‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 17 cast: Meet the 14 new queens
Are you ready for the “splashiest season in herstory”?
MTV’s Emmy-winning reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race returns for its 17th regular U.S. season on Jan. 3, 2025. The 14 new queens range in age from 22 (Lana Ja’Rae) to 34 (Lexi Love), and all have vastly different levels of experience in high heels. The winning contestant who survives all of the “sashay aways” will gag over their $200,000 grand prize and earn the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”
As usual, host/producer RuPaul Charles is joined at the judges’ table by Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, and Ts Madison. Special guest judges throughout the competition will include famous faces like Katy Perry, Sandra Bernhard, Adam Lambert, Hunter Schafer, Jerrod Carmichael, Paul W. Downs, Quinta Brunson, Sam Smith, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Just like last year, the participants will initially be ranking each other’s main challenge performances in a “Rate-a-Queen” segment, which is expected to determine the tops and the bottoms. However, that format will likely only last for a few episodes. There is also a “Badonka Dunk” twist in which the eliminated queens can earn their way “back into the competition” … if they are able to dunk Michelle into a water tank.
Companion series Untucked will once again air after Drag Race every Friday night on MTV. Both series can then be streamed the next day on Paramount+. Meanwhile, former champion Monét X Change has been tapped to host the web series The Pit Stop.
Meet the 14 brand new queens in our RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 cast photo gallery above (or click here for direct access). Who is your early favorite to win it all? Sound off in Gold Derby’s reality TV forums.
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