RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 episode 12 recap: Onya and Lexi claim victory in a storytelling showdown while Sam and Lana face elimination

In RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 released episode 12 on March 21, 2025. The queens participated in challenges that tested their ability to tell personal stories through monologues and dance.

Titled Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve & Talent Monologues, the episode saw Onya Nurve and Lexi Love emerging as winners of the challenge. Meanwhile, Sam Star and Lana Ja'Rae landed in the bottom two. The RuPaul’s Drag Race episode concluded with Lana being eliminated after a lip-sync battle against Sam.

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Episode 12 overview of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17

Storytelling and performance challenges

RuPaul introduced the mini-challenge by asking the contestants to pair up based on who they connected with the most. Sam expected Lexi to choose her but was surprised when Lexi partnered with Onya.

Sam then paired with Lana, while Jewels Sparkles and Suzie Toot formed the third duo. In the RuPaul’s Drag Race mini-challenge, the queens created short comedic stories about their partners, and Jewels won with her humorous depiction of Suzie. For the maxi challenge, each queen had to craft a personal monologue centered on a specific theme. The selected topics were:

• Jewels: "something supernatural"
• Suzie: "having lost something"
• Lana: "being lost"
• Sam: "something triggering"
• Lexi: "karma"
• Onya: "an intense obsession"

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Judges’ critiques and challenge results

Following their performances on RuPaul’s Drag Race, the queens presented their runway looks under the theme "Ugliest Dress Ever." The judging panel, consisting of RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Ts Madison, and guest Jerrod Carmichael, provided feedback on both the storytelling performances and runway presentations.

Ts Madison acknowledged that Suzie’s monologue had emotional depth but noted that her facial expressions during the dance could have been stronger. Michelle and RuPaul commented that Jewels’ act could have incorporated "more drag aesthetic," though they praised her dance execution.

Jerrod Carmichael told Onya Nurve that she "could listen to her talk all day," while Ts Madison highlighted Onya’s ability to bring Lexi’s story to life through movement. Jerrod found Lexi’s monologue memorable and referenced a specific line about "passion without penetration," while Michelle described Lexi’s dance as the standout performance of the night.

RuPaul remarked that Sam’s monologue lacked humor and that her dance interpretation of Lana’s piece did not include enough "comedic lunacy." Jerrod said he related to Lana’s story, though Michelle expressed that the performance lacked emotional connection.

After deliberation, the judges named Onya and Lexi as the winners of the challenge. Suzie and Jewels were declared safe, leaving Sam and Lana in the bottom two.

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Lip sync and elimination

To find out who would be going home on RuPaul's Drag Race, Sam and Lana lip-synced to Dua Lipa's Illusion. While performing, both queens showcased their own renditions of the song, had costume changes, and interacted with the judges and the crowd.

Lana, who previously did well as a lip sync artist on the show, could not manage to get a victory this time. RuPaul finally declared Lana out with the words, "sashay away." With Lana’s departure, five contestants remained in the competition, continuing their pursuit of the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.

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Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 every Friday at 8 PM ET on MTV to see which queens rise to the challenge and who will be the next to sashay away.