BenDeLaCreme

BenDeLaCreme (born September 24, 1981) is the stage persona of Benjamin Brock Hamlet Putnam, an American drag queen, burlesque performer, and actor based in Seattle, Washington. He is known for being a contestant on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. He is also known for his solo shows Ready To Be Committed, Terminally Delightful, Inferno A-Go-Go and Cosmos, and as co-creator and host of burlesque revues Freedom Fantasia and Homo for the Holidays.

Early life Putnam grew up in Litchfield, Connecticut, attending Litchfield High School and Walnut Hill School, from which he graduated in 2000. During his performance on Drag Race, Putnam revealed that he was bullied as a child for being overweight, "weird", and gay. His mother, who had been the positive voice to counteract this, died of cancer when he was 13 years old. Putnam was also open about his struggles with depression, revealing that his "terminally delightful" drag persona helped him overcome this.

Artistry Putnam's stage name is a play off the French term crème de la crème, which, translated, means "cream of the cream" or "best of the best", combined with a play on his given first name. He commonly refers to himself as either "Ben" or "DeLa" to distinguish between the private, male persona (Ben) and public, female one (DeLa). Although his course of study focused on painting, he found himself more interested in performance art.

Her first opportunities to perform came at drag revues at Chicago-area gay bars. Early on, she was exposed to a more explicitly feminist, message-driven side of drag culture by the Chicago Kings, a drag king troupe with which she frequently performed as the token "queen". DeLa has collaborated with many members of the Seattle burlesque community, including Drag Race Season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon. She runs the theatrical production company DeLouRue Presents, creating and performing in popular holiday revue shows Freedom Fantasia and Homo for the Holidays, with burlesque duo Kitten La Rue and Lou Henry Hoover, her friends and frequent collaborators.

BenDeLaCreme's touring solo shows include Terminally Delightful, Cosmos, and Inferno A-Go-Go. She has also appeared in several films by filmmaker Wes Hurley, including the documentary Waxie Moon, Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel, and as a narrator of the series Capitol Hill.

At the 2019 MAC Awards, BenDeLaCreme was presented with an award in the category "Major Impersonation/Characterization/Drag Artist" for her show Inferno A-Go-Go.

In December 2020, BenDeLaCreme's collaboration film with Jinkx Monsoon, The Jinkx and Dela Holiday Special was released, and can be streamed on Hulu.

In 2023, BenDeLaCreme was announced to be a part of Unilever’s "United We Stand" program.

RuPaul's Drag Race In 2014, BenDeLaCreme appeared in the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, where she placed fifth and was voted Miss Congeniality by viewers. In 2018, she appeared in the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, where, after a record-breaking fifth challenge win in episode 6, she chose to eliminate herself, claiming she had already proven herself and that she felt the other remaining contestants wanted the crown more than she did. Many fans were shocked at this decision, as her track record heavily favored her to win the entire competition. DeLa is the only Drag Race contestant so far to win five challenges in a single season, win four episodes consecutively and, at the time, win the "Snatch Game" challenge on more than one season (later joined by season 7 and All Stars 6 contestant Ginger Minj, as well as Season 5 and All Stars 7 contestant Jinkx Monsoon).

Personal life She has been dating Gus Lanza since 2015. She owns two cats, Wayne and Garth, and a dog, Reggie.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web series

Podcasts

Year Title Role Notes 2023 Minor Revelations Herself Guest Hello Isaac The Fire UpStairs

Discography As lead artist

As featured artist YearTitleAlbum2016"The Nativity Twist"Christmas Queens 2 2018"Drag Up Your Life" (RuPaul featuring BeBe Zahara Benet, BenDeLaCreme, Kennedy Davenport, Shangela, & Trixie Mattel)

Awards and nominations