Well. Another Snatch Game certainly took place on Drag Race last night. The worst one we’ve ever seen? Of course not. The best? I fear we’re light-years away from that. Snatch Game is arguably the most notable challenge in every season, and certainly the one everyone wants to win. Winning Snatch Game on a good season in my opinion is as impressive as winning the entire show. After years and years of watching Snatch Game in all of its formats, to go in expecting it to be a walk in the park is ludicrous. But I think what this Snatch Game proved is that it may be worse to be boring.
This Snatch Game was…tedious. For everyone except the top two, these performances could have easily landed them in the bottom on any other season. I hate to be an advocate for improv comedy but it's clear that maybe more people should take a 101 class. Where were the jokes? Is it just one bad Snatch Game or has this challenge become so notorious that its true nature has been misconstrued. It feels like so many queens come prepared to simply impersonate their person (or character) of choice, not use the personality as a vehicle for comedy. This challenge is hard, and I don’t envy the daunting task of preparing and executing it on TV, but as an audience member it is the challenge that, more than others, often sets in stone season favorite queens.
There are a lot of interesting choices in this batch, but unfortunately none of the most interesting picks are able to rise to the challenge. Nymphia’s Jane Goodall is devastatingly bad (though I am not immune to people making monkey noises so I did laugh). Dawn said she was ready to read “the absolute dog shit” out of her chosen personality, Meghan McCain, and then didn’t. Even resident theater kid Plasma, who chose Patti LuPone, couldn’t really nail down what it is that makes Patti such a funny public persona. That woman is a bundle of TNT sat next to an open flame, but Plasma played her with a stuffiness that is unrecognizable. Q’s ditzy Amelia Airheart wasn’t really funny as much as grating after the first couple of quips. Morphine did a decent job of recreating Anna Delvey’s physical appearance and voice, but that’s where the decency ended. Her lack of jokes beyond “you’re poor and ugly” landed her in the bottom.
There’s another category that has grown in popularity over the years, and that’s creating a character. We had two variations of this last night, and I’ll be honest it’s not something I’m the biggest fan of. I’m warmer to the idea of taking something like a fictional character or mythic figure and putting your own spin on it, but something about creating a character feels like a cop out. Xunami did the former, putting a spin on the Tooth Fairy by becoming the Gold Tooth Fairy. I think it started out funny! And something about the way she said “bones” after Ru asked her what else she was searching for under pillows made me laugh. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to save her from elimination. Mhi’ya on the other hand created her own character, a party girl from Miami named “Trina’s Cousin Shaquita”. As someone who loves Mhi’ya and wanted to see her do well, I was satisfied with her performance this week and happy she placed high. As someone who hates creating an original character for Snatch Game, I found myself wishing she had stuck with putting her own spin on Tiffany Pollard (her original choice for the challenge).
The only real non-issues for me in this challenge were the two people I believe have been the most consistent throughout every episode. First up was Sapphira, who chose James Brown. Was it a safe option knowing how much Ru loves James Brown? Sure. But Sapphira is smart and capable enough to propel herself out of the realm of safety and into comedy. Her quips, her physicality, and her knowledge of her character were spot on. Coupled with her playful Drag U Majorette runway, this was another excellent week for Sapphira. I was initially shocked when she was just safe, but the more I think about it, the more I understand the rationale.
Plane Jane, continues to plague the other queens and the people on Twitter who cannot stand her. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to love her I’m afraid. She really does crack me up, and while I wish I didn’t ever have to hear the phrase “Burger Finger” ever again, she was pitch perfect in the Snatch Game. She portrayed Jelena Karleusa, the “Serbian Lady Gaga”. It was risky in that she was someone that no one in the Werkroom was familiar with, but her confidence in her choice never faltered. And for good reason! In the challenge she was combative in an aloof way, and never failed to make Ru laugh. She made it look so easy, and as a result it showed the blundering efforts of almost everyone around her. When the other queens came begging for her immunity potion, she calmly brushed them off. Is she a queen of the people? Certainly not. But she’s someone I can’t help but love watching. There’s a new Red Scare in the air, and if I were in the Werkroom with her, I’d be watching my back.
Farewell to the delightful Xunami Muse. She left looking gorgeous, and gave a sweet lip-sync with her bestie Morphine to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” — who could ask for more? I have no doubts her mother Kandy Muse will avenge her.
See you next week!