RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17: Our Preview on Tonight's "Grand Finale"

Posted in: MTV, TV | Tagged: drag race, rupaul

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17: Our Preview on Tonight's "Grand Finale"

Drag Race Season 17: For Jewels Sparkles, Lexi Love, Onya Nurve, and Sam Star, it's "Grand Finale" time, with RuPaul joined by Liza Minnelli.

Published Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:07:07 -0500
by Ray Flook
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After last week's "Lip Sync Lalaparuza Smackdown" saw Suzie Toot walk away with the $50,000 prize, it's time for the big one. That's right, it's "Grand Finale" time for Jewels Sparkles, Lexi Love, Onya Nurve, and Sam Star on tonight's season finale of MTV's RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 (check out what Bleeding Cool's Eden Arnold's thoughts on the last week: "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 E15: Lip-Sync Smackdown the House Down"). With an evening filled with performances and lip syncs ahead of them, one queen will emerge with the title (and a $200,000 grand prize) – and did we mention that the icon Liza Minnelli will be on hand? We've got a special preview for this week's special round: along with a finale "first lewk" as Whatcha Packin' host Michelle Visage sat down with each of the four remaining queens to look back on the season and look ahead to the final round.

RuPaul's Drag Race S17E16: "Grand Finale" Preview

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 Episode 16: "Grand Finale" – The top queens face off in an evening of performances and lip syncs as they compete for a grand prize of $200,000; superstar Liza Minnelli joins RuPaul on stage.

An Updated Look at Your Season 17 Queens!

UPDATED: The Season 17 cast now includes Jewels Sparkles (Tampa, FL), Lexi Love (Louisville, KY), Onya Nurve (Cleveland, OH), and Sam Star (Leeds, AL).

Now that you've gotten a chance to meet this season's "Drag Race" queens, here's a little bit more about each of them heading into the premiere (followed by some video profiles):

Jewels Sparkles – Tampa, FL (@thejewelssparkles): Out of drag, this youthful queen has a sweetness and innocence and is a self-described "ditzy, clumsy bimbo." But don't be fooled – Jewels intends to enter the competition with intention and strategy. With influences that range from Ariana Grande to Priscilla Presley to her Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage, you'd be foolish to underestimate this talented doll as merely a "look queen."

Lexi Love – Louisville, KY (@mslexilove): Lexi Love is a full-time "playmate" at Play, Louisville, a bar known for its high-energy drag excellence. As a performer, Lexi knows how to turn the party up – but she's also someone you'd love to kick it with. Having survived a period of homelessness and drug addiction, she has emerged a stronger and more independent queen and is ready for the re-birth of Lexi to take over the world!

Onya Nurve – Cleveland, OH (@onyanurve): Smashburger cook by day, enchanting and in-demand drag artist by night. Onya Nurve got bitten by the performance bug in high school and took an artistic career path to drag via a BFA in Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art. A comedic actress as well as being able to belt out a tune, Onya represents a real threat in this competition!

Sam Star – Leeds, AL (@samstarqueen): Stunning, stylish, SOUTHERN! Sam is quite the Renaissance queen, having trained in musical theater and being a retired gymnast/cheerleader who can do back handsprings! With polished makeup skills and a gorgeous mug, Sam has gone on to win an impressive number of pageant titles for such a young queen: it's no surprise to learn that Trinity The Tuck is her drag mother and mentor.

MTV's RuPaul's Drag Race is produced by World of Wonder Productions. Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe, Mandy Salangsang, Michele Mills, and RuPaul Charles serve as executive producers. Daniel Blau Rogge serves as executive producer for MTV, and Julie Ha serves as supervising producer.

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