Who got eliminated in RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 episode 8? Details explored

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17, Episode 8 premiered on MTV on February 21, 2025, featuring this season’s highly anticipated Rusical. The musical was a unique blend of Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, and The Wiz, and the queens were asked to decide whom they wanted to portray.

The judges were impressed by Sam's performance, and as a result, she was crowned the winner of the week. Meanwhile, they felt that Kori struggled to stand out, fading into the background, while Acacia failed to make the most of her lead role. After battling it out in the lip sync, Acacia was eliminated and sent home.

RuPaul Charles, Carson Kressley, and Michelle Visage returned to the panel, with Jamal Sims and Adam Lambert as the special guests.

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How was Acacia eliminated on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 episode 8?

In RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 episode 8, the contestants had to take part in a musical, titled The Wicked Wiz of Oz: The Rusical!, which combined Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, and The Wiz. There were 10 characters to be played in the musical and the queens were asked to choose whom they wanted to portray.

Acacia, Suzie, and Sam all wanted to play Kansas Dorothy. However, after hearing Lexi's advice, Sam chose to play the Wicked Witch, allowing her to let loose—just as the judges had encouraged her to do. Eventually, Acacia got Kansas Dorothy's role while Suzie settled for Green Witch.

After a lot of discussions and arguments, the chosen roles were as follows:

• Sam - Wicked Witch
• Acacia - Kansas Dorothy
• Suzie - Green Witch
• Lexi - Lioness
• Lydia - Flying Monkey
• Kori - Flying Monkey
• Onya - Harlem Dorothy
• Lana - Tin Woman
• Arrietty - Scarecrow
• Jewels - Good Witch

Michelle and music producer Gabe Lopez later joined RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants for the rehearsal and helped them record their singing tracks for the upcoming musical show.

Jamal Sims later dropped in to help the queens with their choreography. While some contestants like Lexi, Lana, and Arrietty were natural and able to perform well with each other, other participants like Kori and Lydia were struggling to find a rhythm with one another.

After their Rusical performances and Parasols: Shady Ladies runway category, contestants Lana, Lexi, Lydia, and Arrietty were deemed good and received safety. Meanwhile, Suzie, Jewels, Sam, and Onya were announced as the top performers, and Kori and Acacia took the bottom spots.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race judges were impressed with Sam the most as they pointed out that she was able to loosen up her tight stitches. With the incoming praises, Sam was declared the winner of the episode.

Kori and Acacia found themselves at the bottom and were forced to compete in a lip-sync battle to guest judge Adam Lambert's Wet Dream. While both gave it their all, the judges felt Kori had the stronger moves, leading to Acacia's elimination.

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Remaining RuPaul’s Drag Race cast and their track record

After eight weeks of competition, nine RuPaul’s Drag Race queens are still on the show. Their records are as follows:

• Kori King (Boston, Massachusetts): Safe, Bottom, Bottom, Safe, Safe, Safe, Bottom
• Arrietty (Seattle, Washington): Safe, Top, Bottom, Eliminated/Saved, Win, Bottom, Safe
• Lana Ja'Rae (New York, New York): Safe, Safe, Safe, Safe, Bottom, Bottom, Safe
• Lydia B. Kollins (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): Safe, Safe, Safe, Bottom, Safe, Safe, Safe
• Jewels Sparkles (Tampa, Florida): Top, Safe, Safe, Safe, Safe, Top, Top
• Lexi Love (Louisville, Kentucky): Win, Safe, Safe, Safe, Safe, Top, Safe
• Sam Star (Leeds, Alabama): Safe, Win, Safe, Bottom, Top, Top, Win
• Suzie Toot (Fort Lauderdale, Florida): Win, Safe, Top, Win, Safe, Safe, Top
• Onya Nurve (Cleveland, Ohio): Safe, Top, Win, Top, Safe, Win, Top

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RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 episodes are released every Friday on MTV.