The top four queens, Onya Nurve, Lexi Love, Sam Star, and Jewels Sparkles, lip sync for the crown in the season 17 finale...
We’ve finally made it to the grand finale after a thrilling season of twists and turns. Last week all of the season 17 queens returned for a lip sync lalaparuza smackdown tournament. Kori King and Suzie Toot made it all the way to the last round, and to nobody’s surprise, Suzie took the win. This week all the queens return for the grand finale. Out of our final four, Onya Nurve, Lexi Love, Sam Star, and Jewels Sparkles, one will be crowned the winner. Let’s get into it.
The finale begins on the main stage, with all of the season 17 queens walking the runway in their finale finest. Following the top four, Ru makes her grand entrance with a musical performance and officially welcomes us to the season 17 grand finale. It’s just family on the panel this week with Michelle, Carson, and Jamal joining Ru at the judges table. Ru reveals that for the first time in the show’s herstory, the queens will be performing with their own vocals. In the end the top two will face off in one final lip sync for the title, the money, and the crown.
Jewels is the first finalist of the night. Her highlight reel of the season plays. She’s also first to take the stage with her original performance. Her song is a poppy, camp track about putting the ding dong in everything she does with outfit reveals and a dance break which gets the whole audience on their feet. Michelle tells her she loves that she chose to go the physical comedy route and she was smart to choose it, and did it well. Jamal calls it funny and flirty. Ru once again asks her what her five-year plan is and Jewels says she wants to be Ru. Jewels tells a photo of her five-year-old self that all of his dreams will eventually come true, but not without a fight. Jewels’s parents are in the audience and both of them get emotional and proud watching Jewels on the stage and give advice to raising a fierce queen. Jewels says being crowned would mean everything to her, but even more for the Latin community, and other immigrants just like her.
Next, it’s Lexi’s turn to take the stage. After her video package she performs her original track about not being called “old”, maybe a call back to being called auntie grandma earlier in the season. She performs on stones roller-skates doing spins, lifts, flips, and splits. Carson calls her a superstar; Michelle tells her it’s been so fun watching her flourish throughout the competition and tells her she’s so proud of her. Ru asks her how drag brings her joy, and she replies that the energy she gets from her audience is what fuels her. She apologizes to a childhood photo of herself and gives her an inspirational pep talk. In the audience supporting her are her drag mothers who are beaming with pride and joy over her. Lexi tells Ru it would mean everything to be crowned, because she can give other women like her hope for a brighter future.
Next is Onya Nurve, and following her highlight reel, she takes the stage with her original song. Her track about being Onya taking a whole lotta nerve, is full of groove and includes a sickening outfit reveal. Michelle tells her that her attitude in her performance was great, but her performance was even better. Jamal tells her she has the IT factor. Ru tells her that her leisure walks down the runway were some of her favourite moments of the season. Onya says the response in Cleveland has been amazing and tells a six-year-old version of herself that she is so proud of him and tells him to reach for the sky. Onya’s parents are in the audience and her mom says she sees so much of her and her grandmother in Onya, and her dad sheds a tear saying how proud he is of Onya. Winning the competition would mean the world to Onya, because she has what it takes to be a winner and use her platform to inspire others.
Finally, Sam Star takes the stage with her video package and original performance, a poppy tune about being a star where she uses the train of her gown as a red carpet before revealing into a gold star leotard. Carson tells her she delivered the entire time; Michelle commends her for beautifully executing every trick in the book. Ru asks Sam what she thinks the biggest misconception is about drag and Sam says she thinks a lot of America doesn’t understand queens and how much love, light, and laughter they provide. She tells her younger self that her life will be a little hard, but to not let it stop him from dreaming and to just go for it. Sam’s mom and sister are in the audience supporting her and are so proud of all she’s accomplished. Sam wants to be America’s Next Drag Superstar because she’s worked for it and wants to represent big dreams and hard work.
We are treated to a sizzle reel of the season’s juiciest Untucked moments before Xunami Muse and Sapphira Cristál take the stage as the reigning Miss Congenialities to pass their crowns on. They announce that this season’s Miss Congeniality is… Crystal Envy!
Liza Minelli joins the queens to receive this season’s Giving Us Lifetime Achievement Award! Everyone in the audience is gagged, but perhaps nobody more than Suzie Toot who immediately starts crying. Ru asks her a few questions about her time in showbiz while she rightfully sits on a throne.
Following Liza’s award presentation, we get to see what Nymphia Wind has been doing since she took the crown last year, narrated by Nymphia as Dr. Jane Goodall, and the real Jane makes an appearance too. Nymphia does her final walk in a breathtaking gown. She talks about her highlights of the year and gives everyone in the audience a banana. The top four take the stage once again. Ru reveals that the top two competing in the final lip sync for the crown are Jewels Sparkles and Onya Nurve! Lexi and Sam will each receive $10,000 for delivering drag excellence all season long.
Ru tells Jewels and Onya that the runner up will walk away with $25,000. The final two lip sync for the title to Abracadabra by Lady Gaga. The final lip sync of the season is full of passion, choreography, reveals, and a whole lotta love between the queens. Ru announces that the winner of 17 and America’s Next Drag Superstar is…ONYA NURVE! Condragulations to the queen!
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