151 - Word Centipede (w/ Jon Gabrus)

Summary

SmartLess Presents ClueLess Episode 151: Word Centipede (Featuring Jon Gabrus) Release Date: May 8, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 151 of SmartLess Presents ClueLess, host Elliott Kalin teams up with his regular contestant Sean Hayes and guest Jon Gabrus for a lively session of puzzles and word games. The episode kicks off with the trio diving into the main event: the Word Centipede game, designed to challenge their linguistic prowess and quick thinking.

Recap of Previous Episode's Puzzle

Elliott revisits the cliffhanger from the last episode—a tricky acronym riddle. The puzzle asked listeners to identify which acronym didn't belong in the group: UPC code, DVD player, LCD display, ATM machine, and DC Comics.

• Jon Gabrus confidently reveals the answer at [03:34]:

  "The answer, my friend, is DVD player."

• Elliott elaborates at [04:02]:

  "The C in UPC is code, the D in LCD is display, the M in ATM is machine, and the C in DC is comics. But the D in DVD does not stand for player. It stands for Disc."

• Sean Hayes expresses amazement at [03:58]:

  "Wow. I can't believe you got that. That's crazy. I would have never gotten that."

Word Centipede Game

Word Centipede is the episode's highlight, where participants are given sets of words and must determine a common word that can precede or follow each to form compound words or phrases. The game consists of multiple rounds, each increasing in difficulty.

Round 1: Load, Make, Round

• Example Puzzle at [06:34]:
  Elliott provides an initial example:

  "Line, Grace, and Slide."

• Solution Explained at [07:21]:

  "The answer is Land. Landslide, Graceland, Landslide."

• Presented Puzzle at [07:40]:

  "Load, Make, Round."

• Sean's Attempt at [08:19]:

  "Load out, make out, Round out."

• Correct Answer at [08:35]:

  "Upload: Load up, Make up, Roundup."

Round 2: Off, Out, Broad

• Presented Puzzle at [09:13]:

  "Off, Out, Broad."

• Sean's Insight at [09:58]:

  "Cast: Cast off, Outcast, Broadcast."

• Jon confirms at [10:03]:

  "Cast off. Outcast. Broadcast."

Round 3: On, Smart, Clue

• Presented Puzzle at [10:14]:

  "On, Smart, Clue."

• Jon's Creative Answer at [12:28]:

  "Program: Proactive, Pronoun, Program."

Round 4: Micro, Smart, Book

• Presented Puzzle at [10:46]:

  "Micro, Smart, Book."

• Sean's Realization at [11:39]:

  "Smartphone, Phone book, Microphone."

• Elliott praises at [11:46]:

  "You got it. It's phone. Microphone, smartphone, phone book."

Round 5: Active, Noun, Gram

• Presented Puzzle at [12:11]:

  "Active, Noun, Gram."

• Jon's Swift Response at [12:30]:

  "Program: Proactive, Pronoun, Program."

Megaclue: Uniting the Words

After completing the rounds, Elliott introduces the Megaclue, which combines one word from each round:

• Words: Program, Smartless, Microphone, Broadcast, Upload.

• Challenge at [12:54]:

  "What common theme unites all of these words?"

• Sean's Guess at [13:25]:

  "Could it be podcasting?"

• Elliott confirms at [13:29]:

  "That's right. It's podcasting."

• Fun Fact Shared at [13:37]:

  "You're listening to one right now."

Cliffhanger Puzzle

Elliott wraps up the episode with a Cliffhanger Puzzle, setting the stage for the next episode:

• Puzzle at [14:03]:

  "Which one of these items doesn't fit with the others and why? The items are a dream, weather, spice, indigo, and rouge."

Listeners are left to ponder this riddle, with the answer to be revealed in Episode 152.

Notable Quotes and Highlights

• Elliott Kalin at [01:00]:

  "This is Clueless. Clueless."

• Sean Hayes humorously at [03:40]:

  "Why?"

• Jon Gabrus jokingly at [02:07]:

  "My legs and tits are very old."

• Elliott on Microphone at [12:00]:

  "That microphone is right in front of us right now."

Conclusion

Episode 151 of SmartLess Presents ClueLess delivers an engaging and entertaining session with a series of challenging word puzzles and witty banter among the hosts and guest. The Word Centipede game not only tests their vocabulary but also showcases their camaraderie and quick thinking. With the Megaclue revealing the unifying theme of podcasting and a tantalizing Cliffhanger Puzzle, listeners are left eagerly anticipating the next installment.

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Join the Conversation: Stay tuned for Episode 152, where the mystery puzzle will be unveiled. Don't forget to subscribe, follow, and share your thoughts on the latest challenges presented by Elliott, Sean, and Jon!

Transcript

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[Unknown]

Smart less medium.

[Elliot Kalin]

Well, everyone. Spring has sprung. Just like when fall was full and winter wondered and summer was summer. This is Clueless. Clueless.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm clueless. Clueless. They just get longer and longer. My. My part, my part, my part.

[Elliot Kalin]

No, I like it. You're luxuriating in it. That's what's so.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kalin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Welcome to Smartless presents. Clueless, the only puzzle podcast that puts in the work. Honey, I'm your host, Elliot Kalin, and my little lamb followed me to school today. Now please welcome the man who's crazy about puzzles but otherwise deemed legally sane and responsible for his actions. Sean Hayes.

[Sean Hayes]

Sometimes. Only sometimes. Elliot's exciting to be here. Oh, my gosh. Wait, what episode is this? How many have we done together? We've been together a long time.

[Elliot Kalin]

I believe this is episode 51. We've done 51 trips down puzzle lane between the two of us.

[Sean Hayes]

Do I look older, younger, or the same?

[Elliot Kalin]

I think you look younger. I think this is. It's like a Dorian Gray situation where I'm getting older and you're getting younger.

[Sean Hayes]

No, but the youngest of all is our guest today. His name is John Gabris. He's hilarious. He's half of the host of Staying Alive for Smartless Media podcast. It's super funny. Please check it out. Staying alive, guys. It's John Gabris. He's hilarious.

[John Gabris]

Oh, thank. Only look young because I'm on zoom. My legs and tits are very old.

[Sean Hayes]

My legs and tits. I thought you're gonna say only look young because I didn't know how you're gonna finish. That. Was so worried.

[Elliot Kalin]

There was a lot. There was a lot riding on the end of that sentence. And I'm glad that I landed.

[John Gabris]

Yeah. And I don't. I think I still landed on something that Devin will have to cut. How about I only look so young because I did my morning Stem cell dip.

[Sean Hayes]

There you go. My peptides.

[Elliot Kalin]

Those are supposed to be very good for you. Now you know me, I love tying up loose ends. It's why I've been kicked out of so many yarn stores. So let's tie up one last loose end by revealing the answer to last episode's cliffhanger puzzle. It was an acronym riddle that went thusly. And you may remember from last episode, John Gabris was talking a big game about this cliffhanger puzzle. I'll remind you what it was. Here are some things that are generally referred to using acronyms. Tell me which acronym doesn't belong in this group and why. UPC code, DVD player, LCD display, ATM machine, and DC Comics.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, John really kind of went to town and beat the out of me for knowing this before anybody else.

[John Gabris]

But I mean, the action movie calling it a cliffhanger puzzle. I immediately think it's gonna be a question about Gabe Walker. Sly Stallone's character.

[Elliot Kalin]

Yeah. In the hit film Cliffhanger.

[John Gabris]

Yeah, Yeah, I dropped her. But I. This one hits for me because acronyms are something I'm also low key, obsessed with. Okay, so what's.

[Elliot Kalin]

Can you, can you tell us, can you share with us what is the answer?

[John Gabris]

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. And it's DVD player.

[Sean Hayes]

Why?

[Elliot Kalin]

And why?

[John Gabris]

Because all the others had a redundant. A redundancy in that. You said the word of the last letter like ATM machine, UPC code. It would be like saying SCUBA apparatus.

[Elliot Kalin]

Exactly. Very good.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow. I can't believe you got that. That's crazy. I would have never gotten that.

[Elliot Kalin]

The C in UPC is code, the D in LCD is display, the M in ATM is machine, and the C in DC is comics. But the D in DVD does not stand for player. It stands for a different word that is not player. Disc.

[John Gabris]

Digital dvd.

[Elliot Kalin]

Oh yeah, disc. Yeah. So if we said DVD disc, there would have been no answer to the puzzle.

[Sean Hayes]

That's right.

[Elliot Kalin]

Very excellent job.

[Sean Hayes]

Good. That was really good.

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[Elliot Kalin]

Listeners at home, did you get the right answer? If not, that's okay. Think about all the little victories you had today. Like not throwing your phone against the wall when you didn't get that right answer. That was a crazy thing. You didn't get that one. And you've got lots more chances to either answer correctly or control your anger. In today's main game, word Centipede.

[Sean Hayes]

Centipede. I like that.

[Elliot Kalin]

Oh, wait one moment. What is it, Gabriel? Sorry, Devin, cut this out. My son, who's in the room, wanted to make sure that the song for Word Centipede played after we talked about Word Centipede.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay, very good. He's on it. He's on it.

[Elliot Kalin]

I'm not cutting that. He's very. He's a big fan of the show.

[John Gabris]

I'm not cutting that. I'm hiring him.

[Advertiser]

Seriously.

[Elliot Kalin]

In this game, I'm going to give you a set of words, and you must tell me what word can go before them or after them. Before or after each of them to make three whole new words. For example, if the words I gave you were line, grace, and slide, what word could you put either before or after each of those to make three new compound words?

[Sean Hayes]

Line. Graceful. Line. Full. Line. Grace. Line. Oh, no.

[Elliot Kalin]

Line, Grace, and slide.

[Sean Hayes]

Line. Slide. Whistle. Grace. Whistle. Slide. Whistle. No. Line. Line.

[John Gabris]

Water. No. Yeah. No.

[Elliot Kalin]

Gracewater.

[John Gabris]

Yeah, no, I'm hearing that now. Thank you. Elliot.

[Elliot Kalin]

Would you like to know the answer to this example?

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, please.

[Elliot Kalin]

The answer is Land. Landslide. Graceland. Landslide.

[Sean Hayes]

Ooh.

[John Gabris]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Elliot Kalin]

So now you know how to play the game.

[John Gabris]

Now we know the kind of level they're dumb. I got it. Sorry. That's when you're bitter about getting wrong. Oh, I didn't realize they were, like, dumb. Okay, yeah, I'll get the next.

[Elliot Kalin]

Now that you know that you were thinking too high on. Okay, round one. Your words are load, make and round. Load, make and round, Load.

[Sean Hayes]

L O A D make M A K E, round, R, O, U, N, D. That's my answer.

[John Gabris]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

We don't have to spell them. Oh, we don't have to spell them. Okay.

[John Gabris]

We just have to use them as a sentence.

[Elliot Kalin]

You were thinking the word spellipede. Different game.

[Sean Hayes]

Load, make, shift.

[John Gabris]

Load, Round, shift. No. Roundabout, make. Nope.

[Sean Hayes]

Or what about out?

[John Gabris]

Load out, make out, Round out, load out.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, that's good.

[Elliot Kalin]

Is round out a word? It's a phrase. It's two words. You can.

[John Gabris]

I don't know if round out is a word. Okay. Load up, makeup, roundup.

[Elliot Kalin]

You're very close.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, yeah, that's it.

[Elliot Kalin]

I'll allow it. We're looking for upload. Makeup, roundup. Up was the word we were.

[John Gabris]

Upload. Right. Because load up is a phrase, but not a word. Got it.

[Elliot Kalin]

So I'm going to give you partial credit for that, but it's okay. The points don't matter.

[John Gabris]

Only 99 legs. Thank you. Right. It's the centipede legs.

[Elliot Kalin]

It's a centipede. Yeah, centipede. I'm taking off one of the legs. I'm going to keep taking off legs every time you get one wrong. So.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, he's going to limp. Now, the centipede is.

[Elliot Kalin]

Now there's real stakes to this game. Round 2. Our words are off. Out. Broad. Off, as in turn that off. Out, as in turn it out. Broad, as in turn it broad.

[Sean Hayes]

Way Broadway. Way out. Way off. No, outbound. Broadbound sound.

[John Gabris]

Broad seems to be the word. I can't think of many. Broadsword outsourced. No.

[Sean Hayes]

Put off. Put broad. Put broad.

[Elliot Kalin]

Let me know if you like a clue.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, wait.

[John Gabris]

Way off. Way out. Broadway.

[Sean Hayes]

That's what I said. Yeah.

[John Gabris]

Or was I way off in my guess?

[Sean Hayes]

Wait, I want to get this. Okay, what's the clue?

[Elliot Kalin]

Would you like to know where around each of those words the new word's going to go? Or would you like a clue to what the word is? That's the answer.

[Sean Hayes]

That part.

[Elliot Kalin]

Yeah. Clue to what the word is. Okay. Think about words involved with broken bones.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, Off. Cast. Cast. Broadcast.

[John Gabris]

Cast off. Outcast. Broadcast.

[Elliot Kalin]

That's right. Cast off. Outcast, broadcast. You got it. Once I pretty much gave you the answer, you got it. You were on top of it.

[John Gabris]

Hey, it turns out you can lead a horse to water and not make them drink.

[Elliot Kalin]

Round three. Here are your words on smart and clue. Those are your words on smart and clue.

[John Gabris]

Now, if I put L, E, S S before on and make it lesson. Am I doing lesson smart, less clueless.

[Elliot Kalin]

Yes, I'll allow you to do that because that's the answer. Lessen. Smartless, clueless, job.

[Sean Hayes]

True.

[Elliot Kalin]

Sometimes we're in Centipede. You take a word and put it on another word, and it doesn't seem like the right way to fit it.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah. This is how dumb I was. I was like, less on.

[Elliot Kalin]

That would be off, wouldn't it?

[Sean Hayes]

More off.

[John Gabris]

Is it less on or more off? You tell me.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Elliot Kalin]

Round four, your words are micro, smart.

[Sean Hayes]

Book, two smarts and book.

[Elliot Kalin]

Micro, smart, book, smart.

[John Gabris]

Cosm, book, cosm. Microcosm.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Elliot Kalin]

That's so much more intelligent than the actual answer.

[Sean Hayes]

Microfiche. It's gotta be feeshe, smart fish, book.

[John Gabris]

Fish until you're ordering at, like, a Greek fisherman's store.

[Sean Hayes]

Micro, micro.

[Elliot Kalin]

For a couple of these. Think about devices. Think about electronical devices, but not for all three of them.

[Sean Hayes]

Smartphone.

[Elliot Kalin]

But the third one does involve electronic devices.

[Sean Hayes]

Phone book. Phone book, Microphone.

[Elliot Kalin]

And what would the other one be?

[Sean Hayes]

Smartphone.

[Elliot Kalin]

You got it. It's phone. Microphone, smartphone, phone book. Phone book is one for the young people out there.

[John Gabris]

Yeah. Well, and also the fact that it took us so long to get microphone and all three of us are holding it.

[Elliot Kalin]

That microphone is right in front of us right now.

[Sean Hayes]

Exactly. Gosh, it's coming to me.

[John Gabris]

Tap, tap, tap.

[Elliot Kalin]

And finally, we have one more round of words. Round five. Those words are active noun, gram. Active noun, gram, noun.

[Sean Hayes]

N o u n. N o u.

[John Gabris]

N. Oh, I got it.

[Sean Hayes]

What is it?

[John Gabris]

Proactive pronoun program.

[Elliot Kalin]

Very good. Exactly. The word was probably. Proactive pronoun program. Very good. Strong finish. Very strong finish. I'd love to see it. Love to see it after a finish.

[John Gabris]

Only looks strong if the beginning is weak.

[Elliot Kalin]

That's the arc you want in a story, though. You don't want to start strong and end weak. You want to go the other way around.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, that's good. That was good.

[Elliot Kalin]

And that's the end of the game. Would not be an accurate thing to say right now, because as with all clueless main games, this one only ends when you solve the megaclue mega clue question. Today's megaclue repurposes one word from each of the rounds of Word Centipede that you created. Those words are program, smartless, microphone, broadcast, and upload. What common theme unites all of these words?

[Sean Hayes]

Gee, I wonder what it could be.

[John Gabris]

How meta of you, Mr.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes. Could it be podcasting?

[Elliot Kalin]

That's right. It's podcasting. Podcasting. Podcasting. All those words are involved in that. Here's a fun fact about podcasts. You're listening to one right now.

[Sean Hayes]

No.

[John Gabris]

Are you kidding me?

[Elliot Kalin]

Or if you're us, you're recording one right now. That's the kind of fun fact you can share with your friends. Listeners. Did you do as well as Sean and John? If so, then you're officially my favorite listener. Don't tell the other listeners. And now, though, to move on. What is an ice cream sundae without a cherry on top of. What is a bird without wings? What is an episode of a Clueless without a cliffhanger puzzle? Let's never find out, especially the bird one, because here is today's cliffhanger puzzle. The cliffhanger puzzle is like the aged cheese of riddles. We prepare it, leave it in a cool, dark space, come back when it's dry and smelly. Today's cliffhanger is an odd one out. Which one of these items doesn't fit in with the others and why? And those items are a dream weather, spice, indigo and rouge. Again, those items are a dream, weather, spice, indigo, and rouge. Which one does not fit and why? We'll find out next episode.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, that's it.

[Elliot Kalin]

Unless you guys have an answer. I was. I thought maybe one of you guys jump in and demand an answer right now.

[John Gabris]

I think I have. I think I have an answer.

[Elliot Kalin]

Well, we'll never know for sure whether you had the answer.

[John Gabris]

Unfortunately, I can't respond anymore.

[Elliot Kalin]

You've been officially banned from the show. That's all the clues we have for you today. No, of course not. I'm sorry to say you're just gonna have to engage with reality for a while. But just to keep you out of trouble for another minute, I'd like to thank John Gabris for being the brightest guest star in the heavens. And I'd like to thank Sean Hayes for being the warm, life giving son this show revolves around. And I'd like to thank you, thank you, the listener, for being a constellation or something. I don't know that much about space. Until next time, this has been Smartless presents Clueless. And I'm your host, Elliot Kaelin. And I only have two words left. Oh, that was it. The last words were words and left. Yeah. Nice.

[John Gabris]

Nice.

[Unknown]

Clueless, you have been listening to Smartless presents Clueless, a Smartless media production in association with Sirius xm. Your host is Elliot Kaelin, who also writes our scripts. Your constant contestant is Sean Hayes, dreamer, adventurer. Your producer, editor and engineer is Devin Tory Bryant, who is me. I also write all the music and sound effects assistant engineer Kyle McGraw. Today's puzzles were written by Kevin Lehman. Talent producer is Anne Harris, Associate Producer Matty McCann Social media producer Tommy Galgano. Executive producers are Elliot Kaelin, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman. Executive producers for Smartless Media are Richard Corson and Bernie Kaminsky. Remember to follow, subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps. That's all for now. We will see you again for more Smart Bless Media.

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