The seventeenth season of the American reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on January 3rd, 2025. This marks the third season to air through cable network MTV. The series documents drag queen RuPaul in search of the "Next Drag Superstar" for the United States with a cash prize of $200,000. Michelle Visage remained as a regular judge, alongside Carson Kressley, Ts Madison, and Ross Mathews reappearing as alternating judges, while Law Roach, who had previously appeared as a guest judge on season 16, joined the judges panel.[1]
Production
Development
Throughout social media, the host RuPaul announced a casting call for drag performers to apply for the seventeenth season on October 30, 2023. The final deadline coincided with the premiere episode of season sixteen on January 5, 2024.[2] Two months later, RuPaul published his memoir titled The House of Hidden Meanings and embarked on a book tour where he was given a flash drive containing an audition tape from drag queen Hormona Lisa.[3] Just months after its sixteenth season concluding, American cable network MTV announced the series renewal, including the companion series, on August 16.[4]
Workroom
As season sixteen received several nominations at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, many journalists had the opportunity to visit the main stage and the workroom set.[5] Fans quickly realized the newly constructed set for the upcoming season with journalists for People witnessing previous contestants Mhi'ya Iman Le'Paige and Morphine Love Dion using the main stage for a lip-sync contest.[6]Architectural Digest released a video on August 22, where previous winner Nymphia Wind tours around the set with production designer Jen Chu explaining the scenery and inspiration for the series.[7]
A ten-second teaser was released on November 22, 2024, throughout social media, with RuPaul announcing the season premiering in January 2025.[10] Nymphia Wind presented the contestants through the series official YouTube channel on December 4, showcasing their ocean-themed outfits and background.[11]
Variety first reported on December 11 that spin-off winnerMonét X Change will host The Pit Stop, a weekly webseries served as an aftershow. The first episode premiered through YouTube with alumni contestant Raven as the first guest on January 4, 2025.[12]
The season retained the same format as previous season where contestants rank each other based on their performances for the main challenge; this format parodies television series The Circle.[13] A new format involved judge panelist Michelle Visage inside a dunk tank where during the bottom two, the eliminated contestant chooses one out of the ten random levers, which if successfully struck, would drop Visage into the water. The format rewards the contestant immunity; if they selected the incorrect lever, the contestant will be eliminated.[14]
RuPaul and Michelle Visage remained as the regular judges, with Carson Kressley, Ts Madison, Ross Mathews, and Law Roach reappearing as alternating judges. Various guest judges were revealed on December 12, and set to appear in the upcoming season. Celebrities are listed in chronological order.[26]
All 14 new queens along with other queens from previous seasons perform in a Squid Game inspired challenge called "Ru Light, Green Light", where they serve and move forward, but when the music stops and Lil' Poundcake turns around, they have to strike a pose. All queens from previous seasons are eliminated, leaving only the new queens. They all then enter the werkroom, and find out that "Ru Light, Green Light" was a photoshoot mini challenge. Lana Ja'Rae wins the mini challenge. For the main challenge, the queens split into two groups, with seven of them performing a talent in Drag Queens Got Talent.
Acacia Forgot – Playing guitar / Live singing
Arrietty – Lip-sync / Baile Folklorico
Jewels Sparkles – Original song lip-sync
Joella – Original song lip-sync
Lucky Starzzz – Original song lip-sync
Lydia B Kollins – Original song lip-sync / Comedy burlesque
Suzie Toot – Original song lip-sync / Tap dancing
On the runway, category is Masc For Masked Singer. The queens who didn't perform in this episode rank the queens performances using Rate-A-Queen, where it is announced that Jewels Sparkles and Suzie Toot are the top two queens of the week, and will lip-sync for the win. It is also announced that Acacia Forgot was rated lowest and will be lip-syncing for her life in the next episode. Jewels Sparkles and Suzie Toot lip-sync to "Woman's World" by Katy Perry. After the lip-sync, Suzie Toot is announced as the winner of the challenge.
For the main challenge, the remaining seven queens perform a talent performing a talent in Drag Queens Got Talent.
Crystal Envy – Original song lip-sync
Hormona Lisa – Stand-up live comedy
Kori King – Original song lip-sync
Lana Ja'Rae – Original song lip-sync
Lexi Love – Original song lip-sync / Roller skating
Onya Nurve – Original song lip-sync
Sam Star – Original song lip-sync
On the runway, category is Is It Cake?. The queens who didn't perform in this episode rank the queens performances using Rate-A-Queen, where it is announced that Crystal Envy and Lexi Love are the top two queens of the week, and will lip-sync for the win. They then lip-sync to "Alter Ego" by Doechii and JT. After the lip-sync, Lexi Love is announced as the winner of the challenge. It was later announced that Hormona Lisa was rated lowest and will be lip-syncing for her life against Acacia Forgot, who was ranked the lowest in the previous episode. They then lip-sync to "Yes, And" by Ariana Grande. Acacia Forgot wins the lip-sync, but RuPaul reveals a new twist called "Badonka Dunk", where the eliminated queen gets to pull a lever, with two of them dunking Michelle Visage into a tank of water; if Michelle is dunked, the queen is saved from elimination. Hormona Lisa pulls the 7th lever, which dunks Michelle into the water and therefore saves Hormona from elimination.
For this week main challenge, the queens create a monochromatic outfit inspired by properties from board gameMonopoly, in honor of its 90th anniversary.
Orange Properties
Hormona Lisa – Tennessee Avenue
Lexi Love – New York Avenue
Lucky Starzzz – St. James Place
Red Properties
Arrietty – Indiana Avenue
Lana Ja'Rae – Illinois Avenue
Suzie Toot – Kentucky Avenue
Yellow Properties
Acacia Forgot – Atlantic Avenue
Kori King – Ventnor Avenue
Lydia B Kollins – Marvin Gardens
Green Properties
Jewels Sparkles – Pennsylvania Avenue
Joella – Pacific Avenue
Onya Nurve – North Carolina Avenue
Blue Properties
Crystal Envy – Boardwalk
Sam Star – Park Place
On the runway, category is Monopulence!. Arrietty, Onya Nurve and Sam Star receive positive critiques, with Sam Star winning the challenge. Joella, Lucky Starzzz and Kori King receive negative critiques, with Kori King being safe. Joella and Lucky Starzzz lip-sync to "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" by Paula Abdul. Joella wins the lip-sync. Lucky Starzzz pulls the 3rd lever of the "Badonka Dunk", failing to dunk Michelle into the water and sashays away.
The seventeenth season, and its companion series, premiered through MTV with its first episode on January 3, 2025.[38] The season will consists of sixteen episodes and airs weekly at 8:00p.m. (EST).[39] Episodes were later released throughout various streaming services such as Crave for Canada, Stan for Australia, and on WOW Presents Plus internationally with next-day availability starting on January 4.[40]
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17
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