What happens when a self-help comedy podcaster and a self-proclaimed mainstream mom dive headfirst into the high-stakes world of dragon-based erotica? Fire. Literally.

That’s right, this week Mandy welcomes Misty Stinnett to Make Me a Nerd for a full-on nerd-out over Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, the romantasy sensation that has TikTok, book clubs, and reluctant fantasy readers in a collective swoon. Misty—who’s spent the last 15 years producing content for Netflix, MasterClass, political campaigns, and more—is best known as the creator and host of Go Help Yourself, a podcast that makes self-help accessible, skeptical, and laugh-out-loud funny. But today, she trades the wellness aisle for war colleges, dragons, and extremely hot enemies-to-lovers situations.

Together, Mandy and Misty break down everything from the book’s death-defying obstacles and magical bonding rules to the overuse of the word “smirk” and the ethical dilemma of mental telepathy during sexy times. There are spoilers (fair warning), major laughs, and even a sidebar about cheese. It’s a lovefest, a critique, and a very funny ode to the joys of falling into a good fantasy book—even if it involves dragon lust.

🐲 Links & References:

• 🎙️ Go Help Yourself Podcast
• 📖 Bloomsbury Books – support Mandy’s favorite local shop
• 🖥️ Misty Stinnett on IMDb

🎉 Bonus Content Reminder!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Misty giving a behind-the-scenes look at producing Go Help Yourself, what it’s like reviewing 325+ self-help books, and how to navigate the chaotic sea of personal development content with humor and heart. Members enjoy early episodes, ad-free listening, and the bonus segment!

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Let’s talk about America. No—not that America ... Captain America, who—despite being a science experiment in high-waisted pants—somehow manages to be the most grounded Avenger in a sea of flying metal suits and literal gods with hammer fetishes.

This week, Mandy invites longtime friend and deep-level comic nerd John Mundy to hold her hand as she dives headfirst into Captain America: The First Avenger. And, it’s an episode that is more packed than Chris Evans’ post-serum pecs.

Together, Mandy and John embark on a cinematic journey that includes the ethics of weaponized patriotism, or as we like to call it, “Red, White, and Whoop-Ass.” There’s a deep dive into Marvel tropes: why all skinny underdogs are secret geniuses and why throwing a garbage can lid can get you drafted into heroism. There’s a detour into CGI that makes you say, “Wait, is that a bobblehead with abs? Of course the show addresses the sex appeal of moral fortitude. Yes, really.

But that’s not all! Mandy also gets misty-eyed over soldier rescues, super-serums, and a surprisingly moving romance between a supersoldier and a woman who can shoot a Nazi from 40 paces without smudging her lipstick. Honestly, it’s all quite wholesome until the face-peeling starts.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to become a nerd in real time—with only vague recollections of Spider-Verse, a stubborn commitment to romantic fantasy novels, and a heart full of justice—this episode is for you. Plus, there’s an actual moment when a teenager discovers their sexuality thanks to Chris Evans emerging from a transformation chamber glistening like a Christmas ham. Iconic.

Links & Notes

• 🌐 Join our Nerds at makemeanerd.com
• 📸 Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens
• 🐦 Find Mandy on Bluesky: @MandyMiscast

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Welcome to the show, everybody! In this very special episode of Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan sits down with Bruce Vilanch—Emmy-winning writer, cultural historian of kitsch, and the man behind some of the strangest, most infamous moments in television history. You may know him as the guy who put Bea Arthur in a space cantina or paired Paul Lynde with KISS on national TV, but there’s so much more to Bruce’s story.

Together, they dive headfirst into the murky glitter of The Star Wars Holiday Special, exploring its Wookiee problem (they don’t talk, dance, or sing), its sultry Diane Carroll fever dream, and the fact that Life Day was somehow born from this madness. Bruce offers behind-the-scenes stories of writing for characters who don’t speak, persuading Art Carney into a deep V-neck, and navigating George Lucas’s peculiar brand of control. And yes, there’s a lot of love for Bea Arthur.

But it doesn’t stop at Star Wars. Bruce reflects on his Broadway turn as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, his doomed but delightful musical Platinum, and the strange power of camp television to unify audiences in an era before narrowcasting. He’s candid about working with legends (and some disasters), about walking the line between comedy and cruelty on awards shows, and about why he finally wrote a book about all of it: It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time.

This episode is a love letter to nerds of all stripes—musical theater nerds, comedy nerds, pop culture archivists—and an essential listen for anyone who ever found beauty in a bad idea done well (or at least weird). Bruce Vilanch doesn’t just tell stories—he is a story.

🛒 Links & References:

• 🎧 Libro.fm Audiobook Version – narrated by Bruce Vilanch himself
• 📖 Bloomsbury Books – support Mandy’s favorite local shop
• 🖥️ Bruce Vilanch on IMDb
• 🎭 Avenue Q School Edition – yes, it’s real

🎉 Bonus Content Reminder!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com/join to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Bruce playing rapid-fire word association about his legendary collaborators. Plus, members get early, ad-free access to every episode.

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Do you remember a time when David Bowie’s pants were tighter than your schedule, owls were CGI nightmares, and puppets had a suspicious amount of emotional range? No? WELL, YOU’RE IN FOR A TREAT. Because this week, Mandy steps right into the sparkly, slightly confusing fever dream that is Labyrinth. And she does so with none other than fan-favorite, tattoo-wearing, La Croix-powered 80s movie expert Krissy Lenz.

Yes, Krissy is back, and she’s brought the power of voodoo (who do? SHE DO.) along with enough trivia and nostalgia to flood the Goblin City. Together, Mandy and Krissy explore everything from Jennifer Connelly’s “emotionally lasagna” acting to the unsettling truth about baby Toby’s stripes (fashion crime? Or subtle form of goblin-initiated Stockholm syndrome?).

They break down why Labyrinth flopped harder than a toddler on a trampoline, only to rise from the VHS ashes like a glitter-dusted phoenix of cult status. We talk peach-induced amnesia, helping hands that are, frankly, too helpful, and why Ludo is the emotional support monster we all need. And in the greatest mind-meld since Vulcans became a thing, Mandy and Krissy simultaneously declare Lady Gaga as the only possible heir to the Goblin King throne. Bowie would approve. Probably.

Also on tap: the terrifying truth about The Dark Crystal, the trauma of ‘80s puppet animation, and Mandy’s theory that Sir Didymus is somehow a Gonzo cousin on a gap year.

Links & Notes

• 🎧 The Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast
• 🍸 Gank That Drink: A Supernatural Drinking Game Podcast
• 🌐 Join our Nerds at makemeanerd.com
• 📸 Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens
• 🐦 Find Mandy on Bluesky: @MandyMiscast
• 🐦 Find Krissy on Bluesky: @KrissyLenz

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Welcome back, nerdlings, to Make Me A Nerd — the show where one mainstream mom dares to plummet headfirst into the gelatinous pit of sci-fi anthologies, death anxiety, and…digital pigs. This week, Mandy Kaplan reunites with podcast übermensch Pete Wright and returning mensch Tommy Metz III to tackle Black Mirror — that show that asks the critical question: “What if your phone hated you as much as you hate yourself?”

Together, Mandy, Pete, and Tommy trudge through techno-paranoia, pastel dystopias, virtual beach towns where nobody drinks a full cocktail, and simulated space-faring hellscapes hosted by Jesse Plemons’ terrifying smirk. From “Nosedive” to “San Junipero” to “USS Callister,” they unpack it all — social media dystopias, afterlife existentialism, toxic masculinity with a side of laser guns — and yes, the entirely correct revelation that polite behavior toward Alexa might just save your life one day. Plus: why influencer culture is just Yelp for your soul, how CGI turns your eyes into dead fish orbs, and an accidental seminar on the Jewish concept of hell.

It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s deeply unsettling. It’s basically the perfect Monday.

Links & Notes

• 🌐 Join our Nerds at makemeanerd.com
• 📸 Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens
• 🐦 Find Mandy on Bluesky: @MandyMiscast
• 🙀 Catch up with the new season of All The Feelings with Pete and Tommy as they tackle Adulting!

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What do you get when you cross a mainstream mom, a Time Lord, and the Spice Girls? A deliriously joyful trip through time, space, pop culture, and puppets. This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes back the dazzlingly encyclopedic Manny Patel—Doctor Who superfan, mashup artist, and the human equivalent of a well-timed sonic screwdriver—for an energetic deep dive into the “three-boot” of Doctor Who on Disney+. Together, they attempt the nerdy equivalent of catching a greased pig: explaining The Giggle, The Church on Ruby Road, and The Devil’s Chord to someone who has maybe seen three episodes and still calls Van Gogh “that guy who painted starry stuff.”

Manny brings the receipts—from Neil Patrick Harris channeling every villain trope with chaotic glee, to the Doctor’s new bi-generative regeneration twist, to goblins who serenade babies before sautéing them. Mandy, meanwhile, lobs perfectly timed WTFs and deeply relatable mom-level questions (“Why isn’t anyone scared of the goblins?” “Why does the TARDIS look like a 90s karaoke screen?”). By the end, you’ll be asking yourself the real questions: Is Doctor Who too woke? Is crying the new sonic screwdriver? And will Mandy ever stop calling herself a “whobie”?

Also: Jinkx Monsoon is serving Maestro menace, UNIT is basically the British Avengers, and somebody please give Manny a consulting credit already.

Links & Notes

• Watch Manny Patel’s mashups on YouTube: @MannyPatel
• Support Make Me a Nerd
• Find Mandy on Instagram
• Find Mandy on Bluesky

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

In 1977, George Lucas introduced the world to a galaxy far, far away—a universe filled with lightsabers, Jedi mysticism, and the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil. In the decades since, Star Wars has alternately soared and stumbled, expanding its mythos with prequels, sequels, spin-offs, and animated series. Some of these additions have been embraced with fervor. Others have been met with a sigh. And then, in 2022, something unexpected happened. A show emerged that defied the formula, stripped away the familiar iconography, and ignored the Skywalker lineage entirely. Andor was not a story of destiny or prophecy. It was a story of people—flawed, desperate, ordinary people—trying to survive in the shadow of an empire.

On this episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy takes her first step into the world of Andor. Her guide? Yoshi Stone, a television producer, cocktail enthusiast, and lifelong Star Wars devotee who has spent years navigating the vast and varied terrain of nerd culture. Together, they explore the show’s grounded realism, its moral ambiguity, and its surprising ability to make an intergalactic rebellion feel like a gritty political thriller.

Why does Andor feel more like The Bourne Identity than The Empire Strikes Back? What does it mean that its characters drink from mismatched cups, wear scuffed boots, and worry about bureaucratic red tape? And how did a show with no Jedi, no Sith, and no lightsabers become, in Yoshi’s estimation, the best Star Wars project of the last two decades?

This is a conversation about a show that shouldn’t have worked. But did.

Links & References:

• Mandy Kaplan on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens
• Join the Community for ad-free episodes and bonus content: makemeanerd.com/join

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy attempts to survive a full-blown fungal apocalypse—emotionally, spiritually, and occasionally by camouflage. And she’s not alone! She’s joined by three-time guest and ethics enthusiast Matthew Fox, who gently guides her through the cordyceps-infested wasteland that is The Last of Us. Think of them as a podcast Joel, if Joel read moral philosophy and didn’t shoot people in the face quite as often.

From clickers to conundrums, this episode dives into why this so-called zombie genre show is actually about love, loss, and whether saving one person is worth dooming humanity. (Spoiler: maybe!) Mandy—bless her emotionally-intact, pastel-colored heart—only made it through two episodes before waving a white flag made of tissues and trauma. Matthew, meanwhile, brings receipts, ethics, and a voice so reassuring it makes the end of civilization feel slightly cozy.

They tackle the big questions: Is Pedro Pascal’s Texan accent legally binding? Does Bella Ramsey have a resting post-apocalyptic face? Would Mandy survive five minutes in Boston 20 years after the fall of humanity? (Spoiler: No. And that’s fine.) They also explore how video games became the Shakespearean tragedies of our time, how the show contributed to the fall of the “video game curse,” and whether Joel is the reluctant dad of the decade… or just a really hot war criminal.

Plus, a tribute to the late Val Kilmer, a nod to Willow, and a moment of silence for Mandy’s sanity after trying to reconcile a brain fungus outbreak with pandemic PTSD. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to think, you’re going to want to rewatch episode two and sob into a throw blanket.

Links & Notes

• 🎧 Superhero Ethics Podcast
• ✨ Star Wars Generations Podcast
• 🌐 Join our Nerds at makemeanerd.com
• 📸 Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens
• 🐦 Find Mandy on Bluesky: @MandyMiscast

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.