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Four stand-out queens from Season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race<\/em> \u2014 Lexi Love<\/strong>, Sam Star<\/strong>, Acacia Forgot<\/strong>, and Lana Ja’Rae<\/strong> \u2014 reunited at the inaugural Televerse Festival to celebrate the 10 Emmy nominations for the main show and companion series RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked<\/em>. They were joined by head makeup artist David “Raven” Petruschin<\/strong>, franchise executive producer Mandy Salangsang<\/strong>, Untucked<\/em> co-executive producer Natalia James<\/strong>, and “Pit Crew” member Bruno Alcantara<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The four queens took part in a classic Lip Sync LaLaPaRuza Smackdown specifically for Television Academy members, who voted on the winners for each round. Lexi dominated the first performance against Sam on the song “Adrenaline,” while Lana prevailed in the second lip-sync against Acacia to “American.” Lexi and Lana then competed for the pink sash to the song “Queendom,” with the audience voting Lana the winner.<\/p>\n More from Gold Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n “My favorite part about drag is performing,” Lana explained. “It’s the one thing I love doing. It’s what I wake up doing. It’s what I go to sleep doing. For those two minutes and 30 seconds that the song is playing, you can transport the room and the judges into your world. And I feel like that is the most beautiful thing about the art of performing.”<\/p>\n Acacia admitted that the show completely changed her life. “I was getting ready for my final gig of a music tour,” she began. “I was at my parents’ place, and I was just so depressed, because I knew that the next day I was going back to L.A. and back to my day job. And that’s when I got the call and realized that my dreams came true, and I get to do this for the rest of my life.”<\/p>\n “Oh my god, it’s changed everything for me,” Sam agreed. “I come from Alabama, and I never felt like I had opportunities to be myself and to shine. Drag Race<\/em> formed my life in so many ways. I saw people like Raven and the alumni that inspired me to chase after my dreams, and I got on the show. We are nominated for Emmys! It’s so exciting. I think it’s so important more than ever that we support queer art, because we’re not going anywhere, honey.”<\/p>\n Lexi pinpointed one moment as her favorite from the entire 17th season: “My mother calling me her daughter. I never, ever, ever in a million years thought that would happen.” She claimed it’s “literally better than Christmas” that she can watch and enjoy that moment on television for “as many times as my little soul will ever need.”<\/p>\n Season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race<\/em>MTV<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n From the production side, Salangsang revealed that the show has a very personal origin. “So much of what we do on the show is based on things that [RuPaul Charles<\/strong>] has done in his own career,” Salangsang said. “Everything from fashion, to music, to modeling, runway walks, and obviously lip sync, which is a drag staple. Season after season, we go in knowing that we’d like to fill those sorts of buckets.” She continued, “We do most of our episodes over the course of two days. So, for two days you’re a fashion designer … two days later, you better be a stand-up comic … two days later, a musical artist. It’s really, really incredible what they’re able to execute.”<\/p>\n This season, the companion series went even more “raw” and “unfiltered.” “Our queens are really the heartbeat of Untucked<\/em>. Without the joy and the fun and the personal stories and the vulnerability that each queen brings, Untucked<\/em> is nothing,” James said. “We do a really good job of trying to build trust and open communication with the queens. Sometimes creating trust also means transforming into a fly on the wall and disappearing for a bit, and sometimes being an annoying buzz in their ear to try and pull some more out.”<\/p>\n Raven, who won an Emmy in 2020 for working on RuPaul’s makeup, described her relationship with the titular star. “I know where Ru wants certain things to land on her face. I’m always trying to tweak what I do on myself and what Ru wants, to give myself a little bit of freedom. But I always want to give Ru what she wants, because that’s how you’re going to feel the most beautiful,” she said. “I could not have asked for a better gig in the world than to work and travel the world with RuPaul.”<\/p>\n The Televerse Festival is a three-day event for industry insiders and television fans, held at the JW Marriott in downtown Los Angeles. Final-round Emmy voting runs from Aug. 18 to Aug. 27, and the Primetime Emmys will air on CBS on Sept. 14.<\/p>\n Best of Gold Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Gold Derby’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n