RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars E2 - Snatch Game
Saturday, September 3, 2016 at 11:30AM By Chris Feil
How was Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars going to follow the all-timer quality of last week's premiere? By diving right into the show's biggest fan favorite challenge and ramping up all sorts of drama, of course!
Yes, this week is already Snatch Game, the show's most legendary challenge that has been seeing increasingly diminishing returns in past seasons (dare we say that we've considered the show should just eliminate it entirely *gasp*). But the actual challenge was more than just hype this time around with even the weaker performing queens producing more memorable celebrity impersonations than some of season seven and eight's strongest. I guess that's why this bunch are truly All Stars.
But the main challenge and runway drama weren't the biggest showdown this week...
This week was heavy on the drama for Adore Delano after the fallout of the harsh critiques she received on the mainstage. Adore took the judges' criticism deeply to heart, resulting in a behind the scenes heart-to-heart between her and mother hen Michelle Visage. The off-script moment was a bit too inside baseball for maybe the more casual fans of the show unaware of the post-season dynamics between stars of the series.
And with that, Adore walked away from the competition. Perhaps this is as it should be - after unprecedented success with music sales and touring, what did Adore really have to prove by showing up to All Stars in the first place? While her place could've been taken by another hungry, deserving queen from the offset, if she's in over her head, better to get out now. Also, you can never blame anyone for prioritizing their mental health.
However, this massive sledgehammer of drama felt very much out of a different series entirely and pulled the episode down with it. Sure it's quite the bombshell, but the return to a quality Snatch Game became quite the buried lede. The prep into the challenge wasn't without its juicy build up with Phi Phi O'Hara showing that she may still have a conniving streak, convincing Roxxxy Andrews to change from Sofia Vergara to Alaska herself to expectedly poor results.
Most Needed New Rule - I'm begging for an official memorandum on queens playing other queens in Snatch Game - it never ends well (even for Violet Chachki's overpraised season seven turn as Alyssa Edwards) and the show is already self-referential enough as it is.
Miss Alaska did quite well herself as a hilariously thirsty Mae West, making the character recognizable to the actress's fans and easily understandable to those unawares. Notice to all future queens whose reference points are limited to reality TV personalities: reading may be fundamental, but homework is essential.
Katya fulfilled my personal, long wished for hope to see Björk on the Snatch Game (seriously, she's such low hanging fruit, how did it take this long) and she did not disappoint. Her interpretation was all silly chaos, borrowing a little from Kristin Wiig's SNL interpretation and Katya's own absurd tangents. Between her and Alaska, it was classic domination, but I'd rank the Snatch Game performances like so:
- Alaska as Mae West
- Katya as Björk
- Ginger Minj as Tammy Faye Baker
- Tatianna as Ariana Grande
- Alyssa Edwards as Joan Crawford (truly the crunchiest but that Alyssa sure is great TV)
- Detox as Nancy Grace
- Phi Phi O'Hara as Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo
- Roxxxy Andrews as Alaska Thunderfuck 5000
Consider my mind opposed to the judges this week, with Tatianna in the bottom when she was at worst passable and provided a few laughs, while Phi Phi was in the top three thanks to consistent characterization and basically no jokes. Tati was in the bottom with Roxxxy, a real bummer after their triumphant work last week won them a slew of new fans and high marks, proving again that you have to show up every week to survive Ru's race.
Best Runway - Detox. She may have been in the bottom three, but this look is ferocious.
Katya and Alaska were the lipsyncers, delivering the fabulous and hilarity you would expect from both of them. Perhaps the season is showing its cards far too soon, but it does seem they are already quite torn between these two on who will be the eventual winner, and this lipsync was a bit of a hint for that. Alaska won in a close call, sending Tatianna home.
Frustratingly, we don't have any more details yet on what this incoming Revenge return surprise will be, but with queens already beginning to underwhelm our money is all on Tati to be the one coming back to slay.
Episode MVP: Katya. Alaska's challenge performance and lipsync win make her a close second but with so much drama weighing down the episode, Katya's above-the-fray kookiness is more refreshing than ever. Even if she is showing her slightly devilish side.
Current Ranking:
- Katya
- Alaska
- Detox
- Tatianna OUT
- Roxxxy Andrews
- Ginger Minj
- Alyssa Edwards
- Coco Montrese OUT
- Phi Phi O'Hara
- Adore Delano QUIT
Gif as Episode Grade:
What did you think of this episode? What celebrities would you like to see performed on Snatch Game?
Reader Comments (12)
Yes! I thought this was the best snatch game in a long while. And watching my two favorite freaks lipsync to Le Freak was a true delight. I definitely agree re: Adore, and with what Katya said in her webseries (which is, in typical fashion, brilliant) that she probably shouldn't have done the series in the first place as her drag priorities are so different than what's expected on the show. I'm kind of thinking the nixed queens will come back in some sort of jury fashion to eliminate someone, maybe even pick the winner? But who knows, Ru is always 3 steps ahead of the rest of the world in terms of evil twists.
Always thankful to read a level-headed response regarding Adore.
I'm just gonna copy-paste what I wrote on another forum:
Adore mentioned on her recent periscope that just before she went on All-Stars, she was dealing with depression caused by her father's death and unexpected (via text!) breakup with his boyfriend as well as burnout from constant touring. She only had two 1/2 days from her last tour before she had to leave for All-Stars, admitting that she needs to learn how to say no and not take every work opportunity for her own good. Apparently she wanted to stop the Roxxxy/Tati lipsynch and quit right there but Phi Phi stopped her. Also, Raven Simone was cruel during the critiques and NONE of the girls liked her (Alyssa and Coco mentioned this too at a recent viewing party at Roscoe's).
Adore also said that part of her wanting to leave was so that she could preserve her relationship with Michelle.
I kinda like Katya's suggestion that the queen who DOESN'T win the lipsynch should be the one given the burden of eliminating somebody.
I still can't muster up the sympathy for Adore.
(copy and paste because i'm lazy.)
* She let MICHELLE get the best of her. Not RUPAUL whose opinion actually mattered most but MICHELLE. Just because people are supposedly living for you outside the show doesn't mean that you're going to waltz in and half ass your way to the crown like season 6. Adore got the direct opposite of a Rudemption to me.
I actually liked her entrance look. That was an actually realised LOOK. Michelle may have been waaaaaay too critical of her last week but from what she's said about her and Michelle's history, this should not have been a surprise to her. It also should have not been a surprise to someone who has actually made it all the way to the end of her season and should not be a surprise that she would have to step it up considering her competition.I could see if she really TRIED and failed and found out that she wasn't a good match but come on, she could have least seen it through to the end.*
--
That being said, I might be super biased towards Alyssa but she's been doing quite well for herself. No one could flop a challenge like her in season 5 but she's been doing surprisingly great so far. She heavily relied on the Mommie Dearest quotes but the deployment of those quotes was on point. I think she's been robbed these two past episodes. I totally thought she would have been in the top based on how hard Ru was living for her.
Also I never had strong opinions on Ginger but they are barely giving her any screentime this season.
I wholeheartedly second the moratorium on queens as other queens. Sharon Needles as Michelle Visage was genius, but the surprise is gone. It's like in the earlier seasons when everyone was taking off their wigs and dresses during the lip syncs. The first is impactful and unique, but it got tired fast.
Hmm...I would love to see someone do Grace Jones. She's got a strong, recognizable look, and her kind of out there artsiness and aggressive stage persona mean there's plenty of room for jokes.
Anyone who doesn't understand Adore's exit, just watch her recent periscope. Mental health is super important and I think it's obvious from the moment she walked through the door on All Stars that she wasn't the same as before. She was chunkier and had no spark in her eye.
I'm mad Tatianna went home tho. I was totally expecting a non-elimination after Adore quit, but whatever. In my opinion, Phi Phi should've been in the bottom and gone home for being weak both weeks so far. I can tell the other queens wanted to eliminate her had she been in the bottom. I don't see her lasting much longer.
And I still think the revenge will be the eliminated queens deciding who the winner is, or having some sort of say in that.
Adore stans are the WORST. Adore gets judged on the same criteria as everyone else and she was found lacking - Periscope or no. And Raven-Symone was a hilarious judge. Have several seats.
Anyone who still uses the word "stan" should have sat down a long time ago.
Because I mentioned a video of hers that explains her reasoning in case anyone didn't get it, I'm a "stan"? lol ok...
And several other girls also mentioned Rave Symone as being completely unnecessarily rude as a judge, so.
Alaska and Katya really did slay the challenge. Good for them!
i loved ADORE in her season (though i think Bianca more than deserved her win) but i also cant muster any sympathy. There are other queens who really needed this exposure so it's hurtful to them to take up space you dont want. (sigh)
Philip H -- agree about revenge via voting BUT Ru did say "the chance to return" which sound like someone is reentering the competition.
RuPaul is borrowing from Big Brother with the contestants voting each other off and some competing to re-enter. I like it.
All of that drama between Adore and Michelle was from the tour (which I saw and was amazing). I don't think it was hard to follow even if I hadn't seen it. Sad that Adore gave up so easily. I'm guessing this paves the way for a return queen or "shocking" elimination, though Ru's teasers started in the season premiere. I don't see a scenario where Alaska doesn't run away with this. The other queens better hope she slips up one week, lands in the bottom three, and send her packing real quick. Otherwise, game over.