University Challenge collides with RuPaul’s Drag Race with Snatch Game category

We wonder if Jeremy watches Drag Race? (Picture: BBC)

Viewers of Monday’s University Challenge were in for a treat when a round on RuPaul’s Drag Race popped up.

Halfway through the show, when Emmanuel College Cambridge was 55 points in front of competition St Andrew’s University, host Jeremy Paxman unveiled an unexpected category on the US version of the beloved drag series.

Specifically asking questions on public figures impersonated by contestants, which the students needed to name by their description, the team seemed happy if a little surprised by the topic in the famous quiz show’s 50th series.

Emmanuel’s captain Cara Malcolm was certainly a fan, correctly identifying the figure impersonated by Kennedy Davenport in season seven as Little Richard, but a few of her team looked a little perplexed.

Emmanuel also almost got there with their answer for Bob the Drag Queen’s impersonation in series eight of an actress whose roles include Suzanne Warren in Orange is the New Black and Shirley Chisolm in Miss America.

Unfortunately, they could only come up with ‘Udoba’ when the correct answer was ‘Uzo Aduba’.

The team when faced with a Drag Race question (Picture: BBC)

Alaska in All Star series two was described as portraying a US stage and film actress born in 1893 and famous for her wit and films including I’m No Angel and She Done Him Wrong.

Cara thought it was Dame Joan Collins before being convinced by teammate Nicole Pullinger that it was Lady Bunny. The correct answer was Mae West.

Again, fans enjoyed the accidental shade in suggesting Dame Joan was born in 1893 (she was born in 1933).

Fans on Twitter, meanwhile, were delighted at the occurrence.

‘I have now seen everything,’ wrote one. ‘On University Challenge we’ve currently got a round on RuPaul’s Drag Race.’

‘Not a university challenge round on drag race snatch game characters,’ exclaimed another.

At the programme’s end, St Andrew’s managed to swoop in and snatch victory from the jaws of Emmanuel College, winning by the slimmest margin possible – just five points.

More: RuPaul’s Drag Race

As this is only episode four of the current 2021/22 series though, there’s still all to play for and Emmanuel and their (partial) Drag Race loving hearts could still progress to the next stage as one of the four highest-scoring losing teams.

University Challenge airs on Monday at 8:30pm on BBC2.

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