The Official "RuPaul's Drag Race" 25 Greatest Snatch Game Performances: From Slay-Worthy To Iconic
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Okay, so last year, I officially ranked the 12 best Snatch Game performances in all of RuPaul's Drag Race herstory. And while at the time I felt confident in my choices, a lot of you felt otherwise.
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Recently, in anticipation of today's All Stars 6 Snatch Game episode, I rewatched all the previous Snatch Games and re-ranked the performances — as well as added a few more that I really should have had in my first ranking.
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Now, to keep things easy on myself, I only ranked the Snatch Game performances on franchises hosted by Mama Ru. I also didn't include any All Star 6 performances to keep it spoiler-free!
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And, no, I didn't include anyone from Down Under's Snatch Game 'cause, well, if you saw it, you know.
25.Naomi Smalls as Wendy Williams (All Stars 4)
What made it so great: In Season 8, Naomi's performance as Tiffany "New York" Pollard during Snatch Game landed her in the bottom (although she managed to stay on after she won her lip sync against Acid Betty), so she had a lot of pressure to do well this time around. And, oh boy, Naomi had a true Rudemption with her performance as Wendy Williams — who she perfectly mimicked right down to the hand gestures.Possibly the best moment: When she walked off stage and re-created Wendy's infamous fall.
24.Jackie Cox as Lisa Rinna (Season 12)
What made it so great: Jackie found the perfect balance between paying homage to someone she clearly is a fan of and really letting go and doing a no-holds-barred characterization (something Ru always tells the queens to do). Honestly, had Jackie not been up against Gigi Goode's Maria the Robot, she probably would have won — while some argue that she should have won, period.Possibly the best moment: When she stood up and threatened Heidi N Closet's Leslie Jones with a wine glass and said, "Don't talk about my husband, Harry Hamlin. I love Harry Hamlin."
23.Sasha Velour as Marlene Dietrich (Season 9)
What made it so great: Marlene was the perfect choice for Sasha, being able to play the iconic Hollywood star with her own signature dry and smart sense of humor. Possibly the best joke: When she pointed out that Ru was also wearing a suit and said, "When I wear a suit people say, 'Marlene, are you a lesbian?!' and I look at them and I say, 'Yes!'"
22.Alexis Michelle as Liza Minnelli (Season 9)
What made it so great: Surprisingly, nobody in the previous eight seasons of the show (alright seven, since Season 1 did not have a Snatch Game) had done the iconic Liza Minnelli! Alexis walked the fine line between both paying respect to Liza and also totally making fun of her personality at the same time.
Possibly the best moment: When she went full "Liza," showing off her jazz hands and high kicks.
21.Adore Delano as Anna Nicole Smith (Season 6)
What made it so great: Picking Anna Nicole could've easily gone wrong and come across as mean-spirited — especially when making the choice to base a lot of the mannerisms and catchphrases on Anna's infamous 2004 American Music Awards appearance — but it was clear that Adore truly did it with reverence. Even Ru agreed during the judging how eerily spot-on the performance was to the real Anna Nicole — who he had been friends with.Possibly the best moment: Any time she interacted with Ru.
20.Aquaria as Melania Trump (Season 10)
What made it so great: Aquaria was certainly a forced to be reckoned with when it came to her looks and makeup skills, but I think both her fellow queens and we the audience expected her to perhaps struggle during Snatch Game. Well, she proved to everyone that she also had some serious comedic timing and impersonation skills. Her Melania was cold, aloof, bitchy, possibly being held hostage...in other words: perfectly spot-on.Possibly the best joke: "Any hole is a goal!"
19.Katya as Björk (All Stars 2)
What made it so great: Snatch Game on All Stars 2 had some heavy-hitter performances in it, like Alaska's Mae West and Alyssa Edward's Joan Crawford, but Katya managed to stand out by playing to her strengths as a queen and being a completely wacky version of an already eccentric personality, Björk. I don't think she ever even stayed on topic while answering the question.Possibly the best moment: When she unexpectedly took a bite out of her card.
18.Shea Couleé as Flavor Flav (All Stars 5)
What made it so great: This really felt like an out-of-left-field choice for Shea. But she knew exactly what she was doing — portraying Flav with a twist by making him deeply sensitive and respectful through a series of misdirections when answering questions.
Possibly the best moment: Every moment Flav and Jujubee's Eartha Kitt played off each other.
17.Gigi Goode as Maria the Robot (Season 12)
What made it so great: If Shea's choice to play Flavor Flav felt like an out-of-left-field choice, then Gigi's choice to play a semi-obscure robot felt like a "WTF are you thinking? This isn't going to go well" moment. But Gigi pulled it off by not only saying funny things, but also through physical comedy, by clumsily moving her body the way a real robot would.The best moment: Okay, so for me, it actually has to be the moment before the Snatch Game where Ru seemed concerned and tried to dissuade Gigi from doing Maria, to which Gigi iconically replied, "I understand your concern, but I do not share the same concern."
16.Baga Chipz as Margaret Thatcher (RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1)
What made it so great: As soon it was announced that there would be a Drag Race UK, everyone knew someone would be doing Margaret Thatcher (true enough, both Baga and Divina de Campo wanted to do her). Baga ultimately won out and did it, and knocked it out of the park. From her mannerism and deranged look to her back-and-forths with The Vivienne's Donald Trump, it was all perfect!
Possibly the best joke: When saying what Michelle Visage's Spice Girl name would be: "I put Belgrano Spice. Like the ship, she likes to go down."
15.Pandora Boxx as Carol Channing (Season 2)
What made it so great: This was the very first Snatch Game, so the queens participating really didn't know what to expect. Although Pandora was outshined by Tatiana's Britney Spears, she actually did everything right, staying in character the whole time, really knowing her character, and playing the already over-the-top Carol Channing as an even kookier personality.
Possibly the best moment: TBH, any time the camera was on her.
14.Gottmik as Paris Hilton (Season 13)
What made it so great: I think us viewers were all rooting for Gottmik by the time we got to the Snatch Game episode and, truth be told, were probably curious how she'd do given that acting/comedy was new to her. Well, she gave an absolutely amazing performance as Paris. And what made it succeed was that she managed to make her impersonation both nuanced and an over-the-top characterization. Possibly the best joke: When she answered "I'm going to stick with what I know here, to be safe. And so I wrote: huge cocks" when being asked what Michelle Visage missed the taste of while being on her vegan diet.
13.Trinity The Tuck as Caitlyn Jenner (All Stars 4)
What made it so great: It truly was an unexpected choice. Trinity, hands down, stole the show! And with every smart, witty comeback, she proved she really is a talented comedian.
Possibly the best joke: Any time she said, "Malibu, baby!"
12.Bimini Bon-Boulash as Katie Price (RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 2)
What made it so great: Bimini truly released "the beast" during this episode and was absolutely hilarious as Katie (complete with some raunchy jokes). And to top it off, she also really nailed both Katie's look from the '00s and the way that she speaks. Possibly the best joke: "You know what they say, Ru? The nipples are the eyes of the face. And you've got gorgeous nipples."
11.Ginger Minj as Adele (Season 7)
What made it so great: The fact that Ginger didn't play Adele like Adele, playing her instead like an almost Eliza Doolittle–esque character. Possibly the best joke: When she answered "My house" after Ru asked her from where in England she was from.
10.BenDeLaCreme as Paul Lynde (All Stars 3)
What made it so great: The flamboyant Paul Lynde was probably a pretty obscure celebrity to pick, but it was also a smart choice as it's someone Ru would know instantly and go crazy over (which he did). But DeLa (like Paul Lynde himself) seemed to never stop with the comebacks and zingers and ended up just stealing the show.
Possibly the best joke: There were too many to choose from, but probably when DeLa filled in the blank to Ru's famous "spaghetti and __ balls" with, "Well Ru, I just said the ones I found the most delicious: anonymous."
9.Jujubee as Eartha Kitt (All Stars 5)
What made it so great: It was third time's a charm when it came to portraying Eartha on Snatch Game — previously the late Chi Chi DeVayne played her on Season 8's Snatch Game, while Valentina played her on All Star 4's Snatch Game of Love — with Juju's very hilarious impersonation of the iconic singer-actress. Unlike the previous two times, Juju seemed comfortable doing improv while staying in character. It also didn't hurt that she was able to play off Shea's Flavor Flav.Possibly the best joke: "I would walk sensually over to the thermometer…and then turn the thermometer up to a sensible 74."
8.Chad Michaels as Cher (Season 4)
What made it so great: Chad Michaels professionally impersonates Cher, so it was a given that she would choose to do the iconic diva. But Chad truly set a gold standard with her portrayal, not only was it flawless and damn funny, but she had wig changes and managed to stay in character perfectly as the Snatch Game went off the rails.
Possibly the best moment: When she summed up the mess that was that Snatch Game in the most Cher way with, "This game is boring the shit out of me. I don’t know why they book me on these chickenshit gigs. I’m a fucking Oscar winner!"
7.Kennedy Davenport as Little Richard (Season 7)
What made it so great: Doing boy drag was a huge risk (especially since this was the first time a queen had done a male celebrity on Snatch Game), but it paid off. Kennedy's iconic portrayal of the rock 'n' roll legend was over-the-top (like Little Richard himself) and just so, so hysterical.
Possibly the best moment: When answering what she would turn the Batcave into: "I said, a bathhouse in a dark room with glory holes. There'd be a lot of singing going on in there, honey! Wooooooh!!!"
6.Bianca del Rio as Judge Judy (Season 6)
What made it so great: It takes a pretty brave queen to impersonate somebody that Ru absolutely loves and respects. And, of course, Bianca was probably the most perfect queen to take on that challenge. Bianca did Judy, well, justice!
Possibly the best moment: When she read Gia Gunn's awful portrayal of Kim Kardashian to filth with the classic Judge Judy line: "Beauty fades, dumb is forever."
5.Jinkx Monsoon as Little Edie (Season 5)
What made it so great: Little Edie was for sure a more obscure choice, but she was such a character that it really gave Jinkx a lot to work with — and, to Jinx's credit, she truly embodied her perfectly and killed it. Jinkx also managed to play off everyone else so well while staying in character that you wished the camera would have just stayed on her the whole time.
Possibly the best moment: Any time she was on camera and giving dated, but period-appropriate responses.
4.BenDeLaCreme as Maggie Smith (Season 6)
What made it so great: DeLa played it straight and stayed in character as Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess character from Downton Abbey, which gave her the advantage of being able to act bewildered about everything going on around her and allowing her to respond with some pretty witty comebacks. Possibly the best joke: "I did think it would be rather amusing if there would be libations flavored with citrus. Can you imagine such a thing?"
3.Bob The Drag Queen as Uzo Aduba and Carol Channing (Season 8)
What made it so great: I think everyone knew by the time Snatch Game came around that Bob would be the one to watch, and honestly, she did not disappoint one bit! In fact, she went the extra mile by doing two characters, and both were equally great!
Possibly the best joke: "By the way, Eartha [Kitt], I didn't know that was you down there. From here, I couldn't tell if you were Della Reese or Luther Vandross. I couldn't see, these aren't even my good glasses."
2.Alaska as Mae West (All Stars 2)
What made it so great: Like Little Edie, Mae West had a larger-than-life personality that gave Alaska a lot to work with. But Alaska didn't just rely on Mae's trademark phrases and body language to get by, she truly made it her own — making her contemporary and more outrageous.
Possibly the best joke: "Why don't you come on up and fuck me in the ass sometime."
1.The Vivienne as Donald Trump (RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1)
What made it so great: RPDR UK arguably had one of the BEST Snatch Games in a while. And a lot of that has to do with The Vivienne's eerily uncanny portrayal of Donald Trump (which she brilliantly played off of the other contestants, but especially Baga Chipz's Margaret Thatcher). Do yourself a favor, if you haven't seen this Snatch Game — watch it!
Possibly the best joke: When talking about Margaret Thatcher: "This woman’s an inspiration. If anybody knew how to fuck up a country, it was her."
Just a reminder, All Stars 6's Snatch Game episode is out today on Paramount+.
Alright, squirrel friends, did I get it right this time around?! You can sound off in the comments below!
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