drag_race | Episode Discussion: Supermodel Snatch Game

I am so fucking ready for Thorgy's Michael Jackson. My body is ready.

Whew, once again you saved my bacon! I need to set it to record! (I wish I could set up a series recording, but we can only record 2 shows at a time, and sometimes the timeslot is full & I have to record the later showing of RPDR!)

Can someone spare a kimono so I can mop up my tears? I am heartbroken.

I thought this was really very solid, apart from the kimono repeats. Awkward!

I'm glad Derrick's Britney went well, even though it was no Chad Michael's Cher and Tatianna's Britney was funnier. Bob's win was fair, and I was happy to see how well Thorgy, Chi Chi and Kim Chi did! Good of Michelle to call her out on the showboating though - she could become really grating if her head gets too big, and I really don't want to dislike Bob! Bob's amazing!

It's sad that Betty went home just when she seemed to open up towards the other girls. It felt like the beginning of a potential journey. But then again, it's easy to get smooshy in an enclosed space. I think there was a lot of talent we didn't see though, whereas I'm not sure how much Naomi can grow in the space left on the show. Not enough to win it, I fear.

Can we talk about how brilliant Kimmy Jong Un was?! I loved the concept, yes it's a face we've seen Kim Chi do before but it was hilarious.

Chi Chi is clearly talented and charismatic and I hope she gets more chances to shine without letting her insecurities/baggage get the better of her. Derrick was a total ass in face of her sincere apology, though.

Okay, I am here for Thorgy, but also, I'm shocked that no one seemed to even bat an eye when she said she was doing Michael Jackson. Not even Ru, really. Ru was like 'don't second guess yourself'. And I'm thinking if Kennedy's Little Richard hadn't been so successful, it would have gone a totally different way for Thorgy. It was a pretty sensational Michael, though, won't even lie.

Was Derrick even doing Britney's accent? Because I was so underwhelmed. She had a few one-liner moments, but damn, that was not even remotely that great.

Acid Betty and Robbie were both just awful. It was like they hadn't ever even heard of who they were impersonating. And as much as I am/was rooting for Robbie, she really needs to stop with the excuses. It's getting very, very old.

BOB THOUGH. BOB YOU PRECIOUS GLORIOUS BOB. Just so good. So so sooooooooo good. When she popped back in as Carol Channing after already being absolutely hilarious as Crazy Eyes!Uzo, it was just EVERYTHING. And Michelle may have had a tiny point about potential showboating, but honestly? I think Bob actually threw the assist to other queens on that panel. She gave opportunities for comebacks, without being nuts like Season 4's front row shenanigans, and Chi Chi and Derrick threw back really well.

I wish Naomi would have gone with Whoopi Goldberg when she saw that Bob wasn't doing it. Glad she stuck around though.

But good lord, all those terrible kimonos. So awkward!

For a second I thought Ru was going to do a double save, actually. I was really genuinely surprised that Acid Betty sashayed away so early in the game. Not particularly sorry about it, but definitely surprised.

Gotta open with a grump about the runway. HALF of them wore kimonos?! When there are so many iconic Madonna looks, many of which don't require specialized or tricky clothes. Early Madonna is just a tube skirt, a tank top, a net or lace overtank, and tons of jewelry. Ray of Light is a denim shirt & jeans. Don't Tell Me is a plaid shirt & jeans. Papa Don't Preach is a striped shirt & jeans. Like a Prayer is a spaghetti strap dress over a bra. Pick an accurate wig and then sell the look with the attitude.

Bob: Gutsy to do two characters. She definitely grabbed attention. She was also pretty generous, throwing openers to some of the others. Great runway, iconic and very polished.

Thorgy: This is all Kennedy's fault. Without Little Richard, I doubt Michael would have occurred to her. Thorgy did a great job, only issue was that Michael was so soft-spoken so she couldn't steal focus easily. Kimono.

Derrick: Oh thank goodness she went with Britney. She played well off others. Kimono...and not even an actual Madonna kimono.

Kim Chi: Not sure if "Kimmy" was gutsy or lazy? Kimono.

Chi Chi: Eartha Kitt was great! Cartoony but that works for Snatch Game. NOT a Kimono! And she constructed it there, even more impressive. I'm scared for her though, she's out of clothes! Will she be able to make something appropriate for all of the upcoming runways?

Robbie: Terribad. Did you not prep at all? Her runway was awesome though, love that movie.

Naomi: Even more terribad. Unfunny and unmemorable. And then, to top it off, a kimono, kind of.

Acid Betty: Flatline. But a fabulous runway, creative and unique.

Betty was at such a disadvantage lipsyncing in her pregnant belly; I thought the two of them were pretty evenly matched on the lipsync, so I wish she'd gotten a bit of extra credit for managing herself in such an unwieldy costume.

Betty's exit was so gracious! Watch Whatcha Packin, she is so chill and grateful and sweet. It was nice to see that side of her.

Edited 2016-04-05 19:23 (UTC)

Before this, I felt about Acid Betty the way I felt about Detox: I didn't always get her or like her, but I grudgingly respected her as a queen in this competition.

And then wutchu say, Acid Betty? "Snatch Game sucks"?!? Insert Kim/my Jong Un neck slice here. You done, bitch.

This was one of the better Snatch Games in a while, even though the models weren't much as contestants. Thorgy is starting to be so underappreciated that it hurts, and her Michael was great. Chi Chi's Eartha Kitt was equally inspired, particularly with the actual cat mannerisms. But I get why Bob won - two characters, both perfectly done? Damn, Bob Thedragqueen, you scary!

And to be fair, Carol Channing is partly black, so that's not entirely out of left field.

Naomi sucked at Snatch Game, but not as bad as Acid Betty and definitely not as bad as Robbie. For doing an intensely obscure character and failing at it, she should have been bottom two'ed.

Look at Kim Chi starting to come out of her shell. Kim/my Jong Un was pretty damn clever. Kudos for writing her Snatch Game answers in both English and Korean.

Runway: I'm glad only one person did Blonde Ambition Madonna. However I am irked that no one did Marie Antoinette/Express Yourself Madonna or 1984 VMAs/Like A Virgin Madonna. Also, Thorgy and Kim Chi's kimonos ruled; Naomi and Derek's kimonos sucked.

At this point unless there's another upset, I think it's going to be Bob/Thorgy/Kim at the end.

Snatch Game

While I didn't think it was quite as funny as it could've been, I commend Kim Chi for using Snatch Game as a platform to satirize Kim Jong-un and call attention to North Korea.
I've already mentioned how appalled I was by Derrick's response to Chi Chi's humble apology. I understand still being hurt, but you can at least acknowledge that someone is trying to reach out. Say "I appreciate you saying that; I just need a little more time," if you must, but recognize that they are making an effort. Anyway, re: Snatch Game, I hope Derrick wrote Mama Ru a thank you note for telling her to do Britney, 'cause she might've been bottom two for Shocantelle. That may be the hardest I've ever cringed at RPDR. Truthfully, now that we've seen her Britney (and I was a little underwhelmed, though I understand her desire not to make fun of a star who's her bread and butter), I'd be fine if we didn't spend another minute with Derrick Barry. Interesting side note: I attended Acid Betty's Periscope last night, and someone asked, "Who was the shadiest queen this season?" She responded, "Britney Barry." After this episode, I can fully believe it. Katy Perry? More like Shady Barry, girl. ;)
Biggest Snatch Game surprise for me: Chi Chi's Eartha Kitt! She worked on those arrrrrrs! And while Betty is correct that Eartha wouldn't have licked her leg like that, I thought it was smart of Chi Chi to visually "explain" with sight gags: a good many of the youngsters watching the show have no idea who Eartha Kitt is, and no memory of the Batman television show, so it was her way of telegraphing Catwoman to those who wouldn't know Julie Newmar from a Mars bar. :)
I was worried about Thorgy doing Michael Jackson for a variety of reasons, but she did a good job. My husband put it well: watching Thorgy vs. Bob is like Salieri vs. Mozart. Both are so talented, but one takes it just a step further.

Speaking of Bob, poor Pandora -- she tweeted "Once something is done right on a show, why even bother," about Bob's Carol Channing, and people came for her. I like Pandy, I truly do, but her insecurity is showing here. We can love both interpretations, doll, and you will always be the one to have done her first! Maybe people just always like Carol Channing showing up. I also appreciated Bob sharing the limelight by reaching out as Carol to Chi Chi's Eartha. As John Polly put it, once Charo was there, it was practically a Love Boat reunion. :)
Oh, how I wish Naomi Smalls had done Whoopi. I"m guessing she wishes that she had, too. However, I was very impressed by the way she personally took responsibility by saying she was embarrassed by her performance. Way to act like an adult, Miss Smalls, especially compared to Robbie Turner, who was making excuses. I did appreciate Robbie doing Naomi a good turn in Untucked, though, by telling her pretty gently that she needed to stop doing the same look. The light bulb over Naomi's head was visible. :) Let's hope that light guides her going forward.

Runway:

I did think Derrick's kimono was gorgeous. I wasn't too taken by any of the many kimono looks, to be honest, though I thought Kim Chi's looked very polished.
Acid Betty's Madonna was very memorable for me -- I'll give her points for keeping it fresh, though I fear it hurt her in the lipsync by being unwieldly.
Bob had a great, clean look, and her padding was outstanding!
I know it borders on sacrilege to call out RuPaul, but I thought her runway look was a little basic this episode, and if it was a Madonna look, I didn't recognize it. Y'all please don't kill me.

Judges:

I loved Carson Kressley this episode. That gorgeous jacket! That great "Here's Nancy Grace" moment.
Gigi Hadid seemed more into it than Chanel Iman, I thought, but maybe that was just editing.

Edited 2016-04-06 06:32 (UTC)

General notes:
I was a bit sorry to say goodbye to Acid Betty, but I think we'd seen most of what we were going to see from her (to be fair, some of the more amazing looks of the season), except for the library episode. I am surprised by how much she's grown on me -- I usually detest queens who come out swinging, but I think she just needs some time to heal -- some of that attitude is coming from a creative person who's been hurt and has formed a protective shell. I feel like there's a really decent person under there who's got a lot of defenses up from her parents passing away, from her time being overweight, etc. We were just starting to see some of those defenses drop -- I like the moment in the previous Untucked episode where she's brushing out Chi Chi's wig. She was so laid back and pleasant on Periscope with the attendees last night. I think she's smart enough to be aware that she tends to put out a prickly exterior when she's in a new situation and unsure of the landscape, and maybe tried to turn that tendency into an advantage by intentionally going for the villain edit? I don't know.

If displaying range and versatility is what Drag Race is theoretically supposed to be about (we've seen some seasons where it wasn't), then Chi Chi is my girl this season. She might not have the money to bring expensive looks, but she's been good in every single challenge, and has excelled in a number of them. I admire her determination. Bob's been great, too: I'd certainly be fine with him winning. However, Chi Chi came a lot farther to get where she is now, and I just love her heart.

Edited 2016-04-06 06:31 (UTC)

(Finally got around watching this week's ep. I was super jetlagged and couldn't focus on watching TV).

OTOH, this season's Snatch Game was fairly solid. OTOH, about half of the queens were EPIC FAILS at what should've been the easiest RPDR runway category ever!

Robbie: I don't know what to think about her. In some ways, I feel that she set herself up for failure by not only acknowledging Jinxx and BenDeLa's 'from the left field' choices for SG but the fact that they won. But then, if you're going to pick a famous person but then refrain from recreating their most iconic look, the only way to keep yourself from elimination would've been to make Diana V. funny. She's v., v. lucky that her runway was cute and distinctive.

Bob: First off, killah runway. It was very tongue in cheek and, although Madonna only wore it once, quite memorable. Given that I've never watched OITNB, I had no idea of who her first character was. Her Carol Channing was funnier. Although it did feel like she let her own personality bleed through whenever she was coming for Chichi's Eartha. Still, doing two characters was really cool. It was a solid win.

Thorgy had the luck of being the first queen wearing a kimono (therefore was spared the "oh, look ANOTHER one" grumbling the judges must have mumbled at one point). Her Michael Jackson was funny.

Derrick was super smart in doing Britney. I do wish her Brit Brit would've been snarkier, but I think that Derrick probably didn't want to take her into a dark place? The only good thing about her runway look was that the kimono wasn't red.

Naomi should've done Whoppi. Her New York had no personality and the look was as great as three month-old popcorn. I remember saying "OF COURSE! ANOTHER ROBE + UNDIES". It's like, gurl, other queens have told you to change your looks a bit in the previous Untucked and now the judges themselves have dropped hints that they're tired of that drag version of Victoria's secret catalog. She's one of the most talented queens so I'm glad she got to stay.

It was great to see Kim Chi's risk pay off during SG. HOWEVUH, another kimono. Really? #siiiiiiiiigh

Acid Betty's runway was super clever (but not the best outfit to wear if you know you might be LFYL. Ijs). I'm not sure she knew who Nancy Grace was because everything from the look to the mannerisms were deader than dead. Unfortunately, I got spoiled mere seconds before I watched this episode so I knew she was going home. :-/

Chi-Chi's dollar store version of Madonna circa Blonde Ambition was quirky enough to get a kudos from me. It was creative because of how she tapped into a super-known reference (very few people old enough to have heard about Madonna don't know about her cone bras). If only the look had been more polished. That said, her Eartha was LOLarious.

The one thing I don't get about this episode is why, once the queens saw that several were going to wear kimonos, four of them strolled down the runway in freaking kimonos. I mean, we're talking Madonna here. Literally, someone who is famous for changing her looks every time she blinks. #smh

Edited 2016-04-07 01:37 (UTC)

I`ve been a fan of Eartha Kitt since I was a kid so I was really glad someone did her for Snatch Game at last. I thought Chi Chi did a good job and I especially liked that she gave herself a cat bath. She could have slung in Eartha`s iconic drawn out purrrr though.

As the last few seasons have had 14 queens and this one only has 12, i`m hoping that Betty will get an arch and be the second returning queen. She was so consistently good in all the tasks that it seems such a waste to kick her off just for a poor Snatch Game choice. Naomi`s "New York" was much worse and could have been anyone.

I couldn`t stand carb free Brittney from episode one and I think it`s a crime that Derrick hasn`t lip synched yet and fucked off back to Vegas. I so wanted Bob to punch her when she was bitching at him in the work room :)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Snatch Game, Part I

Snatch Game, Part II

no subject

no subject