Entertainment
Vic Michaelis on masterminding Brennan Lee Mulligan quitting Dropout for American Girl Dolls
Dropout fans know Vic Michaelis as a mastermind of cringe comedy, whether they are badgering Sam Reich for a dollar on Game Changer, playing a fictional version of themselves for the interview improv show Very Important People, or joining Dimension 20 as a death-focused “dusty do-gooder” in Gladlands. But with Michaelis’ role on the new Peacock series Ponies, they take their sharp wit to 1977 Russia, playing the frustrated office manager for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Michaelis visited Mashable’s Say More couch to talk all of this and more with Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko. In the video above, they dig into Vic’s pitch for Game Changer‘s version of Shark Tank. In the episode, called “Fool’s Gold,” contestants are pitched videos that could go viral. While some involved goofy animation and breast milk taste tests, Michaelis pitched that Brennan Lee Mulligan quit Dropout to make American Girl Doll shoes.
“You take the thing people love most and the thing they fear most,” they said of the pitch, noting, “Sam said pitch three to five ideas. And I said, ‘I have one, and if you don’t want to do it, then I don’t want to come on the show.'”
The resulting video didn’t just make waves on TikTok and Instagram, where fans were frantic about the joke and whether or not it was real. News of the fake resignation hit Google in the form of an Easter egg, which rained little shoes when you googled “Brennan Lee Mulligan.”
In the full episode of Say More, available on YouTube, Michaelis speaks more on that particular moment of internet breakery. Above, they also reveal that it was either going to be American Girl Dolls or the Sylvanians (aka Calico Critters). “I ended up doing a bunch of research on what brand was most likely to interact with the video,” Michaelis explained. “I had narrowed it down to Sylvanian dolls and American Girl Dolls.”
We all know what went down with the Sylvanian dolls, right? A content creator called Sylvanian Drama went viral for using the dolls to create scandalous stories for TikTok, and then was sued by the toymaker in July of 2025.
“That lawsuit against that amazing Sylvanian Drama creator happened immediately after the episode dropped,” Michaelis recounted, “or like right before it was supposed to come out. So, I was like ‘Thank God’ [I went with American Girl Dolls].”
Michaelis also touches on how their gag about Evelyn Tucci, who they claimed on Game Changer is the actor Stanley Tucci’s paternal grandmother, has found new life online. Plus, they told Mashable about how their real-life background in martial arts came into play on Ponies. OK, so a kick-to-the-throat attack was cut from Season 1. But could we see Michaelis’ black belt skills in Season 2? Here’s hoping.
For more from Michaelis on Very Important People, Dimension 20, and the unexpected connection between Game Changer, Heated Rivalry, and Ponies, check out the full Say More episode on YouTube.
Ponies is now streaming on Peacock. Game Changer, Dimension 20: Gladlands, and Very Important People are all streaming on Dropout.
Entertainment
Sam Darnold meme fans rally around their Super Bowl champ
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was once — is still, really — a meme. He is also a Super Bowl champion. And social media lit up on Sunday because of that fact.
Darnold was perhaps the story of 2026’s Super Bowl LX — won by the Seattle Seahawks over the New England Patriots — because everyone loves an underdog. Darnold, a former top prospect, flamed out while playing for the flailing New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. Pit stops in San Francisco and Minnesota then led to Sunday’s triumphant victory with Seattle.
It was a full reversal for Darnold, who was once relegated to memedom. An admittedly hilarious graphic from 2019 created a meme format — Darnold pointing while given a random illness or ailment.
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Fans of Darnold, widely known as a chill and good guy, even created a subreddit called r/The_Darnold, where they celebrated the QB and all his associated memes. He was both beloved and mocked. Naturally, then, the memes flowed as Darnold led Seattle to victory in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. It was largely a celebration of an athlete who overcame lots of doubt and tough times.
It’s always heartwarming you get to see such an amazing comeback story — and the internet certainly celebrated Darnold’s moment in the sun on Sunday.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for February 9, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Otherworldly.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
GODLY
Hurdle Word 2 hint
To saturate.
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Hurdle Word 2 Answer
IMBUE
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To scrape by.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
EKING
Hurdle Word 4 hint
To hunt.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
CHASE
Final Hurdle hint
Office work.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
ADMIN
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
Stuff Your Kindle Day just went live — download 100s of free romance books for your Kindle
FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Feb. 9-13. The new Free Romance Book Blast offers romance books in a variety of subgenres for your e-reader.
Have you got big plans for Valentine’s Day? Cancel them, because a new Stuff Your Kindle Day just dropped.
The Stuff Your Kindle Day schedule has been predictably hectic in 2026. We had a number of free giveaways in January, but February is on another level. We count nine events this month. Not all of them are huge, but between the niche events and massive drops, bookworms are going to be kept busy.
The latest giveaway is hosted by the Indie Author Collective. Be My Valentine is a romance book blast, offering (you guessed it) free romance books from a variety of subgenres. Everything that you download for free is yours to keep forever, so don’t hold back. So what if you’ve already got a huge stack of books waiting to be read. Add to your virtual pile without guilt.
Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We’ve lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.
When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?
Be My Valentine takes place on Feb. 9-13. Recent Stuff Your Kindle Days have only lasted 24 hours, meaning participants have needed to act fast. That’s stressful, so this five-day event is a welcome change. You can take stock of your options, pick your favorites, and download without getting worked up. It’s much more civilized.
Which ebooks are free?
Be My Valentine is all about romance titles. There’s a helpful hub page put together by the Indie Author Collective with filters for major tropes, spice levels, content levels, and representation. Here you can peruse the 100s of options or filter to find something that perfectly lines up with your preferences.
It’s important to note that anyone can participate in Stuff Your Kindle Day. Kindle and Kobo readers can download these romance books for free.
Mashable Deals
Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?
Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep, and there’s no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don’t count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time.
The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal
Why we like it
These popular e-readers help you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. Plus, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase.
Sam Darnold meme fans rally around their Super Bowl champ
Seahawks ride 'Dark Side' D, Kenneth Walker to Super Bowl LX victory
