Nikki Exotika

Nikki Exotika, also known as Nicole Sanders and Nikki Xtravaganza, grew up in New Jersey near the Jersey Shore. She changed schools frequently and experienced bullying for being different. From a young age, she was interested in performers including Madonna, RuPaul, and Janet Jackson, and participated in marching band, choir, and after-school theatre.

After high school, she moved to New York City and became involved in ballroom and entertainment circles. She connected with ballroom figure Octavia St. Laurent, whom she asked to be her gay and trans mother. St. Laurent taught her about makeup, fashion, performance, and ballroom presentation, and encouraged her ambitions as a singer.

Exotika is a member of the House of Xtravaganza and has discussed her identity as a transgender woman in media interviews. She was also featured briefly in the 2024 documentary I'm Your Venus, which examines the life and legacy of Venus Xtravaganza.

Exotika joined the cast of the tenth season of TLC's 90 Day Fiancé. In 2023, she traveled to Moldova to meet Justin Shutencov, a Moldovan man she had first met 17 years earlier. The series followed their relationship and explored how Exotika's journey as a transgender woman affected their dynamic.

Exotika and Shutencov discussed conflicts surrounding their relationship during the season. The series ultimately featured Shutencov ending the relationship by text, saying that he felt the relationship required him to sacrifice his dignity.

Exotika created Nikki Exotika as an onstage alter ego for her recording career. Her singles include "Secret Girl," "Manwhore," "All Lined Up," "Young Wild and Free," "Your Body," "Padam Padam," and "Million Dollar Barbie." Her extended play Your Body was released in 2021 and includes "In the Night," "Do My Thang," "Hot Like That," and "Sweat."

Her screen credits include the documentary Trantasia, the television shows The Tyra Banks Show, Maury, Jerseylicious, Hooked on the Look, and 90 Day Fiancé, as well as appearances in Orange Is the New Black and Pose. She has also been associated with the television program Global Groove and the series Plastics of Hollywood.