The 25 Best Snatch Game Performances On RuPaul’s Drag Race Ever, Ranked

Thirteen years into the franchise, producers on RuPaul’s Drag Race know that every season must contain certain challenges to keep viewers satisfied. Paramount among them is Snatch Game, which sees the drag queens each impersonating a celebrity, answering questions, and bantering with RuPaul. Snatch Game separates the comedy queens from, well, the others who aren’t as funny or can’t think on their feet. Failing to make Ru or the guest judges laugh, like all but one of the Season 14 contestants miserably did on the March 11 episode, will land two or more queens in the bottom, making them vulnerable for elimination as they’ll be forced to lip-sync for their lives.

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There have now been 18 Snatch Games in the U.S. version of Drag Race, with at least 100 queens competing in them. Some have delivered iconic lines and gone viral for all the right reasons, most have done alright, and others have crashed and burned.

These are the 25 best Snatch Game performances, ranked.

25. Trinity the Tuck as Caitlyn Jenner (All Stars 4)

Caitlyn Jenner is a controversial figure in the LGBTQ community. She was applauded when she came out as a transgender woman, but since then, her views on politics have seen her fall out of favor with many. Trinity the Tuck didn’t seem concerned about any of the drama when she selected the former athlete, reality TV star, and wannabe politician, and it was a smart choice. She ended up coming in behind Manila Luzon’s Barbra Streisand impersonation, but she was still in the top two.

24. Shea Couleé as Flavor Flav (All Stars 5)

Some Snatch Games are remembered as being full of great performances, while others are pretty lackluster. The All Stars 5 showing can be described as more of the latter, as most of the six queens who competed did fine. But Shea Couleé’s Flavor Flav —a slightly risky choice, considering he’s a man and the entire point of the episode is to imitate a famous female — was one to watch. Couleé went on to win the game, and she showed how much she’d grown since her Naomi Campbell performance on Season 9.

23. Roxxxy Andrews as Tamar Braxton (Season 5)

Roxxxy Andrews is a queen who knew what she was good at (being beautiful) from the beginning and who never claimed to be especially funny. Those contestants often don’t fare well in Snatch Game, but she surprised everyone with her portrayal of R&B superstar Tamar Braxton, who would later go on to guest judge a future game. She may not have won, but every time she shouted, “Boom,” everybody laughed.

22. Alexis Michelle as Liza Minelli (Season 9)

Season 9’s Snatch Game is not thought of as a better example of the competition. Still, Alexis Michelle won as Liza Minelli, and it wasn’t even close. Choosing a gay icon like Minelli is sometimes a gamble, as everybody knows them well, so the queen has to get it perfectly right, or suffer the consequences. Michelle did the EGOT champion justice.

21. Katya as Björk (All Stars 2)

Katya’s Suze Orman in Season 7’s Snatch Game was fine, which for a queen known for being so funny, made it rather disappointing. When she returned for All Stars 2, she went all out with Björk. Looking only at what she wore and what she said, another contestant might have failed spectacularly with the selection, but the Boston queen made it work. It was totally weird and the judges loved it. Katya was chosen for the top two, but she eventually lost the lip sync to Alaska, whose Mae West was also a standout (more on that later).

20. Kennedy Davenport as Little Richard (Season 7)

When Kennedy Davenport told Ginger Minj and Katya that she was thinking of doing Little Richard for Snatch Game, they were both gagged and gooped. They insisted that she couldn’t choose him, as he was a man. It wasn’t allowed. RuPaul himself didn’t seem thrilled with the idea when Davenport presented it in the werkroom, but once they were on the stage and the lights were up, it became obvious that she was right. Her Little Richard tied with Minj’s Adele to win, making her the first champion in Snatch Game history to come out on top with a male impersonation.

19. Symone as Harriet Tubman (Season 13)

Season 13 winner Symone played her Snatch Game very smart, as she selected a famous historical figure. Everybody watching is familiar with Harriet Tubman and the incredible life she lived, but no one alive got the chance to see or hear her. That gave Symone license to do with the character what she wanted. Her portrayal may have been very far off from what Tubman was really like, but it was funny, so it earned her plenty of praise.

18. Stacy Layne Matthews as Mo’Nique (Season 3)

Season 3’s Snatch Game is remembered as being bad, and the only standout performance from the episode is Stacy Layne Matthews’ Mo’Nique. Up until that point in the competition, Matthews hadn’t enjoyed much success, but she enjoyed a breakout star moment portraying the actor, reprising her Oscar-winning role from Precious in an inspired move.

17. Eureka as Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson (Season 10)

Not many queens have found success on Snatch Game playing kids, as it’s not easy to remain childlike and still make jokes that adults will find funny. Eureka’s Honey Boo Boo was pitch-perfect, as it was both a joy to watch and full of one-liners and quick retorts that made it a must-see. She couldn’t beat Aquaria’s Melania Trump, but she was easily safe to slay another day.

16. Ginger Minj as Phyllis Diller (All Stars 6)

Ginger Minj ended up on top in Snatch Game during All Stars 6 , becoming the second queen (behind BenDeLaCreme) to win twice. Her rendition of Phyllis Diller was pretty much just Minj doing Minj, but it was so hilarious, nobody cared. Her witty repartee with Kylie Sonique Love’s Dolly Parton was one for the history books.

15. Jujubee as Eartha Kitt (All Stars 5)

When she returned for All Stars 5, Jujubee had grown and evolved quite a bit, as she originally appeared on Season 2, which saw the first-ever iteration of Snatch Game. She played Eartha Kitt in her second go, which was risky, as two queens before her had attempted the actor, with Valentina landing in the bottom by doing so. Her moment in the spotlight did, however, provide the world with one iconic line about raising the thermostat. It shouldn’t have been funny, but the fact that RuPaul nearly cried because of it shows just how amazing Jujubee was.

14. Kylie Sonique Love as Dolly Parton (All Stars 6)

In All Stars 6, the half-dozen remaining queens were split into two teams, with three contestants all having to work off of one another and answer questions on their own. One of those groups featured two of the best performances ever, with Ginger Minj’s Phyllis Diller and Kylie Sonique Love’s Dolly Parton going back and forth with joke after joke after joke. They were both incredible, and they put Trinity K. Bonet’s Whitney Houston right into the bottom. Love is so enamored with the country powerhouse, she went on to record and release a single titled “Do It Like Dolly.”

13. Aquaria as Melania Trump (Season 10)

When it comes to Drag Race, anything having to do with Trump is dangerous territory, as nobody on the judging panel or watching at home is a fan of the former president. Aquaria likely knew this when she chose to play one-term First Lady Melania Trump, and her time on set proved she both knew the woman well and that she wasn’t afraid to make fun of her or her controversial husband. She had a number of gags prepared ahead of time and she was quick with the comebacks and add-ins. Known primarily for her beauty and fashion instead of being funny, Snatch Game may have even been when Aquaria unofficially won her season, because once she demonstrated that she was hilarious, she officially had it all.

12. Alaska as Lady Bunny (Season 5)

Both of Alaska’s Snatch Game performances are among the best ever, and she almost won the challenge in Season 5, but sadly nobody was going to beat Jinkx Monsoon’s incredible Little Edie impersonation. While she didn’t look exactly like Lady Bunny, her voice and her jokes fit perfectly with the legendary drag queen’s persona. Alaska gambled big with the portrayal, as Bunny is one of RuPaul’s best and oldest friends, but her demonstration was both excellent and respectful.

11. BenDeLaCreme as Maggie Smith (Season 6)

During her time on Season 6, BenDeLaCreme was easily a standout contestant, and she thrived during Snatch Game. She chose to play Dame Maggie Smith. She wasn’t exactly Smith, but rather her Downton Abbey character, and she brought ye old English to unexpected places with her hysterical quips. Ben won the game, and she raised the bar in the process.

10. Chad Michaels as Cher (Season 4)

Throughout his entire drag career, Chad Michaels has been known primarily for one thing: his perfect Cher impression. He looks, sounds, and acts just like the Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar winner, which isn’t easy, as so many queens attempt and fail at doing so. That’s comforting in one sense, as it means Michaels was used to embodying the singer, but it also meant that expectations were sky high. The moment the game began, it became clear that the eventual All Stars champion had it in the bag. Her Cher-isms led her right to a win in Season 4.

9. Bianca del Rio as Judge Judy (Season 6)

Before she stepped into the werkroom, Bianca del Rio was ready for Snatch Game. She had prepared her Judge Judy imitation, complete with black and white robes and even a puppet version of her bailiff sidekick. The New York City-based queen’s nerves were a little shaken when she found out just how much RuPaul loves Judy, which added quite a bit of pressure to the situation. Thankfully, she pulled it off wonderfully, as the host couldn’t stop cracking up.

8. BenDeLaCreme as Paul Lynde (All Stars 3)

When she returned for All Stars 3, BenDeLaCreme was an unstoppable force. She won challenge after challenge, and she was cleaning up like nobody before her ever had on Drag Race. In her second Snatch Game, she went on as Paul Lynde, who was unknown to most of the other contestants, but certainly not to RuPaul and the judges (and that’s what really counts). The former Bewitched and Hollywood Squares favorite ended up winning the episode (tying with Shangela’s Jenifer Lewis), and Ben became the first queen to win Snatch Game twice.

7. Gigi Goode as Maria the Robot (Season 12)

Among all the many Snatch Game performances, very few have been of either people that don’t actually exist (see: Kim Chi’s Kimmy Jong Un) or of non-human choices. Gigi Goode took a real risk when she opted to play Maria the Robot, a made-up character based heavily on the real-life robot Sophia. Despite a warning from RuPaul that things might not go well, the contestant was somehow able to balance being robotic and funny and both inhuman and familiar. Her reach ended up winning her the challenge, and it goes down as one of the more inventive showings ever.

6. Gottmik as Paris Hilton (Season 13)

Gottmik’s decision to go with Paris Hilton was dicey, and she wouldn’t realize just how much so until she walked on set. Outside of Drag Race, Kade (Gottmik’s name) is a professional makeup artist, and he often works with the socialite and heiress, so if things went wrong on the reality series, it might have cost him a job. Also, in that Season 13 episode, one of the judges was Raven, who also chose to portray Hilton when she was on Snatch Game many years before. Thankfully, Gottmik was brilliant as Hilton, and from her first words it was clear she was going to be hilarious. Gottmik ended up winning that Snatch Game, beating out Denali’s Jonathan Van Ness and Symone’s Harriet Tubman, which were also wonderful.

5. Jinkx Monsoon as Little Edie (Season 5)

Chances are when Jinkx Monsoon played Little Edie in Season 5’s Snatch Game, most viewers didn’t know who the character was. The star of the documentary Grey Gardens is somewhat of an obscure reference, and many of the other contestants that season even admitted that they had never heard of her. Their opinions didn’t end up mattering, as RuPaul was tickled by the performance, and it is remembered as not just fantastic, but also one of the smarter portrayals in the reality show’s history.

4. Monét X Change as Maya Angelou (Season 10)

Portraying Maya Angelou giveth and portraying Maya Angelou taketh away, as two queens found out during their time on the Snatch Game. Within the first half of 2018, both Chi Chi DeVayne and Monét X Change selected the beloved poet and author for their character, with the former appearing in All Stars 3 while the latter earned her first run in Season 10. While DeVayne’s portrayal (she spelled Maya’s first name wrong) got her sent home, Monét almost won with hers, which saw her come up with a soliloquy on the spot.

3. Adore Delano as Anna Nicole Smith (Season 6)

Of all the impersonations that have occurred on Snatch Game, Adore Delano’s rendition of Anna Nicole Smith is one of the most out-there, at least of those that actually worked. It’s otherworldly, and no matter how many times it’s rewatched, it still seems like the real thing. Her drawl, her higher-than-all-get-out blonde hair, and the glazed-over look in her eyes seemed to bring the model and TV personality back for a few moments.

2. Alaska as Mae West (All Stars 2)

Not too many queens get the chance to play Snatch Game more than once, and few who have done so have performed very well both times. Both of Alaska’s showings were brilliant, and it’s almost a shame she doesn't have two wins to her credit. Her second time around, the All Stars 2 champion came out on top with her spot-on Mae West impersonation, a star many gays think they can impersonate, though few can really pull it off. That season’s Snatch Game was solid, but Alaska won the minute she uttered the line, “Why don’t you come on up and f*ck me in the *ss sometime?”

1. Bob the Drag Queen as Uzo Aduba/Carol Channing (Season 8)

Bob the Drag Queen might have ended up on this best-of list if he had chosen to stick with either Uzo Aduba or Carol Channing, but his decision to include both puts him at No. 1 for sure. One of the best to ever come out of Drag Race tried something new when he decided to portray two different stars in the same game, switching things up unexpectedly mid-episode. His characterization of both women was highly exacerbated, but they were so funny, and the entire attempt was so daring, it made him an easy winner.