RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 star opens up about emotional elimination: ‘I felt cornered’

The first eliminated queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 has reflected on the design challenge that sent her home, admitting she felt like she was having “a panic attack in front of RuPaul”.

Warning: spoilers for RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 ahead.

After two back-to-back non-elimination episodes to kick off the start of Drag Race’s seventeenth season, episode three arrived with one thing for certain: one contestant would become the newest Pork Chop in the butchers.

Sadly, that contestant was the craftiest queen in Miami, Lucky Starzzz (it’s “Starz-z-z”, RuPaul!), who sashayed away after attempting to put her unconventional creations aside, and opting to make a more “regular” drag look for the week’s Monopoly-themed design challenge.

While attempting to make the look in the Werk Room, Lucky Starzzz became evidently overwhelmed, crying as she admitted to having “not one thing done”.

“I am shaking,” she said during her to-camera confessional.

Fellow contestant and prophet Joella, who landed in the bottom two alongside Lucky, then told her season sister that she was “confident” Lucky would be going home.

Unfortunately, Joella was right, and RuPaul sent an emotional Lucky Starzzz packing. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly following her elimination, the kooky drag performer opened up about feeling “ugly and embarassed” wearing her handmade orange design.

“I felt like I was cornered into the wall, with all that was going on. First of all, I don’t sew. I don’t work with fabric. I don’t work with cloth. That’s not my thing,”she explained.

“I’m a crafty person, I hope people understand the difference. I craft things, I create characters, I create worlds with my drag. But, I don’t sew gowns, I don’t sew dresses. I will create a dress somehow – my way.”

Sashay away: Episode 3 #RuPaulsDragRace Season 17 ❌ First Eliminated #LuckyStarzzz pic.twitter.com/ldP2Fcr9tj

— Drag Holic Puerto Rico (@DragHolicPR) January 18, 2025

While receiving her critiques from the judges on the runway, Lucky already looked defeated, and as though she couldn’t bear to be in what she was wearing.

“I honestly felt so ugly. I know how drag queens are. I know queens all over the world are going to read me. I felt embarrassed, I felt ugly, I felt disgusting, I felt like a failure, which is one of my worst fears in life,” Lucky confessed.

“In that moment, my worst fear came true: I was ugly, my drag was busted, I failed, so all of that came together. My situation back home is not good either, so I felt like, wow, am I really about to leave back to that? What did I do here?”

She continued: “I just crashed down that day, so I had to cover my face while crying, because I get embarrassed when I cry. Imagine having a panic attack in public, in front of RuPaul. That’s how I felt.”

Lucky Starzzz has one of the most unique packages and I’m in love with it.#DragRace pic.twitter.com/PRnRLLqrFW

— ADUT | #TeamLexi 💦 (@adutbadboy) January 7, 2025

Fans of the show have rallied around Lucky to let her know that she isn’t any of the things she feared, with one begging on social media: “They neeeeeeed to bring back Lucky Starzzz next season.”

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 continues on Fridays on MTV in the US and WOW Presents Plus internationally.

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