S13.E10: Snatch Game

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

The queens impersonate celebrities in the legendary Snatch Game. LGBT activist TS Madison guest judges.

Original air date: 3/5/20

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Act 1:

 

[Ananayel]

I hate that I'm not even looking forward to Snatch Game. There was a problem with "tv service in my area" the other day, and when Spectrum support tried to reset my settop box, it got stuck in a reboot loop, with the first available tech visit Saturday afternoon. I wasn't even mad. It fixed itself, so I guess I'll watch. My prediction -  Kandy chooses a loud OTT character, who she will portray by being louder OTT Kandy, just wearing different clothes. Better performances will get short shrift in the editing and critiques, Kandy will be in the top if not outright win, and a superior performer will go home. Sigh. I hope I'm wrong.

[MsJamieDornan]

Everyone take a guess at who Kandy will do for Snatch Game ?

[LadyNebula]

Well, that Snatch Game was... something. 

[Ananayel]

Great seeing Porkchop again, and I was pleased to be wrong about the outcome. I would, however, like to declare an absolute moratorium on male Snatch Game characters. The only one left who could possibly be done is Prince. No more. Snatch Game. I loved Rose, and would have given her the win, and Harriet Tubman was a bold choice. If you do a Golden Girl, it needs to be one of the other three, not Blanche. Also a moratorium. The bloom is slowly coming off of Utica for me. Not all the way yet, but headed in the wrong direction.

[rlc]

I thought Denali should have been safe, and Symone should have been top 3. So completely over Utica, but her lip sync was much, much better than I would have anticipated. Elliott looked like she gave up during the lip sync. Olivia has also lost her luster for me.

Edited March 7, 2021 by rlc

[heckkitty]

How the F was symone only safe? ??? WTAF?

[Rai]

I think Elliott is more talented than the other queens might want to admit, but that makeup on the runway made her look forty years older or something. It was just TERRIBLE. Sorry, Elliott! It's true, though!

I also would've put Symone in the top and am pretty surprised she wasn't. I mean, Gottmik was the clear winner, hands down, but I would've put Symone over Rose, probably. Or maybe Denali. Idk. Either one would've been fine. Still, after their weeks of struggling to be critiqued, it probably felt great for them to make it into the top three, especially after Rose seemed to be jinxing herself in the confessionals.

Tina Burner's face was very pretty on the runway and I covet her horseshoe ring. I think Michelle's critique that Denali's outfit was almost costume-y was ridiculous given Utica was standing right there as the embodiment of picnics. I admit, I don't always know what the line between camp and costume is, but I thought Denali's look was adorable. Symone's was powerful. Rose's was awful. I mainly say that because she walked so awkwardly in it.

Kandy is fine. She was clearly middle of the road in Snatch Game, she's mellowed out, and her outfit was fine on the runway. Her makeup was pretty cute, actually.

I live for shady Olivia and Utica both. Come through, baby divas! I actually thought the squirrel afro was hilarious. If Utica had managed to do ANYTHING with that, it could've been great. But she did not.

(Also, I'd love to know what background she thought Bob Ross had that having an afro like him would be cultural appropriation? Omg, girl, get out of the sticks. Granted, his was possibly a perm, not a natural, but...it was his hairstyle.)

Gottmik was impeccable this week. Sorry, facts are facts, America. The voice joke at the beginning was perfect and set the (sorry) tone from there. And as Ru noted, Gottmik brings it to the runway every week. She's proven more than once she's not just a looks queen, and right now, she's a serious contender for the crown. The other being, of course, Ms. Symone.

[Adeejay]

I don't get it.  They know there will be a Snatch game, and yet, some of them are unprepared or pick a one note character.  Elliott was robbed.  Utica and Olivia should have been the bottom two.  

[phoenix780]

Gottmik earned that, from her first joke. I was surprised at how good this was, didn't expect that. 

Then in the preview there's Loni Love again, and I'm annoyed. I guess it's OK to be a racist jackhole about mixed race people. I know it's my issue, she triggers me, but...ugh.

I'm glad Denali and Rose were in the top, and I was relieved to see Kandy not dominate. I think Elliott would have been smarter to play the Rue from Mama's Family, more ditzy not the iconic golden girl. 

[violet and green]

I am so bummed Elliott is gone. So. Damn. Bummed. I admire a few of the other queens, but Elliott is the only one I really like.

I agree, Olivia Lux should have been in the bottom with Utica. (Or indeed teflon Kandy in the bottom three with Olivia and Utica... That snatch game seemed to involve Kandy's usual voice and personality while wearing a pink turban.) Don't like Utica's drag, and wish she hadn't taken the entire stage over flapping about in that lipsync - reminded me of spatially unselfaware types lurching repeatedly in front of one's laden trolley in the supermarket. Elliott never got to do half her moves.

Anyway, it's done. Would have put Simone in the top over Denali. Rosé was brilliant, and such fun - coming after hearing Lawrence Chaney's thick Scottish accent in UK Drag 2, I'm primed. Gottmik's Paris was good, I say grudgingly.

Fancy waiting two weeks for that, though.

[30 Helens]

13 hours ago, Ananayel said:

My prediction -  Kandy chooses a loud OTT character, who she will portray by being louder OTT Kandy, just wearing different clothes. 

You called it! I have no idea who Patrick Starr is, but to me that was just Kandi doing a perfect impression of Loud Kandi in a Turban.

Hmmm... so, Utica? You think wearing an Afro would be offensive, but depicting an Afro as a nest of squirrels is... not?  Ok then.

I agree that Gottmik did a great Paris Hilton. And the first joke of changing voices was inspired. However... I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch to do a funny Paris Hilton impression. There’s just so much to work with. Harriet Tubman, on the other hand?? Who would ever think that someone could a) make her a funny character, and b) not be offensive in the process. Simone slayed that challenge, IMO, and should easily have made at least top 3. I would have given her the win.

I also award bonus points to Rosé for creativity and daring.  Mary, Queen of Scots is another character that does not come to mind when you think “comedic impersonation”, and the fact that she pulled it off is pretty impressive. Smart, funny and great looking... I think I may be officially in love with Rosé. 

[7-Zark-7]

Rupaul: "Elliott. I now know what the extra "t" is for ... TAXI.  Seriously, go. I have to start sending some of you bitches home."

Edited March 6, 2021 by 7-Zark-7

[853fisher]

I wonder whether Symone’s costume during the challenge was held against her. She did a fantastic job with a gutsy choice, and her runway really moved me, but in the challenge I thought her look seemed really low effort and not quite finished.

Gottmik also did really well in the challenge, and I don’t begrudge her the win, but I wasn’t as blown away with her runway as the judges. It was creative and different, but the safety pin in particular looked very I-crafted-it-for-Halloween and I really didn’t think it was all that. Maybe punk just isn’t my vibe.

I didn’t dislike Elliott, but to echo a few other comments, at least someone has gone now, three weeks after the last one, yeesh!

[Sugarbeetle]

Kandy did not do Patrick Starr at all and she also whiffed a huge throw RuPaul gave her. Patrick Starr has a makeup line called “One Size” and she missed it. It’s a blessing to her that not a lot of people follow YouTube makeup people and RuPaul seems to love her. 

And now I’m going to hide in a corner for knowing this factoid. 

Oh Utica. It’s not cultural appropriation if the person has the hair. Interesting that Elliott commented on her hogging the stage. Hmm. 

[cpcathy]

I’m officially 100% on the Rose train. I absolutely laughed out loud at Mary, Queen of Scots. It was one of the funniest Snatch Game performances ever on the show.

[MsJamieDornan]

6 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

You called it! I have no idea who Patrick Starr is, but to me that was just Kandi doing a perfect impression of Loud Kandi in a Turban.

There is absolutely no reason Kandy should still be on this show. She does nothing well. Bad makeup, terrible clothes, dumb as a rock and she looks like she needs to bathe. Just send her home.

[DEL901]

Kandy “she is using an Ireland accent...wait that’s not a thing.  Irish.  Irish accent.”   Person behind the camera corrects her.  Scottish.   Kandy looks confused.   I rolled my eyes.  Yes, Kandy, someone called Mary Queen of Scots has a Scottish accent.  

Love Rose and she has mad makeup skills.  As a boy, she has very strong masculine features.  

[Kroliosis]

4 hours ago, Sugarbeetle said:

Kandy did not do Patrick Starr at all and she also whiffed a huge throw RuPaul gave her. Patrick Starr has a makeup line called “One Size” and she missed it. It’s a blessing to her that not a lot of people follow YouTube makeup people and RuPaul seems to love her. 

And now I’m going to hide in a corner for knowing this factoid. 

It wasn’t until you made that comment that I realized I was confusing Patrick Starr with Jeffree Star and didn’t understand why Kandy chose Jeffree to impersonate. 

[BloggerAloud]

Symone only being safe is reminding me of when Mariah was only safe with her All Stars performance

[RoxiP]

21 minutes ago, Kroliosis said:

It wasn’t until you made that comment that I realized I was confusing Patrick Starr with Jeffree Star and didn’t understand why Kandy chose Jeffree to impersonate. 

I’m glad I’m not the only one!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My issue with the way some queens approach Snatch Game is that they are so concerned with who they can make themselves look similar to or who they can impersonate instead of thinking about who they can make into a funny character.

Rosé as Mary, Queen of Scots, was one of my favorites because she managed to stay true to her character, be funny, and throw in some historical facts to educate people like Kandy who had no idea who she was. I did laugh at Kandy having the nerve to say that she couldn't understand a word Rosé said with her Scottish accent. Hey, now you know how the rest of us feel when you're talking, Kandy! I also laughed when Kandy initially asked who Mary was, but then I just got really sad that she really had no clue who she was. Loved Rosé's huge rose fascinator on the runway. I totally agreed with Michelle about how Rosé tends to wear ruffled outfits on the runway that can obscure her body, hide her neck, etc. I feel like Rosé is trying to hide her body behind these ruffles. But I liked this dress because it was a head to toe look. The combination of the color and the one shoulder design was very pretty.

Utica as Bob Ross was not an accurate impression or funny. As Gottmik pointed out, Utica had the voice all wrong. The denim shirt was right but for some reason, Utica thinks that when you paint you end up with rainbow colored dandruff on the shoulders of your shirt.Her picnic runway look was fun and colorful but I wish there had been more to the bottom. Without the picnic basket on her head and the ants on one stocking, it was just a gingham leotard with a weird sleeve. But for the record, if the queens are going to come down the runway in leotards (as so many have in past seasons), at least wear a leotard like this one aka not some off the rack black leotard with a few rhinestones glued on!

Elliott as Rue McClanahan was terrible. She didn't have any of Rue's charm or wit. She just kept falling back on the "I love men" bit but without making it funny at all. I don't know how you can make a horny old woman boring, but somehow that's what Elliott managed to do. I loved her dramatic pink fascinator on the runway, but I hated her one legged lace jumpsuit. Symone as Harriet Tubman was my favorite. She took a serious historical figure and managed to make it funny. Her white runway gown was gorgeous and elegant, but when she turned around, wow. I loved how graceful her fascinator was too. I was shocked that she was only safe because I had her in the top.

Tina Burner as Richard Simmons was not great but she wasn't quite as terrible as Kandy, Elliott, or Utica. I laughed when Pork Chop called her Vicki Lawrence. The issues I had with this: (1) Tina made no effort to actually look like Richard Simmons (2) her Richard Simmons impression consisted solely of talking about exercise (3) she didn't make any of it funny. Her horse look on the runway wasn't my favorite. The main reason was that if you took away the horse on her head, it was just a brown suit with a bunch of flowers on the collar and cuffs. I also didn't like that the horse on her head looked like she chopped it off of a stuffed animal.

Olivia Lux as Tabitha Brown had me a bit worried because it can be harder for the audience to connect with a character if they have no idea who you're impersonating. But as we've seen in past seasons, it's possible to win Ru over as long as you make a less known unknown entity funny. As charming as Olivia usually is, her presentation of Tabitha was so uninteresting. But I guess she gets points for staying in character the whole time? I really liked her scientist runway look. That mercury fascinator was dramatic and eye catching.

Gottmik as Paris Hilton was pretty good. She knew enough about Paris to take what she knew about her and make it amusing. Her punk runway look was a fun way to use that giant safety pin through her head.

Denali did a good Jonathan van Ness impression. The shiny hair was perfect, but it was a combination of the long flowery compliments, the hair swishing, and the facial expressions that sealed the deal. Her diner waitress runway look was cute but I didn't like that I couldn't tell what her fascinator was at first.

Kandy as Patrick Starr was pretty awful. Staring at your phone and using a makeup brush doesn't make for an interesting character. There was nothing I liked about her runway look either. The dress looked like a messy pile of ruffled fabric that was glue gunned together into no shape at all. It looked like something thrown together in a few hours for a design challenge by someone who can't sew. I hated the black long sleeve poking out from underneath it. What I really hated about her fascinator is that 3/4 of it was still but the M was flopping around like crazy.

Awww, it was sweet to hear Elliott talk about his grandfather coming to a bar with his walker to see his grandson perform. And I loved that Rosé said when his parents came to see him, his dad was crying. I know it's becoming more common for parents to accept their songs doing drag compared to the earlier seasons, but we still hear so many stories like Denali's, which is why it melts my heart when I hear stories like Elliott's and Rosé's.

How in the fuck was Kandy safe? She was awful in the Snatch Game and on the runway. And how was Symone safe when she was one of the funniest in the Snatch Game? Ugh, this season is making me so mad. Kandy should have been eliminated weeks ago but Ru keeps her darling around despite her awful performances and terrible runway looks. To add insult to injury, she keeps great performances like Symone's out of the top.

What really bothered me about Utica's LSFYL was how she didn't have any regard for Elliott. There's fighting to stsay and there's being selfish by taking up all the space and expecting other performers to just stay out of your way. As someone who has been on stage and in crowded dance classes with people like that, it's SO annoying. It's the equivalent of someone on the freeway going from the fast lane to the exit lane. They have no regard for anyone else and they put the responsibility for not getting hurt on everyone else.

Edited March 6, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[theatremouse]

Considering Utica supposedly has an extensive improv background, I sorta wanted her to lose based on being useless in both the Bossy Rossy and Snatch Game. This is supposed to be your bag.

When Kandy said who she was doing I thought "the...SpongeBob character?"

It was hilarious when Kandy said she couldn't understand a word out of Rose's mouth with the Scottish accent. Hello mumblequeen.

When Ru had that moment with Olivia in the werkroom warning her it had to be funny, I reallllllllllly hoped her Tabitha Brown would be another Little Edie and not....the other 98% of Snatch Game performances where they say "oh you'll see" and then fall just as flat as Ru predicted. Like Michelle said, when someone already had 3-4 catchphrases, you kinda have a leg up. Just find a way to work them in. Alas. Nope.

I knew Elliott would not be able to do Rue. Alert to queens: stop trying to do anything Golden Girl adjacent! It never works! You're doomed to fail!

Also fell into the trap of my personal pet peeve: don't say you're being the person for Snatch Game when what you really intend to do is try to be one particular character the person played.

[BloggerAloud]

10 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

Considering Utica supposedly has an extensive improv background, I sorta wanted her to lose based on being useless in both the Bossy Rossy and Snatch Game. This is supposed to be your bag.

 

Utica also bombed Snatch Game when she competed Drag Race style competition in the Twin Cities so clearly it's not her strength.

[Ananayel]

I think a Golden Girl can be done, but I've yet to see it. For Rose, go on St Olaf rambles, throw in some off-color stuff about cousins Sven and Gunnar, and do it all with a straight face. For Sophia, everything starts with "Picture it, Sicily, 1922.) Brooklyn accent, imply mafia ties and vendettas, and reminisce about Shady Pines. For Dorothy, get the voice and the epic side-eye right and you can say pretty much anything. Even for Blanche, make it more about being the epic southern belle, not just about men. I would love to see someone get one of them right.

I'm actually going to have to watch this one again on demand. I was so sure Kandy was going to get undeservedly rewarded I wasn't really paying attention. And I also thought Jeffree Starr, who I think is a horrible person, am I right? I don't know who Tabitha Brown is, but it did need a bit more. I had no idea who the robot Gigi Goode did, but damn if she didn't slay that to the moon and back.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Olivia Lux as Tabitha Brown had me a bit worried because it can be harder for the audience to connect with a character if they have no idea who you're impersonating. But as we've seen in past seasons, it's possible to win Ru over as long as you make a less known unknown entity funny. As charming as Olivia usually is, her presentation of Tabitha was so uninteresting.

As Michelle said, I couldn’t believe Olivia didn’t use any of Tabitha’s catchphrases. Not one “like so like that” or “‘Cause that’s your business.” 

[stormy weather]

8 hours ago, Sugarbeetle said:

Oh Utica. It’s not cultural appropriation if the person has the hair. Interesting that Elliott commented on her hogging the stage. Hmm. 

That's true, but I get where she's coming from. People are afraid of everything these days, especially if you're on TV and on a show like RuPaul's, whose audience is very PC-aware. She just thought it would be better to stay on the extra safe side than to risk offending someone. 

4 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Kandy “she is using an Ireland accent...wait that’s not a thing.  Irish.  Irish accent.”   Person behind the camera corrects her.  Scottish.   Kandy looks confused.   I rolled my eyes.  Yes, Kandy, someone called Mary Queen of Scots has a Scottish accent.  

And what about when she said that accent sounded like complete gibberish and she couldn't make out a word Rosé was saying? Has she ever heard herself talk? The nerve on that girl.

4 hours ago, Kroliosis said:

It wasn’t until you made that comment that I realized I was confusing Patrick Starr with Jeffree Star and didn’t understand why Kandy chose Jeffree to impersonate. 

For all I know she could've been impersonating Patrick Star from Spongebob. She would've looked and sounded exactly the same because she was just playing Kandy in pink clothes. 

[For Cereals]

Gottmik was good, but how did Rosé not win? 

[Ohiopirate02]

I am a Mary Queen of Scots stan, so I did appreciate Rose doing her for Snatch Game.  But, Mary's first language was French.  She would have spoken English with a French accent not a Scottish one.  I get why she did an exaggerated Scottish accent, but the historically accurate one would also have been funny.

[853fisher]

2 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Also fell into the trap of my personal pet peeve: don't say you're being the person for Snatch Game when what you really intend to do is try to be one particular character the person played.

I thought it was just me who didn't like this.  It strikes me that the level of difficulty on impersonating Rue McClanahan or Maggie Smith properly is very different from impersonating Blanche Devereaux or the Dowager Countess.  I can't remember anyone ever being penalized for this when it's done well, so I understand why folks keep doing it, but I've always preferred the original concept, celebrity impersonation, not playing a fictional character.  Of course they're all doing a kind of caricature, but I still think it's a different kettle of fish.

[Silly Angel]

Geez, folks, the answer to the Winnie-the-Pooh question was obviously "Eating his honey." Not that the actual game matters, I know, but I was waiting for someone to say it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, Silly Angel said:

Geez, folks, the answer to the Winnie-the-Pooh question was obviously "Eating his honey." Not that the actual game matters, I know, but I was waiting for someone to say it.

There were so many obvious answers they could have given and not one of them came up with anything from the books/movies.

• Putting his finger in the honey
• Playing with his honeypot
• Getting stuck in Rabbit's hole
• Playing pooh sticks

I could go on because I clearly read too much Winnie the Pooh in my youth.

[theatremouse]

Yeah sometimes I think they go so wrapped up in whatever person they're trying to be, they forget if they need a quick laugh they could just...actually play it like Match Game. Especially if you can do the voice but maybe otherwise have trouble thinking of things to say.

[Rai]

For not wearing pants. Winnie the Pooh got canceled for not wearing pants. It's very easy!

(I say, knowing I freeze up when I have a spotlight on me waiting for me to be funny.)

[kicotan]

16 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Hmmm... so, Utica? You think wearing an Afro would be offensive, but depicting an Afro as a nest of squirrels is... not?  Ok then.

Exactly what I was thinking!!!  Also, Ru corrected her in the werk room-folks of other ethnic backgrounds also have afros.  My youngest daughter’s father is 1/2 Mexican and he has an afro.

[Blissfool]

6 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I am a Mary Queen of Scots stan, so I did appreciate Rose doing her for Snatch Game.  But, Mary's first language was French.  She would have spoken English with a French accent not a Scottish one.  I get why she did an exaggerated Scottish accent, but the historically accurate one would also have been funny.

I didnt know this, but I was thinking that it was pretty smart for a queen to impersonate someone from a different era because we don't know that character's vocal intonation or mannerisms. We just take their word for it.

That being said, I thought Gottmik's snatch game was perfect and deserved the win. I'm getting tired of her punk runways every week, though.

[Red Bridey]

I am old. I don't know Patrick Starr, Jefree Starr, Tabitha Brown, or ANY YouTube personality. I don't want to see a man dressed as a woman acting like a man. I can't remember which queen started that particular abomination however many seasons ago, but It.Must.Stop. and can we NOT have all the queens in Snatch Game but please please please wait until the Final Six so there is more time to see the actual character? This was the worst. I am also very tired of Gottmik, Tina Burner, and of course, the Vile and completely NOT FUNNY Kandy Muse. Gottmik did a good job with Paris Hilton, but seriously, she's not that hard. Love love love 🌹 Rose-ay. Symone was a hoot and Harriet Tubman was an inspired choice. All other queens...meh. I like Utica's originality, but Bob Ross...no. Just no. Bye, Elliott. You are a gentle soul, but not star-worthy yet. 

[Glade]

12 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I am a Mary Queen of Scots stan, so I did appreciate Rose doing her for Snatch Game.  But, Mary's first language was French.  She would have spoken English with a French accent not a Scottish one.  I get why she did an exaggerated Scottish accent, but the historically accurate one would also have been funny.

That's true - she could have done the French accent and played up the fact that Mary grew up in France and wasn't really that into Scotland (and nor were they huge fans of her--she saw Scotland as a drab stepping stone and to them she was a foreign Catholic queen) and it would have been funny. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Glade

[Marisagf]

22 hours ago, theatremouse said:

When Kandy said who she was doing I thought "the...SpongeBob character?"

Glad to see I wasn't the only one!

[853fisher]

Following up on earlier comments about doing characters vs nominally doing actors who played those characters, I saw Ru remarked on Twitter that this is because characters are copyrighted.

12 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

I don't want to see a man dressed as a woman acting like a man. I can't remember which queen started that particular abomination however many seasons ago, but It.Must.Stop.

I think the first was Kennedy as Little Richard, then Thorgy as Michael Jackson, DeLa as Paul Lynde, Nina West as Harvey Fierstein (and Jo Anne Worley), Widow as Ike (and Tina) Turner.

It really blew up last All Stars with Alexis Mateo as Walter Mercado, India Ferrah as Jeffree Starr, and Shea Couleé as Flavor Flav.  And of course this time we had four male-presenting characters.

I think this reflects where we (broadly, people likely to watch Drag Race) are in conversations on gender.  Some queens want to play with it exactly by being men who do drag...as men.

I have definitely had some preconceptions challenged by this.  Now I really enjoy impersonations of people from the queer community who bent gender or expectations as well as the standard names.

I do, however, prefer that to be where the line is drawn.  Flavor Flav was amusing, but it didn't transport me.  He's an eccentric personality, but not in any way I understand as relevant to queer people.

Give me a Walter Mercado or a Paul Lynde any day.  Let the children have it.  Or someone more contemporary in a similar vein, fair enough.  But I don't want to see "just men."

[Blakeston]

I may be alone in this, but I didn't think Gottmik was really that great. She did a good impression of Paris Hilton's voice, but it's so similar to her own voice that it didn't seem as impressive as it could have.

The "talking normally until she realizes that the cameras are rolling" gag was by far the best thing she did. But that also wasn't as funny as it could have been, just because there wasn't much of a difference between the two voices.

I don't think the actual content of what she said was clever. She mostly just repeated the typical Paris catchphrases. She was certainly good enough to be top three in this awful Snatch Game, but I thought Denali and Rosé were better.

 

[Not4Me]

Paris Hilton is certainly an easy choice, but Gottmick did nail it with their vocal fry and by consistently not missing the beat on a joke, which Ru wants. I do think it counts for something because it’s also easy to screw up what should be an obvious impersonation (see Raven). I’d have love for Rosé or Symone to win because they took important historical figures and turned something challenging into comedy, but I think Gottmick was ultimately deserving of it. Favorite moments: seeing Raven and PorkChop, and Denali skating.

Utica turning a poorly chosen Bob Ross into a suspect you’d find on Unsolved Mysteries was painful to watch. I think she and Olivia were by far the worst and they should’ve lip synced against each other.

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by Not4Me

[sugarbaker design]

I'm very happy Elliott is off.

I was wondering why Elliott kept on saying he was doing Rue McClanahan when it was clear he was (attempting) snatching her character Blanche Devereaux.  No one mentioned Blanche Devereaux.  I thought that was quite odd.  If she tried to do Rose Nylund would everyone call her Betty White?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

19 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

I was wondering why Elliott kept on saying he was doing Rue McClanahan when it was clear he was (attempting) snatching her character Blanche Devereaux.  No one mentioned Blanche Devereaux.  I thought that was quite odd.  If she tried to do Rose Nylund would everyone call her Betty White?

I think it was mentioned during another season's Snatch Game discussion that Ru said they can't use names of tv/movie characters for copyright reasons

[sugarbaker design]

2 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I think it was mentioned during another season's Snatch Game discussion that Ru said they can't use names of tv/movie characters for copyright reasons

Thanks, that makes sense.  I recall Ben DelaCreme doing the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey, yet calling herself Maggie Smith.  I'm sure there are many more examples.

[Red Bridey]

On 3/7/2021 at 11:56 AM, 853fisher said:

Following up on earlier comments about doing characters vs nominally doing actors who played those characters, I saw Ru remarked on Twitter that this is because characters are copyrighted.

I think the first was Kennedy as Little Richard, then Thorgy as Michael Jackson, DeLa as Paul Lynde, Nina West as Harvey Fierstein (and Jo Anne Worley), Widow as Ike (and Tina) Turner.

It really blew up last All Stars with Alexis Mateo as Walter Mercado, India Ferrah as Jeffree Starr, and Shea Couleé as Flavor Flav.  And of course this time we had four male-presenting characters.

I think this reflects where we (broadly, people likely to watch Drag Race) are in conversations on gender.  Some queens want to play with it exactly by being men who do drag...as men.

I have definitely had some preconceptions challenged by this.  Now I really enjoy impersonations of people from the queer community who bent gender or expectations as well as the standard names.

I do, however, prefer that to be where the line is drawn.  Flavor Flav was amusing, but it didn't transport me.  He's an eccentric personality, but not in any way I understand as relevant to queer people.

Give me a Walter Mercado or a Paul Lynde any day.  Let the children have it.  Or someone more contemporary in a similar vein, fair enough.  But I don't want to see "just men."

Thoughtful response, thanks! I wonder if any of these young'uns have even heard of Paul Lynde. Which, fair enough, since I have never heard of Patrick Starr or Tabitha Brown. But make me laugh, people...I guess I would not be as annoyed with the choices if they were done well with humor. And, as you said, @853fisher, make them relevant to queer culture. Bob Ross? Just no. And fewer contestants. Denali was supposed to have entertained with JVN, but she got such little screen time,  I don't know what she did other than combing her wig. 

[theatremouse]

I don't even think Bob Ross was an inherently bad choice. Not a great one, sure, but I can imagine something where using the softness of the voice, the calmness, but to say completely outrageous things. I donno, I think some comedian could've made it work. But Utica very very very did not because Utica didn't sound or look at all like Bob Ross.

[phoenix780]

All I know about Bob Ross is the phrase "happy little tree," which may or may not be accurate. So, I was expecting way more answers that were just painting demonstrations, direct to camera, with the words "happy little" before the answer. 

Perhaps a weird question, but is Snatch Game as a celebrity impersonation challenge still relevant? 

I'm not sure how we're supposed to gauge the accuracy of the impersonation. The old celebrities are, well, old, and either they've been done before ore who they really were has been forgotten, though memories of their characters remain (like Rue McClanahan- I have zero idea what she was really like but I know Blanche). Finding newer celebrities who aren't niche is difficult since we all live in our own little pocket universes. So, unless you know who they're doing, it's not really about impersonation skill anyway. 

(Plus, it's only a matter of time until we've canceled every famous person, leaving even fewer impersonation options.)

Which I think means the whole challenge really is just 1) Make Ru laugh and 2) be witty. Why not test them at that in their drag personas? Arguably, that's what they'll need to be good at to succeed on the show and afterwards. 

I guess my point as I dodge work by thinking about tv is...drop the celebrity impersonation part, make this an earlier challenge with a multiple elimination off the back of it (if you can't pull this off...this is not your path to fame). 

Side note on the character thing- I'm glad BBC doesn't seem to have the same copyright issues, because someone did an impersonation of Kath ("Kath & Kim") that was amazing, and I don't remember it being labeled with the actor's name. We need to loosen up. 

[Kaboom 2.0]

I thought Symone should've won Snatch Game, Harriet Tubman in Snatch Game could have gone so wrong but Symone made her funny! And Symone had the best runway imho. I do not know whoever Olivia and KM portrayed (and only know guest judge TS Madison was portrayed by Silky) but wow, seeing it was cringeworthy.  And Utica and Elliott...oof. It should've been a double sashay. 

I'm so f'ng happy that Rose & Denali are finally getting some recognition.

I was actually pissed off at how awful Tina was as Richard Simmons. Girl, get up & run around manically like he used to, bust out some exercise & dance moves as you shout encouragement. SOMETHING, girl. SMH 

Re queens impersonating men on Snatch Game, I agreed with this until Kennedy broke out Little Richard and Ben De La slayed as my beloved Paul Lynde. The right queen choosing the right male celeb for Snatch Game can make it work.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Kaboom 2.0