Fool Coverage with Manny MUA and Laura Lee

Episode: We're playing SMASH or PASS... It gets JUICY!
Date: October 3, 2025
Host: PodcastOne
Guests: Tyler Williams (Laura's husband and frequent guest)

Episode Overview

This episode of Fool Coverage dives into the hilarious, irreverent, and sometimes outlandish party game Smash or Pass, where Laura Lee, Manny MUA, and Tyler Williams test their limits (and dealbreakers) by imagining what would make them "smash" (approve/date) or "pass" (reject) a potential partner. The group brings their signature blend of beauty guru banter, Southern-rooted family stories, and pop culture tea, making this both a raucous games night and a window into their friendships. Expect rapid-fire jokes, candid confessions, and memorable moments about food, fandoms, and personal pet peeves.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Catching Up: Peaks & Pits

[01:10 – 22:00]

• Family & Food Stories

  • Laura shares a sweet family tradition: sending photos of steak dinners to her sister, sparking a tangent about Southern comfort food and favorite home-cooked meals.
  • Notable Moment: Laura plays a voice message from her sister reacting to a steak dinner (02:31).
  • Manny reveals he doesn't like corn on the cob and Tyler discusses his love for Mexican-style corn.

• Anime & Pop Culture

  • Manny recounts seeing the new Demon Slayer movie and the surrounding theater chaos—including a wild viral incident involving someone getting arrested for misbehavior.

    “There's like a fight sequence happening literally on screen and there's people on the fuck beating the shit [out of] him in his chair... it comes out that guy pissed on a child.” — Manny [10:09]

  • Conversation digresses into funny bad movie theater experiences, with stories about terrible seats and viewing angles during opening nights.

    “Dune 2 is also like a two and a half hour and he had us sitting on the roof.” — Laura [13:15]

• Sports Highs & Lows

  • Tyler celebrates football season’s return but laments traveling to see Alabama lose badly in the rain.

    “We had, like, maybe two instances during the game where we were cheering, and the rest was just like, I'm listening to the Florida State people.” — Tyler [15:04]

• Seasonal Blues & Movie Nights

  • Manny voices his frustration about evenings getting darker:

    “By the way, my pit is the fact that it's getting darker early. Oh, I'm freaking out ... It would get literally dark at like 8pm, I would leave my workout class at 7:40 and it would be bright as 7:45. And the other day I was leaving the class at 7:45, pitch black.” — Manny [19:04]

  • The group discusses fall favorites, Halloween, and Harry Potter—anticipating the new TV adaptation.

2. Smash or Pass: Game Night!

[23:32 – 56:33]

How to Play

• Each round, one person is judge. Players use cards to present “green flag” attributes with “red flag” dealbreakers.
• The judge asks for a scenario: make it smashable (desirable) or passable (dealbreaker). The funniest, most absurd, or most spot-on combo wins.

Standout Rounds & Memorable Banter

• DoorDash & Dysfunction:

  “They randomly DoorDash your favorite foods and snacks, but … they don't know how to tell a time on a traditional clock.” — Game round [25:09]

  • Joking about dumb but lovable dates, leading to debate about what’s actually a dealbreaker.

• Sick Red Flags:

  “They invented the cure to cancer, but they don't turn down the music when you're having a conversation with them.” — Laura [27:51]
  “That’s like the worst fucking bitch.” — Manny [28:04]

• Personal Pet Peeves Become Game Material:

  “They are great conversationalists but have massive horse teeth.” — Manny (laughing about his real-life exes) [29:06]

• Gross-Out & Absurdity:

  “They will only drink liquids if you spit them into their mouth.” — [38:50]
  “You know, the only possible thing worse than letting someone spit a liquid into your mouth is having your Instagram handle on the back of your car.” — Manny [39:28]

• Real-Life Parallels:

  Laura, referencing herself: “There is always shit in my teeth. I said that on camera.” [37:30]

  • Ongoing laughs about lipstick/food in teeth and being called out by friends.

• Ultimate Dealbreakers / Rule Breakers:

  “But they have every STD.” — Manny (shouting) [34:35]

  • The group riffs: “You can't have them all now. They're not like Pokémon!” [35:00]

• Unbearable Houseguests:

  “Their mom still does their laundry.” — Unanimous ick [52:47]

Game Experimentation

• They start bending the game, making rules up on the spot, leaning into each other's annoyances for comic effect.

  “The game, the rules are made up. The points do not matter. Nothing is real.” — Group consensus [54:40]

Tie Breaker

• Pass scenario: “They are loved by your parents and friends, but ... they have a confederate flag in the room.”
• Laura: “Passing on the confederate [flag]. Dead to me. Oh, my God.” [56:04]

3. Meta Reflections & Podcast Ideas

[56:42 – 57:56]

• Tyler pitches the idea of doing live movie reactions for the podcast, inspired by Trixie and Katya’s Netflix show.
• The group discusses evolving tastes and why they’ve become harsher movie critics over time:

  “When you're younger, you don't criticize things at all... As you get older, your timing becomes more precious, so you criticize more. You don't want to sit through something for hours.” — Manny [57:12]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Sometimes I love when the community takes care of a problem.”
  — Laura (on the Demon Slayer theater fight) [10:36]

• “You better have some leftovers.”
  — Tyler, reacting to steak dinner FOMO [02:45]

• “I’m on my way to your guys’s house for the game night... I taped [the breaker]. He calls me. He's like, ‘What the fuck are you doing?’”
  — Manny (on his failed home repair) [50:09]

• “If you go through our chat, it’s just, like, yummy meals. Okay? Listen to what they send me back. I’m gonna play it for y’all.”
  — Laura [02:31]

• “That would be funny: Smash or Pass, Movie Edition.”
  — Manny [58:09]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:10: Tyler returns as guest; peaks and pits intro
• 02:31: Laura plays voice message from her sister
• 08:26: Manny shares Demon Slayer movie story and viral incident
• 13:15: Movie theater horror stories (Dune 2 opening night)
• 14:36 – 17:20: Football season highs and lows (Tyler)
• 19:04: Manny laments early sundown; fall/Halloween/Harry Potter chat
• 23:32: Smash or Pass game begins – rules explained
• 25:09 – 35:14: Game highlights (food, quirks, and wild red flags)
• 37:30: Dental hygiene humor: Laura’s chronic “stuff in teeth”
• 38:50 – 41:26: Most absurd red flags: airplane feeding, missing teeth
• 52:47: “Mom does the laundry” – universal red flag
• 54:40: Rules meltdown—“Nothing is real”
• 56:04: Tie breaker: confederate flag vs. interrupter
• 57:12: Discussion on growing critical as a viewer
• 58:09: “Smash or Pass, Movie Edition” idea

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Lighthearted, sassy, and self-deprecating, this episode is both an inside joke amongst friends and a relatable deep-dive into real-life pet peeves, cultural trends, and the fun of being a little bit messy. Long-time listeners will enjoy the chemistry between the trio, with Tyler as the straight man to Laura and Manny’s zany quips. Even casual listeners will find something to laugh at—from gross dietary hypotheticals to Southern hospitality, there’s a little bit of everything.

If you’re searching for beauty advice or tea on industry drama, this isn’t the episode—they’re playing, wildly, and making up rules along the way. But if you love unscripted bestie vibes and want to find out just how far someone would go before passing on a potential partner (hint: ask about Mountain Dew or Instagram car stickers), this is classic Fool Coverage.