Entertainment
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Top Snatch Game winners ranked, from The Vivienne’s Donald Trump to Shea Couleé’s Flavor Flav
Ever since season two of RuPaul’s Drag Race, one of the most highly-anticipated challenges that takes place on the programme is… *drumroll please*… the legendary Snatch Game.
Taking inspiration from the American game show Match Game, Snatch Game sees the competitors choose celebrities to impersonate, before then using their personas to try and make head judge RuPaul laugh.
While some drag queens fall flat on their faces when Snatch Game comes around, others put on star-making turns, such as The Vivienne – who portrayed Donald Trump in the first series of Drag Race UK – and Shea Couleé – who won season five of All Stars after her performance as Flavor Flav.
And so without further ado, here is our ranking for the top 12 performances ever to be seen on Drag Race’s Snatch Game.
12. Ginger Minj as Adele (season seven)
In season seven of Drag Race, Ginger Minj was named joint winner of Snatch Game as Adele.
While her English accent may not have been perfect, that admittedly made her performance even more charming.
Plus, she did manage to convey Adele’s funny side, complete with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.
11. Alaska as Mae West (All Stars, season two)
Alaska was as sultry as they come as Mae West in season two of All Stars, channelling the iconic movie star’s sensuality and charisma.
The drag queen didn’t hold back in her exchanges with RuPaul, telling the judge: ‘When I’m good I’m good, but when I’m bad I get a serious venereal disease.’
Just one of the reasons why Alaska’s Snatch Game is so unforgettable.
10. Kennedy Davenport as Little Richard (season seven)
When it came to Kennedy Davenport’s Little Richard, she barely needed to say anything to be absolutely hilarious.
Her groovy shrugs, hearty laughs and cheeky answers had RuPaul and the celebrity guests bursting into laughter.
Not to mention her occasional outbursts of high-pitched singing. We could watch Kennedy for hours.
9. Aquaria as Melania Trump (season 10)
With Aquaria’s masterful depiction of former First Lady Melania Trump, it was all in the details.
From her squinting expression to her pursed lips, the Tiffany gift box she gave to RuPaul and ridiculous responses to questions, Aquaria pulled out all the stops to help her stand out from the crowd.
8. Chad Michaels as Cher (season four)
From the very beginning of season four, Chad Michaels made it apparent that one of her top talents is as a Cher impersonator.
One could argue that playing Cher in the Snatch Game was Chad playing it safe. But why not do what you know you’re good at?
Chad brought several different versions of Cher to the table, proving once and for all that she is the queen of Cher lookalikes.
7. Baga Chipz as Margaret Thatcher (UK, series one)
Baga Chipz was behind several of the most iconic moments from Drag Race UK series one.
But her portrayal of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher definitely took the biscuit.
What with her fanged teeth, red eyes and wayward wig, you just couldn’t take your eyes off Baga when it was her turn to make RuPaul laugh.
6. Bob The Drag Queen as Suzanne Warren and as Carol Channing (season eight)
Bob The Drag Queen brought not one, but two characters to Snatch Game in season eight.
To be honest, Bob didn’t need to switch from Orange Is The Black’s Suzanne Warren (Uzo Aduba) to actor Carol Channing, as the drag queen’s depiction of ‘Crazy Eyes’ was impressive enough.
Nonetheless, bringing double the entertainment definitely played to Bob’s advantage.
5. BenDeLaCreme as Maggie Smith (season six)
If you’re going to portray Dame Maggie Smith – particularly Downton Abbey-era Dame Maggie Smith – you have to prove you have the acting chops to do the national treasure justice.
BenDeLaCreme gave it her all when she portrayed the esteemed actor on The Snatch Game, with every exaggerated tut and disapproving eye-roll.
We would think the dame would approve of such an elegant tribute.
4. The Vivienne as Donald Trump (UK, series one)
What better way to make your mark in the first series of Drag Race UK then by impersonating the former President from across the pond, complete with masses of orange fake tan?
The Vivienne, known for her glitz and glamour, completely transformed to become Donald Trump, earning a joint victory in the Snatch Game with Baga.
Even if The Vivienne hadn’t walked away the winner of Drag Race UK, her performance in the Snatch Game would still have cemented her place in Drag Race herstory.
3. Shea Couleé as Flavor Flav (All Stars, season five)
In Drag Race, the majority of the performers who reach the stage of Snatch Game tend to portray famous women when they take on the challenge.
However, there are some, like Shea Couleé, who decide to take a gamble by playing male celebrities instead. And in her case, the gamble definitely paid off.
In season five of All Stars, Shea brought the house down as rapper Flavor Flav, riffing easily with Jujubee’s Eartha Kitt, who should have arguably been a joint winner.
2. Jinkx Monsoon as Little Edie (season five)
When taking part in the Snatch Game, it can be a bit of a risk when choosing to depict an individual that some people may not have heard of.
Jinkx Monsoon opted to go for Little Edie (Edith Bouvier Beale), a socialite and cabaret performer who became widely known after starring in the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens.
Jinkx never broke character as Little Edie, using her old-fashioned mannerisms to leave viewers and RuPaul in hysterics, and went on to win the whole competition.
1. Gigi Goode as Marie the Robot (season 12)
One of the best parts of Gigi Goode’s performance as Maria the Robot was the sheer shock value.
Earlier on in the episode when RuPaul checked in to see who Gigi was planning on doing, the judge didn’t seem too convinced that a robot would be the best idea. Because of course, how can you make a robot funny?
Fortunately, Gigi surprised the hell out of RuPaul with her dry wit, robotic movements and zippy one-liners, making her Snatch Game performance one of the most memorable and entertaining ever.
RuPaul’s Drag Race US drops new episodes on Netflix on Saturdays with Drag Race UK airing on Thursdays at 7pm on BBC iPlayer.
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