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Miz Cracker

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Miz Cracker
Miz Cracker at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2018
Born
Maxwell Elias Heller[1]

(1984-04-19) April 19, 1984 (age 40)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
EducationEvergreen State College (BA)
OccupationDrag queen
Years active2010–present
Known for
Websitemizcracker.com

Miz Cracker (born April 19, 1984)[2][3] is the stage name of Maxwell Elias Heller,[4] an American drag queen and television personality.[5] He is best known for placing fifth on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race[6] and for being a runner-up on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[7]

Early life

Maxwell Heller was born in Seattle.[8] His parents were former members of the Lubavitch community. He also has a sister, Sylvia.[9] Heller left Seattle at eighteen years old.[10] He attended The Evergreen State College, designing his own major.[11]

In 2011, while in her mid-20s, Miz Cracker met Bob the Drag Queen. As he later wrote, "I was staggering home through a blizzard one night when I spotted a very handsome oversized man hauling a very broken oversized bookshelf down the street." He helped Bob the Drag Queen move the bookshelf into his apartment, where he found "...diva’s accessories, wigs and gowns draped across the threadbare furniture, glittering crowns and bras hanging from a dusty chandelier." The two developed a friendship and Bob became his drag mother, which included attending her drag shows, providing feedback, and helping Miz Cracker gain confidence as a performer.[12] Miz Cracker participated in marches for equality in Times Square with Bob the Drag Queen.[13][14][12][15]

Career

Heller started his career as Brianna Cracker, but, when another performer took the name, he donned the name “Miss Cracker”. However, when trying to make a Facebook account with that name, it denied “Miss” as an appropriate first name, so Heller changed it to “Miz”.[9]

Miz Cracker was announced as one of fourteen contestants competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race on February 22, 2018.[16] She won the episode ten main challenge after doing a makeover on Chester See.[17][18][19] She was eliminated an episode later after losing a lip sync to "Nasty Girl" by Vanity 6 to eventual runner-up Kameron Michaels.[20]

She has a homemade web series, Review with a Jew, where she recaps episodes of Drag Race, starting from All Stars season three. The series debuted on January 31, 2018.[21] Alexandra Pucciarelli from Alma wrote the series is "always hilarious."[22]

Miz Cracker was featured with alumni Tammie Brown, Ginger Minj, Jasmine Masters, Shea Couleé, and Eureka O'Hara for the Billboard web series "Spillin' the Tea" on June 13, 2018.[23] She was introduced as the host of her own WoWpresents web series, "JewTorials" on June 26, 2018.[24] She has also appeared three times on the Bon Appétit YouTube channel cooking with Carla Lalli Music.[25][26][27][28]

Miz Cracker has written regularly for Slate since 2014, and in 2016, she received the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association's Excellence in Column Writing award.[29] Miz Cracker was nominated with Aquaria for the "Competition Contestant of 2018" for the 2018 People's Choice Awards.[30]

In early 2019, she finished her one-woman show called "It's Time", which she performed across the UK. Billboard stated, "The show touched on her struggle with addiction during her early 20s, with a little bit of "Cracker-brand" comedy sprinkled in."[31] Miz Cracker was added to the Drag Race "Haters Roast: The Shady Tour" comedy tour with other alumnae in 2019.[32][33]

On May 8, 2020, Miz Cracker was announced as one of ten drag queens who would compete in the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[34] She won three main challenges, on episodes 4, 6 and 7, and was in the bottom for the snatch game on episode 5. She placed as a runner-up, together with Jujubee.[7]

In 2020, Miz Cracker launched a podcast titled She's a Woman with Studio71.[35]

Music

Miz Cracker worked with Alexis Michelle, Lady Sinagaga, and Sherry Vine to create "Jappy", a cover of Pharrell Williams' "Happy".[36]

Personal life

Heller is Jewish.[37] He resides in Harlem, Manhattan,[38] and has a black belt in karate.[39] Before Drag Race, he worked as a school teacher in Senegal and speaks Wolof.[40] He held a fundraiser for LGBT rights in Uganda in 2016.[41]

Heller was robbed of his money and ID card while on tour in Dublin, Ireland, on August 10, 2018.[42][43][44]

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Album
"She's a Woman! (On Top of the World)" 2020 Non-album singles
"Eight Days of You"
(featuring Jujubee)
Title Year Album
"Cher: The Unauthorized Rusical"
(RuPaul featuring the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 10) 		2018 Non-album single
"Alter (Sh)Ego"
(Chem Users featuring Miz Cracker) 		Pride in Ourselves
"I'm in Love"[45]
(with the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 5) 		2020 Non-album single
"Clap Back"
(RuPaul featuring the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 5)

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 10) Herself Contestant (fifth place)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (season 10)
2020 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 5) Contestant (runner-up)
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (season 2)
2022 Miz Cracker: Here I Stand

Web series

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Review with a Jew[21] Herself Hostess
Spillin' the Tea
Bon Appétit
JewTorials Hostess
2019 Cosmo Queens[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ "MIZ CRACKER LLC". OpenCorporates. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Miz Cracker [@miz_cracker] (April 19, 2018). "Today is my birthday!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 19, 2020 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Quinn, Dave (March 29, 2018). "Drag Race Contestant Denies Copying Competitor: 'I Would Never Steal from Someone Else'". People. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2020. 'Girl, I don't know about no yellow dress,' the 33-year-old queen, whose real name is Maxwell Heller, says in the clip.
  4. ^ "How 'Gay' Should a Gay Bar Be?". The New York Times. 2017-06-24. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  5. ^ "The Miz Cracker & Aquaria Comparisons On 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Don't Matter, Because Miz Cracker Will Win With Her Comedy". Bustle. April 25, 2018. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  6. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Recap: Is Miz Cracker Problematic?". Vice. March 23, 2018. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Nolfi, Joey (July 24, 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars 5 crowns a winner: See who won here". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Teas, Harney & Sons Fine. "Harney Tea Party: Miz Cracker". Harney & Sons Fine Teas. Archived from the original on 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  9. ^ a b "On Point With: Miz Cracker". Thotyssey. Tumblr. June 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  10. ^ Barnett, Sue (2019-12-11). "Q&A: Jewish drag queen Miz Cracker coming to Castro". J. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  11. ^ "The Hilarious World of Depression – Miz Cracker Looks in the Mirror". Archived from the original on 2023-01-21. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  12. ^ a b Cracker, Miz (2015-05-08). "In Praise of Drag Mothers, the Matriarchs of Queer Family". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  13. ^ "Miz Cracker - Feb 17, 2015 (Bowdoin - Theater and Dance)". www.bowdoin.edu. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  14. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 10: Meet the New Queens". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  15. ^ Mason, Charlie (2016-05-17). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 Finale Recap: And the Winner Is [Spoiler]!". TVLine. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  16. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 10: Meet the 14 fierce drag queens". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  17. ^ Sava, Oliver. "Drag Race recruits social media influencers for a middling makeover challenge". TV Club. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  18. ^ Blanton, Kayla (29 May 2018). "These Social Media Stars Got 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Makeovers & They Are SO GOOD". Bustle. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  19. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race season 10 episode ten recap: Shortchanged". Metro Weekly. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  20. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' 10 episode 11 recap: Which queen was cut on 'Evil Twins'? [UPDATING LIVE] – GoldDerby". www.goldderby.com. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  21. ^ a b Miz Cracker (2018-01-31), Miz Cracker's Review with a Jew - All Stars S3 E01, archived from the original on 2018-03-01, retrieved 2018-07-12
  22. ^ Pucciarelli, Alexandra (2018). "Jewish Drag Queen Miz Cracker Shined on RuPaul's Drag Race This Season". Alma. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  23. ^ "Spillin' The Tea: 'Drag Race' Queens Talk Dating & Tammie Brown's Night In Jail | Billboard Pride". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  24. ^ "Drag Queen Miz Cracker Gets Her Own Show, 'JewTorials'". The Forward. Archived from the original on 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  25. ^ "Miz Cracker and Carla Make Friendly Sandwiches / From the Test Kitchen / Bon Appétit". YouTube. 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  26. ^ "Miz Cracker and Carla Make Chanukah Latkes / From the Test Kitchen / Bon Appétit". YouTube. 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  27. ^ "Miz Cracker Tries to Keep Up With a Professional Chef / Back-to-Back Chef / Bon Appétit". YouTube. 2018-06-22. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  28. ^ "Miz Cracker Joins 'Bon Appetit' for a Tasty Hanukkah Cooking Adventure: WATCH". Towleroad Gay News. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  29. ^ "Miz Cracker". Slate Magazine.
  30. ^ "30 Viacom Shows and Movies Up for People's Choice Awards: Vote Through October 19". Viacom Corporate. 2018-09-26. Archived from the original on 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  31. ^ Piedra, Xavier (February 27, 2019). "Miz Cracker Talks Feminist One-Woman Show & Offers Advice to 'Drag Race' Season 11 Queens". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  32. ^ Graham, Byron (2019-02-05). "The Ten Best Comedy Shows in Denver: February 2019". Westword. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  33. ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (22 December 2018). "'Haters Roast' with 'RuPaul's Drag Race' stars coming to the Pageant". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  34. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (2019-05-08). "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Ru-veals Queens For Season 5, Will Continue To Sashay On VH1". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  35. ^ "'Studio71 launches new comedy interview podcast with Miz Cracker'". 7 December 2020.
  36. ^ "5 Jewish drag queens slaying the competition". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Archived from the original on 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  37. ^ Forward, The (2018-06-14). "Comic and Contemplative, Miz Cracker Is the Fabulous Jewish Drag Queen We Need". Haaretz. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  38. ^ "Meet The Queens Of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10". PAPER. 2018-02-23. Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  39. ^ "The "Drag Race" Season 10 Queens Reveal Their Secret Talents". LOGO News. Archived from the original on 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  40. ^ "Miz Cracker on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  41. ^ Dior, Chiffon (2016-06-29). "Help Miz Cracker Help the LGBT Community of Uganda! | Uganda". werrrk.com. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  42. ^ Kelly, Fiona. "Our favourite RuPaul's Drag Race contestant was mugged in Dublin last night | Buzz.ie". Buzz.ie. Archived from the original on 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  43. ^ Grant, David (2018-08-14). "Miz Cracker mugged on her way to a show". www.queerty.com. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  44. ^ Jones, Fionnuala. "Drag Race star Miz Cracker was mugged in Dublin ahead of her show with the season 10 queens". The Daily Edge. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  45. ^ "I'm In Love - Single". iTunes. 13 June 2020.
  46. ^ "Miz Cracker Serves Major Face with Her Newest Makeup Look". Cosmopolitan. 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
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