Fantasy can be so powerful that sometimes we forget reality is headed in a totally different direction. In this special episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage, comedian and actress Rachel Bloom chats with Dan about her CW musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where her character Rebecca Bunch takes fantasy a bit far (you'll also hear some snippets of songs from the show). Plus, Eric Mack shares a live story from RISK! about a fantasy that had to be checked before it became a nightmare.

Your heart is racing, your knees are wobbly, and you’re suddenly feeling light-headed. Are you head over heels in love, or is fear creeping down your spine…or both? In this spooky show, two storytellers find themselves in hair-raising situations that unexpectedly raise other things as well. This episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage features the stories, "When Things Go Bump in the Night" by Robert Ben Garant for RISK!, and "Jack Skellington and Friends" by Baltazar Barnabas for Bawdy Storytelling.

In the effort to find a perfect partner, we end up falling for people who fall short. Some of these shortcomings are, of course, inevitable, but on this episode of Hot Mic, your host Dan Savage features two storytellers who reach their breaking points. First up is comedian Michelle Buteau with her story "Fly Girl," told live for RISK! in San Francisco. Then, Sandi Marx shares the perks and drawbacks of being nice when a relationship isn't so great in her story “It's Not You It's Me,” from...

The saying, "Beauty is as beauty does" is misleading. It's supposed to mean that one's beauty is defined by their actions, not their appearance. But as anyone who's ever consumed any type of visual media knows, beautiful people are exalted—and most people in the public eye have to DO a lot to be beautiful. On this episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage we'll hear how two public figures deal with the pressure to be pretty for the camera. First we'll hear the live story "Vogue Makes Everyone...

Losing your virginity is usually just as terrifying as it is exciting - which is why most of the time, would-be virginity losers make a plan. Who? Where? What to wear (or take off)? Whether the plan works out, however, is a different story. On this episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage, two storytellers describe hatching their first time plans and the hilarious hitches that befell them. Hannah Friedman tries to skirt the watchful gaze of a nefarious sister in a story from Don't Tell My Mother,...

High school sucks for a lot of people, especially young queer kids trying to survive the blinding storm of pubescent hormones while getting bullied or beat up for things they’re just learning to like. Things like musical theater, or in Dan Bucatinsky's case, the leader of his high school's marching band. On this episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage, guest Dan Bucatinsky, the producer and actor who stars in 24: Legacy, talks with Dan Savage about his not-so-glorious days as an awkward, closeted...

Ghost stories aren't just for campfires and sleepovers anymore. They're also for those of us still doing the dating slog, especially those of us who think everything is going great with a new partner, when whoosh! They disappear like mist. On this episode of Hot Mic with Dan Savage, Nikki DeVaughn shares a very sexy ghost story from BedPost Confessions, and musical duo Reformed Whores honors us with a song. Plus, Dan explains why ghosting isn't great for the ghost, and comedian Josh Gondelman...

Who doesn’t love an unexpected wedding proposal? Let's be honest - especially one that careens suddenly off the rails? On this episode of Hot Mic we're talking about times the question gets popped and, surprise, not all goes swimmingly. Plus, Dan shares the deep satisfaction of telling your lover off in public. This episode of Hot Mic features “Strange Engagement” by Bianca Casusol for RISK! and “A Good Plan” by Greg Behrendt, recorded here at our studios in San Francisco.