RuPaul's Drag RaceSeason 17: Watch the First 10 Minutes of theSquid Game-Themed Premiere (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

New year, new Ru!

Season 17 ofRuPaul’s Drag Racepremieres this Friday, Jan. 3, and PEOPLE has an exclusive preview theseason opener. You can watch the first 10 minutesabove.

The 14 new queens are put right to the test as they’re picked up in mysterious unmarked vans and driven to a secret location, where they are lined up behind a set of double doors.

Monitoring the action from above and pushing the buttons is a masked RuPaul, a nod toSquid Game’senigmatic Front Man.

In the drag community, “squirrel” is play on the word “girl,” and queens affectionately call each other “squirrel friends.” Squirrels are known for hiding their nuts, and its common practice for drag queens to “tuck” to achieve a more feminine shape.

The queens who survive “Ru Light, Green Light” and advance to the Werk Room are: Acacia Forgot (Los Angeles); Arrietty (Seattle); Crystal Envy (Asbury Park, N.J.); Hormona Lisa (Chattanooga, Tenn.); Jewels Sparkles (Tampa, Fla.); Joella (Los Angeles); Kori King (Boston); Lana Ja’Rae (New York); Lexi Love (Louisville, Ky.); Lucky Starzzz (Miami); Lydia B Kollins (Pittsburgh); Onya Nurve (Cleveland, Ohio); Sam Star (Leeds, Ala.); and Suzie Toot (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

Later in the preview, fans are introduced to the first batch of queens, including one who describes her drag as “avant stoopid” and another who calls herself an “elusive elven deity.”

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source: people.com