Who is Winter Green? Honorary queen is a camera operator on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and won Kesha's heart

Looks like Winter Green is back again for Season 13, even if it was just a two-second cameo
Jon 'Sarge' Schneider as Winter Green in 'RuPaul's Drag Race' (@rupaulsdragrace/ Instagram)
Jon 'Sarge' Schneider as Winter Green in 'RuPaul's Drag Race' (@rupaulsdragrace/ Instagram)

If there's anything that can be said about Season 9 of 'RuPaul's Drag Race', it's that it was a politically charged season -- the queens back then took any and every opportunity to talk about the political climate, trans rights, discrimination and more. They recognized that they had a platform and made the most of it.

But between the honest discussions, made-for-TV drama and one of the most epic 'Drag Race' finales (Winner Sasha Velour taking off her wig to have rose petals rain down while lip-syncing to Whitney Houston's 'So Emotional' will always have us emotional), the season ended up with one giving us one of the most unlikely stars the show has ever seen. And oddly enough, it wasn't even a contestant!

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With every season of 'Drag Race', there are a few iconic challenges that are a staple on the show. One that fans absolutely look forward to, other than 'Snatch Game' happens to be the makeover challenge, where the queens have to makeover a stranger while giving them a 'drag-family resemblance'. What they essentially have to do is turn a person into a drag queen that embodies their brand specifically. For Season 9, in an episode titled 'Makeovers: Crew Better Work', the queens found themselves making over the crew of the show into their drag sister, and the results were rather interesting. Although she didn't win the challenge, Peppermint, who made over Jon Schneider, the show's camera operator into her sister Winter Green, had the judges in splits. So, who exactly is Jon Schneider? Here's what we know about him.

Jon 'Sarge' Schneider has been on the reality TV scene for quite a while



 

Fondly known as Sarge, seeing that's how to cast and RuPaul refer to him, Schneider has had quite a long career as a camera operator, having worked on shows such as The Real World, The Challenge, Project Runway and The Rachel Zoe Project to name a few. 

He's been a part of 'Drag Race' since 2012

Schneider is definitely a familiar face to the cast on the show, seeing that he's been a part of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' since 2012 -- which featured season 4 of the show. He's also been nominated for an Emmy for his work on the show. The category he was nominated for was 'Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program -2019', for his work on 'Trump: The Rusical' (Season 11 Episode 4). 

Kesha loved Winter Green 



 

When asked to get into drag, Schneider embraced the idea wholeheartedly, he even told RuPaul that he had nothing but respect for these queens and that he's "flattered to be able to document those life experiences". When it came to the runaway, Schneider took on the challenge like a total champ and even stayed in character the entire time, as the judges gave their critiques. The guest judge for that challenge happened to be singer Kesha, who was in splits the entire time, saying how well she stuck to her persona.

Catch all the new episodes of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 13 on VH1 every Friday at 9/8c. For more information, check your local listings.

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