158 - State Of Confusion (w/ Jeff Max)

Summary

SmartLess Presents ClueLess: Episode 158 - "State Of Confusion" Featuring Jeff Max

Release Date: June 2, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 158 of "SmartLess Presents ClueLess," host Elliott Kalan is joined once again by the ever-charming Sean Hayes and special guest Jeff Max. The episode, titled "State Of Confusion," delves into a series of engaging puzzles and brainteasers centered around the United States' state abbreviations, challenging both the guests and the listeners to think creatively and swiftly.

Recap of Previous Episode's Cliffhanger Puzzle

Elliott begins the episode by revisiting the cliffhanger puzzle from the last episode:

Elliott Kalan [02:32]: "Use me every time you take a step, but I'm also a creature with no feet. I sound like the spirit that animates us all, but I'm also the one and only. What am I?"

The guests attempt to solve the riddle, leading to an amusing improvisational musical moment.

Jeff Max [02:35]: "Ghost of Christmas Past."

Elliott guides them through the thought process, ultimately revealing the answer:

Elliott Kalan [03:38]: "You use the soles of your feet every time you take a step. 'Soul' is also a type of fish, a creature with no feet. It's a homophone of the word 'soul,' meaning the spirit that animates us all, and it means only one of something. Soul."

The correct answer is "soul," which Jeff Max deduces correctly, earning applause and a performance point.

Jeff Max [03:52]: "That's right. Oh, gosh, Jeff, congratulations."

Transition to the Main Game: "State Of Confusion"

With the warm-up completed, Elliott transitions to the main game of the episode:

Elliott Kalan [05:44]: "Listeners at home, did you get the answer? If so, I'm giving you the rest of the day off. Just tell your boss I said it was okay. Clear your schedule for today's main game 'State Of Confusion.'"

The game's objective is to take the postal abbreviations of two states from Elliott's trips and insert a single letter to form a new word related to his experience during the trip.

Gameplay: Decoding State Trips

1. Tampa, Florida to Louisville, Kentucky

• Clue: "It was unreliable and unpredictable."
• Solution: Flaky

Elliott Kalan [07:37]: "Tampa, Florida, to Louisville, Kentucky. I'm going to Kentucky a lot these days. It seems like a middle. Flaky."

2. San Juan, Puerto Rico to Dover, Delaware

• Clue: "Made me feel good about myself."
• Solution: Pride

Elliott Kalan [08:05]: "My trip from San Juan to Dover made me feel good about myself."

Elliott Kalan [08:43]: "The answer is pride. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dover, Delaware."

Despite initial confusion about San Juan's location, it is clarified as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Dover, Delaware—resulting in the word "pride."

3. Boston, Massachusetts to Atlanta, Georgia

• Clue: "Reading Japanese graphic novels."
• Solution: Manga

Elliott Kalan [09:31]: "I spent my trip from Boston to Atlanta reading Japanese graphic novels."

Elliott Kalan [10:11]: "Manga. Yes, with an M. Manga is the answer."

Manga seamlessly fits between MA (Massachusetts) and GA (Georgia).

4. Mobile, Alabama to St. Louis, Missouri

• Clue: "Took me past an American landmark I'll never forget."
• Solution: Alamo

Elliott Kalan [10:40]: "My trip from Mobile to St. Louis took me past an American landmark I'll never forget."

Elliott Kalan [10:44]: "Alamo."

The addition of 'A' forms "Alamo," referencing the famed landmark.

5. Little Rock, Arkansas to Bend, Oregon

• Clue: "I had a protective shell around me."
• Solution: Armor

Elliott Kalan [10:55]: "On my trip from Little Rock to Bend, I had a protective shell around me."

Elliott Kalan [11:25]: "Armor."

By inserting 'M' between AR (Arkansas) and OR (Oregon), the word "armor" emerges.

6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Jackson, Mississippi

• Clue: "Made a certain part of my body sweaty."
• Solution: Palms

Elliott Kalan [10:55] - [13:21]: A humorous back-and-forth ensues as the guests navigate the puzzle, eventually landing on "palms."

7. Providence, Rhode Island to Boise, Idaho

• Clue: "I sat perfectly still and straight."
• Solution: Rigid

Elliott Kalan [13:45]: "From Providence to Boise, I sat perfectly still and straight."

Elliott Kalan [13:47]: "Rigid."

The word "rigid" is formed by adding 'G' between RI (Rhode Island) and ID (Idaho).

8. Charleston, South Carolina to Lincoln, Nebraska

• Clue: "I enjoyed a traditional British baked treat."
• Solution: Scone

Elliott Kalan [13:58]: "From Charleston to Lincoln, I enjoyed a traditional British baked treat."

Elliott Kalan [14:12]: "Scone."

Inserting 'O' between SC (South Carolina) and NE (Nebraska) results in "scone."

Mega Clue: Unscrambling the Added Letters

After completing the eight puzzles, Elliott introduces a mega clue, challenging the guests to unscramble the added letters from each puzzle to reveal a state nickname that shares its name with a river.

• Added Letters: A, I, N, A, M, L, G, O

Elliott Kalan [15:34]: "The answer is magnolia. Is the magnolia state."

The correct unscrambled word is "Magnolia," referring to the Magnolia State, which is the nickname for Mississippi.

Elliott Kalan [16:28]: "The answer is magnolia. Is the magnolia state."

Although traditionally, Mississippi is known for the Mississippi River, the nickname "Magnolia State" is more commonly attributed to Mississippi (though Louisiana is also known as the Magnolia State), the transcript settles on "magnolia."

Cliffhanger Puzzle: "Samesies"

As the episode wraps up, Elliott presents a tantalizing cliffhanger puzzle to keep listeners engaged until the next episode:

Elliott Kalan [17:11]: "Here are four words: break, cold, drift, and wave. What can be done with all these words that makes them samesies?"

The guests, Sean Hayes and Jeff Max, playfully refrain from revealing the answer, urging listeners to tune in next time for the solution.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Introduction of Jeff Max:

  Jeff Max [01:30]: "Now, my gosh, there's nowhere on earth I'd rather be on a Sunday morning than you and our special guest, Jeff Max, who's just a tremendous treat for everyone to listen to."

• Jeff Max's Enthusiasm:

  Jeff Max [06:08]: "It's so good. Yeah, it is so good. I like this game."

• Sean Hayes' Humorous Interjections:

  Sean Hayes [04:51]: "He aggravates me so much."

• Elliott's Encouragement:

  Elliott Kalan [16:01]: "This one's not competitive. You can work together on this one."

Conclusion

Episode 158 of "SmartLess Presents ClueLess" offers a delightful mix of puzzles, teamwork, and humor. Elliott Kalan masterfully guides Sean Hayes and Jeff Max through intricate word games, all while maintaining an engaging and entertaining atmosphere. The episode not only challenges the guests but also invites listeners to actively participate, fostering a sense of community and shared enjoyment.

As always, Elliot wraps up by thanking the guests and the listeners, teasing the next episode's puzzles, and leaving fans eagerly anticipating more brain-teasing fun.

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Quotes and Sections Referenced:

• [02:32] Elliott introduces the previous puzzle.
• [03:38] Solution to the previous puzzle.
• [05:44] Transition to main game.
• [07:37] - [14:29] Gameplay and solutions.
• [15:34] Mega Clue revealed.
• [17:11] Cliffhanger Puzzle introduced.

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Final Thoughts:

For fans of puzzles, wordplay, and charismatic banter, Episode 158 is a must-listen. Whether you're competing alongside Sean and Jeff or pondering the "samesies" puzzle, "SmartLess Presents ClueLess" delivers an intellectually stimulating and thoroughly enjoyable experience.

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Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to support the creators!

Transcript

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[Elliot Kaelin]

Smart less media Here's a quick puzzle for you. If a train leaves Omaha heading east going 50 miles per hour and a second train leaves Newark heading west at 65 miles per hour, who took my lunch from the office fridge? My name was clearly written on it. This is Clueless. Clueless. Clueless.

[Sean Hayes]

Clueless.

[Jeff]

You know what the last four notes should be? Smart. Smartless presents Clueless.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Beautifully done. Beautiful. Yes.

[Jeff]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Welcome to Smartless Presents Clueless, the only puzzle podcast that will always be there for you when you really need it. I'm your host, Elliot Kaelin. But you don't have to take my word for it. Read all about me at your local library. But first, please welcome the man who has more talent in his little finger than most people have in their larger fingers, Sean Hayes. Sean, thank you for being here with us again.

[Jeff]

Now, my gosh, there's nowhere on earth I'd rather be on a Sunday morning than you and our special guest, Jeff Max, who's just a tremendous treat for everyone to listen to. And if you meet him, maybe not so much. But today he's here. His name is Jeff.

[Elliot Kaelin]

And I love in a controlled dose with a podcast between you and him. Yeah, just. Just a joy.

[Sean Hayes]

There he is.

[Jeff]

She got up early today.

[Sean Hayes]

Hello, everybody.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Jeff, thank you so much for being here. Sean, thank you so much for being here. We're gonna have a lot of fun today, potentially. Now, I have a question for the listeners at if you could choose what we do next on the show, what would it be? Should we interview a celebrity? Should we improvise a whole Broadway musical? Should we reveal the answer to last episode's cliffhanger puzzle? I hope you chose the third one because that's what we're gonna be doing. Last episode's Cliffhanger puzzle went. Use me every time you take a step, but I'm also a creature with no feet. I sound like the spirit that animates us all, but I'm also the one and only. What am I?

[Jeff]

Ghost of Christmas Past.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay, let's see if that fits. You use the ghost of Christmas Past every time you take a step? Yes. Has no feet. It's a ghost, I guess. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

I want to improvise a musical.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Rather than solve this, could you improvise a musical that has the answer to the cliffhanger puzzle in it?

[Sean Hayes]

All right, Sean. We sound it out or we just.

[Jeff]

Yeah. So it's like you use this thing to take every step, which means, like a shoe, but it doesn't have a foot. Or. But the thing doesn't have feet.

[Sean Hayes]

Toe or.

[Jeff]

And then. And then. What's the last half of it?

[Elliot Kaelin]

I sound like the spirit that animates us all. That sounds crazy poetic only. Yeah.

[Jeff]

And also the one and only. I sound like.

[Elliot Kaelin]

So this one's so.

[Jeff]

Oh, it's a soul. Nice.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Exactly right, Jeff. The answer is soul.

[Jeff]

How did you know that the spirit.

[Sean Hayes]

Then animates us all?

[Jeff]

I got it now. But how did you figure?

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I'm trying to explain. Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Take off your ear things for the audience at home. I hope everyone's okay. Hope your speakers didn't blow out.

[Sean Hayes]

He aggravates me so much.

[Elliot Kaelin]

But the answer is soul. You use the soles of your feet every time you take a step. Soul is also a type of fish, a creature with no feet. Homophone of the word soul, meaning the spirit animates us all. And it means only one of something. Soul.

[Jeff]

That's right. Oh, gosh, Jeff, congratulations.

[Sean Hayes]

I know, you know when he says it back, it's better that I got it than when I got it.

[Elliot Kaelin]

When.

[Sean Hayes]

He says it bad.

[Jeff]

We understand. We understand. We're gonna move on to the game now.

[Elliot Kaelin]

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[Elliot Kaelin]

Listeners at home, did you get the answer? If so, I'm giving you the rest of the day off. Just tell your boss I said it was okay. Clear your schedule for today's main game State of Confusion.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

So how well do you know your states?

[Jeff]

It's so good. Yeah, it is so good. I like this game.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I'm always impressed. Cause I'm like, oh, the rules are right there in the song too. It's not just a song.

[Jeff]

No, it's brilliant.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's information. That's infotainment. Now, I love to travel, and my favorite way to travel is between two American cities that are not particularly convenient to each other or even always interesting to visit. But I do it for the puzzle. So I'm gonna tell you of these trips between two cities. Your job is to take the two postal abbreviations of the states that I visited and add one new letter in the middle between them. Yes, I love this game to make a word that relates to my trip. So, for example? For example, if I said my trip from Seattle to Lexington was totally absurd, the answer would be wacky. You're right. Wacky. You take the wa from Washington, the KY from Kentucky, you stick a C in the middle and you get wacky. Which is ironic because in real life there is no C between Washington and Kentucky. It's nothing but land, baby.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh God, Sean's gonna be better at this than me.

[Jeff]

No, this is good. This is fun.

[Elliot Kaelin]

This is good. And you'll work together. You'll work Together. And you'll find secret strengths inside yourself you didn't even know you had. It's gonna be inspiring. They'll make a movie out of this. At the end of the game, all of the added letters will be unscrambled to reveal the answer to our mega clue. But we'll get to that at the end of the game. First, are you ready to take a little trip?

[Jeff]

Yes, please.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah, you got it. State of confusion. My first trip was from Tampa to Louisville. It was unreliable and unpredictable.

[Jeff]

Flaky.

[Elliot Kaelin]

So good. God, so fast, Shawn. Amazing fast.

[Jeff]

Well, what was it? What was the first? Tampa, Florida.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, and I understand now. I'm just saying how fast.

[Jeff]

Yeah. Okay. All right.

[Elliot Kaelin]

And that's great. Tampa, Florida, to Louisville, Kentucky. I'm going to Kentucky a lot these days. It seems a in the middle. Flaky. Number two. My trip from San Juan to Dover made me feel good about myself.

[Jeff]

San Juan.

[Sean Hayes]

San Juan.

[Jeff]

Oh, California is San.

[Elliot Kaelin]

We're stretching the definition of state for this one.

[Jeff]

Oh.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, okay.

[Jeff]

So I don't know where San Juan is.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Well, think about. Where's Dover?

[Jeff]

Dover, Michigan. Dover.

[Sean Hayes]

Dover.

[Jeff]

Dover, Ireland. No. No. Dover.

[Elliot Kaelin]

We're not the definition of state that far.

[Jeff]

Wait, Dover is. Dover is.

[Elliot Kaelin]

So you might want to focus on San Juan.

[Sean Hayes]

San Juan.

[Jeff]

Sean, I don't know where San Juan is.

[Sean Hayes]

Let's just say California.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Should I. Should I give you the answer for this one?

[Jeff]

Yes.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay.

[Sean Hayes]

Stupid.

[Elliot Kaelin]

The answer is pride. San Juan, Puerto Rico.

[Jeff]

I was going to say Puerto Rico.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You had so many opportunities to say Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico. Sean.

[Jeff]

I really was gonna say Puerto Rico.

[Elliot Kaelin]

And Dover, Delaware. So that's why I said we've stretched the definition of state. Puerto Rico's not technical. Pride. So the answer is pride. Yes.

[Sean Hayes]

You already said it, didn't you?

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

No, but I, like, you delivered it.

[Sean Hayes]

With such conviction like I never heard it before.

[Elliot Kaelin]

So I'm gonna give you a performance point. I'm gonna give you one half of a performance point.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Which is not Dover, Delaware. But that was pride. Juan. Puerto Rico. Dover, Delaware.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I think you'll do. You'll do great on this next one. I spent my trip from Boston to Atlanta reading Japanese graphic novels.

[Sean Hayes]

Marg.

[Jeff]

From Boston to where?

[Elliot Kaelin]

To Atlanta.

[Jeff]

Atlanta, Georgia. So it's G A. So it's M A, G A M A R. G, M A G. It's reading. Reading what?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Reading Japanese graphic novels.

[Sean Hayes]

It's the first time I got the states and I can't get the word.

[Jeff]

Well, Boston is Massachusetts. Is it MA or Ms?

[Elliot Kaelin]

M, A, M, A.

[Jeff]

It's Ma. Wait. Mauga.

[Sean Hayes]

Marpa. Marga. It has to be.

[Jeff]

Wait. A, B, C, D. Maga. J, Mat.

[Sean Hayes]

Maga.

[Elliot Kaelin]

G, H. Keep going down the Alphabet.

[Jeff]

J, K, L, Malga. L, M, Manga. M, N. Manga.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Manga. Manga. Yes, with an M. Manga is the answer.

[Jeff]

Everybody knows manga. Manga. What the hell is manga?

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's an incredibly growing part of the book marketplace right now.

[Jeff]

Oh, it is? Okay. Okay. Manga. Okay, great.

[Elliot Kaelin]

When the first smartless manga comes out, you'll be thinking me. Number four. My trip from Mobile to St. Louis took me past an American landmark I'll never forget.

[Sean Hayes]

Alamo.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Very good. Alamo.

[Jeff]

Nice.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Mobile, Alabama. St. Louis, Missouri. Mo. From Missouri. An A in the middle. Very good question. Number five. On my trip from Little Rock to Bend, I had a protective shell around me.

[Jeff]

Wait, Little Rock.

[Elliot Kaelin]

On my trip from Little Rock to Bend, I had a protective shell around me.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean.

[Jeff]

Bend.

[Sean Hayes]

Where's Bend? Bend.

[Jeff]

Wait, I had a protective shell around me. And it's an ar, right? Yeah, it's an AR In Little Rock, Arkansas. And then so something like. With a Ben. I mean, something with a protective shell would be like an R. We would start with an R. Like an armor. So armor. Armor. So that'd be Oregon.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You got it. It's armor.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Bend, Oregon. Little Rock, Arkansas. Put an M in the middle. Armor. Very good. Number six. My trip from Philadelphia to Jackson made a certain part of my body sweaty.

[Sean Hayes]

Panic.

[Jeff]

No, wait, wait.

[Sean Hayes]

Jackson.

[Jeff]

Wait, wait. Philadelphia?

[Elliot Kaelin]

You said my trip from Philadelphia to Jackson.

[Sean Hayes]

Pa. Where's Jackson?

[Jeff]

Jackson. Well, there's Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but I don't think that's Jackson.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I would have said Jackson Hole if it was. I'm not. I'm not saying just half the cities. I'm going all the way.

[Jeff]

So I made part of my body.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Made a certain part of my body sweaty.

[Jeff]

So Pa. So my. My pie. My pit. My. Made a certain part pants. Tennessee. Pants.

[Sean Hayes]

Tennessee.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Well, T.S. i don't believe is the abbreviation for Tennessee, but it's also not pants.

[Jeff]

Okay.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I made my pants sweaty.

[Jeff]

So. Made a certain part of my body sweaty. Is that what it is?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Part of my body sweaty? Yes.

[Jeff]

So what's a part of your body that starts with the pa? I don't know.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Jeff is having a very hard time not laughing at this because I keep.

[Jeff]

Saying no, it's pa. It's pa. It's like your pants. Like, you can't say panis. Because that's.

[Elliot Kaelin]

No, because that's not. Nobody.

[Jeff]

Nobody calls that my made up some part of My body sweaty. My. My.

[Sean Hayes]

Jackson. Mississippi.

[Jeff]

Mississippi. I thought it was Mississippi, too.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay, so. Made my palm very good.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Palms. Yes, that's right.

[Jeff]

How did we get Mississippi? How did you get Mississippi? I was thinking the same thing.

[Sean Hayes]

I don't know. It's not Mississippi. It's Missouri. It's Minnesota.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Mississippi. No, you're right. It is Mississippi. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, so Mississippi is Ms. Yeah, yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's Ms. It's not mi. Which is Michigan.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. It doesn't matter. We got it.

[Elliot Kaelin]

But you got. That's the. That's. I love even. I like when you don't get it right. You're like, okay, let's move on. But when you get it right, you're like, we got to figure what happened here.

[Sean Hayes]

We got it.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Bring in the insurance investigators. We got to figure out moment by moment what happened, what went down. Number seven. Let's go on to the next one. From Providence to Boise, I sat perfectly still and straight.

[Sean Hayes]

Rigid.

[Jeff]

Yes, rigid.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Providence, Rhode Island. Boise, Idaho, with a G in the middle. And finally, number eight. From Charleston to Lincoln, I enjoyed a traditional British baked treat.

[Jeff]

Well, Charleston, North Carolina, North Sea. Right.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You're halfway right. In the name of the.

[Jeff]

Oh, I see. I see, I see. Charleston, South Carolina. Right.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, scone.

[Jeff]

Scone.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Very good. Scone. South Carolina and Nebraska. Yes. And put an O in the middle there.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank God it wasn't Massachusetts and Illinois. Cause I couldn't think of anything.

[Jeff]

Jesus, you would have been in real.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Trouble if the state's involved.

[Sean Hayes]

Mars. Japan.

[Jeff]

State of confusion.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Well, you did. You did very well in that game. You didn't get them all, but you got most of them. That's a. That's a good six out of eight with a couple half points just at. Just for fun. But, you know, sometimes the most satisfying part of a trip is coming home because I know my family will be waiting for me with a mega clue.

[Sean Hayes]

Mega clue Question.

[Elliot Kaelin]

For this mega clue, I want you to unscramble the added letters, the extra letters you put in the middles to make a new word that is also the nickname of a state that shares its name with a river. And I'm going to give you the letters that you added. Those letters are A, I, N, as in no, A, M as in mouse, L, G as in great, and O as in O. So that's A I N A M, L, G, O. Can you unscramble those for a state nickname?

[Jeff]

For a state nickname?

[Sean Hayes]

Okay, but we don't say it.

[Jeff]

The gla. The glan.

[Sean Hayes]

We Don't. Are we supposed to say it?

[Jeff]

Yeah, you can say it.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah, you can say it. Work together. Yes. This one's not competitive. You can work together on this one.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Jeff]

And it's a nickname of a state.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yes. It's like the blank state.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

The glow. The glow. Me. The.

[Elliot Kaelin]

We're getting. But there is a real word that we're making.

[Jeff]

Yeah. The mango lane is.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's getting very close.

[Jeff]

Yeah, It's M a N. Well, not that close.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That's not that close. But otherwise, you're in the. You're in the right ballpark somewhat the. And if it helps, it shares its. The state shares its name with a big river. Oh.

[Jeff]

I don't know. I have no idea.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay, would you like me to. Would you like me to reveal the answer to this mega clue?

[Jeff]

Please.

[Elliot Kaelin]

The answer is magnolia. Is the magnolia state.

[Jeff]

Magnolia.

[Sean Hayes]

God, I'm so bad.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I should have told you. I should have told you. Was something made of steel. That's what. That's what would have happened across the league.

[Sean Hayes]

Now you're knowing your audience.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Now, finally, it only took a couple games in a row.

[Sean Hayes]

Now, finally, you know who you're playing with.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Listeners at home, did you do as well as Sean and Jeff in this game, if not despair.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, God.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Don't despair. Keep your chin up high and don't be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm is a golden sky. And the sweet silver song of today's cliffhanger puzzle.

[Jeff]

Don't take that out.

[Elliot Kaelin]

The cliffhanger puzzle is like a spoiler for the next episode. You don't want to know, but you really want to know. And today's cliffhanger is another fan favorite. It's a samesies. Here are four words. We are gonna shove samesies down America's throat whether they like it or not. Here are four words. All you have to do is tell me what makes them samesies. And these words are break, cold, drift, and wave. Break, cold, drift, and wave. What can be done with all these words that makes them samesies? Any ideas before we say goodbye?

[Jeff]

Oh, for sure, for sure. I don't want to ruin it.

[Sean Hayes]

No, we're not supposed to say anything.

[Elliot Kaelin]

No, of course. I appreciate that. I appreciate the restraint that you're both showing.

[Sean Hayes]

Of course we know this.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah. Because we'd like to solve that puzzle, but it's closing time, folks. I'm turning on the lights, putting the chairs on the tables, kicking you all the heck out of here. But first, I want to thank Jeff, Max for being a real joy. Thank you and also for making sure Sean gets home tonight. And I want to thank Sean Hayes for not making too big a mess in the men's room. And most of all, I want to thank you, the listeners, for picking up the tab. We'll be open for business again next episode. Until then, you've been absolutely loving Smartless presents Clueless. And I've been your host, Elliot Kaelin, saying, you don't have to go home, but you can't keep listening to this episode. Clueless.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

You have been listening to Smartless Presents Clueless, a Smartless Media production in association with SiriusXM. 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 Josh Richmond and Jason Reich. 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 Kaminski. Remember to follow subs, rate and review the show. It really helps. That's all for now. We will see you again for more.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Smart Bless Media. How many discounts does USAA Auto Insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi vehicle discount Safe driver discount New vehicle discount Storage discount Legacy how many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usaa.com autodiscounts.

[Jeff]

Restrictions apply.