or permanently, through social, legal, and/or medical means. The term is distinct from the concept of 'regret', and the decision may ...

. She then identified as " genderfluid and gender-neutral" and used they/them pronouns out of drag. On the season 3 finale of ''We're Here'', Eureka came out as a trans woman, using exclusively she/her pronouns and beginning to both socially and medically transition. Eureka supports

body positivity Body positivity is a social movement that promotes a positive view of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. Proponents focus on the appreciation of the functionality and health of the human body instea ...

and has nicknamed herself "The Elephant Queen". She cites

Divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

as an influence to her drag aesthetic.

Discography

Filmography

Television

Web series

, - , 2025 , '' Give it to Me Straight'' ,

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eureka OHara 1990 births Living people American drag queens East Tennessee State University alumni LGBTQ people from Tennessee People from Johnson City, Tennessee People who detransitioned Eureka O'Hara American transgender women 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American women 21st-century American people Drag performers from Los Angeles 20th-century American LGBTQ people Transgender drag performers Transgender women musicians Drag performers from Tennessee