Recently, RuPaul’s Drag Race fans enjoyed another Snatch Game episode during season 13. As usual, there was a dizzying array of characters, from Symone as Harriet Tubman to Kandy Muse as Patrick Starr to Rose as Mary, Queen of Scots. After this milestone, it's time to remember some incredibly controversial Snatch Game impersonations.
Every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race includes one episode where the maxi challenge is the Snatch Game. The contestants are asked to impersonate someone. They must try to match responses to blank questions alongside guest celebrities. Snatch Game is inspired by an old TV show called Match Game which aired from 1962 to 1991. Drag Race fans love watching Snatch Game because it's fun to see who the queens choose to impersonate. The performances are enjoyable, too. However, over the years, there have been some questionable impersonations.
Season 10 - Aquaria As Melania Trump
Season 10 aired in 2018, which means Donald Trump was two years into his presidential term when Aquaria chose to impersonate Melania Trump. Given the buzz surrounding Trump at the time, this was a bold choice for Snatch Game. However, Aquaria played the part perfectly and got awesome feedback from the judges. In fact, Aquaria won the whole Snatch Game challenge. She had Melania’s awkward squint down to a "T" and made appropriate political references. “No wonder my husband is complaining about China all the time,” and “Any whole is a goal… my mother used to tell me that when I was little,” were a few of her hilarious lines.
Season 8 - Kim Chi As “Kimmy Jong-un”
As we saw with Aquaria, political figures are a bold choice. Kim Chi (who once fell onstage) took it to the next level when she chose to impersonate the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un. To make the character more feminine, Kim Chi created a fictional sister character. The dictator's sibling was named, “Kimmy Jong-un.” While in character, she would salute, sneer and drag a finger across her throat. Knowing how controversial this character was, RuPaul joked, “I just know my emails are gonna get hacked after this show, you know what I mean?”
Season 8 - Thorgy Thor As Michael Jackson
Also in season 8, Thorgy Thor impersonated the larger-than-life pop star, Michael Jackson. This was a controversial choice because Thorgy chose to impersonate a man, which isn’t as common on Snatch Game. In addition, Michael Jackson is a questionable figure because of disturbing allegations made against him in the past. Despite this fact, Thorgy was able to poke fun and make Ru laugh.
Season 9 - Sasha Velour As Marlene Dietrich
The late Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer. She was well known for her fashion aesthetic because it defied the norms of her time. She loved wearing suits and other types of men’s clothing. Of course, this was an excellent choice for Sasha Velour’s intellectual self (Sasha starred in a drag docu-series called Nightgowns). Still, Dietrich was a challenging person to impersonate because of the German accent and required sophistication. In addition, some people aren't familiar with Old Hollywood legends like Marlene, which meant there was a risk people wouldn’t understand the reference. “When I wear a suit, people say Marlene are you a lesbian? and I look at them and I say: yes,” Sasha joked while in character, adorned in a tuxedo.
Season 12 - Gigi Goode As Maria the Robot
Gigi Goode was a robot on Snatch Game in season 12. She went by the name Maria the Robot, which was based on a real robot created in Hong Kong. Most people choose a person for Snatch Game, not an object or a robot, which made Sophia a controversial choice for Gigi. “Oh yes, I’ve got quite the USB port for it,” and “You trying to control me? How very dare you,” were some of Gigi’s hilarious impersonation lines. Her flat and mechanical expressions were the perfect finishing touch. Gigi Goode (also known as "Gigi Great") won the entire RuPaul's Drag Race Snatch Game challenge.