Who won the LaLaPaRuza battle in RuPaul's Drag Race season 17? Details explored

RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 released a new episode on April 11, titled Lip Sync LaLaPaRuza Smackdown. It saw the ten eliminated queens return to compete in a head-to-head lip-sync "smackdown." With $50,000 and the title of 'Queen of She Done Already Had Herses' at stake, each contestant put her best foot forward. However, it was Suzie Toot who emerged victorious during the final battle.

After clearing rounds of competition, Suzie reached the finale of the smackdown, where she was pitted against Kori King. They battled on Rosé and Bruno Mars' hit song, APT, each attempting to leave an impression on the panelists. While RuPaul and the other experts applauded both performers, RuPaul handed the victory and the $50,000 prize money to Suzie Toot.

Meanwhile, RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 finalists Jewels Sparkles, Lexi Love, Onya Nurve, and Sam Star watched from the Werk Room, cheering the evictees.

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Suzie Toot defeats Lucky Starzzz to enter the finale of the LaLaPaRuza Smackdown on RuPaul's Drag Race

Shortly after the evicted RuPaul's Drag Race queens returned, Kori asked Suzie how she felt to get eliminated so close to the finish line. Suzie confessed that "in the moment," it felt "really shocking and hurtful." However, she said she believed everything happened for a reason and added that there was a reason why she was back at the Werk Room to take on her co-stars in the lip-sync smackdown.

At that point, Kori apologized to Suzie, admitting that she had been "mean" toward her. She then mentioned that she wanted to channel Suzie and put on a wig to impersonate her as Kori Toot.

"Lately, I've been obsessed with cameos, and I have been creating new characters every single week. I have done JoJo Siwa, Michael Jackson, and of course, Kori Toot," Kori said in a RuPaul's Drag Race confessional.

While the queen shared that fans were a fan of Kori Toot, Suzie said she could never "escape" the spoof. Suzie countered, telling Kori that she finally "might win a challenge," wearing her hairstyle.

Soon after, the lip-sync battles began. Suzie faced Joella during her first battle, and they danced to Dua Lipa's Training Season. Suzie was dressed as a clown, and managed to wow the panelists. She defeated Joella, advancing to the next stage of the LaLaPaRuza smackdown. Meanwhile, Kori beat Arrietty, performing to P!nk's Blow Me (One Last Kiss).

In the semifinals, Suzie was pitted against Lucky. The RuPaul's Drag Race contestants chose to perform to Rihanna's We Found Love. Since the costumes were already revealed in the first round, the judges expected variation in their acts. While Lucky presented the same moves from the first battle, Suzie focused on acting out the song. Consequently, she won the round and faced Kori in the finale.

Kori defeated Lana and Lydia in the three-way battle to make it to the final round of the lip-sync smackdown. They had danced to Charlie XCX's 360. However, Kori managed to keep the panelists' attention on herself, convincing them to crown her the winner of the round.

However, Kori failed to outperform Suzie in the final stage, in which the duo battled to APT by Rosé and Bruno Mars. While RuPaul appreciated both contestants, she felt Suzie deserved the win and the $50,000 prize because Kori struggled to manage her outfit once her breast-plate was left hanging off her chest, which she tried to hold in place.

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RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 airs new episodes every Friday at 8 pm ET exclusively on MTV.