‘Star Search: All Stars’ Episode 3: Purpled Ruled Studio 13 as Contestants Take on Celebrities (and Other Drag Queens)

Watch episodes one and two.

The infamous Snatch game. Even in real life RuPaul’s Drag RaceI’m Scared of Snatch Game. For those who aren’t familiar, it’s basically a comedy sketch show. Each contestant picks someone to imitate and then goes on a dating show as that character – completely method. For those of us who have ever seen any local improv show in any city, it’s clear how easy it is to not be funny. And yet, for those of us who are improvisers (me) or DnD players (me), it’s also clear how funny it can be. So here’s a coin flip. This is the challenge that makes famous, famous, world-famous drag queens fail. But it’s also usually the most memorable challenge of the season.

Challenge: Snatch Game, Round One

Here at Studio 13 Star Search: All StarsThis Matching Game-The challenge split the queens into two separate rounds. The first round featured Ruth Lime, Erotica Divine-Belle, Spooky Santos, and Muuvi Premiere.

In the first round there were two clear standouts, Ruth and Erotica. Ruth chose Wendy’s, known for its burgers, and she rocked it. Playing the bachelorette from the game, she was sassy and flirty, but she didn’t lose Ruth’s signature personality, but molded it into the character. Choosing Wendy was a really smart choice, she’s a character you can transform into any character you want.

Erotica chose Black Jesus and she was the clear crowd favorite. Retaining her signature, straightforward personality but giving it a graceful edge, she argued with the other contestants and flirted gently with the bachelorette all in one fell swoop. The character was a great hook and allowed her to show off her natural sense of humor through her widely recognizable persona.

Spooky Santos chose another regular artist, Peaches Diamond, to imitate him. It was pretty crazy to see Spooky in Peaches’ aesthetic, it was hard to even recognize him, but he looked amazing. It was hard to tell if Spooky was laughing though On Peaches or with her. Some of the jokes that could have been funny in the friendship between the two were hard to get a laugh out of. Spooky would yell something like, “I don’t have money!” or “You can’t light my vaporizer!” which seemed a bit on point, the audience didn’t have the closeness required to get the joke without it feeling mean.

The Muuvi Premiere had a fun hook: JK Rowling was there, complete with tall, pointy witch hat. There were mixed reactions, at least in my group of friends, to her performance. Some thought it was really funny and clever, others thought her transphobic jokes, in keeping with JK Rowling legend, were overused and maybe even a little too soon. But she was chosen as the winner by The Bachelorette, so what do we know?

Snatch Game, Round Two

The second round was not as successful as the first. Valencia La Del Barrio, Sonny Noble, Frisbee Jenkins, and Virgo Frost-Belle all achieved varying levels of success in the challenge.

Valencia as Julia Child was not a great success. It was difficult because you could feel her nervous energy, which doesn’t quite fit Julia Child’s big, happy personality. She was rather quiet for the challenge and you could tell it wasn’t her thing, but the look was completely Julia-like, with her classic long skirt and curly hair.

Sonny Noble dressed in western garb as Leslie Jordan. This was going to be tough, no matter what Sonny did – some may remember Leslie Jordan’s iconic Snatch Game Trinity The Tuck from All Stars 7 in one of the best Snatch Games in Dragster race story. Since that comparison was in my head, and I’m sure in the minds of most of the crowd, I was even more critical of his version. There were certainly ups and downs, but ultimately he didn’t stand out in this challenge.

Frisbee Jenkins was definitely the star of the round. Frisbee chose Jackie Frost, another regular and the Bachelorette from the last round. A few contestants ran into the issue of being “too niche,” but Frisbee did an amazing job of taking Jackie’s big personality and making it fun for everyone, even those who might not know her. While Frisbee was definitely joking around, everyone seemed to be laughing with Jackie, not against her. Leaving the stage in the middle of the game to have a drink, perfectly imitating Jackie’s laugh — it was good-natured and funny.

Virgo Frost chose another local drag queen, Brandonna Dupri LaReese, Miss Gay United States 2015. Like Sonny, this performance had its ups and downs, but was not outstanding. Virgo certainly got a few laughs, but ultimately Brandonna may not have been the best choice.

Runway: Violet is stunning

This might have been the most badass runway of the season; I have no idea how to top it. Judges Beep Beep and Lil Kimmy Blaque also really pulled out all the stops (dressing up as Tinky Winky and Prince, respectively). The theme of the runway was “purple,” and the queens played it up in a million ways. Ruth Lime walked as a full-on emu, little orange emu feet, purple feather headdress, the whole thing. Erotica as Prince, with a 70s-style purple bodysuit that Prince would have definitely approved of. The audience loved Yzma Frisbee’s costume almost as much as the giant, stoned Barney Virgo. Basically Barney’s costume, but shiny. There were a lot of wins on the runway that made it enjoyable to watch.

The judges’ critiques were quick this week, but guest judge Jackie Frost made me look like an angel. It was crazy to me that no one cried, and he proved that I was not cut out for show business. Erotica and Frisbee were announced as the top two, Sonny and Spooky announced last.

Erotica won the lip sync and the crowd went wild — it was clear she was a fan favorite. Everyone loves an outsider. Her rise to the top was one of the most electrifying parts of this competition. Unfortunately, as the winner, she chooses Spooky to go home. And while I’ve been pretty hard on Spooky in this column, I won’t shy away from admitting I was sad to see him go. He brought energy, drama, and I’m not sure it’ll be as interesting without him.

Next week is “Drag Roulette”: The queens must memorize seven songs before Sunday, and any one of them could be chosen to lip-sync. The theme of the runway? “Ready to Fight.” God, I hope there are some Ren Faire types on there, or I’m giving them my money back.