RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 Finale Recap: America’s Next Drag Superstar is announced as the queens compete one last time

RuPaul’s Drag Race, the reality TV show where drag artists compete for a grand prize and the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar, has concluded its 17th season. The final four cast members—Jewels Sparkles, Lexi Love, Onya Nurve, and Sam Star—competed for the newly announced $200,000 prize.

In the newly released April 18, 2025 episode, the remaining drag queens showcased their abilities and shared what winning the title means to them and what they will do with the prize money if they win. Each performance was unique, with contestants leaning into their strengths and showcasing the skills they felt most confident about.

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 finale episode 16 was released exclusively on MTV on April 18, 2025. The episode synopsis reads as follows:

"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."

What happened on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 finale episode?

The RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 finale began with Ru informing the participating candidates that each one of them would be performing their original song. Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Jamal Sims joined the show as well, and Ru explained that the queens would be judged both on their final performance and their track record throughout the season.. Additionally, a contestant's overall performance throughout the show, as well as the final task, would shortlist four drag queens to two cast members competing for the grand prize and the winner title.

Before the finale began, Onya had already won four challenges Bitch, I'm a Drag Queen, Snatch Game, Ross Mathews vs. The Ducks and Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, & Talent Monologues throughout the series. Meanwhile, Sam won three challenges: Monopulence, The Wicked Wiz of Oz: The Rusical, and Drag Baby Mamas, and Jewels won two, including Heavens to Betsy and How's Your Headliner?

For her performance, Jewels took a comedic route and incorporated it into her performance. Michelle was impressed by her performance and shared that it was “smart and fantastic” to take a different approach. After Lexi's performance, Michelle praised her for working on her confidence throughout her journey on the show and for being able to reach this final point in the competition series.

RuPaul’s Drag Race cast members Onya and Sam showcased their strong singing skills. Sam focused on his costume and showcasing his multitasking skills, meanwhile, Onya proved her choreography alongside the in-sync performance. Later in the episode, the four finalists dressed up one last time for the task that would determine their fate on the show.

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Jewels and Onya performed Abracadabra by Lady Gaga to showcase their talent while competing as the two finalists. Lexi and Sam received a prize of $10,000 each after it was revealed that they were not selected among the Top 2 contestants. Once the performance ended, Nymphia crowned Onya Nurve as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17, earning her the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.

All episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 are available to stream exclusively on MTV. Fans can follow Onya on her official Instagram account.

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