TV & Movies
Drag Race Season 13's Iconic Snatch Game Impressions, Ranked
From Harriet Tubman to Jonathan Van Ness.
In the words of Kandy Muse, "You're judged for the rest of your career [by] how you did on Snatch Game." Every choice, word, and movement that goes into a queen's celebrity impersonation matters. And after Drag Race Season 13's rendition of the challenge, some queens will be able to look back with pride while others, well...not so much. Here are their performances ranked from best to *insert cringe-face emoji here.*
1. Gottmik as Paris Hilton
When Gottmik arrived on Drag Race as a fairly green queen, no one — not even Gottmik — expected her to win Snatch Game. But it wasn't unearned. Her Paris Hilton impression and look were spot on — much stronger than Raven's Season 2 version — and she had a number of valley girl references at the ready. That paired with her punk rock runway look earned her a victory, though not by much.
2. Symone as Harriet Tubman
When RuPaul learned that Symone had chosen to portray Harriet Tubman, he was concerned it could be too political, but that didn't deter her. Symone wanted to start uncomfortable conversations while still being entertaining, and she delivered. Her use of props was hysterical, and she even referenced the initiative to put Tubman on the $20 bill. She kept the awareness going on the fascinator-themed runway, where she wore a headpiece that read "Say Their Names" and a dress that bore two bullet holes to honor all the Black lives lost to police brutality. Though Ru thanked her for the powerful statement, Symone's dedication to using her platform deserved more recognition and yes, even a win.
3. Denali as Jonathan Van Ness
Despite having just one challenge win so far, Denali shined surprisingly bright as Queer Eye's resident grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness. Her squealy inflections, flowery descriptions, and exaggerated hair flips were on point and her responses to RuPaul didn't skip a beat. Unfortunately, Denali's runway look wasn't as exciting as her impersonation, which takes away from her overall ranking.
4. Rosé as Mary, Queen of Scots
In an homage to her heritage, Rosé chose to portray Mary, Queen of Scots. Because Mary was beheaded by Queen Elizabeth I, decapitation was the recurring joke, and Rosé's Scottish accent made everything sound hilarious. It was classic humor from a classically trained queen — well done but expected.
5. Tina Burner as Richard Simmons
A Richard Simmons impersonation from the campy, loud, animated Tina Burner had so much potential. Sadly, her '80s fitness energy fizzled out over the course of the challenge. The look was great (big hair: check! jersey: check! frozen maniacal smile: check!), but the jokes were one-dimensional. You can only scream the words "Jogging!" and "Exercise!" while doing jumping jacks so many times before it begins to feel redundant. Plus, Tina's horse jockey runway was underwhelming compared to her competitors.
6. Kandy Muse as Patrick Starr
Makeup mogul Patrick Starr was a good choice for Kandy, especially because he's never been portrayed on Snatch Game. However, other than her outfit and props, the performance gave off zero Starr vibes. Everything she said was 100% Kandy Muse.
7. Olivia Luxe as Tabitha Brown
Though Olivia's choice to portray everyone's favorite vegan mom was a great one, she didn't give her much justice. She treated veganism as Tabitha's only personality trait, butchered the inflections in her famous "garlic powder" line, and didn't even say "'Cause that's my business," or "Like so like that," which was a huge opportunity missed. Hopefully Ms. Tab isn't too offended.
8. Utica Queen as Bob Ross
It all went wrong with the squirrel afro. In an effort to not be appropriative, Utica created her own version of Bob Ross' hair using stuffed squirrels, but they were more of a distraction than anything. On top of that, Utica had trouble making Ross' quiet, calming nature funny in a room full of chaos, so she turned to some rather weird tricks (i.e. eating paint) to grab attention, and it was cringe-worthy, to say the least.
9. Elliott with 2 Ts as Rue McClanahan
RuPaul loves Rue McClanahan, which makes her a very risky choice for Snatch Game. When Elliott explained she chose Rue because her fiancé watches a lot of Golden Girls, Ru warned her to be prepared. Spoiler alert: she wasn't. She just kept saying the word "men" in a terrible southern accent, which is why she ended up in the bottom, and why she's last on this list.
Awkward moments and all, this season's panel was still impressive. The characters were fresh, ideas innovative (even if they weren't well-executed), and the banter was exquisite. When it comes to Snatch Game, you can't really ask for much more.