RECAP: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 8 (Snatch Game)
First off, apologies for no blog for Episode 7. Between watching all the Olympics footage I can absorb and recording new episodes of our podcast (which you should check out, we have several “Drag Race” episodes!), I simply did not have the time. Bottom line: great episode, some really funny performances, exactly what the show needed to bounce back from that infuriating Rate-a-Queen drama. And Vita VonTesse Star will very much be missed. She’s a class act and you could tell how much all those girls adored her. That’s the sign of a true queen.
On to Episode 8, the Snatch Game. Or rather, Snatch Game on “Love Island.” I generally dislike the various iterations of Snatch Game. I understand they do it to show more of the queens, make sure everyone gets some time in the spotlight, and potentially boost the chances of certain queens or bury others. I still prefer Original Recipe Snatch Game, if only for the cross-queen banter. That’s something that’s generally been lacking in the Of Love and Family Feud-style Snatch iterations.
That said, I thought this was one of the more successful modern Snatch Games. Of the 9 queens, I thought 4 did good to great, only 2 fully bombed, and the 3 middle-of-the-pack girls had at least a successful moment or two. Decidedly less successful was the judging of this episode – aside from guest judge Brooke Shields, a great get and perfect for the 80s Ladies runway – because the decisions on both the winner and the eliminated queen seemed completely wrong to myself and my viewing party.
Check out the first 10 minutes of the episode here:
Read on for my take on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 8, “Snatch Game of Love: Island Edition.” SPOILERS AHEAD!
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I’m going to go through my thoughts queen by queen, ranked from most impressive to least. I’ll be considering their Snatch Game performance as well as their runway presentations.
Discord Addams as The Pope (Snatch Game) and Reba McEntire (80s Ladies runway): One of the most egregious robberies in recent memory. Discord didn’t even rank Top 3 for this challenge, which she could have/should have won. The Pope was sacriligious, bold, and edgy – I loved it. The joke about the favorite yoga position had us literally gasping in shock. We knew exactly which 80s icon Discord was supposed to be the minute she turned the corner on that runway, and her walk was actually improved with the little Reba bounce. Discord has had two great episodes in a row, and the fact that the producers are quite deliberately keeping her in the Safe Zone is beyond frustrating. For Discord, I am sure, but also for the viewers. We’ve seen them do this to multiple other queens (Season 12’s Jan, obviously), but Discord fully deserved a Top 3 slot this episode. At least she’s winning over many new fans while she’s being paid dust.
Myki Meeks as Drew Barrymore (Snatch Game) and Olivia Newton-John (80s Ladies runway): I appreciated the reference Myki picked for the runway, and the bodysuit was on point. But in addition to those truly heinous shoes, I think the wig was also off – it did not read ONJ to me. BUT! Myki was wonderful in Snatch Game. I think she was the most successful impersonation in this cast, in terms of the mannerisms and physicality, but also in the jokes that I could believably imagine Drew Barrymore saying. Myki’s stock is also very much on the rise right now, and it’s clear she is a major contender as we enter the back half of the competition.
Jane Don’t as Truman Capote (Snatch Game) and Kate Pierson of the B-52’s (80s Ladies Runway): Jane did a great job with both aspects of this episode. At this point I’ve seen countless Truman Capote impressions, and Jane’s was perhaps broader and more vulgar than the best ones. But it was perfect for Snatch Game, and she had some of our funniest lines of the night. The B-52’s reference felt authentically Jane and perfectly realized. Great night for Jane.
Nini Coco as Sir David Attenborough (Snatch Game) and Cyndi Lauper (80s Ladies Runway): I am continually impressed with Nini in the challenges and the runway – she is for sure a frontrunner, even if she doesn’t always present like one – but I would not have given her this win. The runway was a solid Cyndi look that didn’t go too cartoony. The Snatch Game performance WAS funny – I thought Nini worked the intro reel better than anyone else. But I thought there were queens who edged her out in both challenge and runway. I guess the explanation could be that nobody outperformed her in both. I’m certainly not mad about the Nini win, and one of the other girls – Myki? Jane? – specifically said they expected Nini to win the challenge. So it’s possible the edit didn’t fully capture the best Snatch Game moments.
Athena Dion as Greta Onassis (Snatch Game) and Joan Collins (80s Ladies Runway): I actually thought this was a good episode for Athena, even if it wasn’t a knockout Snatch Game. During the walkthrough, RuPaul dismissed Athena’s plan to do Charlie Chaplin for Snatch – which I think could have been really interesting if executed properly – and encouraged Athena to do something relating to her Greek heritage, as she already found success mining that for her Talent Show. Ru has done this numerous times on multiple franchises – immediately I think of Jonbers Blonde on “Drag Race UK” Series 3 swapping to a woman version of St. Patrick – and every time I hate it. Making up a fictional character is not the point of Snatch Game. Yes, I know, the “point” is to make RuPaul laugh, but just inventing a character and having them be ridiculous always feels like a copout. To Athena’s credit, I thought she was actually pretty funny here as a completely fictional socialite. She had some good zingers and leaned into her arch auntie role. It was a decent outing even if I disliked the character choice. I loved her Joan Collins look on the runway, and I honestly wish she had just done Joan as Alexis for Snatch Game. Nobody has ever done that and it feels like a huge missed opportunity. Athena was also hilarious and charming in “Untucked”; she’s becoming more relatable every week.
Darlene Mitchell as Mrs. Claus (Snatch Game) and Dolly Parton (80s Ladies Runway): Speaking of relatable and endearing, Darlene may not be setting the competition on fire, but she is winning over people with her vulnerability and quirky point of view. She’s a delight to watch every week, even when she’s not doing great. Like in Snatch Game, where her horny Mrs. Claus was largely adequate, but not a knockout. She looked terrific in her Dolly runway, and watching all these queens impersonating the divas of yesteryears, hiding snacks from the critiqued queens, was a highlight of my evening.
Juicy Love Dion as JoJo Siwa (Snatch Game) and Celia Cruz (80s Ladies Runway): Juicy has become a compelling character, and the dynamic of the talented yet frustratingly unprepared youngster is popping against this group of largely seasoned, older-skewing queens. Juicy, somehow, 18 seasons in, did not get the memo that Snatch Game is about more than just a look. In quick succession she went through numerous Latina options for her performance – America Ferrera (as Ugly Betty), Sofia Vergara – I’m missing some. Basically, the thought process seemed to be, “I’ll just be Latina and wacky and that’ll work.” Somehow that pivoted to onetime creator of gay pop and now ex-gay JoJo Siwa, whose characterization was, basically, intense, horny, more intense, dancing, more dancing, and generally behaving like a goblin. Which, in fairness, is on point for JoJo! But she didn’t exactly bring us anything we haven’t seen before (and we have had several JoJo Siwas on Snatch Game at this point, some of them great, like Lemon on “Canada’s Drag Race S1”). Still, I didn’t hate this. She had a few moments. And that Celia Cruz runway was perfection. Breathtaking!
Mia Starr as Bloody Mary (Snatch Game) and Prince (80s Ladies Runway): First, I love that Prince somehow counts as an “80s lady.” Secondly, it was an OK runway, but it lacked refinement. Prince dressed outrageously, but he never looked cheap. This looked cheaped. That said, the Prince was miles better than the Bloody Mary, which was a total flop – and Mia knew it. I don’t recall who Mia’s initial character pick was, but she also switched characters during Ru’s workroom walkthrough. Huge mistake. This urban legend left her with virtually no material to work with. The costume and make-up were rough, and Mia was not at all prepared or capable when it came to volleying with Ru. It was uncomfortable to watch, and the camera lingered on Mia to show just how uncomfortable she herself was. She maintained a good attitude throughout the entire episode, and I appreciate that. Mia emerged as real fan favorite the past four weeks or so. I didn’t see her coming, but going into this episode, she was one of my favorites. I wish she could have nailed this challenge.
Kenya Pleaser as Lizzo (Snatch Game) and Chaka Khan (80s Ladies Runway): Well. Let’s see. Starting with the runway, it was cheap, ill-fitting, and sloppy. I would not have guessed that was Chaka Khan had you not told me. Everything needed to be bigger: the hair, the accessories, the garment itself – Chaka Khan is not a minimalist! And then the Snatch Game. Kenya does Lizzo impersonations professionally. Like, it’s a paying gig for her. I’m not sure who in the year 2026 is interested in seeing a Lizzo impersonator (and I say this as a longtime Lizzo fan and someone who would like to see a comeback that is earned), but I cannot imagine this would have pleased anyone. Kenya’s Lizzo was uncomfortable. It was lame. I hated having to watch it, I literally just wanted her segments to end. It has become readily apparent over the past several weeks that Kenya is tremendously charismatic, but she struggles heavily when she asked to perform something specific. I can’t even say when she’s asked to go outside of her comfort zone, as Lizzo should be her comfort zone – this was a total misfire. I also continue to catch looks of panic on Kenya’s face when the cameras are rolling. If you don’t believe you can do this, why should I? I want to root for Kenya, but I keep waiting for her to get it together. I don’t know how much longer we’re supposed to wait for her to really show up.
The Top 3 was Jane (sure), Myki (sure), and Nini (I guess), with Nini getting the win. I personally think it should have gone to Discord, but out of those tops, I think I probably would have given it to Myki. I’m not mad at a second Nini win. I just don’t understand it.
But that has nothing on what happened in the Bottom 3. As expected, Kenya, Mia, and Juicy were B3, with Juicy spared from the B2. Juicy alluded in “Untucked” to going through some dark times, so I’m assuming that will be explored in a future episode – as it stands she was quite vague. In a Mia vs. Kenya battle, logic would tell you that Mia has the edge. She’s a fierce performer and, unlike Kenya, actually seems to know the words to the numbers they are lipsyncing. AND YET! For reasons I still cannot fathom, Kenya Pleaser won the lipsync to “Head Over Heels” by The Go-Gos (great track), and Mia Starr was eliminated.
All six people at my viewing party screamed, “WHAT?!” when Mia was told to sashay away. She unequivocally won that lipsync. She performed that song beautifully, was fully engaged, and she knew every word. Kenya clearly did NOT know the words – not all of them, anyway – and as in her first lipsync, kind of threw herself around the stage, frequently looking panicked and uncertain. This was one of the worst calls in a lipsync battle that we have seen in a long, long time.
I had initially said that I did not, could not understand this result. Mia owned that lipsync. Mia had a better runway. They were equally poor in Snatch Game, but Mia has had some real breakout moments in this season, including winning an episode. I don’t think I’ve truly enjoyed Kenya since the girl groups. She is lovely, gorgeous, delightful in talking heads, but she is not delivering. She just isn’t. The only possible explanation I have for this otherwise nonsense elimination is, we are now down to Elite 8. We only have four, maybe five eliminations left. Mia could very easily lipsync her way to the finale, or even win some more challenges. In short, she was a wild card, and a threat. I don’t think Production expected Mia to do as well as she did in this competition, and that could have complicated their plans for the rest of the season. I think they axed her after a moment of weakness rather than having to manufacture a reason to eliminate her later (see: Shuga Cain, Season 11), when she could have taken higher spots from queens they wanted to succeed more.
Regardless, I hate it. Mia should have stayed, even based on the lipsync alone (but rally, based on far more than that). She leaves a beloved robbed queen, and I am confident we will see much more of Mia Starr in the future.
I do hope this doesn’t lead to more hostility toward Kenya. It’s not her fault. She isn’t asking for any of this. She just isn’t showing up the way anyone, including herself, would like. That’s hard enough, without people attacking her online for things she could not control.
NEXT: It’s the Rusical, based on “Annie.” There’s a war for the lead. But hey, it’s a hard-knock life!
What do you think of Season 18 so far? Which queens are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments.
