A new group of queens enter the original werk room and compete to be America’s Next Drag Superstar. Singer Katy Perry is a guest judge…
Can you believe that it’s already time for a brand new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race? It seems like it was only yesterday Nymphia Wind was crowned the winner of season 16. Well, it’s time for a new group of queens to enter the werk room and steal our hearts, provide us with viral moments, and work their way through every twist and turn this season has to offer for one of them to eventually be crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar. We have a lot of new queens to meet, so with that, let’s jump right in.
Season 17 begins with a Drag Race version of Squid Game featuring a large group of queens past and present. Ru’s voice comes over the loudspeaker to tell the queens they’ll be playing a game of red light green light with a pie-throwing giant Lil Poundcake doll who throws a cherry pie at any queen who can’t freeze when the doll says. They’re dropping like flies one by one Porkchop, Kerry Colby, Trinity the Tuck, Angeria, they’re all going down, down, down until there are 14 left (those are our new queens).
Following Ru’s Squid Games, we’re back in the werk room and Lexi Love is our official first queen in. She’s giving you sexy, fun, avant-stoopid drag. Next in is Joella serving asian diva excellence with her first step in the werk room. Third in is Kori King giving us Black Barbie realness looking like a mini Ru herself and she’s Miss Plane Jane’s good sis. Lydia B Kollins is in next and she’s a raunchy goth (she’s named after Lydia Deetz) and she makes everything she wears. Arrietty up next and she’s dark, mysterious, sexy, and eccentric. She’s pouring one out for the conceptual weird queens, and she’s from Seattle, so that tracks.
Jewels Sparkles from Tampa is in next and she’s giving Ariana Positions-era meets Priscilla Presley in her entrance look. Lana Ja’rae makes her grand entrance in a sunshine yellow look and she’s Luxx Noir London’s own drag daughter, so she’s going to give us fashion. Sam Star the country cutie comes in swinging with her old Hollywood meets southern belle pageant look. She’s Trinity the Tuck’s daughter, and this season is starting to feel like RuPaul’s NepoBaby Drag Race. Onya Nurve follows and she’s giving it her all in her ‘70s fringe fantasy. Following Onya is Suzie Toot the tap dancing diva of Fort Lauderdale. She’s serving vintage show girl, she’s giving little orphan Annie, and she opened for Miss Chappell Roan on her last tour. Hormona Lisa the bubblegum princess is in next and RuPaul asked her to come to Drag Race at the Atlanta stop on his book tour and the other girls are jealous. Crystal Envy has come all the way from the Jersey Shore but she’s giving more old money glamour than gym tan laundry. Acacia Forgot enters in a permed wig and an ‘80s prom dress. She wants to be a country superstar and according to the other queens she’s wearing a lot of blush. Lucky Starzzz is giving animated fantasy in her colourful, crafty, full body suit moment and she’s the last queen in the werk room.
Ru interrupts with a video message of Ru telling them they have to be the best of the beasts to win the first challenge. Ru enters and welcomes all of the queens to season 17 officially. Ru also tells the queens that the winner of the first mini challenge is Lana Ja’rae. Tonight is only part one of the premiere, and Rate-A-Queen is back baby! This week seven of the queens will compete in Drag Queens Got Talent, with the remaining seven competing next week. The queens not performing will be watching, and rating to determine the bottom and top of the list. Ru is also giving them the choice of who will perform in each talent show. Katy Perry is also joining them as a guest judge for this week’s episode.
The queens get to unpacking and getting out of drag for the first time. They’re sizing up the competition, initial crushes are being formed, flirting is happening. They talk about what they have planned for the talent show before moving over to the couches to decide who will perform during the week one group. Initially, six raise their hands to go week one, so one more queen needs to be convinced to perform during the first show. Eventually Lydia chooses to switch to week one and the lineup is settled.
It’s talent show day. Joella (one of Katy Perry’s biggest fans) is feeling really excited to perform for her idol. Acacia is excited to share her country roots and her original music (yay) on the main stage. Lydia vows to judge fairly but admits she doesn’t think the other queens will be as nice. They get to know each other while they do their makeup talking about their backgrounds, inspirations for drag, and why some of them want to win the money at the end. They also talk about their drag families. Some of the queens feel confident that their performances will wow Ru and the judges but its each other they have to impress. Katy Perry walks into the werk room and immediately recognizes Joella. She gives the queens some quick advice regarding playing with their alter-ego while also being vulnerable enough to show themselves. Joella gets emotional about her journey and getting to be in the werk room with the artist who saved her from so much darkness.
Out on the main stage Ru walks the runway and introduces this week’s panel of judges Michelle, Carson, and of course, this week’s extra special guest Katy Perry. Tonight on the runway the category is “Mask for Mask Singer” and the queens all stun in big masked costumes with a face reveal. It’s officially time for part one of Drag Queens Got Talent. Jewels Sparkles is up first and she’s singing and dancing to an original song all about milk. There’s a wig reveal, lots of hairography and of course an outfit reveal and the judges are eating it all up. Next is Arrietty also performing a song in spanish as well as some traditional dance moves. Lydia B Kollins performing as a giant puppet of her namesake butthole? It’s also a burlesque performance and it’s different but the reveal is lackluster. Lucky Starzzz wows with a performance that mixes a song about lemonade, with lemonade dispensing lemon boobs and all of the other queens are gagged.
Up next is Joella performing an original song and she’s literally living her dream performing for her idol Katy. Acacia is next with her original country song and it looks like she’s actually singing live, so bonus points for that I guess. Finally, Suzie Toot is giving old school tap routine which had Ru laughing from start to finish. Tonight there will be no judges critiques because the other half of the queens will be rating them backstage. While they’re backstage Ru and the judges do still give some comments, some good, and some not so good. Backstage the queens rate each other one-by one.
Back out on the runway Ru calls Joella, Arrietty, Lydia, and Lucy forward and tells them they are all safe. Acacia was rated the bottom by the other queens, meaning next week she’s lip synching for her life. This leaves Jewels and Suzie as the top queens of the week. But there can only be one winner, so they’re going to have to lip sync for the cash tip. Suzie and Jewels lip sync to Woman’s World by Katy Perry. Both of them go for it in their own styles with Suzie going for camp tap dancing while Jewels goes for sexy popstar choreo. In the end Ru announces that Suzie Toot is the first challenge winner of the season!
Next week on RuPaul’s Drag Race: The rest of the queens perform in the talent show, and the first queen of the season will be eliminated.
POST A COMMENT