Mama Ru and Michelle Visage experimented with a new twist for the cast, and the result led to an emotional shocker for one star.
After last week’s season 17 premiere saw RuPaul react to half of the new cast’s La Leche-covered, lemon-drenched, Morse Code-pattered talent show performances, Friday’s episode of the reality competition series introduced a new wave of variety acts from the rest of the queens. Unfortunately, Hormona’s attempt at stand-up comedy didn’t go over well with the queens, as her sisters ranked the Chattanooga showgirl lowest in the Rate-a-Queen voting, and she was forced to lip-sync against last week’s last-place finisher, Acacia Forgot, to determine who would be the first queen to sashay away from season 17.
Though she lost the Main Stage duel, RuPaul didn’t let Hormona — whom Mama Ru personally invited to join the show after meeting the Tennessee beauty at a stop on her House of Hidden Meanings book tour in early 2024 — go without one final gag. As Entertainment Weekly exclusively revealed in December, this season’s twist involves eliminated queens playing game of chance. Ousted queens get to choose from one of 10 random levers. If they pull the wrong one, they’ll still be eliminated, but if they choose one of two levers that send judge Michelle Visage into a giant vat of water known as the Badonka Dunk Tank, shantay, they’ll stay among the season 17 cast of queens for at least one more week.
After approaching the set of levers, Hormona took her time, inspecting each carefully — and even licking the contraption, at one point — before pulling No. 7. Following a few beats, Visage fell into the water, leaving RuPaul’s mouth hanging open in shock as the twist worked on its inaugural try — marking a historic first for the main RuPaul’s Drag Race series.
“Wow, conDRAGulations! You are free to slay another day, Hormona Lisa!” Ru told Hormona, who also won a trip to Las Vegas as a result of hitting the first jackpot of the season.
In a tear-filled confessional, Hormona reacted to her twist of fate.
“I’m just so filled with joy and filled with relief. I thank God, I thank Ru, I thank my phalanges for grabbing the lever and puling it back,” she said. “I’m just so happy to be here!”
Someone else, however, wasn’t as happy.
“Hormona is saved, and I am over it,” a displeased Acacia said in a confessional. “I did not put in all this work for no one to go home!”
Acacia’s words set the stage for next week’s installment, as episode 2 ended with a teaser for what’s ahead — including all of the queens assembling in the Werk Room to go over the results of the Rate-A-Queen twist, and let’s just say Sam Star isn’t thrilled with Lydia B Kollins’ voter record.