{"id":104950,"date":"2019-11-02T14:25:32","date_gmt":"2019-11-02T18:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/rupauls-drag-race-u-k-ladies-are-not-for-turning-on-snatch-game-recap-and-rankings\/"},"modified":"2019-11-02T14:25:32","modified_gmt":"2019-11-02T18:25:32","slug":"rupauls-drag-race-u-k-ladies-are-not-for-turning-on-snatch-game-recap-and-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/rupauls-drag-race-u-k-ladies-are-not-for-turning-on-snatch-game-recap-and-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race U.K.\u2019 Ladies Are Not For Turning on Snatch Game [RECAP and RANKINGS]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race U.K.\u2019 Ladies Are Not For Turning on Snatch Game [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/b><\/p>\n

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When it comes to assessing any season of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, there is no other main challenge as important as the Snatch Game. It\u2019s a fan favorite, of course, but it\u2019s also an excellent measure of a queen\u2019s true skills. They have to pull off a lewk, demonstrate a unique point of view, be funny, be quick, be original and demonstrate a certain cultural savvy. <\/p>\n

I wish all reality-TV micro-celebrities were held up to such a high standard.<\/p>\n

The U.K.<\/em> Snatch Game delivered big laughs and a couple<\/a> of legendary performances that alone justify the inclusion of U.K. queens in an upcoming All Stars<\/em> season. <\/p>\n

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The episode was not without its drama, though it was still very measured and polite and British. Both Divina and Baga came packing Margaret Thatcher drags, but Divina has cold feet about two Iron Ladies on stage. She not only cedes the character to Baga, but lends her the blouse and jacket.<\/p>\n

Geez, Divina, you didn\u2019t have any jokes you could write for her while you\u2019re at it?<\/p>\n

DDC\u2019s short-sighted act of charity would clearly be her undoing. Instead, she opts to go with Julia Child (after briefly considering Victoria Beckham). Julia Child did Milk no favors when the tall queen attempted the famed chef during her Snatch, so I have some concerns about how much \u201cfunny\u201d is there.<\/p>\n

However, any celebrity could be funny, if you have a unique point of view, just ask Blu. When Blu told Ru she was going to be the former Great British Baking Show<\/em>\u2018s beloved judge Mary Berry, I was concerned. Too many queens would think merely playing an older woman<\/a> with the makeup and the hump and whatnot is the whole joke. Blu though takes it one-step further, choosing to portray Mary as an absolute horndog. It\u2019s very silly, but it\u2019s also a consistent character choice. Not bad for a young queen that\u2019s been struggling to breakthrough the competition and doesn\u2019t consider herself a comedy queen.<\/p>\n

Cheryl is playing some kind of U.K. reality-TV dumpster person that I\u2019m sure I would love and will absolutely be a guest judge next season. Crystal is playing Rue McClanahan, or maybe Rue as Blanche on Golden Girls, or maybe just actually Blanche as if she\u2019s a real person and we\u2019re all on the lanai? I don\u2019t think Crystal is even sure.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m most concerned for Sum Ting Wong and Vivienne, but for very different reasons. Both are going for boydrag, including Sum Ting\u2019s Sir David Attenborough and Viv\u2019s Trump. Now, Sum Ting has the voice down, but it\u2019s pretty clear right away the characterization stops there. Meanwhile Vivienne is note-perfect as Trump, capturing both the tiny-handed tyrant\u2019s bizarre tics as well as his very specific, unctuous overall sleazy energy. It\u2019s great, but, my god, I don\u2019t know if I can emotionally sit through it, you know?<\/p>\n

Turns out my fears are for naught, because Vivienne\u2019s Trump ends up being one of the brightest shining stars of any Snatch Game in herstory. Put her up there with Jinkx\u2019s Little Edie or Bianca\u2019s Judge Judy. Every single joke lands, and she picks her spots perfectly. It is a master class in this challenge.<\/p>\n

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Baga is no slouch either. Her version of Margaret Thatcher, I think, might be a zombie? It\u2019s like part-Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady <\/em>and part \u2026 I don\u2019t know, Bunnicula? It\u2019s almost Monty Python-esque in its commitment to the surreality of it all, and it\u2019s the kind of thing I think only a U.K. queen could pull off so effortlessly.<\/p>\n

Blu is nigh unhinged (well, at least as adorably, politely unhinged as these birds get across the pond) as Mary Berry. She is always \u201con game,\u201d as they say, and considering the \u201cblue\u201d material, she manages to keep the answers more than merely filthy. Years from now, they will study \u201cMy poonanny tastes like a fondant fancy\u201d as they do \u201cFor Sale: Baby Shoes, never worn,\u201d for its perfect word economy. <\/p>\n

Cheryl falls squarely in the middle of the Snatch, staying very on-brand as Gemma Collins (another Essex native). She gets some laugh, but nothing she couldn\u2019t have gotten away with as Cheryl.<\/p>\n

The rest is a bit of a mess. Divina\u2019s Julia misses groundballs from Ru, literally answering questions about her book (\u201cThe Joy of Cooking\u201d \u2026 which could have just as easily been \u201cThe Joy of F00king\u201d or \u201cThe Joy of Cocking,\u201d etc.). Ru loves an easy dirty joke as much as the wittiest turn of phrase, so Divina\u2019s lack of either feels like a real miss when she was looking ready to surge just a week prior.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s so much to unpack over what went wrong with Crystal\u2019s Snatch, it makes me wonder how she ever settled on it in the first place. She doesn\u2019t look great. The beat just doesn\u2019t do anything to give the illusion of Rue\u2019s distinct facial structure. (She looks more like Bea Arthur to me.) The jokes were super elementary level and still struggled to connect. Crystal barely managed the accent, which is arguably the most important element of a Rue McClanahan impersonation. It makes me wonder why she didn\u2019t go for a Canadian celebrity where she could lean into her natural accent, take a bag of milk out of her bra, ask Donald Trump if he needs to borrow a toonie, etc. <\/p>\n

Write what you know, ladies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sum Ting Wong is also a bit of a disaster. The makeup is actually pretty good, the mannerisms are there, the voice is great, but, in the words of Trinity, \u201cWhere. Are. The jokes?\u201d It would be a great performance at Madama Tussaud\u2019s, but on the Snatch, Sir. David was clearly endangered.<\/p>\n

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Overall, it was a quick-moving Snatch Game with real high highs, thanks to Baga, Vivienne and Blu. The lows were merely disappointing. There wasn\u2019t really an out and out disaster like season four\u2019s infamous romper room meltdown. The worst of the bunch were just boring.<\/p>\n

Before the runway, our Makeup Mirror Moment(TM) focused on marriage equality in the U.K. There is not marriage equality where Blu is from in Ireland, which the young queen discusses with the married Divina and affianced Cheryl. While marriage equality is certainly nowhere near the be-all, end-all for civil rights, I hope this conversation is a helpful reminder to many more mainstream viewers just how many battles are still ahead.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s runway category is Weird Science: Genetically-Modified Drag Queens. We\u2019ll discuss more of the details about each ensemble in our rankings below. <\/p>\n

Shockingly, Ru, along with judges Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Geri \u201cGinger Spice\u201d Halliwell, send Cheryl and Blu to safety. I could see Cheryl, being safe, but why is Blu not in the top three? Why only have a top two? Blu clearly was deserving of the spot, and it\u2019s not like she was edged out by someone else. They just opted to do no third place finisher? It seemed a real shame for Blu, who is really trying to turn up the volume these last few weeks. I get that she\u2019s getting the \u201cyou gotta standout\u201d edit, but this feels unfair.<\/p>\n

The judges love Baga\u2019s Thatcher, but her runway lewk is lacking. Baga is not a fashion girl<\/a>, clearly. She doesn\u2019t seems particularly detail-oriented enough to know how to create a very special moment without opening her mouth. It\u2019s definitely something she\u2019s going to have to overcome if she wants to be able to give Vivienne a run for her money.<\/p>\n

Though Vivienne isn\u2019t at her best this week on the runway, either. The facial prosthesis and embellishments are gorgeous, but the brown base of her one-piece looks cheap and ill-fitting. It\u2019s a rare misstep for Viv on the runway, but she could have walked down the runway in a sack and still got a RuPeter badge for her Snatch Game, it was that good.<\/p>\n

Divina makes up for a weak Snatch with a killer runway. The most alien-esque of the bunch, she did incredible makeup, utilized big plastic bubbles and changed her entire walk to sell her futuristic oddity. It\u2019s a great choice for Divina, who desperately needed to nail the runway to save herself from bottom two.<\/p>\n

Crystal also clearly understands the severity of her situation, going completely balls to the wall for one of the most memorable runway presentations since Courtney Act activated her massive wings back in season six. This wasn\u2019t angelic beauty, though. This was some Mad Max, freakshow theatrics that poor Ginger Spice had to practically watch through the hands covering her eyes.<\/p>\n

Equipped with a terrifying mouth stretcher adorned with teeth, Crystal took out some kind of circular saw that she ran against metal plates on her wrist and crotch to create sparks. It was honestly very, very cool. I want to see much more of THIS Crystal going forward.<\/p>\n

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Finally, Sum Ting Wong had a lot of things wrong with this runway. She\u2019s wearing what looks like a Party City version of the Britney Spears \u201cOops \u2026 I Did It Again\u201d red pleather outfit. It doesn\u2019t fit quite right, and it just looks cheap up against some of the stunners on stage. She has a great idea for a Twilight Zone-esque presentation with an illusion that she\u2019s removing her own face. The makeup is ALMOST successful, but up close looks a little elementary. Good idea, not great execution.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Crystal versus Sum Ting Wong in the lip-sync to \u201cSpice Up Your Life,\u201d and it\u2019s the liveliest showdown we\u2019ve seen so far. It\u2019s still not great, but it\u2019s got a little more energy than the ones we\u2019ve seen up until this point. It\u2019s kind of like the difference between someone who\u2019s actually really good at karaoke versus someone who is really good at karaoke. It wasn\u2019t bad, but it didn\u2019t feel like there were big moments. <\/p>\n

Crystal\u2019s kept, and I\u2019m glad. I\u2019m much more charmed by Sum\u2019s personality, but after that runway, I\u2019m much more intrigued by Crystal\u2019s drag. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see where that leaves our ladies<\/a> in our rankings below.<\/p>\n

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  1. It\u2019s seeming more and more like this is the Vivienne\u2019s crown to lose. Her Donald Trump was the stuff of legend. I wouldn\u2019t go so far to say it\u2019s the best Trump impression. (Sorry, that honor goes to comedian Anthony Atamanuik, whose characterization of Commander Bone Spur-In-Chief is the foundation of nearly every other contemporary impersonation the last few years.) However, it was the type of performance that transcends the game and could honestly sub in for (the problematic) Alec Baldwin on SNL. This week\u2019s runway was maybe Vivienne\u2019s weakest, but there was still so much artistry to appreciate.<\/li>\n
  2. I\u2019m hoping, as the field narrows, Baga doesn\u2019t become overexposed. The show has a history of taking big personalities and devoting so much cameratime to them, all of tumblr turns on them. (See: O\u2019Hara, Eureka; and Nutmeg-Ganache, Silky.) Baga has the potential to go from great to grating, but I\u2019m most concerned for her sartorial options. Good thing Divina lent her that blazer and blouse, but how much more of Baga\u2019s wardrobe is not up to snuff? She can\u2019t borrow it all.<\/li>\n
  3. Despite a tough time on Snatch, Divina continues to be a wily vet. I\u2019m not terribly surprised to see Divina struggle this week. Even in confessionals, her brand of humor is more performative and strange, weird facial expressions and voices, not pop-culture references and bon mots. <\/li>\n
  4. I\u2019ve made my case for Blu earlier, but it seems so strange how the show refuses to acknowledge Blu\u2019s work. Ru singled her out for props on the runway, but why not recognize her with a top-three placement? In episode two, Ru was already cautioning Blu about blending into the background. It\u2019s like, damn, Ru, it\u2019s only been ONE WEEK (likely one DAY in production time). Give a gal a minute! Plus, I think Blu has been taking some chances, like her three-titted Bond villainess, or that odd maypole character. I\u2019m not saying they were all knockouts, but give some credit where it\u2019s due!<\/li>\n
  5. Cheryl\u2019s still here.<\/li>\n
  6. Before the runway, based on Snatch alone, I would have sent Crystal home. At least Sum Ting had the voice and look down. Then she did her little spark show, and I was back in. This doesn\u2019t seem to be a great fit to showcase Crystal\u2019s talents, which are clearly a bit more avant-garde. The problem is not with Crystal, but with Colin, who portrays Crystal. He\u2019s just got a sort of dry, low-energy that doesn\u2019t endear him to audiences like some of the bigger personalities. That\u2019s not a read, it\u2019s just a difference in style\/personality. <\/li>\n
  7. Sum Ting Wong gave this competition her honest best. There was a lack of sophistication to her wardrobe, and she seemed too in her head to rely on personality. I\u2019d like too see what Sum Ting Wong can do a year or two from now, after the exposure from the show, the increased cashflow for costumes and the adoration of fans has empowered her to step into her own power more. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How would you rank the queens?<\/p>\n

    The post \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race U.K.\u2019 Ladies Are Not For Turning on Snatch Game [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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    ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K.’ Ladies Are Not For Turning on Snatch Game [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n