‘RuPaul's Drag Race's Season 17 Queens Discuss The Series' 'Beautiful' Storytelling & Welcoming Their Parents To The Stage – Contenders TV: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety
Season 17 of RuPaul's Drag Race was quite the emotional journey — not only for the audience but also for the queens competing for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar.
'I think that being on Drag Race, especially right now, everyone getting to tell their stories and their backgrounds and getting to really understand who these people are is such a beautiful thing, especially right now in our current political climate where not just queer people are under attack, trans people are under attack, Latino people are under attack, Black people are under attack. We're here in the front lines telling our stories,' Season 17 runner-up Jewels Sparkles said during Deadline's Contenders TV: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety panel, joined by fellow queens Lexi Love, Onya Nurve and Sam Star.
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No doubt, one episode in particular packed the biggest punch when the remaining queens were surprised by their parents, who had come to set to help them with the next challenge. The makeover episode, titled 'Drag Baby Mamas,' saw the queens not only transform their parents into drag stars but also heal some emotional wounds and dig deeper into their sense of self along the way.
Coming off of a difficult challenge the week before, Star called that moment 'a total 180 of emotions, because I truly was at my lowest point having to lip sync the week before, and y'all saw me coming in the work room. I didn't even shave that day. I was like, 'Girl, I can't be bothered…''
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'I needed it, and my mother is just as competitive as I am. And she said, 'Honey, you were in the bottom last week. That is not happening this week,'' Star continued. 'I was so proud of what she was able to do.'
After 17 seasons, RuPaul's Drag Race is still going strong. This season ended its run holding steady with the record ratings it managed last season in the key entertainment demographics. Season 17 also raked in its biggest TV share in series history.
Check back Monday for the panel video.
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