Entertainment Weekly’s cast interviews, published January 1, 2025, previewed Season 17 just two days before its scheduled U.S. premiere. The conversations teased topics including a possible hookup, Katy Perry as a guest judge, voting strategies, scandals, runway moments and a brief group argument. Those were interview teases—not confirmation that each event happened. The season’s new Badonka Dunk Tank, meanwhile, was a separate, clearly defined post-lip-sync gamble.
What the EW interviews previewed
EW framed its official cast-reveal video around questions and teasers about who might have hooked up, contestants’ reactions to Katy Perry, Rate-A-Queen voting strategies, possible scandals and runway moments. The description also highlighted a short group-interview argument with an Untucked-like feel. The video was published January 1, 2025, ahead of the season’s scheduled U.S. premiere on January 3. Watch EW’s cast interview video.
These are preview topics, not a verified record of what happened in the competition. The available video description does not provide direct dialogue or precise individual attributions, so it would be misleading to turn its teases into confirmed romances, scandals or runway outcomes.
How the Badonka Dunk Tank worked
MTV announced the Badonka Dunk Tank on December 12, 2024. After a lip sync, an eliminated queen could choose one of ten levers. Two levers dunked Michelle Visage; choosing either granted the queen immunity and kept her in the competition. Any of the other eight choices resulted in elimination. MTV’s twist announcement.
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The mechanic made elimination a gamble: the queen chose without knowing which lever would trigger immunity. It was not the same as Rate-A-Queen, which returned as a scoring system.
Rate-A-Queen was a separate returning feature
MTV’s December 4, 2024 cast announcement said Season 17 would bring back Rate-A-Queen with an all-new twist. The announcement identifies it as a scoring system, while the Badonka Dunk Tank operated after a lip sync and offered an individual queen a chance at immunity. The two features therefore served different purposes: one involved scoring, the other a high-stakes elimination choice. MTV’s Season 17 cast announcement.
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The Season 17 cast
MTV announced 14 queens for the season. Their names and hometowns were:
- Acacia Forgot — Los Angeles
- Arrietty — Seattle
- Crystal Envy — Asbury Park
- Hormona Lisa — Chattanooga
- Jewels Sparkles — Tampa
- Joella — Los Angeles
- Kori King — Boston
- Lana Ja’Rae — New York
- Lexi Love — Louisville
- Lucky Starzzz — Miami
- Lydia B Kollins — Pittsburgh
- Onya Nurve — Cleveland
- Sam Star — Leeds, Alabama
- Suzie Toot — Fort Lauderdale
The official cast release describes Acacia Forgot as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Arrietty as a designer who sews fantasy-influenced outfits, and Crystal Envy as a makeup artist. It says RuPaul invited Hormona Lisa to Hollywood after spotting her at a book-tour stop. Kori King is identified as a Boston performer and Plane Jane’s drag sister; Lana Ja’Rae as Luxx Noir London’s drag daughter. Sam Star trained in musical theater and is described as a retired gymnast and cheerleader, while Suzie Toot is a tap dancer with a 1920s- and 1930s-inspired look. These are cast-release biographies, not predictions of competition results.
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What the season schedule and episode guide add
At the time of the U.S. premiere announcement, MTV scheduled 90-minute episodes for Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, followed by RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. These were historical premiere-era details, not a statement of the current schedule.
Paramount+’s official guide lists 16 episodes. Its episode descriptions cover a two-part premiere; a Monopoly-inspired design challenge; a song challenge based on Drag Race rants; RDR Live!; an ocean-inspired design ball; Snatch Game; a Wicked-, Oz- and Wiz-inspired Rusical; a reading challenge and fashion challenge; a villains roast; a high-camp acting challenge; monologues with interpretive-dance partners; a makeover; an audition for RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE! in Las Vegas; the Lip Sync Lalaparuza Smackdown; and the Grand Finale. View Paramount+’s Season 17 episode guide.
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Season prize and Lalaparuza prize
MTV’s season announcement set the winner’s prize at $200,000, sponsored by TodayTix. Paramount+’s guide separately lists a $50,000 cash prize on the line for episode 15’s Lalaparuza. The amounts refer to different competition contexts; the Lalaparuza prize is not the season winner’s grand prize.
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