The first 3 episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 have been a lot more entertaining than I thought they would be. This group of girls is making the drama work in a much different way than last season, as its less "RuPaul's Best Friend Race" and a lot more "RuPaul's Let's Be Totally Strategic and Get You The Fuck Out" race.
After seeing an incredibly satisfying elimination in Milk last episode, I was fully expecting to see another major contender go home last night. That almost happened, and I'm left today wondering why it didn't.
This episode is dedicated to the one that we always tune in for more than any others, Snatch Game. This concept at one point was more lighthearted and fun, but as time has gone by, it truly has become the one to watch as it separates the legends from the meh's of the competition.
In past seasons, the one who wins Snatch Game generally has a great chance of winning the crown in the end (Bianca Del Rio, Jinkx Monsoon and Bob the Drag Queen have all won). This is the smallest group we have ever had for Snatch Game, only seven competitors, which works because we can really watch them under a magnifying glass compared to previous seasons where there's so much editing its hard to really figure out who did well and who didn't.
Two of the seven queens won Snatch Game in their original season: Kennedy Davenport (Little Richard) and BenDeLaCreme (Dame Maggie Smith). Shangela (Tina Turner), Aja (Alyssa Edwards) and Chi Chi DeVayne (Eartha Kitt) were all safe in their season. Trixie never got to do Snatch Game, and Bebe's season didn't include it (it was introduced in season 2). That makes this a lot more interesting as it's all spread out and the thought of who could come out on top is anyone's guess at this point.
Before that, we have some manufactured drama between Shangela and Trixie, the latter of which posted a letter from Thorgy that pretty much told Shangela to fuck off. This is… just stupid. Trixie is better than this, and it just seems very "thrown in".
Snatch Game had no "guest" judges, so they used Michelle Visage and Carson Kressley. The surprise this season was that Tony and Emmy award winner Kristin Chenoweth would be joining the seven others on the panel. I think this is a GREAT idea, and one that should be used in the future as it gives another element of judging when it comes to how well the queens can do against an actual celebrity. Also, Kristin was one of the best up there, which says a lot about who is left.
The best of Snatch Game was once again BenDeLaCreme, who expertly portrayed Paul Lynde. His snappy one liners and his sudden body movements evoked Paul in an incredible way, further proving that DeLa really should be the one to win this in the end. Shangela, who changed from Miss Cleo to Jenifer Lewis last minute, did the right thing and played her incredibly well. It also helps that she has a close relationship with Jenifer, so it must have been a "don't fuck it up" situation as she could've lost a friend due to a bad impersonation of her. Kidding, Shang.
Aja could've been more in the top if we saw her more. I know who Crystal LaBeija is, and kudos to her for choosing such an iconic person in gay history. Bebe, who is once again "safe" (conspiracy theory) chose Grace Jones, and actually made her funny to an extent. Bebe, if you aren't the mole this season, then please do something to prove why you won in the first place.
The bottom three are Trixie for her RuPaul impersonation, Chi Chi for doing Maya Angelou, and Kennedy for doing Phaedra Parks. Ugh. These three. Trixie did her impersonation of RuPaul during the season 7 finale, and while it was cute, it isn't exactly what is needed for Snatch Game. She came off as forced, similar to Milk's role in The Bitchelor, and it just wasn't good.
Chi Chi didn't even know how to spell Maya's name right, so I'm gonna leave it at that. Kennedy doing Phaedra could've been funny, but she couldn't get it together. What a fall from grace: you win your original season and almost get eliminated this time.
Ben and Shangela are once again top two (I smell a trend here), and we get two gags before the episode is over. For one: they both win the lip sync, meaning that they could send two queens home. Ben, predictably, sends home Chi Chi, which is strategic and smart given that she's been in the bottom four times. Shangela could've easily given us major life and sent Trixie home, given their scuffle earlier on in the episode, but she also sends home Chi Chi. Womp womp.
Next week: Andy Warhol! Yay!