Bon retour, mes chers lecteurs, dans plus de classements! Drag Race Belgique Season 2 Episode 5 was the Belgium Season 2 Snatch Game. Our queens came well-prepared for this iconic challenge! They were more unsteady for an “En rollers, baby!” rollerskating runway – both when it came to their balance and their fashions.
This episode was a great reminder of a critical Drag Race maxim: never reveal to something more underwhelming than what you started with. Both of our front-running queens and both of our bottom two queens made puzzling, underwhelming reveals this episode in both Snatch Game and on the runway.
In Snatch Game, one top queen made an ill-advised choice to switch characters in the middle of a well-played game. Meanwhile, a bottom queen hinged her entire performance on one gag reveal that landed with a splat.
On the runway, one top queen revealed to a pair of even-blander bottoms, while one bottom queen revealed to an even-blander top.
That left a clear path for a surprising queen to notch what I can only call a “pity win” after a disastrous Snatch Game performance (though it included no flubbed reveals). That gives two queens a swap in my power rankings compared to last week’s “Masquerade” Drag Government challenge power ranking – plus, an eliminated queen gone a week earlier than I expected.
(Want to watch Drag Race Belgique outside of Belgium? For most of the world, it’s available with a Wow Presents Plus subscription as soon as the episode is done airing.)
Lecteurs, start your engines. Et, que la meilleure Drag Queen gagne!
Reminders: I consistently refer to Drag Race artists with their drag names and with she/her pronouns even when they are not in drag, which is the convention of the show. Some performers may have different personal pronouns. Drag is inherently brave, political, and artistic, and all drag is valid. It’s also hard to do. Every drag artist in the world deserves endless essays dedicated to their talents and life stories. I’m commenting on drag artistry in how it fits the established expectations of this specific television program, but the reason I’m commenting at all is because I am obsessed with drag and the people who create it.
Drag Race Belgique Season 2 Episode 5 – Belgium Season 2 Snatch Game Power Rankings
Before we get to our power rankings, let’s enjoy an episode of Rita Baga letting her freak flag fly in a way that looks just right on her.
Was I a little puzzled by Rita’s cowboy jumpsuit boy drag? Sure, but mostly only because of the furry arms – otherwise it was quite chic.
Then, in Snatch Game, Rita’s silver suit is perhaps the slickest she’s looked all season. I also loved her masc-glam make-up.
It helped that the camera almost shot her from eye level. Seriously, can we just raise all the cameras by two feet on this show? If I was Rita I would be livid about how much of my chin was being featured this season!
Finally, this lilac corset and skirt is one of the strongest straight-up glam looks we’ve seen on Rita, aside from last week’s slice of turquoise perfection. This is incredibly flattering to her body (although I was surprised to see her in such a dark hair).
#1 – Alvilda – 2 wins (was #2, 2, 1, 1)
(Facebook | Instagram | TikTok)
Alvilda came close to a third win with a smartly-observed portrayal of Anne Dorval in the Belgium Season 2 Snatch Game and an impactful rollerskating runway. It made more sense to spread the wins around – plus, she bungled her Snatch Game performance in the final moments.
Alvilda opened strong as Anne Dorval, immediately going into a silly bit with her name card. That was a good indication that she found a way to turn someone who is personally funny into a funny Snatch Game character without only repeating their lines.
The judges’ critiques mentioned that Alvilda didn’t push things far enough from the specific Dorval character she was imitating. That felt like a hastily-applied comment to detract from her being an obviously strong player in Snatch Game.
Yet, Alvilda also provided her own detraction: trying to showboat by making a very lengthy switch to a second, unrelated character at the end of Snatch Game. I’m not even sure we can call it a character – it’s just a homophobic woman interviewed on a news show who got meme’d for her silly pronunciation.
I feel as though Rita teased Alvilda in the workroom about playing both characters specifically to send her down the wrong track, and Alvilda fell for it. Even if she had made the changeover more quickly and had more jokes, I think she would have done better simply staying the course as Anne Dorval.
Alvilda’s demented genderfvck clown was a beautiful tribute to Sasha Velour (and, a slight nod to Icesis Couture, with the crystalline lip-extender). Even if Alvilda’s actual ruffled bodysuit was somewhat plain, the detailing of her wig, mouth appliance, and platform roller skates took this look over the (big) top.
Between the double-header in Snatch Game and the reference on the runway, I get the sense that perhaps Alvilda is the queen in this cast who is the most-devoted viewer of American Drag Race. That would certainly make sense with what we’ve seen of her drag, which seems considerably edgier and more fashionable than the rest of this Belgian cast.
Alvilda seems to be sailing toward winning this season. I think there’s one last chance for Loulou Velvet or La Veuve to reassert themselves with a commanding performance in the acting challenge next week, but even if they do Alvilda might have too much momentum to be stopped.
#2 – Loulou Velvet – 1 win, 1 lip sync (was #3, 1, 2, 2)
Loulou Velvet delivered an understated episode as Yolande Moreau in Snatch Game and with a somewhat casual “En rollers, baby!” runway. Her tendency to play things calmly made for a terrific Snatch Game but might hold her back from snatching the crown.
I found Loulou Velvet as Yolande Moreau in the Belgium Season 2 Snatch Game amusing from the very start, though perhaps it was never laugh-out-loud funny.
I don’t know Moreau beyond a few YouTube clips I watched for this post. I don’t think Loulou’s likeness was especially great, but she had a specific idea of how she wanted to handle her mannerisms. And, beyond that, Loulou came equipped with a viewpoint! She commented on silly, inconsequential things like RTBF paying for her train ticket . And, her recitation of a poem followed by a much briefer response of “You bitch!” absolutely slayed me.
Even if that didn’t make for a laugh riot for the judges, it communicated that Loulou knew exactly who this character was and where she wanted to take her.
Loulou Velvet might have gone slightly too literal with this “En rollers, baby!” runway. Her floral two-piece suit was deliciously retro but lacked a focal point. Still, it might have been strong enough to snag a Snatch Game win if not for an underwhelming reveal to a pair of plain white underwear with a pussycat appliqué.
I was delighted by Loulou’s strength in Snatch Game after her nervousness in the public speaking challenge. Her performance was strong, but perhaps too subtle to be called a winner. Yet, that might be the story of Loulou’s entire season – solid, but perhaps too subtle to be Belgium’s next drag superstar.
#3 – Chloe Clarke, 1 win, 2 lip syncs (was #8, 8, 3, 6 )
(Website | Instagram | TikTok)
Chloe Clarke continues to limp through the season as enabled by judges who see something special in her and her drag. I don’t disagree with them – I find Chloe magnetic – but this wasn’t how I expected her to finally snatch a win.
I don’t know if “hate” is a strong enough term for how I felt about this Golluma performance from Chloe Clarke in the Belgium Season 2 Snatch Game. I felt like we were laughing at her clumsy portrayal instead of with it. For me, this was a Bottom Two performance.
Why bother feminizing this fictional character as “Gollum’s cousin” when he was a ridiculously campy character to begin with. What benefit was there to rendering him as a woman and giving her underarm hair? Are we really giving a win to someone in a bald cap this hastily-applied?
There was no perspective here. Chloe just does a good Andy Serkis impression. She didn’t even get in any good jokes. Her first answer was – of course – “My Precious” … but it didn’t come with any kind of bit about how she lost it or she needed it back. She just licked her hand and then we moved on. Things got worse with the next answer, that men are “Hobbit.” Then, she gave up on being Gollum altogether to make a point about twerking and put on a wig.
That was a bad reveal, but at least it covered up the bald cap!
It was a train wreck, and Rita Baga and the judges rewarded her for it just to force an underdog narrative rather than turn this into an obvious two-horse race by giving the win to either Alvilda or Loulou Velvet due to their botched reveals.
Chloe Clarke brought a molded silver look to her “En rollers, baby!” runway. It had a lovely intergalactic vibe to it, which will always go down well with the alien actress Rita Baga. I think the most interesting part of it for me is how Chloe merged the long sloping shape of a bike-racing helmet with the extended cranium of an H.R. Giger-inspired alien.
I’ve been on team Chloe Clarke for weeks now, so even if I more-than-hated her Snatch Game I’m happy to see her with a win on the board. Now, the question becomes if it is enough to spark her confidence in next week’s acting challenge – or, if the judges will be happy to let her go now that she has had an arc of growth.
#4 – La Veuve, 1 win, 1 lip sync (was #1, 4, 7, 4)
(Facebook | Instagram | Links)
In the Belgium Season 2 Snatch Game, La Veuve had the thing the other queens lacked entirely: perspective. She knew who she wanted to be as Jeanne d’Arc, right down to her stilted language and the fact that she was visiting Snatch Game in the midst of being burned at the stake.
Yet, I felt that her train of thought went off the tracks right away by answering the first question about artistic inspiration with a doodle of genitalia.
Maybe I’m missing some sort of cultural joke about Jeanne here. I’m familiar with Jeanne being illiterate, and that she is well-known for wearing men’s clothes and for her virginity (or, at least, rejection of being sexualized). So, it would make sense to draw her answer. And, I suppose both of those traits are inspired by penises in a roundabout way… but that’s a tenuous connection.
A funnier answer about inspiration might have been “a nice pair of pants.
I think La Veuve delivered her best runway so far with this “roller derby grim reaper.” The concept was clear, the costume was cool, and it really worked on La Veuve’s lanky figure. I still think she could be wearing more makeup (which is my general comment on her), but I enjoyed her fantastical swoosh of eyebrow.
The fact that La Veuve didn’t walk away with an easy win here tells me she didn’t give the editors that much more to work with in Snatch Game beyond what we saw. That surprises me from a queen who has had such an ease with humor in any challenge that involved comedy – especially given her commanding Talent Show win in Episode 1. Yet, I think La Veuve still has a chance to slip into the finale. A win in the acting challenge next week could insulate her from a potential face-off against whoever survives between Chloe and Gabanna to reach the semi-final.
Even if that’s the case, a season win seems out of La Veuve’s grasp at this point. I think it speaks to the impact of both runway package and energy levels in sustaining early momentum on Drag Race.
#5 – Gabanna, 2 lip syncs (was #9, 5, 5, 3)
(Facebook | Instagram | Merch | TikTok)
Gabanna had little perspective and no jokes as Frida Kahlo in Snatch Game, and despite being the best roller girl on the runway she also had the most casual outfit.
Gabanna repeated an error many queens have made on Snatch Game over the years: her Frida Kahlo was a strong likeness but she had no perspective as the character. Gabanna gave her answers with a hazy, laconic demeanor, but that’s not a character – and it’s not funny.
Also, I think at this point imitating Kahlo by drawing on a unibrow or a hint of masculine features has gone from recognizable, to tired, to bordering on offensive. This was a real person whose life was often marked by tragedy. I’m not trying to say people imitating her are problematic – I just want to see them bring more depth and reverence to their portrayals.
In a way, Gabanna brought the best of all the “En rollers, baby!” runway looks – and, she certainly did the best skating! I loved that the top of this like was comprised of deconstructed roller blades!
Yet, much like her Snatch Game, Gabanna went way too literal on this “skater Barbie” look. It was too casual and not enough couture. Also, I just found it hard to look at. There was so much going on around the waist that the pants were hard to understand. I was also confused by the small peek at her support garment under her chest piece.
This was a critical week for Gabanna. I think she could have solidified a story as a late-season upstart with a high placement here. Instead, it feels like we have a clear top four that the edit has spent a lot of time making into dynamic characters… and then Gabanna. Still, she could sneak into the Top 4 if Chloe crashes next week.
Eliminated: 6th Place – Star, 1 lip sync (was #4, 3, 4, 5)
As you can see by my Power Rankings of Star, I expected her to last a week or two longer than this!
I was surprised that an experienced queen like Star chose to portray an unlicensed fictional character like Little Red Riding Hood for the Belgium Season 2 Snatch Game rather than some grande dame of Belgian entertainment.
When a queen chooses a character from folklore, there’s no way for the judges to assess if she has nailed their likeness or mannerisms. I think queens think that will make their jobs easier, but it actually makes things more difficult: it means success hinges entirely on concept and performance.
For Star, the idea that her Little Red Riding Hood was mature and a bit slutty never landed. That’s just too much story to try to pack into four Snatch Game responses. I think it would have been easier (and funnier) if Star simply played the character as old and jaded, leaving out the attempts at sexual humor. A haggard old Red Riding Hood has the potential to be hilarious, and it leans into Star’s own brand as the oldest contestant.
Star struck me as an experienced all-around performer who did not have one central thing which was her brand. Perhaps it would have been next week’s acting challenge! Even if that wouldn’t be the case, I enjoy when Drag Race franchises take the same chances on performers in their 30s, 40s, and beyond as they do on queens in their 20s. Sometimes it feels like they will only cast older queens as a gag or when they are surefire winners.
I say, let’s see queens of all ages and all walks of life on every season. Everyone deserves a chance to be a Star.
7th Place (Quit) – Morphae (was #5, 6, 6)
(Website | Instagram | TikTok)
[…] just one more week before the finale, our Power Rankings have gotten incredibly tight compared to last week’s Snatch Game power ranking. I think we have an obvious winner, but there is still tight competition for the 2nd and 3rd spots […]