Welcome to this week in TikTok where I watch TikTok all week, so you don’t have to! Every week I will unpack the past week’s TikTok trends to keep people in loop about what’s going on with Gen-Z’s favorite app. This week is all about being 6’3”, Megan Thee Stallion, and couch guy.

I’m 6’3” BTW

One trend absolutely taking over my For You Page are text-based videos that say something the person thinks will attract a potential partner and are usually followed by some desirable physical attribute in parentheses.

The first video of this trend was posted by @justin.foster on Oct. 4. His video reads “i really spent all last night throwing up and crying thinking about the wage gap (i’m 6’3″ btw).” There are now over 23,000 videos posted under his sound.

Some of the videos posted by targeted at women are in poor taste.
Credit: tiktok / justin.foster

Some of the videos posted by men aimed at women are kind of depressing like Foster’s. Another video made by @neroman1217 read “spent all of last night crying and throwing up about the erasure of women in science due to systemic sexism (i’m 6’8 btw).” He has since deleted the video and made his account private. These videos take serious issues and make caring about them into a joke to get laid.

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This trend is at its best when the content is more lighthearted…and directed at straight men. User @brendaullrichhh posted one that reads “Thinking about how that football team lost that football game that one time (I’m a natural redhead with a fat a$$ btw).”

I’ll admit I fell for one video before I realized it was part of this trend. It was posted by @ri_smoochie and reads “been crying all morning thinking about how nobody takes the cultural impact one direction had on music and popular culture seriously enough.” I was like “omg king is making points!” Then I noticed that in parentheses at the bottom the video it said “I’m 6’1″ and was gifted a magical bean that will grow into a giant bean stock btw,” and was disappointed in myself for being fooled.

You know it’s your girl

On Sept. 29 TikTokker @contejasmusic added piano to Keke Palmer’s interview with Megan Thee Stallion on the Met Gala red carpet, making it a catchy tune. There are now 20,000 videos set to the sound. The section of the interview used in these videos is Keke Palmer excitedly saying “Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh I know it ain’t, I know it ain’t, it’s the Stallion. You know it’s your girl.”

The videos made to this sound have two people lip synching the interview and the first person in the video says “oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh I know it ain’t, I know it ain’t, it’s the Stallion,” and then the camera pans to the second person who delivers the last line, “you know it’s your girl.” The videos are overlaid with text describing the situation where you’re excited to see someone and they tend to be situations where there is no reason to be so excited, but they are.

A video posted by @itz.stormyyy says “when you go to the bathroom during class and u see yo friend.” Another posted by @missmoo23 reads “us every time our roommates boyfriend comes over.”

These videos are all about being excited to see someone.
Credit: tiktok / itz.stormyyy

These videos emulate Keke Palmer’s joy seeing Megan Thee Stallion and bring her energy to everyday encounters.

Popular Songs

Two popular songs on TikTok this week are “TWINNEM” by Coi and “Lucky” by Britney Spears. “TWINNEM” has over a million TikToks made to the sound and “Lucky” has over 20,000.

There are two trends set to “TWINNEM,” the first has users testing if they have knees like Megan in reference to rapper, Megan thee Stallion. The knees like Megan trend initially was set to the song “Knees like Megan” by Mouse on Tha Track and had users squatting low to the ground and twerking, but in the past couple of weeks the trend has evolved and now users are making videos to “TWINNEM” where they slowly squat down to the beat of the song.

The other trend set to “TWINNEM” has users doing a dance created by @areyalltwins that acts out the lyrics of the song. These videos are a fun celebration of friendship and I can’t help, but watch each video all the way through.

The “Lucky” trend isolates the part of the Spears’ song where she says, “this is a story about a girl named lucky” and each video has text that fits with the theme of the lyric, like @offbrandshakira’s video that reads, “when you find out he was cheating a day before the wedding and you can still return the dress because you left the tags on.”

Who is couch guy?

On Sept. 21, TikTok user @laurenzarras posted an awkward video of her surprising her long-distance boyfriend at college. Zarras had no idea the video would end up garnering over 60 million views and spark an inescapable and invasive discourse over her relationship on the app. In the past three weeks couch guy TikTok has become its own subculture with three distinct types of videos responding to Zarras’ original video. The hashtag #couchguy has over 750 million views. For a 10-second video, the people of TikTok have a lot to say about it.

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In the original video, Zarras walks into her boyfriend Robbie’s apartment where he is sitting on a couch with three other girls, thus his nickname, couch guy. His unenthusiastic reaction to Zarras’ surprise made him the center of conversations on TikTok.

Couch guy is…the guy sitting on the couch!

Credit: tiktok / laurenzarras

This ten-second video has been heavily analyzed by TikTok users.

Credit: tiktok / laurenzarras

Zarras’ video has over 128,000 comments and most are along the lines of “he hugged her like she was his aunt at Christmas dinner” and “You can FEEL the awkward tension bro.” In response to the comments on the video, Zarras commented “breaks my heart that people can watch a special moment and bring so much negativity. please think before you assume anything about my relationship.”

The reactions to Zarras’ video don’t end in the comment section. The video inspired a slew of extremely popular parody videos using the same sound as Zarras’ original video, “Still Falling for You” by Ellie Goulding. One parody posted by @mdsnrh is captioned “couch guy on his wedding day” and shows a bride walking into a room where the groom is sitting on a couch with three girls, his mannerisms replicating couch guy’s to a tee. The wedding parody has over three million likes and over 16 million views. Another parody posted by @gabriellekraus got more likes than the original and shows the boyfriend she’s surprising with another girl.

The couch guy video also prompted users to post their own videos of them surprising their long-distance boyfriends. In these videos the boyfriends are elated to see their girlfriends. When they’re compared to the original couch guy, his disinterest in his girlfriend becomes obvious. The captions on these videos are all something like “how couch guy should have reacted.” The most popular of the genre was posted by @gracevanderpool8 and has garnered over 71 million views, surpassing the original video in popularity. Her video is captioned “may I present to you a ~different~ kind of couch guy” as her boyfriend is also sitting on the couch when she surprises him. Her boyfriend is shocked and excited to see her and almost immediately pulls her onto his lap.

There is genuine excitement on this couch guy’s face!

Credit: Tiktok / gracevanderpool8

This video could not be more different than the original.

Credit: tiktok / gracevanderpool8

The real meat of the couch guy videos are people dissecting the original video to prove that couch guy is cheating on his girlfriend or at least not that into her. People are bringing the same energy they brought to trying to solve Gabby Petito’s disappearance, but this time they are trying to uncover the truth of a long-distance college relationship. Users are pulling out all the stops to prove that couch guy is up to no good. Some posted slowed down versions of the original video where they analyze the minutia of it.

In a video posted by @kimcastro she makes a popular allegation that couch guy’s phone was in the hand of the girl next to him when Zarras arrives. Then the girl subtly passes back the phone. I’ve seen dozens of videos trying to show her pass the phone, but I still don’t see it and I don’t really understand why her holding his phone would prove anything. There are similar videos trying to prove that the girl next to couch guy has her hand on his back. Again I am unconvinced by a zoomed in pixelated photo that her hand was on his back. Another detail users have fixated on is the hair tie on his wrist, the argument there being that couch guy doesn’t have long hair, so the hair tie belongs to one of the girls he’s sitting with.

Zarras responded to these theories with a video where she says “y’all are driving me crazy with this phone comment. Not that I should be proving anything to you guys, but just so these stop.” She proceeded to do her own slo-mo analysis of the video.

Couch guy broke his silence five days ago with a video where he misused the word parasocial.

Couch guy’s statement on the matter.
Credit: tiktok / souljawatchambassador

Zarras has since released couch guy merch and gone on Barstool Sports’ Tea with Publyssity podcast. On Publyssity Zarras said “I posted it thinking it would get like 2,000 views.”

“It is crazy that so many people have something to say about it and are so invested,” she continued. She used her time on the podcast to defend her relationship with couch guy. She explained that couch guy was in his room five minutes before she arrived and had to be lured out by his roommate. She also clarified that the hair tie on his wrist is actually a magnetic bracelet she got him for Valentine’s day and that the girl next to him has her own boyfriend.

I hope that this is the last week of couch guy TikTok because I can’t take seeing the same 10 second video one more time. Couch guy spiraled out of control and goes to show that on the internet, people feel like they can comment about your life just because you posted a 10-second video. My favorite TikTok in the couch guy cinematic universe was posted by @josh1morris two days ago and it shows two men aggressively yelling about couch guy. It captures the absurdity of the whole thing.

At long last, Succession returns to HBO after a pandemic-length break on Oct. 17. As such, the cast is doing the press rounds, and they went on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to chat Season 3 and answer some burning fan questions.

Colbert first asks whether the cast lets their children watch it. Brian Cox, who plays the curmudgeon patriarch Logan Roy, says he’s totally fine letting his 43- and 50-year-old children watch the not-family-friendly show. Later on, at around 4:41 in the video, Colbert asks Cox which of Logan’s children the character loves most.

Succession fans realize what a difficult question this is, as Logan is pretty misanthropic. After giving it some thought, though, Cox answers confidently. For longtime viewers, the answer’s not too surprising.

The first time my Instagram account, @soaking_wet_angel, was disabled was in March of 2021. I, like other meme admins, make memes as well as curate and repost images I find from other places on the web. We all face the constant threat of being disabled.

Originally, two of us ran the account, but as you’ll see, it was surprisingly high-stress for something seemingly so simple. My friend is on an indefinite break from the page, but posted as “cake admin” during her tenure. I posted under “arab admin,” and that’s the pseudonym I still use on @soaking_wet_angel_2, @soaking_wet_angel_3 and finally @soaking_wet_angel_4.

My accounts get disabled a lot. My posts have been described as “irreverent, chaotic and capable of bridging zoomers and millennials during nuclear war.” I think that’s a fair assessment.

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View this post on Instagram

The first time my account was disabled was for posting a satirical mockup of Coachella’s lineup poster that featured other meme pages instead of the usual musical acts. Different versions were posted repeatedly on Instagram and most accounts were left untouched, but mine was disabled for over a month for “solicitation.” I’m not sure what I was supposedly soliciting, but nevertheless, the account I built up to 21,000 followers in a year was inexplicably derailed and my dreams of starting a merch line were too.

Disabled accounts on Instagram are essentially in a limbo period that may never end. If your account gets disabled, you can appeal it, but oftentimes those appeals go unanswered. If Instagram decides to delete your account, you cannot get it back.

Since March, my accounts have been disabled five more times. One backup was actually deleted while I wrote this article for an innocent image of a man kissing a baby’s head. I’m not kidding. Adiòs to another 14,000 followers, I guess. No matter how many appeals I send, nothing happens. I never fully understand why my account gets disabled, but I always try to play by Instagram’s distinctly vague community guidelines. Instagram did not reply to multiple requests for comment on this story, but when they do talk to the press, they usually say some version of, “Instagram has a responsibility to keep people safe.” While that may be true, how exactly does disabling an account for posting a Coachella meme have anything to do with keeping people safe?

My experience is not singular: A website called “Deleted in 2020” (NSFW) displays a large collection of images submitted by Instagram users whose accounts have been deleted due to apparent violations. After just a few seconds of scrolling, you immediately recognize how flawed the violation system is. The images range from full nudity to neutral pictures of vases. In short, it’s all over the place and nonsensical.

If you’ve been paying attention to meme pages or other creators, you’re likely familiar with this story. Most meme pages usually have a “backup” account listed in their bio because of how often they’re targeted, and while it may seem silly to try to hold on to a follower base, don’t forget that many of the creators behind these pages are monetizing their output to some degree.

I spoke with Krister Larson, a 28-year-old tattoo artist located in Berlin, who posts memes on @neurodivergent_bussy and who has had two other accounts disabled, @girl_storage and @girl_storag3, cumulatively losing 40,000 followers. Larson said his deletions have affected his real-life business. He shares his tattooing to his meme accounts, encouraging followers to engage with his work—and they do.

“Luckily, my tattoo account hasn’t been deleted, but I have heard horror stories of other tattoo artists’ accounts being shut down for images of their clients’ nipples being present with lots of confusion around instagram’s ‘nudity in art’ guideline,” he said.

Like me, he’s contacted Instagram, filed appeals, requested reviews, and heard nothing.

In August, an Instagram spokesperson spoke to BuzzFeed News about the banning of the account for Julia Rose’s magazine, Shag Mag. The spokesperson claimed that Instagram is actively trying to improve its internal review system to ensure bans are being more fairly issued. It’s clear this has been a problem for a while and it’s dually clear that Instagram seems to be acutely aware of the hardships this is causing some of its high-profile users. However, that same month, the company announced it would be enacting stricter penalties for accounts who send abusive direct messages. Protecting people from online bullying and abuse is important, but these efforts are only as helpful as Instagram’s willingness to define abuse. By not divulging how they define it, they leave all accounts in the dark and therefore subject to being disabled.

Before Larson’s @girl_storag3 account was disabled, he posted a meme that said, “I am not your bestie. I am a random meme page admin that you have never met.” It received a violation for “hate speech and bullying.” The problem, once again, lies in Instagram’s vague community guidelines. What exactly constitutes bullying and what does not? If they are not defining it, anything and everything could be included. Instagram seems to know this, based on their August announcement about abuse violations, but seemingly intentionally leaves the definition open.

Interestingly, despite Instagram’s strict and confusing violation algorithms, some meme accounts are left unscathed. One, @patiasfantasyworld, posted a meme earlier this month that said, “Potheads will find ANY REASON to smoke.. ‘Damn that bitch ugly, let me roll up.'” I posted that same meme a month ago and it was taken down for “harassment and bullying.” I even tried to appeal that violation but it was denied. However, the meme on their account remained up. An admin from @patiasfantasyworld did not respond to my requests for comment.

I also spoke with Simon Jackson who is the Montreal-based curator of @Our.Community.Guidelines. Simon agreed with Larson, saying, “Instagram’s guidelines are obviously written to protect their business interests at the expense of users. The guidelines are absurd, as are their interpretation and application. I named my account @our.community.guidelines to highlight how ridiculous it is to try to get corporate lawyers to interpret and restrict visual symbolism.”

While some creators struggle financially and depend on Instagram referrals for art sales, merch, or other money-making endeavors, never forget that, as Simon pointed out, Instagram is worth over $100 billion.

The effects of constant deletion aren’t only financial. Instagram is a social media app. Simon said, “I depend on Instagram for access to a lot of my friends, conversations, opportunities, and self-expression, making the dependence seem even more sinister… If they own our friendships, they have incredible leverage over users when they give their advertisers ready access to our data and wallets.”

Until Instagram clearly defines their community guidelines and why some users are penalized for content that others face no repercussions for, meme admins should consider exploring other applications. A mass meme exodus might be the only way to get Instagram to take note of its users long-standing grievances.

Samantha Nazzi is a meme administrator based in Brooklyn, New York. You can follow her on Instagram @soaking_wet_angel_3, @soaking_wet_angel_4, and thank_u_for_shopping.

TL;DR: As of Oct. 8, Metroid Dread is finally out for the Nintendo Switch. We’ve listed out where you can get your hands on a copy, or you can use one of the quick links below.

SHOP NOW:

• Metroid Dread — $59.99 at Amazon

• Metroid Dread (Digital) — $59.99 at Nintendo

• Metroid Dread Special Edition — $89.99 at Nintendo

The long-awaited Metroid Dread is finally available for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite, and it’s being met with very positive reviews. Mashable Senior Entertainment Reporter Adam Rosenberg praised Dread for its unique twist on the classic franchise despite its crushing difficulty. (You can read the full review here). If you’re up for a challenge, Metroid Dread awaits.

Metroid Dread is the first new 2D Metroid game in 19 years. You’ll suit back up as intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran as she travels to the mysterious planet of ZDR to rid the alien world of an imposing new foe. You’ll fight off deadly robots, gain new abilities to add to Samus’ repertoire, and use all that you’ve learned to expose new paths in secrets throughout the sprawling world.

Stay very still.
Credit: Nintendo

If any of that sounds like a good time to you, there are plenty of ways for you to get your hands on a copy of Metroid Dread this weekend. Of course, we took the time to lay out exactly where you can get yours below (as well as the game’s Special Edition) so you could spend less time searching, and more time playing.

More places to buy Metroid Dread:

• $59.99 at Nintendo

• $59.99 at GameStop

• $59.99 at Best Buy

• $59.88 at Walmart (comes with a free Samus mug)

• $59.99 at Target

Where to buy Metroid Dread Special Edition:

• $89.99 at Nintendo

• $89.99 at GameStop

Google’s newest Pixel smartphone may not be officially unveiled until Oct. 19, but that doesn’t mean you need to wait until then to lay your eyes on one.

What looks to be two internal Google videos showing the assembly and disassembly of a Pixel 6 Pro were posted to YouTube on Thursday. And while images of and details about Pixel phones have a long history of leaking early, this is really a bit much.

We reached out to Google to confirm that the video, which comes with Google graphics and cheery stock music, is indeed an official company video. We received no immediate response.

Perhaps the folks at Google are too busy trying to figure out how to pull the video down from Google-owned YouTube.

Don’t piss off the teachers.

The National Education Association (NEA), a labor union representing educators of all kinds across the U.S., warned the CEOs of three major social media companies that their respective platforms encourage and amplify dangerous trends among their student users. And the teachers aren’t afraid to name names.

In a letter addressed to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew (and published by the Wall Street Journal), NEA president Rebecca S. Pringle argued that social media platforms’ policies are not only driving kids to devious licks, but actually put teachers in real danger.

“[Online] ‘trends’ and false information that have spread like wildfire throughout social media platforms — from stealing school property and hitting school staff, to conspiracy theories on curriculum and coronavirus protocols — have helped create a culture of fear and violence with educators as targets,” she wrote in the Oct. 8 letter.

A Twitter spokesperson told Mashable that the company had received the NEA’s letter, and “[intended] to respond.” We also reached out to Facebook and TikTok for comment, but received no immediate reply.

The NEA letter appeared to be in response to recent student-led social media trends making the news. Some, like the aforementioned devious licks trend which saw kids boosting school property like soap dispensers for social media likes, were relatively harmless. Others, like the so-called “slap a teacher” TikTok trend would be less so, if they were real — which, at least in the case of the slap trend, it’s not clear that it is.

However, as per usual, it appears that it’s not the kids that we should actually be worried about.

Pringle’s letter called out another social media-inspired danger she said is affecting educators: parents.

“Take for example, the alarming growth of a small but violent group of radicalized adults who falsely believe that graduate level courses about racism are being taught in K-12 public schools because of misinformation spread on social media,” she wrote in likely reference to an online debate around critical race theory. “And there are another small yet vocal group of extremists who are putting the safety of our children, educators, and families at risk over the notion that wearing a mask is in infringement on personal liberty.”

In other words, while the dumb trends may get headlines, social media radicalizing parents is perhaps a greater threat to teachers’ safety — a topic very much on the nation’s mind following Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s Tuesday testimony to the U.S. Senate.

SEE ALSO: Facebook whistleblower says Zuckerberg put viral posts over safety — and may have given bonuses for it

And according to the NEA, which is “demanding” a public safety pledge from Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, the teachers are not going to let this slide. Maybe, with a bit of luck, they can even get that demand trending.

Ted Lasso is no after-school special, but Season 2 of the hit Apple TV+ series clearly has a Very Important Message about what it means to be a good man.

In the Ted Lasso universe, good men share common traits. Empathy, vulnerability, a sense of humor, playfulness, self-compassion, and inner strength are words you might use to describe not just the titular character portrayed by Jason Sudeikis, but also most of the men who surround him.

These guys are no heroes, stripped of their flaws and propped up as caricatures of role models. They make mistakes. They get angry and lash out. They miss important emotional cues. But they also reflect, connect, and apologize. Sometimes the redemption comes a little too easy. On the other hand, the writers make admitting wrong and accepting forgiveness look attainable for men who’ve traditionally learned that doing so is akin to showing weakness.

Ted Lasso is resonant because of its goofy, clever humor, and its optimism about the human condition. We can choose to be the best of ourselves, and when we fail, we can make amends. That’s a lesson every viewer, regardless of their gender, can embrace. But the series gives men explicit permission to explore the most virtuous aspects of their inner lives. These personality traits are typically stigmatized in a culture that rewards stereotypical shows of masculinity like dominating the room or field and winning at all costs (hello, Nate and Rupert!).

Ted Lasso succeeds when it offers viewers a study of contrasts and lets them (mostly) draw their own conclusions. On the show, a good man isn’t a single ideal.

There’s Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), whose Oscar the Grouch vibe, complete with menacingly bushy eyebrows, is really just the surface layer of a complex human being who feels things deeply. When he first starts dating Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), a so-called groupie who becomes AFC Richmond’s publicist, Roy is awkward and emotionally removed. Season 2 sees his defenses unravel. He yields to love. He learns how to put Keeley first when appropriate. Viewers see him play the father figure to his niece, whose own dad isn’t around. Beneath the grunting and cursing is a man capable of vulnerability and devotion, and those traits enrich his life rather than make him weaker.

Now take Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), the team’s star who evolves from a selfish playboy into a self-aware team player. As Jamie confronts his father’s longtime verbal and physical abuse, he recognizes that it turned him into an uncaring bully. Among the most touching scenes of season 2 is the locker room clash between Jamie and his father in which son punches father after one too many humiliating provocations. The episode’s title, “Man City,” is no accident, however convenient it is that AFC Richmond goes up against Manchester City in a pivotal match at Wembley Stadium. Despite years of rivalry between Jamie and Roy, with its flashes of anger and violence, Roy is the one who embraces a shaken Jamie as his teammates watch in astonishment. This is what caring can look like between men. When it’s rooted in empathy rather than competition, the bond of manhood can transcend its stereotypical limitations and become a salve for deep emotional wounds.

That brings us to Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed), the equipment manager turned assistant coach whose painful insecurities ultimately drag him to the Dark Side, where he thinks being cruel and unfeeling is the only path out of self-loathing. In one moment during the season finale, Nate stares quizzically at Ted’s poster of the Pyramid of Success, a rubric created by the former basketball coach John Wooden. If there’s any map of what it means to be a good man (or human) on Ted Lasso, this illustration of 25 traits and behaviors that lead to success is surely it. Among the virtues that it touts are loyalty, friendship, cooperation, sincerity, and honesty, all things Nate appeared to possess at one point but which he’s surrendered gradually throughout the season.

Viewers get glimpses of what fuels his downward spiral: the never-ending disapproval of his father, off-hand comments and jokes from colleagues that poke at his masculinity, feeling invisible to everyone from a restaurant hostess to Roy himself. When he finally confronts Ted over feeling neglected, it sounds like a speech for his own father.

“You made me feel like I was the most important person in the whole world, and then you abandoned me,” Nate tells Ted. “I worked my ass off, trying to get your attention back, to prove myself to you, to make you like me again. But the more I did, the less you cared.”

It’s no surprise that Nate rips up the team’s “Believe” poster and ends the season poised to become the series’ Big Bad as the head coach of Rupert’s West Ham, a revenge act for both men. He stares into the camera as the episode closes, looking soulless and ready to live out his fantasy from a previous episode: ravage anyone who looks at him wrong.

This version of Nate is a bad man, just like Rupert (Anthony Steward Head), the vindictive and controlling ex-husband of AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). Though Ted Lasso is unequivocal about its judgment of Nate, it naturally reserves some empathy for him, too. The questions of season 3, of course, are how much damage will Nate do and will someone (or something) shake him from his trance of unworthiness?

Gary Barker, president and CEO of Promundo, a nonprofit organization that advocates for gender equality, has eagerly watched this season of Ted Lasso unfold. He told me the show offers alternate and much-needed portrayals of manhood, like when the AFC Richmond players happily see a team therapist and thrive following epiphanies about what irks them, or when Beard (Brendan Hunt) sweetly surprises three nerdy male fans with an unexpected visit to the team’s field, or when Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), the team’s director of communications, hosts an annual Christmas gathering to which every player is invited.

“Showing men showing up for each other,” is how Barker describes Ted Lasso.

It’s a simple but taboo conceit. Ted Lasso seems determined to make it the norm.

Reality TV has come a long way since MTV plopped a bunch of twentysomethings in an artsy loft, trained cameras on them, and left them to their own devices for a few months way back in 1992. Now our reality TV choices are seemingly limitless — from ruthless cooking contests to fabulous, multitalented drag fantasies; from rich and ruthless housewives to homespun crafting competitions.

If any of that sounds like fun, you’re in good company! Hulu has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to reality TV. We’ve sifted through the digital dross to find you the best.

1. Bachelor Nation

Is he here for the right reasons?
Credit: ABC

The Bachelor began way back in 2002 with a simple premise: Take one dude (Alex Michel) and a bevy of single ladies competing for his attentions — as signified by red roses doled out at the end of almost every episode — with the aforementioned dude eliminating women until he was left with the one he wanted to marry. Along the way, the ladies participated in challenging adventures, group dates, and sometimes embarrassing activities — all in the name of love (and social media infamy). The original show was spun off into The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, among others, along with an entire media ecosystem devoted to scrutinizing Who’s Here for the Right Reasons. There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes drama, too.

How to watch: The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise are all available to stream on Hulu.

2. Catfish

Back in 2010, the Sundance documentary Catfish took viewers by storm as they watched a lovelorn suitor named Nev Schulman fall for a young woman he meets on Facebook only to have it all unravel when he discovers the truth about his virtual girlfriend. Even now, the movie is a stunner that leaves audiences wondering who was catfishing whom. Schulman took his newfound notoriety and put it to work under the auspices of helping others tricked by Internet paramours in this hypnotizing TV show. Watch for shocking truths about the people we think we know best, online or off.

How to watch: Catfish is available to stream on Hulu.

3. Forged in Fire

This delightfully baroque competition series pits amateur blade smiths with oft-extraordinary facial hair and tattoos against one another as they forge a variety of knives, swords, and other cutting implements, based on the various stipulations of each challenge. Not only is this a wildly dangerous hobby that requires lots of equipment and supplies, it also requires a ton of historical knowledge, artistry, and general steeliness of spirit. The most satisfying part of the show is when the judges test the implements against a variety of objects (including animal carcasses, which are then typically donated). When Doug Marcaida says, “It will cut!” it’s better than a handshake from Paul Hollywood. 

How to watch: Forged in Fire is available to stream on Hulu.

4. Love Island (UK)

The Love Island franchise originated in the UK and has spawned little amorous archipelagoes in Denmark, France, Finland, and Australia, among other countries, where bikini-clad singletons mix and mingle in sexy climes in an attempt to couple up. Unlike The Bachelor franchise, the emphasis is on “coupling up” and enjoying “a good craic,” hopefully with someone who is “fit” and tan with good teeth who is ideally “a bit of me” rather than rushing to the altar, which makes for a more laidback and somewhat less frenzied vibe. Plus, whoever the audience chooses as the best couple brings home a bushel of cold, hard cash on top of those sweet vacation tans.

How to watch: Love Island (UK) is available to stream on Hulu.

5. Making It

The most wholesome Parks and Recreation reunion
Credit: Evans Vestal Ward/NBC

Making It is technically a craft competition show, but hosts Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler give us the feeling they’d rather give a big gold star to everyone just for participating. That’s part of the charm of this show, which feels like the American equivalent of The Great British Bake-Off in its early days with Mel and Sue, when each participant’s best creative effort was applauded. That’s not to say the contestants aren’t darn talented, though — the creative challenges range from out-of-the-box interior and exterior home design to DIY toys and treats. Plus, the camaraderie between 30 Rock co-stars Nick (who is himself an accomplished woodworker) and Amy can’t be beat.

How to watch: Making It is available to stream on Hulu.

6. The Masked Singer

This wildly popular singing competition show, which is based on the popular South Korean show King of Mask Singer, features a dizzying array of celebrities dressed up in costumes and belting out hits while judges Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke vote on the best performers and try to suss out which random celeb is dressed up as, like, a glittery beach ball or something. (We really cannot stress how surreal this show is.) Once the judges and audience members vote, the least-popular singer must reveal their identity. This goes on until the last episode, where the last celeb standing is presented with The Golden Mask. While the judges and audience members are given clues about who’s behind the mask, the behind-the-scenes security measures make the Oscars look low-key. 

How to watch: The Masked Singer is available to stream on Hulu.

7. The Real Housewives Universe

Bravo launched The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2006. The immense popularity of this reality television show about the rich and idle of the OC led to spin-offs in cities across the country — not to mention shows inspired by the Bravo franchise, like Israel’s “Me’usharot.” Hulu has Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, New York City, Atlanta, Potomac, New Jersey, and Salt Lake City, as well as the spin-off Vanderpump Rules. However, Real Housewives of Dallas fans are outta luck.

How to watch: see above.

8. RuPaul’s Drag Race

RuPaul and Debbie Reynolds being legends
Credit: mark boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

It’s hard to remember a world before RuPaul brought drag into America’s living room with this effervescent show that melds creative competitions with performances and behind-the-scenes revelations, in addition to a fabulous stable of judges and guest stars. It made RuPaul a media mogul and turned its winning drag queens into household names, along with inspiring international spin-offs and Drag Race All-Stars. While there has been some controversy around Drag Race and its creator over the years, not to mention some of its contestants, it’s impossible to deny its imprint on the cultural landscape.

How to watch: RuPaul’s Drag Race is available to stream on Hulu.

9. Survivor

To some extent, reality TV is all about watching other people do things we’d rather not and then criticizing how they conduct themselves, and Survivor is the greatest example of that impulse. This extraordinarily popular long-running series drops competitors off in a remote location somewhere in the world where they’re left to team up and scramble for food, shelter, and other everyday necessities, as well as compete in challenges that may require anything from eating bugs to holding onto a buoy for almost 12 hours. The winner gets one million dollars, eternal bragging rights, and countless bug bites and tummy aches. There are 34 seasons of Survivor currently available on Hulu!

How to watch: Survivor is available to stream on Hulu.

See Also: The best TVs for gaming to get you to next-level play

10. Top Chef

One of the most popular and long-running cooking competitions, Top Chef is hosted by Padma Lakshmi (who has her own show on Hulu, Taste the Nation); chef and hospitality mogul Tom Colicchio; and food writer Gail Simmons, who shepherd working chefs through increasingly tricky timed challenges. Winning Top Chef means an increasingly large cash prize (depending on which iteration you’re competing on), as well as a major career boost. Plus, there’s at least 99.99% less screaming on Top Chef than on any Gordon Ramsay show — although if that’s your bag, Hulu has MasterChef, Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word, too.

How to watch: Top Chef is available to stream on Hulu.

In the age of streaming services, there are a variety of ways you can watch your favorite shows, movies, and YouTube videos. Maybe you watch them all from your laptop in your bed, or your phone on the train, or from your couch in the living room. If you’re trying to binge-watch from your TV, you’ll have to connect your TV with a device that will connect you to all the streaming platforms you want — a device like a Roku or an Amazon Fire TV Stick, commonly known as the FireStick. But what is a FireStick, how does it work, and how do you set it up?

SEE ALSO: Best 4K TVs

What can you do with an Amazon Fire TV Stick?

There are a few different versions of Amazon Fire TV Stick: the classic Amazon Fire TV Stick; the Amazon Fire Stick Lite; the Amazon Fire TV Cube; and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Starting at around $35, Amazon Fire TV Stick essentially turns any TV with an HDMI input into a smart TV. Once you have the device set up, you can stream anything on it, from Netflix to Peacock TV to any video on YouTube or song on Spotify. It’s a plug-in device, which makes installing and setting it up pretty easy. It comes with voice control via Alexa Voice Remote, so you can say: “Hey, Alexa, open Netflix” from your remote. You can also stream in 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+ if those settings can work on your TV. You can also search the internet, connect to online games, and share photos on your TV.

What do I need to make my Amazon Fire TV Stick work?

An Amazon Fire TV Stick connects to a TV that has an HDMI port, which most TVs do, your internet connection, your Amazon account, and the usernames and passwords for all the streaming services you’ll want to use. You’ll need two AAA batteries for the remote, and then you can set it up.

How do you install, set up, and connect an Amazon Fire TV Stick?

It’s remarkably easy to install, set up, and connect an Amazon Fire TV Stick — it only takes three steps. First, you’ll plug your device into your TV’s HDMI port, then you’ll plug the Fire TV Stick into the wall outlet, and, finally, you’ll follow the steps on the screen to activate it. The on-screen instructions will lead you through connecting to your internet, downloading the software updates, and setting up any other equipment — like your remote control — that you might want to pair. Now all you have to do is connect your streaming services to the device, and enjoy!

Has Instagram going down again left you with nowhere to shit post? Don’t worry, you can find some like-minded, platform-less folks in… the comments section on Downdetector.

That’s right, Downdetector: The website everybody uses to confirm when Facebook and Instagram are having problems. (Full disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Mashable’s parent company, ZiffDavis.)

Feeling our feelings in unlikely places.
Credit: screenshot: downdetector

You might not have realized, but the site has a comments section, powered by the popular comments hosting service Disqus. Downdetector says comments exist so people can say what they’re experiencing and share intel — and this is mostly how people use it.

“The purpose of the comments section within our website is to show the current user experience with a service,” Michelle Badrian, the communications manager at the company that runs Downdetector, Ookla, said. “We actively monitor comments displayed on Downdetector to ensure the vast majority are related to user-reported experiences with service issues.”

But often, these sections become something more. Frankly, after Instagram went down on Friday, the comments section was poppin’ off.

Any single people?
Credit: screenshot: downdetector

Yes, there were tons of people promoting their websites and services and (ironically) Instagram handles. But the Instagram comments section has also just become a place where people can talk smack, show love, and get weird.

Do you think the curse has taken effect yet?
Credit: screenshot: mashable

Everybody jokes that Twitter is where people turn when Instagram goes down. But real ones know that Downdetector is the place to go. There have been hundreds of new comments in the ~2 hours since Instagram began having problems Friday.

They all make a good point.
Credit: screenshot; downdetector

When you can’t get horny on main, get horny on Downdetector, we guess.

UPDATE: Oct. 8, 2021, 3:24 p.m. PDT This story was updated to include comment from Ookla.