Michelle Visage knew something was up when the other producers of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, and Tom Campbell, wanted to speak to her on the phone, together. They had a fun proposition for the competition show’s 17th season and were likely afraid Visage, who has been a regular guest judge since season three, wouldn’t be game. And considering it meant taking center stage in a water dunking tan, would could blame them?
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The concept was that for the first 10 episodes, the “eliminated” queen would have a shot at Rudemption and saving themselves by pulling the correct lever. Only two contestants would be saved (only two out of the 10 levels were the “golden ticket”), and if they pulled the right one, Visage would fall into the appropriately titled “badonkadonk tank.”
“They were like, ‘O.K., hear us out.’ And I was like, ‘What? Why are you all calling me?’ They don’t all call me like that unless it’s an ambush. So, I was like, ‘Tell me.’ And Randy wanted me to go full Lucille Ball. He wanted me to wear a flower bathing cap with a snorkel and a mask, flippers on my feet, and a scuba outfit. I said, ‘F**k off. If I’m doing this, I work so hard on my body, I’m going to wear a fabulous bathing suit every week. I’m going to be tanned with my toes pointed.’ And they were like, ‘O.K.’ And that’s how it happened. I was like, ‘Can the water be warm?’ And they said ‘Yes.’ And then I was like, ‘Fine.’”
Two queens pulled the correct levers sooner than viewers predicted. Hormona Lisa pulled lever no. 1 in the second episode, while Arriety survived elimination in episode five by picking no. 7 (get it? 17 for season 17). Visage’s fellow producers told her the numbers were random, and she never knew when her fall was coming. The “Celebrity Big Brother UK” alumni and host of the upcoming “Plastic Surgery Rewind“ noted, “I said to them, ‘Guys, you could at least [tell me], so I can hold my f**king breath.’ You can at least tell me! And they were like, ‘Honestly, we don’t know. It’s random.’ They lied, and on show one! Show one!”

We’re still waiting for Visage to reveal the five swimsuits she commissioned in case the bit went all 10 episodes, but, hey, the world is a strange place these days (more on that later). Also, as a permanent judge on all eight editions “RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K.,” 10 seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” four seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under” (including hosting season four), and two seasons of “RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race,” the four-time Primetime Emmy winner has seen a ton of drag. “Season 17” had a genuine amount of drama, but Visage found it memorable for other reasons.
“Not surprised at the drama, but surprised by what they were willing to do, the lengths they were willing to go, and then be like, ‘Who me?’ I live for that s**t. Not going to lie,” Visage says. “That makes a great television show. This was a dynamic cast. You just don’t know. When you’re [judging] it, you see pretty queens, but you don’t know what they’re giving. And then you watch the edit and it’s like, ‘Oh yes.’”
Visage remembers this cast being “feisty and filled with fire,” and admits, “I think sometimes we lack that.”
She adds, “They almost have an old school vibe about them, not the way they do their drag, just their personas. You get Suze Toots and you get Kori King, who has given us some great television, and I watch it and I laugh at her confessionals. Of course, she’s related to Plane Jane. It just makes sense. So, I think having those personalities back, because that’s what tracks, isn’t it? I think, especially in the United States, we get caught up in the looks. The looks are a very small part of it for me. Yes, on the main stage, that’s the brief. And you’ve got to look what you’ve got to look like. You’ve got to bring it. But the other 75% is what you’re bringing to the party, as far as your personality.”
As for whether she knew Onya Nurve, Jewels Sparkles, Lexi Love, and Sam Star would make the top four, well, of course she did.
“Oh, I can tell right away,” Visage says without a moment of hesitation. “Every once in a while, I’ll get surprised by what happened. I always go back to Jinx because that was a surprise for me in season five. When she came out, I was like, ‘No.’ I knew the talent was there, but I was like, ‘We need some polishing.’ And then she took every critique and applied it, and look what happened. And I think that’s what this game is all about. If you listen to the feedback and listen to the critique, your day will come.”
A majority of Season 17 was filmed when there was some optimism that an administration that campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights wouldn’t come into power. Our conversation occurred in April, just four months into a hellscape of presidential directives. Visage isn’t just worried about her chosen community and its drag queens, but everything and everyone.
“I don’t think it’s limited to just drag,” Visage says. “I’m worried about the world. I’m worried about our freedoms, our democracy. We’re not even a democracy anymore. So, am I worried? Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop fighting. We’ve been here, we’ve been on the ground. We’ve been on the front lines for me since 1986, 87. It didn’t take us down then. They’re not going to take us down now.”
Still, at he core, Visage is a fighter, and she can’t help but speak out, and loudly at that.
“RuPaul always says, ‘Just putting a pussycat wig and some chacha heels on is a statement enough.’ And it really is. Drag is more necessary now than it was in 2017, more than it was in 1987. More than now, more than ever. That I can ever recollect or remember. Now is the time to come together and rise the f**k up.”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 17 is available on MTV, YouTube, and PVOD