RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17, Episode 1 introduces the 14 new queens in style with a Squid Game-style Ruveal.
The new season of the hit Drag Race reality competition hosted and created by RuPaul is back with more thrilling and epic mini and maxi challenges as the new queens try to outlast one another for the right to be named, "America's Next Drag Superstar," and the sole winner of $200,000.
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 premiered on MTV on January 3.
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 Cast: Every New Queen
Acacia Forgot
Instagram: @acaciaforgot
Acacia Forgot, the honky-tonk diva of Los Angeles, is ready to make a splash in RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17.
The music therapy major and country singer-songwriter spoke with Entertainment Weekly to tell fans how her passion for music makes her stand out in Season 17:
"Music is what gets me up in the morning. I just decided to fuse it with drag, writing music, and performing, and that’s pretty much the only gigs I do."
She also proudly declared herself as the "side-step queen of the season."
Arrietty
Instagram: @arietty_theelf
Arietty is "Thee Elusive Elven Deity" from Seattle, Washington.
Her drag is described as "very eccentric, very dark, mysterious, and sexy."
Arietty says that she is conceptual when it comes to crafting her looks and she is confident that she can create an elegant design that would outlast the rest of her peers in the competition.
Crystal Envy
Instagram: @thecrystalenvy
Crystal Envy calls herself the "grand dame [and] the diamond experience" from New Jersey.
While she appears to be the drag queen who is perfect, poised, and polished, she gets down and dirty when it comes to being competitive with the other queens.
Hormona Lisa
Instagram: @hormona_lisa
Hormona Lisa is "Chattanooga, Tennessee's pastel princess and the Bubblegum babe."
She says her personality is really bubbly all over the place and she is known for spreading good vibes all the way.
Hormona is actually handpicked by RuPaul to join the competition during his book tour in Atlanta.
Jewels Sparkles
Instagram: @thejewelssparkles
Tampa's own Jewels Sparkles is known for her aesthetic and girly looks in her drag performances. She loves "anything pink" and "things that sparkle."
Jewels calls herself the "Latina Supermodel with one brain cell."
She reveals that some of her drag inspirations include Ariana Grande and Priscilla Presley.
Given that she is only 22 years old, she believes the other queens will underestimate her, but she admits she will not go down without a fight.
Joella
Instagram: @thejoelladynasty
Joella calls herself the "Slaysian Diva of Los Angeles" and she is ready to make waves in Season 17.
She promises to take viewers' breath away, noting that she does a lot of high-energy and electrifying performances.
Joella says in a confessional that her drag persona is "very c*nty," but "deep down, [she's] a nice person."
Kori King
Instagram: @koriking
Kori King is known as the "Black Barbie from Boston."
According to her, she stands out among the rest due to her "big blonde hair, tiny little waist, and big fat, juicy [buttocks]."
As a former manga artist and an animation expert, Kori says that she wants to look easy to draw.
In Episode 1, she tells the rest of the contestants that she is not one of those campy comedy queens. Instead, she describes herself as a "demure, petite woman."
Lana Ja’Rae
Instagram: @lanajarae
Lana Ja'Rae is set to give viewers so much elegance as she takes the season by storm with her stunning runways and incredible performance.
She promises that she is going to go all-out in every single maxi and mini challenge in RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17.
The New York native is also the proud drag daughter of Season 15 alum Luxx Noir London.
Lexi Love
Instagram: @mslexilove
Lexi Love is set to go all out to claim the grand prize in RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17.
In fact, in an interview with PRIDE, the 13-year drag queen veteran even admitted that she had to take a loan to pay off some of the dresses for her runways in Season 17:
"These runways are going to gag you, baby. I took a second mortgage out of my house to gag you on these runways. I'm still fighting with my husband for that! It is not Plastique Tiara on All Stars, but it is gagworthy."
Despite that, she is ready to impress the judges and the viewers in the brand-new season.
She describes her drag as "sexy, fun, and playful" and she loves to roller skate while performing.
Lucky Starzzz
Instagram: @theluckystarzzz
Lucky Starzzz calls herself one's "animated fantasy brought to life" and a "living cartoon stuck in reality."
She says her drag is colorful and she's a "maximalist." She is dedicated to being "very crafty" with her runways and performance, with her admitting that she's "Home Depot Queen" by heart.
Lydia B Kollins
Instagram: @foreheadbrows
Lydia B Kollins describes herself as the "raunchiest queen from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."
She admits that her drag name, Lydia, is inspired by her favorite character from Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz, who is portrayed on-screen by Winona Ryder. She gets tons of inspiration from Tim Burton, John Waters, and David Lynch.
Lydia's drag is "very DIY, cut it, hack it up, glue it back together." She values creativity over perfection.
Onya Nurve
Instagram: @onyanurve
Cleveland's own Onya Nurve joins the star-studded lineup of queens in RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17.
Onya, who is also known as Onyanetta and Ms. Nerve, says that her drag represents Black People and she is proud to be a "theater queen."
She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and she wants to utilize her skills in art to blend with her drag performance in the brand-new season.
Sam Star
Instagram: @samstarqueen
Sam Star is out and proud as the "country cutie with a rock and roll b**ty" and the "supermodel of the South."
Sam's drag is inspired by "a little bit of Marilyn Monroe, a lot of bit of Jessica Simpson, and the craziness of Joe Exotic, The Tiger King."
She also reveals in Episode 1's confessional that she loves all things "pageant, sparkly, [and] fabulous."
Outside of RuPaul's Drag Race, Sam is the current reigning National Apollo and a top three finalist of National Entertainer of the Year in 2023.
Suzie Toot
Instagram: @suzie.toot
Suzie Toot is the "tap-dancing diva of Fort Lauderdale."
She describes herself as the cross-section between Betty Boop and Lucille Ball.
Suzie tells the other queens that she is a musical theater girl and she's a "weirdo" in some aspects.
While she only has three years of drag experience, she wants to make a name for herself in the brand-new season of RuPaul's Drag Race.
New episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 premiere every Friday on MTV at 8 p.m. ET. The episodes can also be streamed on Paramount+.
