The time has come for a brand new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race! Now celebrating its seventeenth season of the flagship franchise, fourteen sickening queens are about to show the world why they have the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to become America’s Next Drag Superstar. With RuPaul back in the hosting chair, it’ll be Michelle Visage who will be in the hot seat this season with a brand-new twist. When a queen sashays away, there is still a chance that they can remain in the competition. Say hello to the The Badonka Dunk Tank. Each eliminated queen has a chance to receive immunity and save themselves by pulling one of 10 levers. If they pick one of the two levers that dunks Michelle, they get to remain in the competition. If not, they will be eliminated.
Joining Ru and Michelle on the panel will once again be Ross Matthews, Carson Kressley, and Ts Madison. It wouldn’t be RuPaul’s Drag Race without a star-studded lineup of celebrity guest judges. To kick off the season, former American Idol judge Katy Perry will be the season’s premiere guest judge. Season 17 will welcome in Doechii, Sandra Bernhard, Julia Schlaepfer, Paul W. Downs, Hunter Schafer, Quinta Brunson, Jamal Sims, Law Roach, Adam Lambert, Betsey Johnson, Whitney Cummings, Sam Smith, Jerrod Carmichael, June Diane Raphael, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Now, it’s time to meet the queens! Spanning the country, from LA to NYC, the Florida Gulf to the Pacific Northwest, this season’s crop of queens are destined to whet your appetite. Knowing how huge of an opportunity it is to be on drag’s biggest stage, the queens have expressed their excitement, gratitude, and revealed the importance of having this mammoth opportunity. As Jewels Sparkles noted, “RuPaul’s Drag Race has changed the world. It has been at the forefront of making the world a more inclusive place, and so to be a part of that legacy is the most incredible gift ever.”
The Queens of Seventeen Join the Legacy
There is a legacy that comes with joining this franchise. Unlike some other reality intellectual properties, once you become a RuGirl, your life instantly changes. Once a local queen, always a local queen. Now, with a bigger paycheck! And the chance to travel the globe. When asked how it feels to join this ever-growing family, Kori King simply said, “It feels correct.” She continued by saying, “This is the promotion for the job that I’ve been working at for two years. It feels good.” And this sentiment is felt by many of her sisters. Onya Nurve followed up by saying, “I feel like at this point, when it comes to drag, if your goal is not to be at the Olympic, at the highest bar, then it’s not why are you doing it, but you got to really assess your goals.” She continued, “So when I was doing it, I knew that this is where I wanted to be. It’s just a matter of accomplishing that goal, and I can check off this box. I’m hella honored. I’m hella proud.” These queens have worked for it! Crystal Envy noted the legacy that spans beyond just the US seasons but the global franchises of the flagship series. “This is such a beautiful and diverse community of queens, and I’m so excited to be a part of that legacy. Now I get to showcase to the world my art, and I get to be a voice for the community and smaller communities that may need a voice,” she shared.
From getting new followers from Drag Race superfans and famous alum alike, the 14 queens of Season 17 are feeling the flames of fame. For many members of this cast, they’ve grown up as queer individuals with this show. Some even jump-started their drag careers because of the reality drag pioneers who came before them. It’s their favorite show! Hormona Lisa gave flowers to the pioneers who paved the way for them all the way back in 2009. “Shout out to season one for making this all possible for us. We respect our elders,” she jokingly jabbed.
The Werk Room Is Like Wonka’s Chocolate Factory
As Lexi Love put it, “It feels surreal, but it also feels like something that I was meant to have.” She even noted how it was as if Mama Ru scooped her up off the street. “I could not be more happy and privileged to be a part of the dynasty of drag girls. This is what I was literally destined for.” Lydia B Kollins brought in some light shade as she found it crazy to be in the room with her Season 17 sisters. “I felt like imposter syndrome city down. I was a fan of half of the queens in our cast. So, half is the operative word there. But I definitely was just gagged. I was super gagged,” she joked.
Stepping foot in the infamous Werk Room was like stepping foot into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, as Sam Star noted. “It was just crazy. You dream of this moment for so long, and to actually be there is still surreal. And I still think, after being there and doing it, it hasn’t sunk in yet fully. But it was just magical, truly,” she revealed.” Though, leave it to Lana Ja’Rae to burst the illusion wide open as her first reaction to stepping into the Werk Room was, “Oh my goodness, I’m on a TV set. I thought it was a room, but it’s literally a TV set.” 17 seasons of secrets, gone with a comedic response. For Acacia Forgot, who, full disclosure, I’ve had a strong friendship since her early days in the New York City drag scene, said, “I remember saying my entrance line and thinking, I just got absorbed into the void. I couldn’t hear anything.”
Time To Meet the Queens of 17!
To help introduce the queens of Season 17 to the world beyond the already dropped “Meet the Queens” video, I asked the queens to share their favorite singer, their favorite post-gig food, and their most used drag lingo. As Sam Star said, the hardest question to ask a drag queen is their favorite artist. But these queens surely had some answers! She gave a close tie to Dolly Parton and Lady Gaga. “If they had a baby. I’m really into that baby me,” she revealed. Well, we all pointed to Acacia as that is the cross-section of her drag. Despite that, Acacia Forgot mentioned rising star Lola Young as her current favorite singer.
The beauty of drag is that what you see is not always what get. Suzie Toot may look like she stepped out of the 1930s, but her go-to singer strays away from that image. “Completely anachronistic to all of this, but my favorite singer, Haley Williams, Paramore, is my favorite artist. I ride or die for Paramore,” she said. Meanwhile, Hormona Lisa stood by her brand and mentioned her favorite singer as Connie Francis. Like many watching the show would likely respond as well, Lydia stated, “I have to be a gay person and say Lady Gaga is my favorite singer.” Kori King signed off on that as well.
Onya gave an old-school and new-school answer with Whitney Houston and Sza as her favorite artists. Lana Ja’Rae also mentioned Sza, and not just because Sza may or may not have named her album after her. Sporting her high pony in our interview, it made sense for Jewels Sparkles to mention Ariana Grande as her favorite singer. Now, Joella prefaced her answer by saying her favorite singer “right now” is Ariana Grande. However, a certain someone may take offense to that following the season’s big premiere. But you’ll have to tune in to find out!
When it came to those post-gig late-night bites, there were some answers of hot wings and chicken tenders coming from Lydia, Suzie, and Sam. Lexi Love and Jewels are grabbing a slice of pizza. Acacia might be joining her at a pizza joint, but for some butter noodles and garlic bread. Arrietty is a big fan of humus. “You can eat anything with it. Carrot, bread, stuff.” If you’re in Cleveland, expect to join Onya Nurve at Szechuan Gourmet for some fried peanut chili tofu with some green beans or some bok choy and some scallion pancakes. For those in LA, you’ll be going to BCD Tofu House. For me personally, I’ll join either Hormona and Lana to get Taco Bell or my fellow Jersey girl, Crystal Envy, for a trip to Wawa for a hoagie. Kori King revealed she prefers her post-gig snack in beverage form. “There’s this thing. It’s a drink. It’s called tequila. I love it plain. By itself. That usually is how I get going after the show,” she revealed with her deadpan delivery.
As for that most-used drag lingo, expect a season filled with “boots,” “slay,” and “gag.” Arrietty said, “tea.” You’ll hear “slay” and “werk” from Acacia Forgot and Sam Starr. But the world may be introduced to lesser-used phrases like “Pumpkin” from Hormona Lisa, “Sweet as St. Lucia,” and “Shake that ice” from Kori King. For Crystal Evny, she’s been saying “Baby girl,” which is likely not related to the recent film of the same name.
The Queens Spill Some Tea
To keep things animated, the queens and I played a quick round of tea time. I had them share who, from their breakout room, fit certain superlatives. Let’s just say, the tea was not just spilling, it was overflowing! Kori King didn’t want to say it, but she, Onya, and Joella all agreed that Joella would be the one to be late for the gig. The biggest floozy of that chat, according to Onya Nurve, was Kori King, which garnered a big hearty laugh. She knew she wasn’t wrong. “I’m not that girl anymore,” she joked. Sam Star was given the title of most likely to arrive late to a gig, while Acacia was the self-proclaimed biggest floozy in her group.
Jewels Sparkles was told she would be the last to arrive from her group, but Hormona pointed out that Miss Crystal Envy is the diva who arrives at least an hour early to the gig. And for anyone who’s worked alongside a drag queen before, it’s unheard of! There was a bit of a battle about who the biggest floozy of this group was, as Crystal acknowledged she might be the modern version of a floozy, but Hormona loves to flirt with everyone and anyone. Jewels joked, “We were on the bus, and she was flirting with the driver on the way to the airport.” Hormona said she does it with the crew, too.
Since the name of the game is to impress RuPaul, we needed to find out who the biggest teacher’s pet was. Onya was quick to label Joella with that moniker. Joella didn’t deny it. Meanwhile, the teacher’s pet was awarded to Lana from her group. Though she was a bit embarrassed to receive that nomination. Crystal Envy was more than happy to be her group’s teacher’s pet because “Get extra credit if I can, down.” However, Hormona Lisa became the teacher’s pet of the interview when she said, “I like to bring gifts to people. If I meet you in person, I’m going to give you a t-shirt because I have them in my purse.” I’ll be at DragCon in LA, I’m expecting one!
The Queens Tease the Season
Since the cast is made up of incredible artists, I asked the queens which queen, aside from themselves, we should keep an eye on this season. Joella stated Lexi Love, Onya said Arrietty for their sickening looks, and Kori King labeled Lala Ja’Rae as “an evil, evil, nasty girl. A nasty evil villain.” What could that mean! Despite being a diverse group of drag artists, something has to set them apart from their fellow competitors. With Arrietty, she noted her looks, something that was echoed earlier by Onya Nurve. Sam Star mentioned her personality, which she diagnosed as “superstardom.” Lana then took a page out of the Big Brother handbook and said, “Expect the Unexpected.”
It’s time to tease the season. I asked each of the queens during the call to tease the season in a single word. Based on the words the queens threw out, it’s going to be a season like no other. Here were their Cards Against Humanity-inspired responses:
- Suzie: “Splash”
- Onya: “Moist”
- Lydia: “Dicky”
- Lexi: “Gag”
- Kori: “Lucia”
- Jewels: “Spicy”
- Arrietty: “Tea”
- Acacia: “Werk”
- Lana: “Fun”
- Crystal: “Insane”
- Joella: “Unforgettable”
- Hormona: “Unexpected”
- Sam: “Twisted”
Speaking of twists, I did ask the queens if they were excited to have the Rate-A-Queen twist return for a second straight season. Acacia said, “I care very much what people think about me, and so I’m not excited.” Lana was excited mostly because she wanted to see what people would do with it this time around. And THAT’S the tea! Tune into the big premiere to see how this first twist plays out as these fourteen new divas enter superstardom thanks to RuPaul’s Drag Race.