Although I wouldn’t describe myself as a conservative, I do have a strong view on politics about one issue: Snatch Game should be outlawed. if not universally, then at least in New Zealand and Australia. The first season of Drag Race Down Under raised the possibility that perhaps Antipodean queens struggle with celebrity impersonations, despite the fact that international RuPaul’s Drag Race franchises have shown that this venerable institution of the show can still produce real winners (see Jinkx’s outstanding Judy Garland or Monét X Change as Mike Tyson on All Stars 7). Etcetera Etcetera as Lindy Chamberlain was obviously disrespectful, Art Simone as Bindi Irwin was dangerously unfunny, and everyone else ended up somewhere close to being entirely incomprehensible as our competitors last year. Watching the show feels like some horrific nightmare when I reflect back on it.
The local queens’ downward trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down this year. Nobody seems to have really paid attention to the advice given to last year’s contestants after their disastrous Snatch Game, even though each elimination seems to have instilled a fear of God in many queens (Beverly Kills delivered one of the most perfect, naively dramatic lines I’ve ever heard on this show: “I looked death right in the eyes in the form of RuPaul Charles, and I said ‘Not today'”). This year’s impressions are still marred by unclear jokes, offensive American accents, and a general lack of comedic timing.
Minnie Cooper plays Ellen DeGeneres.
Ellen might seem like a certainty on paper, but in reality, it can be difficult to make her humorous in this circumstance. If you can classify saying “I’m Ellen!” and “I’m gay!” as parts, Minnie has a couple of them, but she typically has trouble making jokes; they come off as puerile and muddled. Minnie and Ellen share the same physical characteristics as wide-eyed beanpoles, but Minnie’s outfit looks like it was thrown together carelessly; it looks more like grandpa than Ellen.
Kween Kong played NeNe Leakes.
The joke isn’t all that funny, even when Kween Kong pulls off a respectable NeNe Leakes impression. It’s odd to say of someone impersonating NeNe Leakes that she gets lost among the other queens. Kween is painfully timid when she’s not performing in front of an audience, and during Snatch Game, her anxiety overcame her.
Yuri Guaii as Courtney Love
A fun fact about Courtney Love is that she at least spent a portion of her adolescence there. If this is the case, does Yuri Guaii have the right to treat her inhumanely on Snatch Game? There isn’t much, but you must acknowledge that there is some kind of connection. I’m a major admirer of Hole, capital-H Hole, you wicked nuts, and I think Love is a wild, genuinely funny character even in the worst of times, so I’m disappointed by this replica. She frequently says the most ludicrous things, as any interview with her from the past two decades will show. (“Darling, you’re like a baby doll in Doc Martens!” was one of the writers’ comments when [Steven] Meisel photographed me for U.S. Vogue in 1995. I responded, “Honey, I’ve never worn a Doc Marten in my life.” is a recent favourite that, honestly, I think could work in a circumstance. Courtney Love is still a deserved Snatch Game character, therefore I hope that one day, someone will crack a sarcastic, biting joke about her.
Beverly Kills is played by Val Garland.
I don’t know who Val Garland is, but I get the impression that Beverly Kills misrepresented her in Snatch Game. After watching this episode, I watched a video of Val, and in it, she comes across as a kind, normal woman. Beverly elected to have her teeth pulled in the middle, and I have no idea why. (Which begs the question: why bother wearing false teeth if both you and the impersonator have natural teeth? For years to come, I’m sure I’ll think about this.) She was breathing in markers, and I have no idea why. I have no idea why she spoke with such a weird, illogical sense of eagerness. I just know Val should definitely sue to take advantage of the very stringent defamation laws in Australia.
Hannah Conda played Liza Minnelli.
The bizarre performance by Hannah dressed as Liza Minnelli to RuPaul’s “Sissy That Walk” almost makes the awful ordeal worthwhile. Hanna sells it by embracing the absurdity of the scenario and turning each word into a mix of squelchy, spitty, and lisp sounds, even though she certainly resembles Liza more jankily than we’ve ever seen her on Snatch Game. I have to assume that many other people had difficulty understanding what she was saying, which is a triumph in my book given that some of her words were subtitled.
portrayed by Molly Poppins as Orville Peck
Orville Peck is an unusual choice because, despite being striking on the outside, he may not be amusing. Molly nails her accent and attire, and the jokes—which really just lean toward homosexual cowboy comedy—occasionally land. The show is not very memorable, though, if only because there is no opportunity for the audience to have a “A-ha!” moment after watching some brilliant humour.
Spankie Jackzon is Barry Humphries (Dame Edna Everage)
Even if Dame Edna’s razor-sharp wit isn’t entirely present (I think she’s billed as Barry Humphries for copyright reasons), this is the best Snatch Game of the year. For Spankie to try out such a well-known persona was a risk. This is partially due to the fact that no one else thought to make a character from Australia or New Zealand, which is surprising given how terrible these countries’ accents are. A broad-shouldered, deep-voiced man plays the elegant society woman Spankie, who physically generates the same sense of physical humour as Dame Edna. She also has a really accurate voice. What we did see was quite true, even though I would have loved to see Spankie have a little more screen time.
The runway’s theme is Cirque Du So Gay, and RuPaul, who is wearing an outlandish cape and cocktail dress ensemble, is clearly the winner. Though not all of the candidates have incredibly disgusting features. Everyone interprets the theme differently: Minnie goes bonkers as a clown on roller skates; Spankie creates her most glamorous outfit yet; Kween has fun with her bearded lady look; and Hanna once again solidifies her position as the most eminently fashionable contestant of the season with a stunning harlequin ensemble. Yuri and Beverly seem to be the most perplexed by the subject because neither of their costumes shouts “circus,” and Molly’s cotton-candy mime thing doesn’t track for me. No one is particularly unattractive, though, and here is another another strong runway in a season that has been surprisingly rich with them.
Despite being significantly better than it was last year, The Snatch Game had a muted reception this year. The judges didn’t trash anyone because nobody was bad; it was just uninteresting. In the end, Hannah wins with ease because she outperformed everyone else on the runway and in the Snatch Game, while Minnie and Beverly are the most obvious losers. When lip-syncing to Lady Gaga’s “Dance In The Dark,” Minnie seemed to have the edge because she performed the entire thing with a frightful, clownish enthusiasm. However, this is ultimately Ru’s game. While Minnie, the show’s obligatory chaos agent-turned-elder stateswoman, is ejected, Beverly is allowed to compete for a more week. She was only here for a short, strange while.
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