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Episode 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 was released on February 21. Titled The Wicked Wizard of Oz: The Rusical, the episode saw the queens choreographing their own live musical performances, which were then graded by Michelle Visage, RuPaul, choreographer Jamal Sims, and performer Adam Lambert.
There was no mini challenge this week, so the rusical was the only parameter the queens were judged on. Sam secured the top position, alongside Suzie, Jewels, and Onya, while Lana, Lexi, Lydia, and Arrietty were saved from elimination, leaving Kori and Acacia to lip-sync against each other.
The two queens chose to face off on Adam Lambert's Wet Dreams for an entertaining performance. However, because one of the two had to leave, the judges took Acacia out as they thought Kori did better. Fans of RuPaul's Drag Race took to X to react to their lip sync and Acacia's elimination.
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"Acacia sounds sleepy, in her song," a fan said.
"Yknow what, Acacia held on for as long as she could and I see you for that girl!" said another.
"Idc. I think Acacia did a good job in that lipsync. But I love me some Kori tho. I'm glad we get more time with her. lol," added a third.
"Why are y’all’s wigs falling off during the lip sync in 2025!?" another wrote.
Some RuPaul's Drag Race fans praised Kori's performance as they thought she deserved the win.
"I must admit @Kori_kiing slayed that lip-sync! She gave me life! THANK YOU, that is what we have been waiting for!!!" an X user wrote.
"Lmfaoooo, they knew Kori was going to annihilate this lip sync. Plssss," commented one.
"Kori is so damn big man, I can’t help but to laugh at her jumping all over that stage," another user wrote.
"The way they lip sync so well will always be so impressive to me," wrote one.
What else went down in the RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 episode 8?
In the Wicked Witch of Oz challenge on RuPaul's Drag Race, Lexi took the role of a Lioness, Lydia became the Flying Monkey, Onya got Harlem Dorothy, Harlem became the Tin Woman, and Arrietty assumed the role of Scarecrow. Kori and Jewels contended for the role of the Good Witch, because of which there was a quick vote that decided that Jewels would take up the role, while Kori was given the other Flying Monkey.
There was a three-way contention for the role of Kansas Dorothy as well, where Suzie, Acacia, and Sam all wanted to play it. Acacia eventually won the role, with Suzie settling for Green Witch, while Sam got the Wicked Witch.
During the rehearsals, Kori's and Acacia's struggles were apparent because while other performers were doing fairly well, the former had pitch issues, and the latter had to get her sound right for her main character performance. Kori also struggled to sync her choreography with Lydia for a performance that was meant to be synchronized.
As they performed, Jewels, Sam, and Onya got positive responses from the judges. They weren't too appreciative of Lana, Lexi, or Arrietty's performances and didn't have much to say about Acacia's performance. Ultimately, Kori was sent to the bottom because the judges thought her partner, Lydia, did it better than her. They sent Acacia to the bottom because they thought she didn't seize the opportunity her role offered her.
New episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 come out on Fridays at 8 pm ET on MTV.
