9 Juiciest Moments of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 So Far, Ranked

It's been over two months now since Season 17 of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on MTV, and it's already proven as the best in recent years. Some would even argue that it's on par with the good old seasons 5 and 6 and I have to agree.

This time, Drag Race finally had delivered everything a reality TV needs. We had twists, drama and even romance. Season 17 has been spoiling us with all the good stuff. And the stakes are higher than ever as the last season somehow failed to get the Emmy it deserved. This time around though, I think they will actually be able to snatch the award.

Now is a great time to look back at the most unforgettable moments that have made this season particularly special. Trust me, choosing just nine was harder than you think. Yet I believe that these are the moments we'll be talking about for years to come. So without further ado, let's take a look back.

9. Age Is Just a Number... Unless You're 34 on Drag Race

This season is not a very diverse season age-wise. Almost every queen is 20-something with the oldest being Onya Nurve and Lexi Love, who are 31 and 34 respectively.

In what might be the most Gen-Z moment of the season, 34-year-old Lexi found herself branded as the resident “grandma” of the competition. Yes, you read that right–grandma and she's thirty-four. The playful (although ridiculous) age-related shade became an early-season running joke. And thankfully, as the competition progressed, that naturally faded away.

Now, if this had gone on for more than the first few episodes, it would have become unbearable. Meanwhile, it was a great lesson for future castings to take on board more seasoned queens, because let's be real, the age debate was unreasonable.

8. Michelle Visage's Splash-tacular Moment in the Badonka Dunk Tank

Another early-season gag was The Badonka Dunk Tank twist. Though we don't know how much of this was scripted by the producers, it was a fun and interactive addition to the show overall.

The gist of it was that every eliminated queen had a potential chance to be saved by one of the levers that, when pulled correctly, threw Michelle in the tank filled with water.

What made it even better was Michelle's sweet revenge in Episode 10 mini challenge when she was the one pulling the lever while queens were facing their own dunking destiny. It's campy and fun, a 10/10 twist for sure.

7. Lana Ja'Rae's Unintentionally Hilarious Runway Commentary

Every reality show needs its running inside joke and Lana Ja'Rae delivered ours on a silver platter. With each runway appearance, we could count on something like “This is so new for Lana” or “I don't really wear it.”

The catch is that these “groundbreaking” fashion choices she's talking about are just drag staples that are essential for every queen to do even once before they'll get on the Drag Race stage.

But the pure innocence of these moments has made me appreciate them even more. Who knows, maybe she could even turn this unintentional branding into her next big project or something? We'll see.

6. Kori King, the Unbothered Queen You Are

In a competition where stress levels typically run pretty high, Kori King brought a breath of fresh air with her laid-back approach.

Her unbothered attitude was refreshing to say the least. She even laughed at Ru's critique of her yellow look in the design challenge, which not a lot of queens can get by, but Kori's charm made it work. Her elimination was just as iconic as her run. She left the show with the same cool vibe she brought in.

I think that Kori's casual approach to the competition actually made her more endearing. Plus, she's killing it on social media and Cameo right now. Good for her!

5. Love Is in the Air: The Kori and Lydia Romance

The great attitude wasn't the only thing that Kori brought to the table. Just when we thought we'd seen everything on Drag Race, Kori King and Lydia B Kollins gave us the romance we didn't know we needed.

Their relationship blossomed right before our eyes, culminating in that now-iconic lip-sync kiss that had me screaming at my screen.

The actual good news is that unlike many reality TV romances that fall apart post-show these two are still going strong. One peek at Kori's YouTube channel will tell everything you need to know about their situation.

4. Onya Nurve Being The Accidental Design Challenge Saboteur

If I had a dollar for every time Onya Nurve found herself at the center of a design challenge drama, I'd have two dollars, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

I absolutely love Onya. She's a clear front-runner for me right now in the competition and I think it'll stay that way till the end.

But I find it kinda hilarious that out of two design challenges we had, there was drama that Onya was a very big part of. First time around it was trimgate when Jewels was mad at her for taking trim after explicitly saying she was using it. When on the next design challenge, she accidentally spray painted Lexi's cape that caused the whirlwind of emotions.

But like a true professional, she managed to make peace with every queen. Though if there's another design challenge, I'll keep a closer look at Onya for sure.

3. Lexi Love Having One Sided Beef with Suzie Toot

On RuPaul’s Drag Race the tension is always through the roof.

While Lexi's over here having literal nightmares about Suzie, our theater kid is just vibing, probably more concerned with Onya being her biggest threat.

Suzie Toot seems to get the one-of-a-kind edit from producers. She has something from an underdog and theater kid and something we haven't seen before. Plus that storyline with Lexi is kind of hilarious.

2. Arrietty's Villain Origin Story

Now, in a lot of interviews before the season even came out, a lot of queens were suggesting that the true villain of the season will be Arritetty. But when the episodes actually started airing, I couldn't help but think: why?

She was perfectly fine. She had great looks. Yes, she was shady, but in a completely normal Drag Race way. Of course I could see her getting frustrated about the judges not praising her as much as she wanted to, but that's not truly a villain in my book. Until... episode 10 came around.

The Villain Roast was chaotic and Arrietty was the center of the chaos. First, she stole Jewels' jokes because she was mad about how Jewels placed her. Second, after her elimination, she left a nasty mirror message targeting Onya.

Since then, though, in favorite Drag Race fashion, the queens have made up and all has been good. But watching Arrietty slowly becoming a villain was something really-really interesting.

1. Joella Being Delusional

And the crown takes the queen that has long sashayed away. Gone too soon but never forgotten, this self-proclaimed Slaysian diva of LA gave us some of the most quotable moments of the season. Joella's unshakeable confidence about being "known to be opulent" back home lives rent-free in my mind.

She made an impression that even the Drag Race titans like Raja, Raven, Alaska and so many more couldn't help but stan.

The recent announcement of RuPaul's Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale just proved that sometimes the biggest legacy comes from the most unexpected places. And I really hope to see Joella return to All Stars just for the sole purpose of her being an iconic and messy self.