RuPaul's Drag Race - Season 17 ⁞⁞ Reality TV Spotlight

A new year means a new season of the award-winning reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race. Creator and host RuPaul is back for Season 17 of the series, which introduced fourteen new queens looking to make a name for themselves as they compete to become America's next drag superstar. The premiere began with a campy parody of Squid Game, titled "Squirrel Games," which saw the new queens facing a firing squad of pie-throwers to pose their way into the competition as other Drag Race alumni fell victim to the pastries. With the oldest queen in the competition being only 33-years-old, the new season features one of the youngest casts ever. The two-part premiere saw the queens being separated into groups of seven, to perform in "Drag Queens Got Talent," where they got the opportunity to show off their talents in front of guest judges Katy Perry and Doechii. 

The queens were also presented with an early twist, as it was announced that they would not be judged by RuPaul and the judging panel, but instead their fates would be in the hands of their fellow queens. The seven queens who were not competing in each episode would cast their votes for best and worst performers with the return of "Rate-A-Queen." With the queens facing instant pressure upon their arrival, they got acquainted and alliances began to form to secure key votes. After the results of both episodes, two queens were left in the bottom. But another twist, the "Badonka Dunk" tank, saved lipsync loser Hermona Lisa, as she pulled one of two correct levers, causing longtime judge Michelle Visage to be dunked in a water tank, meaning she was saved from elimination. Episode 3, however, saw the first elimination as Lucky Starzzz lost the lipsync and failed to choose the right lever. New episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race air weekly on MTV.