Top 20 Snatch Game Performances on RuPaul's Drag Race

Pandora Boxx’s rendition of Carol Channing was the first introduction of the Snatch Game to the Drag Race audience, and this comedy queen’s goofy gab was the perfect way to set the bar. What better introduction to Snatch Game than a portrayal of a well-meaning but often left field Broadway retiree. Channing was the queen of corny comedy in her day, and Pandora portrayed a character as loveable as it was clueless. With doddery, bewildered style, Pandora pulled out a performance of geriatric genius. Bob the Drag Queen later took up the character again for a win, but this rendition will always stay in our heart.

Stacy Layne Matthews was talked out of doing Anna Nicole Smith in favor of Mo’Nique from “Precious.” While her look was simple, Matthews nailed the frightening mood of the character right down to her cigarette. Her yelling for Precious behind the set easily sent us into giggle fits thanks to her anger. Matthews amped up this threatening demeanor to laughably keep RuPaul from asking her questions. We were in stitches as she used one of her answers just to complain about her hunger. The comic degree that Matthews honed in on this one role provided amazing fodder, and allowed for brilliantly spiteful comebacks to her opponents.

Whether it was her jokes or her looks, Trinity the Tuck easily argued herself a chance to play Caitlyn Jenner. With her cheesy voice leading the unique character, Trinity had us cackling at her sheer indifference to finding a date. She had the most hilariously sad car comparison, which poked fun at her age. She was particularly biting to her colleagues, as she cleverly roasted Valentina’s drawn out answers and Naomi Smalls’ wig comments. All the jabs helped her secure a win, though her snarky rip at Valentina’s exit speech was the cherry on top.

RuPaul may have applauded Sharon for her bold choice of roasting Michelle for the Snatch Game, but it was a really sharp move on her part. Anyone who watches Drag Race knows just how much RuPaul loves a good Michelle read. Sharon’s over-the top portrayal coupled with her encyclopedic knowledge of Ru and Michelle's early years made for a side stitchin’ performance. It’s clear that Sharon knows her audience, and knows who’s handing out the trophies. Even if Michelle was a little miffed by the ‘older lady’ performance, that judge can take a joke, and the pair have since made up.

Melania Trump may have seemed like “a choice” for Aquaria, but she used the character to smartly mock the presidential family. Her name card said Michelle Obama to make a hysterical nod to Melania’s plagiarism of her previous first lady. Aquaria also wittily alluded to the Trump family by calling Ru the name of ex-President Obama without a second thought. Her ability to spin absurd lines about urine into digs at Donald were priceless, and all the more so because of how casually she said it. This allowed her to spin her competitors’ jokes into roasts at the president, and a show-stopping reference to his China commentary.

#15: Alyssa Edwards as Joan Crawford All-Stars 2

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Despite getting read to filth for her impersonation of Joan Crawford in the Werkroom, Alyssa Edwards insisted on continuing. Her makeup and hair for the starlet were utterly ridiculous, and it gave her spooky looks around the room a laugh-inducing intensity. Alyssa hilariously reacted to every question as if she was attacked, and knocked us out by picking unrelated quotes of Crawford’s. Her non-sequiturs turned jabs against her into gags so baffling that even Detox broke character by giggling. It was a character waaaaay beyond Crawford that made no sense, and was all the more memorable for it.

#14: Alexis Michelle as Liza Minnelli Season 9

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To honor her drag inspiration with love, Alexis Michelle became Liza Minnelli for the Snatch Game. She struck a funny bone in the Werk Room just saying her name in character, which had us and RuPaul crying with laughter. On stage, Alexis’s excitement was hysterical, so her jump to catatonic joy was even more side-splitting. Her segues to her glory days were amusingly elaborate, and were constantly sold by her chipper charm. And her mention of her family’s LGBTQ+ fans was actually funnier due to her warm but outdated lingo. With the added kicks, jazz hands and grasps for the camera, Alexis disappeared into a Liza impression made of pure fun.

On Snatch Game, Ginger Minj brought Adele to life as a celebrity so famous that they’re losing touch. Ginger had Ru losing it thanks to her laughable opening callbacks to ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Press Your Luck.’ The frankness of her response to where she comes from upped the comedic punch of her otherwise silly answer. She would pile on joke after joke when she got the mic, and slipped in a snappy meta-comment on the fake props to fill time. Ginger covered so many comedic bases that she roasted Jaidynn Diore Fierce’s boring Raven on a confession cam by using Raven against her.

RuPaul was skeptical about the humor in a robot impersonation, but Gigi Goode believed in her take on the sentient machine. Gigi found lots of screwball energy in her mechanical face movements, and the bungling with her cards was a fun detail to watch. She got wonderfully outlandish with Maria - who is based on real-life robot Sophia - by questioning the humans ordering her around and swearing out of nowhere. Gigi infused a ridiculously lewd energy to Maria as well, so computer parts suddenly sounded dirty. Plus the unexpected venom of her character turned a snap back to Jackie Cox into immediate comedy. By keeping everyone guessing what she’d do next, Gigi’s robot was a laugh riot.

It came as a real shock that Kennedy would have the nerve to do a Little Richard impression after all the times Michelle read queens on the runway for boy-drag. But it does take nerve, and the stunt paid off with Kennedy “snatching” the win. Kennedy’s snatch game had all the falsetto glam-rock grit Little Richard was known for, and the judges already knew she had that superstar diva attitude down. It doesn’t hurt that the often flamboyant rock n’ roll originator had a proclivity for lipstick and accessories. Little Richard was a queen before queens.

#10 Tatianna as Britney Spears Season 2

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On season two, Tatianna’s brainless pretty girl act gave us all Rebecca Glasscock flashbacks from season one, but this snatched verisimilitude showed us all that Tati is a sissy with substance. She played Britney Spears so well it gave the guest judges goosebumps, but make no mistake, that performance was clever. Her kooky mis-steps and idiotic idiosyncrasies would put even the most popular reality stars to shame. While Derrick Barry’s Britney played better with others, Tatianna really crafted a character rather than an impersonation. With her win in this challenge, everyone expected Tatianna to come back as strong in All Stars with Ariana Grande… but oops she didn’t do it again.”

#9: Katya as Björk All-Stars 2

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To play the infamously unusual singer Bjork on Snatch Game, Katya donned a cartoonish mix of pink fabrics. Somehow she still had the gall to talk about Ru’s look, and wackily compare it to her own guts. Fundamental misunderstandings about biology had players and judges snickering, while her tendency to blow bubbles at people kept us entertained between answers. This devolved into laughably bizarre card eating and even some utterly baffling bird sounds by the end. Plus her eagerness to chirp at everyone helped generate jokes between everyone on stage. Along with her silly demand to eat hair and win bones, Katya’s Bjork was an unforgettable weirdo.

As a callback to her childhood idol, Adore Delano gave an intentionally sloppy Anna Nicole Smith in the Snatch Game. Her weird speech tendencies had RuPaul cackling, and quickly shrieking as she tried to give out money. Adore’s voice alone was enough to leave Ru gasping for air backstage as well. Her delivery was so erratic that we were in tears at her approach to straightforward answers. And then her insistence that she barely drank paid off the whole character. Meanwhile, Adore’s nod to Smith’s reality show by yelling for Kim added more deranged character energy. Delano’s fandom kept her schtick respectful, and full of iconic details from Smith’s past.

#7: Shea Couleé as Flavor Flav All-Stars 5

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Shea Couleé pushed the envelope doing male drag as Public Enemy musician Flavor Flav, and in the Snatch Game of Love no less. Shea’s Flav leaned into the zaniness to hilariously explain that they were too out there to even concern themselves with gender. All the lewd talk you’d expect from Flav was subverted into funny jokes about his clock and his cute puppies. Shea managed to make a comical rap just to explain their realization about Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman’s identity. Though Jujubee gave a series’ best Eartha Kitt impression, Shea just packed in more jokes. Through morphing Flav into a bizarrely modern man, Shea dazzled All Stars viewers and won Bowyer-Chapman’s heart.

Bob the Drag Queen was the comedic powerhouse of season 8, so of course she brought two characters to Snatch Game. Her Uzo Aduba emulated her Crazy Eyes role with hysterically intense attitude and goofy mannerisms for every camera cut to her. Bob even used her answer to humorously hit on the judges through a poem. Her swap to Carol Channing was priceless in itself, and she butchered Uzo’s name so badly it became a bit of its own. With shade in her confession cam to cap it off, Bob slayed every time she could talk here.

#5: Jinkx Monsoon as Little Edie Season 5

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It was almost expected that this queen of comedic quirks would win this snatch game. Even if you didn’t catch the reference, Jinkx’s performance played off a character that’s easy enough to tease, and she’d already shown off her character acting chops in past challenges. Little Edie was the star of the cult classic documentary film Grey Gardens, the cult classic about an aging mother and daughter, cousins to Jackie O! It was the perfect character for snatch game, and Jinkx brought out all cat giblets and magnifying glasses that gather dust in many-a-shut-ins homes. The obscure choice ended up being a fan favorite.

When Drag Race fans talk about Cher, the first queen that comes to mind is none other than The Mother Dust. Chad built a career around Cher impersonations, going so far as to even invest in plastic surgery to give a more authentic look. With several gorgeous outfit changes and impeccable mannerisms, Chad brought a level of attention to detail that could only come from years of crazed idol worship. No one doubted that Chad had this Snatch Game in the bag, but to be fair, Michaels had years of experience: many, many, many-many years of experience. He may not have won that season, but he "believed in life after love" and ended up coming back to snatch the All Star crown.

#3: Alaska as Mae West All-Stars 2

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Alaska ranked HIiieeeeee above the competition here! The key to a good Snatch Game isn't just about serving realness or cracking a few jokes; it's about responding to set ups, keeping the jokes tight, and most of all committing to the character. Alaska had already proven her Snatch Game prowess with her Lady Bunny impersonation in Season 5(xref) , but this “All Stars” performance was the peak of her game show career. And with Roxxxy Andrews impersonating Alaska in the same game, the real Alaska 5000 even got to give herself a read! With lewd, irreverent grace, Alaska called forth the spirit of the original queen of crass, putting her own campy spin on all of Mae West’s sultry signature lines. Alaska blew the lid off of the Snatch Game, but with a killer music career and millions of fans, did she really need to?

#2: BenDeLaCreme as Maggie Smith Season 6

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Despite BenDeLa’s sickly sweet drag persona and her pretty pinup looks, she still flew a little under the radar during her season. It was only with this Snatch Game that her true brilliance shone through. Exhibiting extraordinary versatility, this queen switched from her bubbly babe BenDeLa persona to the proper Dame Maggie Smith as Downtown Abbey’s Dowager Countess of Grantham. Though BenDeLa’s Paul Lynde certainly had great vintage references, Maggie Smith had the more memorable one liners. With white gloves, cursive calligraphy, and a pretty snatched British accent to boot, BenDeLa nabbed a cunning win that pulled her ahead of her competitors - at least for a little while. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Monét X Change as Maya Angelou, Season 10 Because Rhymes Make for Great Reads Shangela as Jenifer Lewis, All-Stars 3 Because Sass Sells! Sasha Velour as Marlene Dietrich, Season 9 Because Sometimes a Long Story Is a Joke Thorgy Thor as Michael Jackson, Season 8 Because She Played Up the Celebrity Weirdness Eureka as Honey Boo Boo, Season 10 Because Children Can Be Better Queens Than Adults

#1: Bianca Del Rio as Judge Judy Season 6

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The courtroom was OUT OF ORDER over this impression.Who better to portray the notoriously strict TV judge than the queen of insult comedy? Bianca’s no-nonsense shady ways align perfectly with Judge Judy’s brand of daytime TV justice. Bianca keeps her rolodex of hate perfectly organized and executed, always sticking to the facts and sticking to her guns. The beauty of her insulting art is the way Bianca still always managed to keep it fun, or at least entertaining, even when she was reading a girl for filth. This all came across perfectly in Snatch Game, where she wasted no time laying down the hammer of shade on other queens’ messy portrayals.