By this point, we all know how the Snatch Game is played on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The remaining contestants must pick a celebrity to impersonate during a challenge that spoofs the 1970s game show Match Game. On paper, the game is about asking a series of questions from the celebrity guest judges and seeing whether those answers match with the queens’ responses.
In truth, however, nobody’s keeping score. The point of the Snatch Game is to make RuPaul (and everyone else) laugh, forcing the queens to provide enough visual cues and show off their quick wit while impersonating a celebrity. With that said, let’s just say that some of these queens’ choices certainly took nerve.
KENNEDY DAVENPORT AS LITTLE RICHARD
It was season 7, and presenting male drag to the Drag Race judges didn’t sound like the best idea. After all, up until that point, the judges were still very fixated with the idea of seeing a fierce female illusion.
Kennedy Davenport had the nerve to break all the rules as she chose to impersonate Little Richard on the Snatch Game. RuPaul tried to steer Kennedy in a different direction, and her fellow queens also tried to change her mind.
In the end, however, Kennedy’s Little Richard became a masterclass in how to do Snatch Game. Unsurprisingly, she won the challenge and made her mark in the competition.
BENDELACREME AS MAGGIE SMITH
Throughout season 6, BenDeLaCreme played a lot of old characters, which made the queen second guess her idea of playing Maggie Smith on the Snatch Game. What’s more, there was the assumption that playing an older woman would limit a queen on how “big” she could take her performance.
There’s no doubt that it took a lot of nerve for BenDeLaCreme to impersonate Maggie Smith on the Snatch Game, particularly during Bianca Del Rio’s season. Nonetheless, Ben won the challenge, proving that her bet paid off.
SHARON NEEDLES AS MICHELLE VISAGE
Season 4 winner Sharon Needles wasn’t particularly known for being glamorous, so when she mentioned wanting to impersonate Michelle Visage for the Snatch Game, people got understandably nervous. In addition, Sharon was concerned about how Michelle (a judge whose approval she needed) would react to the impersonation.
Sharon’s Michelle Visage may not have won the season 4 Snatch Game, but it was a very strong and nuanced performance that took a lot of nerve. In a different season (without Chad Michaels’ Cher), Sharon Needles could have possibly won the challenge.
TRIXIE MATTEL AS RUPAUL
Jessica Wild impersonated RuPaul during the first-ever Snatch Game on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2. And… it didn’t go well. Oh, at all.
Many years went by and Trixie Mattel thought that she had what it took to impersonate RuPaul herself (in front of RuPaul himself) on the All Stars 3 Snatch Game. While this choice is certainly commendable for the nerve of it all, Trixie bombed hard on the Snatch Game and landed in the bottom that week.
SASHA VELOUR AS MARLENE DIETRICH
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress whose career peaked in the 1930s. Not necessarily an obvious choice for a Snatch Game celebrity, right?
She may not have won the challenge, but Sasha Velour’s decision to impersonate Marlene Dietrich on season 9 certainly took a lot of nerve and was a perfect fit for Sasha’s highbrow brand of humor. Furthermore, a lot of young Drag Race viewers got to know an incredible actress better, whose work they may not have been familiar with otherwise.
VALENTINA AS ARIADNA GUTIERREZ
One thing is impersonating celebrities whose careers were more prominent many decades ago. Another thing is deciding to impersonate an obscure celebrity that the world has only seen once.
On season 9, Valentina decided to impersonate Ariadna Gutierrez, who was Miss Colombia in 2014 and then went on to live through Steve Harvey’s winner announcement mistake during the Miss Universe pageant in 2015. Long story short, Steve Harvey announced that Ariadna had won the crown, then realized that he read the card wrong. Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Philippines, ended up being the winner.
It may have taken a lot of nerve for Valentina to bring to life a character so obscure to Drag Race judges and fans, but her impersonation ended up being hilarious and nuanced.
ALEXIS MATEO AS ALICIA KEYS
Certain celebrities are known for having a very calm or neutral demeanor that is hard to poke fun at or play up during the Snatch Game on Drag Race. When Alexis Mateo decided to do Alicia Keys on season 3, it definitely felt like she was going to fall flat.
However, Alexis Mateo took the Alicia Keys persona to a very different place, making the singer more “butch” and even flirting with other girls on the Snatch Game panel. The whole thing felt so odd that it ended up being hilarious, but that doesn’t change how risky this choice was.
JINKX MONSOON AS LITTLE EDIE
Jinkx Monsoon is arguably the first contestant in Drag Race history to pick an obscure celebrity from the olden days for Snatch Game. Up until that point, the Snatch Game winners had impersonated Britney Spears, Mo’Nique, and Cher – all big stars of our time.
Well, many RuPaul’s Drag Race fans consider Jinkx Monsoon’s Little Edie impersonation on season 5 as the best Snatch Game character of all time. In hindsight, it is easy to lose sight of just how risky that decision was. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end.
ROXXXY ANDREWS AS ALASKA
On All Stars 2, Roxxxy Andrews got into her head and decided to impersonate her friend and fellow contestant Alaska on the Snatch Game. It was not the first time that a drag queen impersonated another drag queen for the Snatch Game, but a contestant had never impersonated a fellow queen who was competing in the same challenge.
We certainly have to give props to Roxxxy Andrews for having the nerve of doing Alaska in front of Alaska. However, we also need to be honest that the impersonation just didn’t land.
BENDELACREME AS PAUL LYNDE
BenDeLaCreme had already won the Snatch Game on her original season, which means that, on All Stars 3, all eyes were on her. With that said, there was also a feeling in the air that it would be pretty hard for Ben to win the Snatch Game a second time. After all, on All Stars 2, it was established that people who didn’t win this challenge the first time were trying harder to prove themselves.
And yet, just like that, BenDeLaCreme chose to impersonate a man, Paul Lynde, as her All Stars 3 Snatch Game impersonation. This huge risk that placed an even bigger target on the queen’s back, but it did pay off at the end. After winning the Snatch Game on All Stars 3, BenDeLaCreme became the first and only contestant to win the challenge twice in the history of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise. Now that’s what we call nerve!