July 5, 2026

Title: POTATO HEAD

Constructors: Zachary Edward-Brown, Jude White & Mishkin Filstrup

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• COUCH SURF (16A: Stay with a host of hosts, say)
• SWEET DREAMS (36A: "Sleep tight!")
• HOT STREAK (61A: Series of wins)

POTATO HEAD: The first word (i.e. HEAD) of each theme answer can be paired with POTATO to form a new phrase: COUCH POTATO, SWEET POTATO, and HOT POTATO.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CBS (1A: Where "The Late Late Show" aired) The Late Late Show aired on CBS from 1995 to 2023. It had several different hosts during that time: Tom Snyder (1995-1999), Craig Kilborn (1999-2004), Craig Ferguson (2005-2014), and James Corden (2015-2023).
• YETI (4A: With 58-Down, nickname for a crustacean that resembles an abominable snowman) and CRAB (58D: See 4-Across) YETI CRABs – also sometimes called YETI lobsters – are marine decapods that live in the deep sea. The hair-like projections on their appendages earned these animals their common name. 
• RAN (27A: Completed the Badwater Ultramarathon, say) The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135-mile race that starts at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park (elevation 282 feet below sea level) and ends at the trailhead to Mount Whitney (elevation 8,360 feet). I have been to Badwater Basin, and I have seen Mount Whitney when I visited Sequoia National Park. I definitely did not run between the two!
• RAMEN (30A: Momofuku specialty) Momofuku is a restaurant brand established by chef David Chang. Momofuku Noodle Bar opened in New York City in 2004, specializing in RAMEN. The brand's name is an indirect nod to Momofuku Ando (1910-2007), who is credited with the invention of instant RAMEN.
• OPERA (33A: Musical performance with a libretto) A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work, such as an OPERA, oratorio, cantata, or musical.
• ESPN (55A: Channel for Mina Kimes) Mina Kimes is a senior writer at ESPN and an analyst on NFL Live. As I have mentioned when I have written about Mina Kimes previously, she is also a self-proclaimed crossword enthusiast.
• EUCHRE (57A: Four-player trick-taking game) When I read this clue, I wondered which four-player trick-taking game it was referring to. It could be bridge, whist, spades, Rook, pitch... Oh, it's EUCHRE, which is played with a deck of 24-32 cards.
• GREEN (63A: ___ Day ("American Idiot" band) "American Idiot" is the title song from GREEN Day's seventh studio album, released in 2004. "American Idiot" is a protest song that calls out mass media for orchestrating paranoia and idiocy. 
• ESSAY (66A: Joan Didion piece in "The White Album") Joan Didion's book of ESSAYs titled The White Album was published in 1979. The book was titled for the first of its ESSAYs, which begins with the sentence, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live."
• COOKIE (1D: Treat sometimes dunked in milk) I'm just highlighting this answer because I've yet to meet a COOKIE I didn't like!
• BRUINS (2D: Boston NHL team) Fun fact: The Boston BRUINS have been a team since 1924, making them the third-oldest active team in the NHL. The NHL's oldest active teams are the Montreal Canadiens (1909) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (1917).
• EDU (5D: End of Vanderbilt's URL) Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, Tennessee. EDU is not only the end of Vanderbilt's URL, but also the ending of URLs of other colleges and universities as well. EDU is an Internet domain for educational institutions.
• TWIST (8D: "The ___ You Can't Resist") "The TWIST You Can't Resist" is the tagline for Twizzlers candy.
• ESSENCE (12D: Magazine with an annual music festival) Since 1970, ESSENCE's monthly issues have covered fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture in articles written for Black women readers. In 1995, ESSENCE held the first ESSENCE Festival of Culture to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the magazine and provide an event to highlight "Black joy, artistry, and resilience." This year's festival is happening now (today is the last day) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• HAM (17D: Spider-___ (Peter Porker's alias)) Spider-HAM is a Marvel comic book character, and a parody version of Spider-Man. Spider-HAM's first appearance was in the 1983 comic book, Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-HAM. The character appeared in the 2018 movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by John Mulaney.
• HOWIE (29D: "America's Got Talent" personality Mandel) America's Got Talent is a reality talent show competition that premiered in 2006. The show's 21st season premiered last month. HOWIE Mandel joined America's Got Talent as a judge in 2010 and is currently the show's longest-serving judge.
• MADEA (31D: Titular Tyler Perry character) MADEA is a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry, who says the character, "is the PG version of my mother and my aunt." There have been many films featuring MADEA, including MADEA's Family Reunion (2006) and A MADEA Homecoming (2022), and MADEA's Destination Wedding  (2025).
• DUMAS (32D: "The Three Musketeers" author) Alexander DUMAS (1802-1870) was a French author whose works include The Three Musketeers (1844) and The Count of Monte-Cristo (1844-1846).
• ESPRESSO (38D: Coffee drink in a Sabrina Carpenter song) "ESPRESSO" is a 2024 song by Sabrina Carpenter, who performed the song at Coachella 2024 the day after it was released.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• DIE (53A: Cube used in tabletop games)
• EGO TRIPS (10D: Vanity-driven "journeys")
• GAY BARS (40D: Places to be out for drinks?)

This is a classic USA Today theme type, and one I always enjoy. It's fun to discover the new phrases as the theme answers are uncovered. Congratulations to Jude White and Mishkin Filstrup who are making their USA Today crossword debuts today! Thank you, Zachary, Jude, and Mishkin for this splendid puzzle.

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