Bitch, I'm a Drag Queen!

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"Bitch, I'm a Drag Queen!"
RuPaul's Drag Race episode
Episode no.Season 17
Episode 4
Presented by RuPaul
Featured music"Buttons" (2006) by the Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg
Original air dateJanuary 24, 2025 (2025-01-24)
Guest appearance
Julia Schlaepfer
Episode chronology
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"RDR Live!"
RuPaul's Drag Race season 17
List of episodes

"Bitch, I'm a Drag Queen!" is the fourth episode of the seventeenth season of the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race . [1] [2] It originally aired on January 24, 2025. American actress Julia Schlaepfer is a guest judge.

Contents

The episode's main challenge tasks contestants with recording vocals and creating commercials for compilation albums inspired by past moments on the show. Onya Nurve is the winner of the main challenge. Joella is eliminated from the competition after placing in the bottom two and losing a lip-sync contest against Kori King to "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg.

The episode earned make-up artists nominations in the Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program category at the 77th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Episode

The contestants return to the Werk Room after the elimination of Lucky Starzzz on the previous episode. On a new day, RuPaul greets the contestants and reveals the episode's main challenge: to record vocals and create commercials for two compilation albums inspired by past moments on the show. [3] The contestants draw cards to determine which tracks to perform.

Following are the tracks for Volume 1:

Following are the tracks for Volume 2:

Contestant Kori King (pictured in 2025) places in the bottom two of the main challenge and wins a lip-sync contestant against Joella to remain in the competition. Kori King in October 2025.jpg
Contestant Kori King (pictured in 2025) places in the bottom two of the main challenge and wins a lip-sync contestant against Joella to remain in the competition.

The two teams listen to the songs then shoot the commercials. Back in the Werk Room, the contestants prepare for the runway. Lexi Love shares her experience starting drag out of necessity after she left home as a teenager. Onya Nurve discusses how her heritage inspires her drag. On the runway, RuPaul welcomes fellow panelists Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and guest judge Julia Schlaepfer, and reveals the runway category to be "quilted for your pleasure".

The contestants and judges watch the two commercials. RuPaul dismisses the safe contestants and the judges shares their critiques for the top and bottom contestants. Onya Nurve is declared the winner of the main challenge. Joella and Kori King place in the bottom two and face off to a lip-sync contest to "Buttons" (2006) by the Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg. Kori King is declared the winner of the lip-sync. Since Joella is unsuccessful in selecting a correct lever to drop Visage into a dunk tank, Joella is eliminated from the competition. [4]

Production

The episode originally aired on January 24, 2025.

Fashion

For the runway, Lydia B Kollins wears a cat-inspired outfit. Lana Ja'Rae wears a multi-colored short dress. Joella's outfit is a large mattress with a portrait of RuPaul on the back. Arrietty presents a black, red, and white dress. Jewels Sparkles wears a blue villain-inspired dress. Hormona Lisa's look is a tribute to Dolly Parton's coat of many colors. Crystal Envy's red coat is inspired by a dress worn by Gigi Hadid at the Met Gala. Suzie Toot wears a headdress inspired by The Lord of the Rings . Sam Star has a pillow headpiece and carries a teddy bear as part of her sleep-inspired look. Acacia Forgot's wig has doilies. Onya Nurve wears African quilts stitched together and a large afro. Lexi Love wears a black dress with rhinestones. Kori King's dress has a quilted hat, top, and train. [5]

Reception

The episode earned former contestant Raven (pictured in 2012) and other make-up artists nominations in the Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program category at the 77th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Raven (cropped).jpg
The episode earned former contestant Raven (pictured in 2012) and other make-up artists nominations in the Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program category at the 77th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Jason P. Frank of Vulture rated the episode three out of five stars. [6] Stephen Daw of Billboard wrote about Joella: "Her performance in the infomercial challenge was forgettable (a mortal sin on Drag Race), her runway presentation as a giant quilted pillow/mattress/blanket was ridiculous in all the wrong ways, and her lip sync performance to 'Buttons' came apart at the seams." [7] Daw also ranked "Buttons" number 21 in a list the season's lip-sync contests and said, "Joella's performance to this number was so bad that it almost swung back around to being ironically great by the end — but, when she was given a second chance at doing Snoop Dogg's verse, Joella simply shut down. Kori King easily won here, and even then we still weren't satisfied with the injustice done towards this all-time great lip sync track." [8]

Matthew Huff of Parade wrote about Joella: "This week her 'We Write the Stories' homage to Mariah Paris Balenciaga was fine. But her terrible mattress look will almost certainly earn her the Golden Boot at the reunion. The fact that they made her stand on stage for so long while that costume continued to wilt was painful, but comedic gold from the producers as well. History was made." [9] Kevin O'Keeffe of Xtra Magazine said, "It's a tragic end for the delusional queen, but also an expected one. Joella brought us tremendous entertainment to start the season, and we can only hope that someone else steps up to the plate to bring even half the meme-friendly antics for the rest of Season 17." [10]

The episode earned make-up artists Natasha Marcelina, David Petruschin (a former contestant known as Raven), Jen Fregozo, and Nicole Faulkner nominations in the Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program category at the 77th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. [11]

References

  1. ↑ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Episode 1704 Recap: Once Upon a Mattress". Autostraddle . January 25, 2025. Wikidata   Q137385010.
  2. ↑ "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 Episode 4 RECAP: B.tch, I'm a Drag Queen!". IN Magazine. January 25, 2025. Wikidata   Q137385014.
  3. ↑ Robledo, Jordan (January 25, 2025). ""Let's be serious": Fans are saying the same thing about the latest Drag Race episode". Gay Times . Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  4. ↑ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17, Episode 4 power ranking: You're perfect, you're beautiful …". Xtra Magazine . January 27, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Bitch, I'm a Drag Queen!". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 17. Episode 4. January 24, 2025. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
  6. ↑ "RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Character Work". Vulture . Wikidata   Q137385002.
  7. ↑ Daw, Stephen (January 28, 2025). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17 Power Rankings: Episode 4 — Now That's What I Call Infomercials". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ Daw, Stephen (April 14, 2025). "Every Lip Sync From 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17, Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Who Was Eliminated in RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 Episode 4?". Parade . Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17, Episode 4 recap: Greatest hits". Xtra Magazine . January 27, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Creative Arts Emmys, Night Two: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter . September 8, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
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