“So full circle:” RuPaul’s Drag Race star Jewels Sparkles celebrates being part of the show

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17's Top 6 contestants Jewels Sparkles, Lana Ja'Rae, Sam Starr, Suzie Toot, Onya Nerve, and Lexi Lov attended the 1,000th performance of RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! in Las Vegas. The drag queens reunited to celebrate the community and art at the event and looked back on their respective journeys.

For Jewels Sparkles, this was a "full circle" moment to be able to reach this stage in the competition. She recalled making it to the drag race and calling her friends imminently, Jewels said:

“It’s so full-circle. One of my favorite seasons of all time is Season 12 and at the end of that season, they had their big tribute. That’s something my friends and I quote all the time. When I first got the call for ‘Drag Race,' when I told my friends about it, we played the song, ‘I Made It,’ and here we are. We really made it!”

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The Top 6 RuPaul’s Drag Race queens look back on their journey

RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Sam Star shared that it was her dream to be on this stage and it is unbelievable for her to reach this stage of the competition. Sam mentioned that the MTV series wasn't just a reality TV show but a live show as well which is "a testament to RuPaul."

“It’s tradition, it’s so important for people. When I visit cities that don’t have gigantic, thriving queer scenes — that have small bands of weirdos together that watch the show and build community around it and find friends through it — that, to me, is the biggest impact of the show. I feel so honored to be a part of that.”

Meanwhile, Onya Nurve felt this was like a "family reunion" for them where all drag queens reunite and perform to showcase their art and individual talent through expressive art. The RuPaul’s Drag Race star said:

“I feel most proud when there are events when all of the drag queens come together from all the seasons. It’s like a family reunion."

Lana Ja’Rae on the other hand, expressed gratitude for the platform and shared that she used to envision being part of the show. For Lana, it was an "honor" to join the Vegas live show. She said:

“I am a fan of ‘Drag Race,’ I watch it on YouTube all the f*cking time, so to be here for the 1,000th show is so beautiful. Especially in today’s climate, having 1,000 shows on the Vegas Strip is so major. I’m beyond honored to be part of it.”

Other contestants including Suzie Toot and Lexi Love expressed their excitement for the event. Suzie mentioned the importance of the ongoing tradition which leaves a lasting impact on their community and being part of this made her more thankful to receive an opportunity like this.

In the newly released RuPaul’s Drag Race on March 21, 2025 episode Lana Ja’Rae was eliminated from the competition which left the remaining five drag queens competing for the winner's title and the final grand prize. The top 5 contestants include Jewels Sparkles Lexi Love, Onya Nurve, Sam Star, and Suzie Toot.

The upcoming new episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 air every week on Fridays on MTV.