The queens competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 7 have played the fan favorite challenge Snatch Game, with some queens pulling it off more impressively than others. The long-anticipated season of RuPaul’s Drag Race features eight previous winners who are back to win the title “Queen of all Queens.” The RPDR alumni competing for an additional prize of $200,000 are Raja (winner of season 3), Jinkx Monsoon (season 5), Yvie Oddly (season 11), Jaida Essence Hall (season 12), Monét X Change (All Stars 4), Trinity the Tuck (All Stars 4), Shea Couleé (All Stars 5), and The Vivienne (RPDR UK season 1).
Snatch Game may be entertaining for viewers at home, but it’s not an easy challenge for the queens to win – or even succeed at. When the time comes, each contestant must impersonate a celebrity of their choosing while playing a parody of the game show Match Game. Although the two guest stars hope the queens guess their fill-in-the-blanks correctly, there is only one rule: the queens must be funny. Naturally, thinking quickly and responding spontaneously as someone else doesn’t always lead to a strong performance. Bad Snatch Game impersonations can be found throughout each season, with notable examples including Max (Sharon Needles, season 7), Alyssa Edwards (Katy Perry, season 5), and every queen who has portrayed Beyoncé sans Trinity K. Bonet.
On the other hand, there have been plenty of celebrity impersonators who are remembered as scarily accurate, hilariously funny, and just plain entertaining. A few include BenDeLaCreme (Maggie Smith, season 6), Chad Michaels (Cher, season 4), and Katya (Björk, All Stars 2). In an exciting twist, RPDR All Stars season 7 challenged the returning queens to portray two characters instead of just one. With a whopping 16 celebrity impressions performed on the show, ranking them from worst to best is no easy task.
Yvie Oddly As Rico Nasty
Star Yvie Oddly is unintentionally funny with her quirky personality and free spirit. From the first episode of RPDR All Stars season 7, Yvie declared that she was ready to let loose and embrace her weird streak even more. Unfortunately, rapper Rico Nasty was simply not a good choice for Snatch Game. One of the most important things in choosing a celebrity is that they’re primarily known for being funny or distinctly memorable in a way that can be humorous. While Rico Nasty is a talented artist, her bold persona doesn’t fit what Snatch Game is about. There were still some moments where Yvie got a few laughs, but with a season full of winners, this performance just didn’t stand up.
Jaida Essence Hall As The Lady Chablis
The Lady Chablis is a transgender actress and club performer who rose in popularity during the early 1990s. While Jaida looked beautiful as Lady Chablis with hair and makeup that resembled the LGTBQ+ icon, she ran into the same problem as Yvie: Jaida failed to make Lady Chablis funny. Snatch Game is about showing off quick comedic timing in character, yet the wheels in Jaida’s head can practically be seen turning with each question.
The Vivienne As Joanna Lumley
The stakes for The Vivienne were high for this Snatch Game, as she co-won as Donald Trump on the inaugural season of RPDR UK. The only British queen this season had some shining moments with her portrayal (like the consistent mention of Chanel), but the impression didn’t reach the same level as her former. One of The Vivienne’s biggest problems with her choice of Joanna Lumley is that there wasn’t enough material for RPDR fans to walk away with the knowledge of who she was. That being said, Joanna is an actress and activist known for appearing in dramas like the soap opera Coronation Street.
Yvie Oddly As The Boogieman
The Boogieman is technically not a celebrity, but Yvie’s second impersonation was solidly better than her first. Since Yvie is not exactly known as a comedy queen, choosing an obscure reference and making it her own was a good choice in a game that requires fast-paced responses. The foxy persona and confident personality of the Boogieman clearly won over RuPaul, who is really the most important person to impress, but there was still an overall lack of substance to the Boogieman. On the positive side, Yvie looked great and nailed the physical look she was clearly going for.
Miss J was the Runway Diva Coach Extraordinaire of America’s Next Top Model, and since Raja was ANTM’s makeup artist through seasons 4 and 12, this also means Shea impersonated her co-worker’s co-worker. While Shea chose the right outfit and hairstyle for Miss J, she unfortunately didn’t embody Miss J’s over-the-top and unfiltered personality. There were a lot of moments where Shea could have taken the jokes further, and the performance ultimately fell flat. In addition, there were numerous times that Shea Couleé could have referenced Miss J’s many quotes and mannerisms on ANTM, and the lack of references made for missed opportunities.
Monét X Change As Martin Lawrence
Monét X Change’s Martin Lawrence specifically paid homage to the character Sheneneh Jenkins from the 1990s sitcom Martin. With ridiculously long nails and Sheneneh’s unforgettable hair, Monét certainly looked the part. While she delivered some great one-liners, such as “I’m a lady,” and interacted well with her fellow competitors as the character, Monét’s Martin was a great choice that showcased a fun character. The downside is that Monét hard a hard time standing out among some of the other queens, which puts her second celebrity impression toward the bottom.
The Vivienne As Catherine Tate
The Vivienne’s second choice for Snatch Game, actress Catherine Tate, was a specific ode to the character Nan from The Catherine Tate Show. With her messy hair and prosthetic makeup, the RuPaul’s Drag Race star nailed the look of Nan, with her voice not being far behind. Playing two British characters worked in her favor in terms of natural humor, and Catherine immediately receiving subtitles added to the comedy. While The Vivienne’s tiny mannerisms, such as blowing her nose and eating bread, were humorous despite the lack of context, the problem with Catherine Tate was the same problem with Joanna Lumley: the impersonation was good in itself, but RPDR fans unaware of Catherine Tate beforehand didn’t walk away with much knowledge as to who she was afterward.
Shea Couleé As Elsa Majimbo
Shea’s performance as Elsa Majimbo is a better example of taking a relatively unknown celebrity and making RPDR interested in knowing more about them with their impersonation. Elsa, a Kenyan YouTube comedian, is primarily known online for her series of monologues conducted while eating potato chips. Elsa was a unique choice for Shea, and while she managed to land several jokes, there were simply better characters in this tight-race Snatch Game that pushed Shea’s Elsa further down the line.
Jaida Essence Hall As Prince
Jaida’s impersonation of Prince was not the most accurate, but it sure was entertaining. From the sultry voice to the tiny facial expressions, Jaida sold her interpretation of Prince by acting more disinterested than interested during the Snatch Game competition. Sometimes not trying to be funny is exactly what makes a character funny, and that’s exactly what Jaida did. Fans online have also praised Jaida for the look, calling Prince one of the most attractive Snatch Game celebrities in recent times.
Jinkx Monsoon As Natasha Lyonne
Jinkx’s impersonation of actress Natasha Lyonne was physically and vocally on point. Natasha is known for her thick and deep New York accent and big, flaming red hair, which Jinkx integrated perfectly into her routine. From smoking cigarettes (despite claiming to quit) to a sold one-minute joke about Jada and Monét, Jinkx’s Natasha won over viewers at home – and Natasha Lyonne herself.
Raja As Diana Vreeland
Because Raja is primarily known for being a fashion queen, fans were excited to see how well she would perform during Snatch Game. In addition, RPDR has changed in many ways since season 3, and viewers were ready to compare Raja’s season 3 Snatch Game (as Tyra Banks) to her second appearance years later. With the look and mannerisms of Diana Vreeland down, Raja did not disappoint and delivered a great impression of the late fashion editor.
Trinity The Tuck As Satan
Like the Boogieman, Satan isn’t really a celebrity, but Trinity successfully sold her take on Luci. With a high-pitched voice, pink accessories, and an over-the-top personality, Trinity delivered joke after joke as Satan and did not let a moment go to waste. Trinity portrayed Luci(fer) completely differently than one might expect, and it paid off. From joking about appearing in Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” music video to giving love to Michelle Visage, Trinity played Satan with a good repertoire of old and modern references.
Raja As Madame
Not only was Raja’s Madame funny, but it was also impeccably designed. It’s not easy to make a puppet funny and recognizable, but Raja managed to do both easily. RPDR fans were immediately impressed by Raja’s transformation, and especially praised the star for managing to hit every comedic beat with massive facial prosthetics on. Madame’s puppeteer Wayland Flowers would have been impressed by the performance, like viewers were.
Monét X Change As Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is definitely a risk when it comes to Snatch Game, but Monét’s impersonation paid off. Although Mike is a well-known boxer with a short temper, Monét successfully combined an exaggeration of Mike’s personality with the hilarious quick-wittedness needed for Snatch Game. Although Mike was the first celebrity introduced during the episode, Monét X Change easily made the judges laugh with an accurate voice and inappropriate joke. And the laughs only continued whenever Monét answered a question as Mike, with RuPaul and the judges clearly loving the performance. Mike Tyson was ultimately a choice that could have gone either way, and luckily, it was one of the best impressions of the episode.
Trinity The Tuck As Leslie Jordan
Trinity’s Leslie Jordan impression was a success as soon as she requested a booster seat for the 4’11” actor. Trinity is a performer who has natural comedic timing, which easily makes her hilarious without even trying. From the facial expressions to the voice, Trinity hit all the tiny mannerisms of the real Leslie. The jokes made sense, Trinity interacted well with the other queens, and most importantly, the impersonation of Leslie made RuPaul, the judges, and viewers at home laugh without anything even being said. Trinity’s Leslie and Jinkx’s Judy Garland played off each other especially well, making Snatch Game’s second round even more fun.
Jinkx Monsoon As Judy Garland
Since Jinkx won her first Snatch Game as Little Edie, fans didn’t think she would be able to do better the second time around, which she quickly disproved with her impression of Judy Garland. From forgiving army veteran Dave for being worried about Judy’s death to randomly busting into song, Jinkx not only made the judges laugh hysterically, but fellow stars like Shea and Jaida as well. What’s even better is that Dave, who was Jinkx’s makeover challenge partner during season 5, saw the episode and appreciated the shoutout. This season is still anyone’s game, but if any queen should be watched based on their Snatch Game performance, its Jinkx.
RPDR All Stars season 7 has just started, but it has already become the highest rated season, with the recent Snatch Game episode almost scoring a perfect ten out of ten by viewers. The eight returning winners are not only overflowing with talent individually, but are also such a strong group that it’s almost impossible to predict who will become the Queen of all Queens. Unlike the previous season of RPDR, the contestants are not being sent home after each episode, and instead will gain stars to propel them closer to the title. However, the winner of each episode has the opportunity to “block” someone from receiving a star the next week. With the season full of twists, turns, and tons of laughs, fans will have to keep watching each week to see how the rest of the season plays out.
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 7 airs new episodes every Friday on Paramount+.
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