About Onya Nurve
Born 1993. Onya Nurve is an American drag queen.
Justin C. Woody (born May 26, 1993), popularly known as Onya Nurve, is an American drag performer. She is best known for winning the seventeenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.
Early life Justin Woody was born and raised in Canton, Ohio. He attended Perry High School. His first theatrical performance was around the age of 17, where he played the non-speaking role of Tom Robinson's son in a production of To Kill a Mockingbird. He was a high school speech and debate champion, having won the 2011 State of Ohio Speech and Debate competition. He auditioned for the eleventh season of American Idol at Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that same year. He got his BFA in painting at Cleveland Institute of Art in 2015. He completed a six-month residency at the Praxis Fiber Workshop in Cleveland which included a two-man art show, NAPS, alongside Marcus Brathwaite. Prior to appearing on Drag Race, he worked at Doinks Burger Joint. As a stage actor, she has portrayed Donkey in Shrek the Musical at the Near West Theatre and the Mercury Summer Stock in addition to Oscar D'Armano in The Wild Party at the Blank Canvas Theatre, as well as Lumière in Beauty and the Beast, Snoopy in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, and Gator in Memphis, all at the Canton Players Guild. In 2018, she portrayed the character of Youth in the Karamu House's production of Passing Strange. She has described herself as the "Andy Warhol of the drag scene". where the drag performer was crowned as the Next Drag Superstar for the United States. She was the second contestant to represent Cleveland after Akashia, who competed in its first season. Throughout the season, Onya Nurve won four main challenges, a record tied with only a few other queens throughout the franchise.
The challenges included an advertisement parody where she performed a jazz–monologue based on Laganja Estranja's stand-up comedy routine from the sixth season, acting in a sketch inspired by screenwriter Truman Capote, and lastly a narrative interpretive dance challenge alongside Lexi Love. For the Snatch Game challenge, Onya Nurve won the episode with Entertainment Weekly seeing potential in her after "matching her ace comedic skills" and "embodied [the] beloved Hollywood staple," actor and comedian Eddie Murphy. Her Instagram following grew by 2,791 percent as the show aired.
In July 2025, she was announced to portray Lola in the 2025 North American tour of Kinky Boots. Four months later, in November, she was confirmed by the show's production team to no longer be part of the cast. No explanation for her departure was given.
Personal life Woody is based in Cleveland.
Discography Singles + List of singles as lead artist, showing year released, and album name Title Year Album Writer(s) Producers(s) "In and Out" 2025 Justin Carlo Woody and Charles Boyd Husk Pesci "It Do Take Nurve"Non-album singleBrett McLaughlin, Justin WoodyLeland, Gabe Lopez
Filmography Television + List of television credits, with selected details Title Year Role RuPaul's Drag Race 2025 Winner RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked!
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Onya Nurve's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Onya Nurve's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Onya Nurve?
American drag queen
When was Onya Nurve born?
Onya Nurve was born on 27 May 1993 in Canton.
What is Onya Nurve's occupation?
Onya Nurve is a drag queen.
What nationality is Onya Nurve?
Onya Nurve is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Onya Nurve. https://biography.guide/onya-nurve/
MLA: "Onya Nurve." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/onya-nurve/.
Chicago: "Onya Nurve." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/onya-nurve/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:07 UTC