Drag Race UK fans divided over Snatch Game winner: ‘They are rigging’
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kameron Michaels has returned to drag (BBC)
Drag Race UK season five’s Snatch Game brought chaos, viral memes, and according to some fans, a touch of riggery.
Last night’s episode (2 November) of Drag Race UK was the one everyone has been waiting for: the Snatch Game. With the UK franchise birthing legendary impersonations like The Vivienne as Donald Trump and Bimini Bon Boulash as Katie Price, expectations were high.
As usual, the remaining seven queens were tasked with giving their very best celebrity impersonations, with one sole intention: to make RuPaul laugh. Playing the game alongside the queens was The X Factor winner and famous linguist Alexandra Burke, and Countdown legend Carol Vorderman.
Speaking to Ru in the werk room, the queens revealed which stars they would be imitating. Much to fan delight, Kate Butch revealed that yes, she would be doing her namesake Kate Bush, while DeDeLicious declared that she would be taking on the permanently furious Lady Colin Campbell.
Ginger Johnson was romance writer Dame Barbara Cartland, a character she admitted was purely to score brownie points from Ru, as Ginger knew she’d appreciate the choice.
Cara Melle was music icon and professional Twitter troll Dionne Warwick, Michael Marouli was Catherine Tate, via two of her most famous characters, Derek and Nurse Bernie, Vicki Vivacious was late cook Fanny Cradock, and Tomara Thomas was a frantic iteration of Robin Williams as Mrs Doubtfire.
Online, fans declared that Kate Butch delivered the very best Snatch Game moment of the season, when she explained that the term “Cloudbusting”, the name of one of Kate Bush’s biggest singles, was a term she brought to the UK from the US.
It was a hilarious reference to judge Alexandra Burke’s famous faux pax, when she claimed on live morning TV that she was the first person to bring the phrase “the elephant in the room” to the UK.
Ultimately, Vicki Vivacious and DeDeLicious were placed in the bottom two after the judges deemed them by far the least funny queens of the week. In the top was Tomara Thomas for her unhinged Robin Williams tribute, as well as Ginger Johnson and Kate Butch.
After a high-energy lip-sync to Alexandra Burke’s “Heartbreak On Hold” – which, FYI, is from Burke’s album of the same name, and is one of RuPaul’s favourite ever albums – it was Vicki Vivacious who was chosen to sashay away.
Yet it was the challenge winner that caused the biggest ruckus online. Ginger Johnson won, leaving Kate Butch without a RuPeter badge yet again, and fans divided as to whether Ginger was really the right person to take the win.
Even Kate Butch herself chimed in, declaring herself the UK version of Drag Race contestant Jan, who was consistently judged as “safe” on season 12.
While many fans felt Kate had been “robbed” of a win once again, others didn’t feel she’d lived up to expectations.
“Sorry but she was too one note – I expected so much more – I LOVE her but she f***d it up. Cara, DeDe and Vicki were bottom three for me. Ginger was the clear winner,” wrote one fan.
“Happy Ginger won, I don’t think Kate was as good as y’all seem to think she was,” another wrote. “Worked a couple of funny references in there but where was the celebrity impersonation?”
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK continues on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer every Thursday.
