Top 5 Times a Queen Smartly Changed Her Snatch Game Choice & 5 Times Any Choice Was a Bad One

Choosing a celebrity to impersonate for the Snatch Game is a complicated decision. Season 8 finalist Naomi Smalls chose to impersonate Whoopi Goldberg because she loved Celie, her character in “The Color Purple.” But the moment she saw eventual winner Bob the Drag Queen pull out her own Whoopi costume, Naomi got nervous. She switched characters completely. Neither one of them ended up doing Goldberg, and instead, Naomi turned in an unforgivably boring impression of reality TV villainess, Tiffany “New York” Pollard. She wound up in the bottom two for that performance, and only just saved herself from elimination.

When this season 10 finalist told Ru and Bianca Del Rio she was planning on doing Whitney Houston for the Snatch Game, alarm bells went off. But when RuPaul essentially told Asia O’Hara to stay away from the powdered sugar prop she usually used for her impersonation, she had a problem. Asia didn’t think she could make Whitney funny without mentioning substance use. Unfortunately, Asia didn’t have much of a backup in Beyoncé. Even playing off of The Vixen’s Blue Ivy Carter couldn’t save them both from their undercooked, terminally unfunny impersonations. She just barely escaped the bottom two.

Ru wasn’t exactly living for this all star’s Sofia Vergara impression. But it didn’t seem like Roxxxy Andrews was gonna change until Phi Phi O’Hara got in her ear and suggested her accent wasn’t up to snuff. It was a change from season 5, where Roxxxy was playing the pageant girl mind games. Her last-minute change to fellow contestant Alaska went over about as well as flats on the mainstage. She missed every joke, even the ones pitched specifically to Alaska’s work. Who knows if she could’ve pulled Sofia Vergara? It would’ve at least been entertaining to watch.

The battle of the Caitlyns gave us one of “All Stars” season 4’s most iconic moments, courtesy of Gia Gunn. She and competitor Trinity The Tuck got into a brief, but memorable spat over who was going to perform as Caitlyn Jenner for the Snatch Game. Eventually, Gia gave in and decided to be Jenny Bui, Cardi B’s nail artist. Unfortunately, Gia got almost everything about the woman wrong. She didn’t even know what ethnicity Bui was. Maybe she should have taken her own advice: [“What you wanna do is not necessarily what you’re gonna do.”]

The thing about this season 5 queen’s Snatch Game switcheroo is that, either way, she seemed doomed. Lineysha Sparx was primarily a look queen. Between that and the language barrier, she faced an uphill battle in the season’s acting challenges. When RuPaul wasn’t impressed with her original choice, First Lady Michelle Obama, she nudged Lineysha toward her backup choice, Celia Cruz. Taking on a more Spanish language-friendly celebrity didn’t help her much. The improv didn’t come naturally, and her answers were confusing and iconic for all the wrong reasons. Her performance landed with a thud. Like a big can of tomato salsa.

Apparently, this season 16 queen learned nothing from Naomi Smalls. Mhi’ya Iman LePaige came into Snatch Game wanting to embody reality TV legend Tiffany “New York” Pollard. But Ru, as she often does, nudged her in a different direction. On the big day, she arrived as $haquita, the rapper Trina’s fictional cousin. It gave her the freedom to be funny while still borrowing from a real-life celebrity. The moment was hailed as Mhi’ya’s breakthrough moment of the season. She didn’t win the challenge, but it was the first time she was singled out for positive critiques.

Of all the celebrities in all the world, it’s kind of hilarious that two queens on a season would come up with the same Snatch Game character. In season 7, Violet Chachki and Miss Fame realized they were both doing Donatella Versace. Violet’s walkthrough with Ru led her to switch to former “Drag Race” competitor Alyssa Edwards instead. Although it was a stressful moment for her, it turned out to be the right choice. Violet did well, but Miss Fame’s Donatella was a huge misstep for her. Violet may not have won the challenge, but her Alyssa Edwards performance did give us this meme-able moment from the queen herself.

You’re a renowned drag queen whose Britney Spears impersonation made you a legend. So, clearly, you’re gonna do Britney for the Snatch Game, right? Well, if you’re Derrick Barry, apparently not. Worried that the judges would think she was playing it safe by doing the princess of pop, Derrick decided to go with Shocantelle, a controversial YouTube character created by Laura Bell Bundy. It was… a choice. But with RuPaul’s help, she came to her senses. No one in “Drag Race” herstory knew Britney like Derrick. Her high placement for the week just goes to show that sometimes, it’s best to stick with what you know.

Coming off of a bottom two placement, the country queen from North Carolina was against a wall. Her Snatch Game choice of Anna Nicole Smith was almost immediately shot down by RuPaul, leaving her scrambling for a backup. She ended up smashing the competition as Oscar winner Mo’Nique, earning her first maxi-challenge win. According to Stacy, though, she never intended to do Anna Nicole Smith. In an interview with Jonny McGovern, she confessed that her decision to switch was all for show, and she just wanted to make some costumes with the provided fabrics to take home with her. Well, we bought it.

Unlike most of these queens, this eventual winner didn’t just change her celebrity before the challenge. She changed mid-challenge. After ditching the Whoopi Goldberg idea, Bob the Drag Queen couldn’t decide between “Orange is the New Black” star Uzo Aduba or Broadway legend Carol Channing. So, she did them both. Switching out her Uzo look for her Carol look halfway through was a gamble. It could’ve come off as unfocused and chaotic. Well, it was certainly chaotic, but in the best way. Bob’s gimmick paid off big time. She won the Snatch Game in a walk. Which last-minute “Snatch Game” change-up was your favorite? Let us know in the comments.