Nicole Paige Brooks

Nicole Paige Brooks (born 1973 or 1974), is the stage name of Brian Christopher Pryor, an American drag performer and entertainer who competed on season 2 of the television series RuPaul's Drag Race. Based in Georgia, Nicole Paige Brooks continues to host and perform in drag shows, and participate in Drag Race-related events.

Career
Pryor is a drag performer who competed as Nicole Paige Brooks on season 2 (2010) of RuPaul's Drag Race. She was the show's first contestant to represent the U.S. state of Georgia. She was the second to be eliminated on the season, placing eleventh overall. The main challenge on the second episode required teams to perform burlesque and sell gift certificates, while competing to earn the most cash. Nicole Paige Brooks placed in the bottom two and lost a lip-sync challenge against Raven to the 1992 song "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" by En Vogue. The author of a chapter on villains in The Makeup of RuPaul's Drag Race: Essays on the Queen of Reality Shows (2014) wrote that Nicole Paige Brooks was "edited to seem daft and out of touch".



Nicole Paige Brooks was referenced during the "reading" (or comedy roast) challenges on season 8 (2016) of Drag Race and season 3 (2018) of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, by contestants Kim Chi and BenDeLaCreme, respectively. In 2020, Nicole Paige Brooks participated in RuPaul's Digital DragCon, which replaced RuPaul's DragCon LA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was a featured guest at DragCon LA in 2022. In 2023, Marcus Wratten of PinkNews said the lip-sync between her and Raven was season 2's best, and Bernardo Sim of Pride.com wrote: "Season two was a very different time in Drag Race herstory where queens would still walk the runway with more off-the-rack, ready-to-wear looks. Still, fans and other queens love making fun of Nicole Paige Brooks' wardrobe from season two, which has turned into a long-standing joke within the fandom."

Nicole Paige Brooks continues to host and perform in drag shows. These have included The Divas Cabaret at the gay bar LeBuzz in Marietta as well as Cell Block, House of Brooks, Wild Out Wednesday (with Mo'Dest Volgare), and Legends of Drag. Nicole Paige Brooks participated in a drag show to raise funds for Puerto Rico residents impacted by the destruction of Hurricane Maria in 2017. She has performed in various events affiliated with Atlanta Pride, such as a drag brunch with season 10 winner Aquaria in 2021, the annual Starlight Cabaret, as well as an event called "Fat Slut" with season 11 contestant Silky Nutmeg Ganache in 2022. Nicole Paige Brooks also performed at a Halloween event at the Lawrenceville Arts Center in 2022. She often performs in West Hollywood, California, and has been described as well-connected to other Drag Race contestants.

In 2024, Nicole Paige Brooks was announced as one of eight former Drag Race contestants participating in Painting with Raven, a spin-off of the WOW Presents Plus series Painted with Raven.

Personal life
Pryor has lived in Atlanta and Marietta. He is a parent, helping to raise his best friend's son. Pryor was arrested on drug possession charges in 2017.

Nicole Paige Brooks's "drag mother" is Shawnna Brooks, and her "drag daughter" Phoenix competed on season 3 of Drag Race.

Television

 * RuPaul's Drag Race (season 2)

Web series

 * Fashion Photo RuView
 * Hey Qween!
 * Look at Huh
 * Besties for Cash