RuPaul’s Drag Race: 10 Most Controversial Snatch Game Impersonations
Introduced for the first time during the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the Snatch Game has become a staple challenge for the queens to showcase their comedic chops and quick wit. This challenge is so beloved by fans around the world that it was even incorporated in the All Stars spin-off and on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
All in all, the rules of the Snatch Game are simple: make RuPaul laugh. However, some of the queens’ performances during this challenge have left fans divided or upset, sparking controversy for being somewhat problematic, not that great, or just straight-up weird. Read below to discover some of the most controversial Snatch Games impersonations (winners included!) to ever be on Drag Race.
10 TATIANNA AS BRITNEY SPEARS (S2)
Season 2 gave us the first-ever Snatch Game on RuPaul’s Drag Race, which meant that none of the queens were quite sure about what they were doing. In hindsight, it is pretty clear that the standout contestant during that challenge was Pandora Boxx impersonating Carol Channing, largely setting the tone for what queens should do in future seasons in order to win.
However, on season 2, it was Tatianna who came out victorious for her impersonation of Britney Spears. This is among the most controversial Snatch Game wins of all time, with fans feeling that – while charismatic and beautiful – Tatianna was not ‘stronger’ than Pandora Boxx and didn't earn that victory.
9 DETOX AS KESHA (S5)
It seemed like a pretty safe choice for Detox to impersonate Kesha (who was still deep in her dollar-sign Ke$ha era) on the Snatch Game for Drag Race season 5. After all, Detox had worked with Kesha in the past and had a pretty solid personal relationship with the singer. How could she ‘blow’ it?
However, as the Snatch Game progressed, Detox’s portrayal of Kesha felt a little bit too trashy, inebriated, and ill-mannered for the judges. At one point, Detox halted the challenge to simulate that she was peeing on the floor, which read like a desperate call for attention.
All in all, it was a controversial decision for Detox to pick a ‘celebrity friend’ to impersonate, especially given that her portrayal of Kesha was very unflattering (to say the least).
8 GIA GUNN AS JENNY BUI (AS4)
After her monotonous and unfunny portrayal of Kim Kardashian in the Snatch Game episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 6, Gia Gunn was sent home. When it came time for All Stars 4, Gia had the rare chance to redeem herself on TV.
For the Snatch Game of Love on All Stars 4, Gia Gunn planned to impersonate Caitlyn Jenner. However, that was also Trinity The Tuck’s idea, prompting Gia to go with her backup plan: Jenny Bui.
Unfortunately, Gia did not ‘nail’ the Snatch Game at all. Instead, the queen relied heavily on racial stereotypes and sexual jokes when portraying Jenny, seeming more like a blanket caricature than the actual celebrity she was trying to channel.
7 MILAN AS DIANA ROSS (S4)
It is widely known that Diana Ross is one of RuPaul’s favorite singers of all time. So, when Milan chose to impersonate Diana on the Snatch Game, Ru was incredibly excited about the idea.
During the Snatch Game, however, Milan’s Diana Ross was certainly ‘upside down.’ Instead of giving us the glamorous diva we all love, Milan portrayed Diana like a malfunctioning robot, certainly upsetting the judging panel for such a problematic impersonation. Unsurprisingly, Milan landed in the Bottom Two in that episode, and was almost sent home.
6 SILKY NUTMEG GANACHE AS TS MADISON (S11)
The Snatch Game on season 11 of RuPaul’s Drag Race brought something completely new to the franchise: two of the season’s frontrunners, Brooke Lynn Hytes and Yvie Oddly, completely bombed and landed in the Bottom Two. Alternatively, Silky Nutmeg Ganache did a solid job impersonating TS Madison, making RuPaul laugh throughout the entire challenge.
With that said, many of the fans and fellow queens seem to think that Silky Nutmeg Ganache’s portrayal of TS Madison ‘was not on.’ Just like Tatianna’s Britney Spears on season 2, many fans believe that Silky’s portrayal of TS Madison was just too close to home, and that the queen did not have to stray too far from her own catchphrases, looks, and personality.
While this is certainly one of the most controversial Snatch Game winners in the history of Drag Race, it is hard to argue against the fact that Silky was indeed funny and entertaining.
5 CHI CHI DEVAYNE AS MAYA ANGELOU (AS3)
Chi Chi DeVayne left a very positive impression on fans after her time on Drag Race season 8. However, things didn’t work out all that well during All Stars 3. For her second time on the Snatch Game, Chi Chi decided to portray Maya Angelou, and things already started out wrong when the queen misspelled the poet’s name as Mya Angelou.
All in all, Chi Chi DeVayne just did not know ‘why the caged bird sings.’ Because Maya Angelou is such a beloved and important figure for American literature, Chi Chi’s lack of preparedness and knowledge read as somewhat disrespectful and problematic.
4 CYNTHIA LEE FONTAINE AS SOFIA VERGARA (S9)
Everybody loves Cynthia Lee Fontaine and her ‘cucu’ personality on RuPaul’s Drag Race. When it came time for the Snatch Game on season 9, it seemed like the perfect idea for Cynthia to impersonate actress Sofia Vergara, who has always been perceived to have a heavy Hispanic accent due to her portrayal of Gloria on Modern Family.
However, we got none of Sofia Vergara’s Colombian accent and glamazonian quirkiness from Cynthia Lee Fontaine’s impersonation on the Snatch Game. Instead, we just got more of Cynthia, the Puerto Rican ‘cucu’ queen.
Ultimately, it seemed like Cynthia Lee Fontaine concluded that the judges wouldn’t be able to differentiate between two different Latinas. In the end, this controversial impersonation sent the queen home.
3 JESSICA WILD AS RUPAUL (S2)
Because it was the first time we ever had the Snatch Game on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Jessica Wild’s completely over-the-top impersonation of RuPaul came off as too much for TV. However, there is a large segment of the fandom that looks back at that performance as being actually very strong, inspiring future queens to do more than just stay in their seats answering questions during the entire challenge.
Over time, the RuPaul impersonation from Jessica Wild grew a solid cult following, crediting the queen for taking chances and doing well despite the language barrier.
2 MANILA LUZON AS BARBRA STREISAND (AS4)
Like RuPaul, Manila Luzon is a firm believer that “we’re all born naked and the rest is drag.” Consequently, Manila never shied away from playing with certain stereotypes for her acting portrayals, sometimes to a fault.
On All Stars 4, Manila Luzon ended up in the Top Two for her portrayal of Barbra Streisand. However, there was a segment of the Drag Race fandom that found that the queen’s characterization leaned a little too much on the fact that Barbra is a Jewish woman.
In the end, Ru and the judging panel thought that Manila’s Barbra Streisand was definitely a ‘funny girl,’ giving her the win for the Snatch Game of Love.
1 KENYA MICHAELS AS BEYONCE (S4)
Many Drag Race queens have attempted to impersonate Beyonce on the Snatch Game, and none of them succeeded. With that said, it is safe to say that Kenya Michaels’ portrayal of Queen Bey on season 4 is the most controversial of them all.
All in all, Kenya’s Beyonce impersonation really put the ‘crazy’ in ‘crazy in love.’ The contestant took things so far that even her slight visual resemblance to Bey was lost. While it is certainly clear that Kenya Michaels is a fan of Bey, this was a less-than-‘flawless’ portrayal that felt disingenuous and disrespectful to the singer.