
On this episode of ClueLess, host Elliott Kalan and constant contestant Sean Hayes invite Sean’s good friend Jeff “JuJu” Max back for another spin through the chain of Linkuistics! We’ll give you one word which starts a two-word phrase or compound word, and the first letter of the second word, all you have to do is guess the correct phrase and keep the chain going. Once you get the hang of it, the MegaClue will ask you to create your own links between words on the chain! New episodes every Monday (while Sean’s in London) Puzzles in this episode are by Josh Richmond. Script by Elliott Kalan. Music and sound effects by Devon Torrey Bryant.
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Sean Hayes
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Elliot Kaelin
Here'S a puzzle for you. You're a farmer with a small boat who has to transport a chicken, a fox, and a sack of corn across a river. How many trips across the river will it take before you realize you need to get a new job? This is Clueless.
Sean Hayes
That's the best one yet. Clueless.
Elliot Kaelin
Welcome to Smartless presents Clueless, the only puzzle podcast you'll never regret giving your Social Security number to. I'm your host, Elliot Kaelin, and I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking. It's if everyone is your host, Elliot Kaelin. And now please welcome the man whose name is Sean Hayers. If you spell it wrong, Sean Hayes.
Sean Hayes
Nice. Oh, I used to. You know what I used to get, I used to get in school all the time when I was a little kid seein. Seein Hayes CN and even like at 6, 7, 8, 9 years old, I would be like, have you never heard of Sean Penn or Sean Connery? Like James Bond?
Elliot Kaelin
There's so many Seans.
Sean Hayes
I mean, and the teacher would be like, I'm sorry. Anyway, I'm here with Juju Ma. Is that how you say it? That's it. Juju.
Elliot Kaelin
You may know him as Jeff, but I guess he also goes.
Sean Hayes
Hello, Juju. Juju, welcome Jeff Max, who I love and adore and is here today. I love you too. Such fantastic human being.
Elliot Kaelin
One of our favorites. Jeff Max, with us again. But I hate to interrupt. We ain't in the chit chat business, guys. We're in the puzzle business. And the shipping order the boss just handed me says we've got a cliffhanger to reveal. All right, now, last episode's cliffhanger was all about celebrity names. And it thusly, a mother had five children. Meryl, Taylor, Winona, and Tilda. Was the fifth child named Frasier, Ethan or Adele.
Sean Hayes
Okay, so Meryl, they're all like, Meryl Streep, Taylor Swift, Winona Ryder and Tilda Swinton. Right? Those are the first people I think of. Right? But Streep, Swift, Ryder, Swinton. Although, well, unless I got the Winona wrong and it's an S, the last name starts with an S. But Adele, it wouldn't be Adele because that's like a one name girl.
Elliot Kaelin
There's no Last name.
Sean Hayes
Right, right. Perhaps.
Elliot Kaelin
Perhaps. And here's a hint. Perhaps it's not about last names at all.
Sean Hayes
Okay, well, let me finish. Maybe it's not about last names. Juju. Juju. Maybe it's not about last names. Okay, so if it's not about last names. Well, there's Y's in all of them. Unless you spell Tilda. Could you spell Tilda, please?
Elliot Kaelin
Tilda spelled T, I, L, D, A.
Sean Hayes
Okay, there goes that. A. Y. Okay, so Meryl, Taylor, Wernoner, Tilder. So maybe it's Frasier. Why? I don't know. Well, we're just throwing out guesses here. No, wait, wait, wait. MTWT no. MT oh, maybe something there. Uh. Oh. MT like it's Meryl, Taylor, Winona, T. MTWT I don't know, Sean, I'm gonna step in.
Elliot Kaelin
You're right. The answer is Frasier.
Sean Hayes
Yay.
Elliot Kaelin
Because each child's first name begins with the first letter of the days of the week. Meryl. M for Monday, T for Tuesday, Winona, Wednesday, Tilda, Thursday, and Frasier for Friday. You got it exactly right. You were on the right path, and Jeff continually knocked you off. Unhelpful.
Sean Hayes
Unhelpful. As usual, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Well. Cause I'm trying to find a reason. I'm trying to find a reason you're. And we're off.
Elliot Kaelin
Here we go. And that's. Yep.
Sean Hayes
Yeah.
Elliot Kaelin
The gloves are off.
Sean Hayes
There it goes. Welcome back to listen to your heart. I'm Jerry and I'm Jerry's heart. Today's topic, Repatha Evoloki MAP Heart. Why'd you pick this one? Well, Jerry, for people who have had a heart attack like us, diet and exercise might not be enough to lower the risk of another one. Okay. To help know if we're at risk, we should be getting our ldlc, our bad cholesterol checked, and talking to our doctor. I'm listening. And if it's still too high, Repatha can be added to a statin to lower our LDL C and our heart attack risk.
Elliot Kaelin
Hmm, guess it's time to ask about Repatha. Do not take Repatha if you are allergic to it. Serious allergic reactions can occur. Get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing or swallowing. So swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat or arms. Common side effects include runny nose, sore throat, common cold symptoms, flu or flu like symptoms, back pain, high blood sugar and redness. Pain or bruising at the injection site.
Sean Hayes
Listen to your heart. Ask your doctor about Repatha. Learn more@repatha.com or call 1-844-repatha how many.
Elliot Kaelin
Discounts does USAA Auto Insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi Vehicle Discount Safe Driver Discount New vehicle Discount Storage discount How many discounts will you stack up?
Sean Hayes
Tap the banner or visit usaa.com autodiscounts restrictions apply. Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it to Discover. Learn more at discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nelson Report.
Elliot Kaelin
Listeners, did you get the answer? If so, you are officially my favorite listener. Don't tell the other listeners they think I love all of you equally, but I don't. If you didn't get it, that's okay. I still love you, just not as much. But you got another chance to win my affection with today's main game, lingqwistics.
Sean Hayes
Oh, okay, I remember this one. Lingqistics.
Elliot Kaelin
What does it mean?
Sean Hayes
You take half a word or phrase and you try to complete it. Liquistics is beginning when you hear the drum. Isn't that insane?
Elliot Kaelin
That was the clearest way you could say the instructions to the game, but I'll just say them again just in case. Linguistics is a competitive game that will test your ability to keep a word chain going. So this is Sean versus Jeff. So I'm glad you have that angry at each other energy that we've already seen on the episode. I'm going to give you. I'm going to give one of you a word that starts a two word phrase or compound word and then the first letter of the word that follows it and you have to name that second word. If you can, you get a point. If not, your opponent will have a chance to guess the word and they'll get another letter to guess. And whoever wins that point gets to go on to guess the next phrase that will continue off of that word to create a chain of words all linked together. Let me give you an example. Let's say that two people named Aaron and Beth are playing against each other. Aaron is given the word water and the first letter B. He guesses bath, which is wrong. So Beth gets to guess next and we are giving her water B, E. She would guess bed and she wins the point.
Sean Hayes
That's right.
Elliot Kaelin
She Gets to continue.
Sean Hayes
That's right.
Elliot Kaelin
She gets H. And she guesses that it's bed head, which is correct. And she gets to keep going until she misses a word.
Sean Hayes
Where is she? Is she. Where is she?
Elliot Kaelin
Where's Beth?
Sean Hayes
Yeah.
Elliot Kaelin
Oh, she lives down in Santa Fe.
Sean Hayes
All right, got it. Got it. She's doing really well.
Elliot Kaelin
She's doing great. She's doing great. Yeah, she's at our testing ranch. She's one of our best testers. She does a fantastic job. Aaron, not so great. I don't know how long he's going to stay.
Sean Hayes
Tell me about it.
Elliot Kaelin
Yeah, yeah. We got to chat. So there are 14 words to guess. So let's get started. This is a game that moves fast, so we need a lot of words.
Sean Hayes
Oh, God. Now hit it.
Elliot Kaelin
We'll start with the first player, which is whoever is quickest to say the word pumpernickel. As soon as I finish this sentence.
Sean Hayes
Pumpernickel. Pumpernickel. Oh, Jeff.
Elliot Kaelin
Got it.
Sean Hayes
Why would I want to go first?
Elliot Kaelin
I don't know. That's why. I think that's why Sean was not as eager. So the first word is shot, and the letter after it is G. What is this two word phrase?
Sean Hayes
Shot. Glass.
Elliot Kaelin
You got it. Very good.
Sean Hayes
Oh, wow. I said gun.
Elliot Kaelin
The word is glass, and the next word starts with C.
Sean Hayes
Glass. Cop.
Elliot Kaelin
Nope, that's not it. So we go to Sean.
Sean Hayes
Glass. Cop. That's like an oxymoron.
Elliot Kaelin
Glass. Ce. Those are the two letters.
Sean Hayes
Glass.
Elliot Kaelin
What phrase could it be?
Sean Hayes
Glass? Ceramic. I don't know.
Elliot Kaelin
Okay, that's not either. So we'll go back to Jeff. Jeff. Glass. C, E, I.
Sean Hayes
Glass. Ceiling.
Elliot Kaelin
Yes, very good. Glass ceiling. So the word is ceiling, and the letter of the next word is F. Ceiling.
Sean Hayes
F, Ceiling. Fan. Ah, you.
Elliot Kaelin
Doing well. The next one. Fan. C. Fan.
Sean Hayes
Yeah, Fan. Fan. Fan. It's gonna go to me and I'm gonna not get it. And he's gonna have three letters and he's gonna get it again. Fan.
Elliot Kaelin
Can. No. Which is a great guess.
Sean Hayes
What if it was, like, fancastic?
Elliot Kaelin
So, Sean, it is. Fancl.
Sean Hayes
I don't know. I don't know. Fanclue. I don't know.
Elliot Kaelin
Okay, very close, Jeff. Fanclu.
Sean Hayes
Fanclub. Yes.
Elliot Kaelin
You got it.
Sean Hayes
Good.
Elliot Kaelin
You'll get the next one, Sean. Maybe if Jeff doesn't get it. Jeff. Club.
Sean Hayes
S. Yeah, I know what it is. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Club. Club. Sub.
Elliot Kaelin
No, Sean, what would you think it is? It's club, so.
Sean Hayes
Oh, I didn't know what it is. I thought it was club sandwich. That's s O.
Elliot Kaelin
Maybe it's something that would go with a club sandwich.
Sean Hayes
Soda.
Elliot Kaelin
Yes, Club. Jeff, come on. You're blowing them away. You're doing so great. We gotta. I know.
Sean Hayes
Isn't that fun? I can hear you.
Elliot Kaelin
Oh, great. Sean can hear us.
Sean Hayes
Oh, are you here? Yes.
Elliot Kaelin
So, Sean, the word is soda, and the second word starts with jerk. Yes, very good. Soda. Jerk. The word is jerk, and the second word starts with C.
Sean Hayes
Chicken.
Elliot Kaelin
Yes, very good. The word is chicken. The second word starts with D. Dumpling. Oh, no. It sounds delicious. But that's not the answer, Jeff. Chicken. Da.
Sean Hayes
Oh, I know what it is. Five, four, three, two.
Elliot Kaelin
Shut up. There's so much, so much tension in today's episode. It's not what we're used to.
Sean Hayes
Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Dare.
Elliot Kaelin
Ooh, very close.
Sean Hayes
Ooh, close.
Elliot Kaelin
Sean, it's chick. How many letters did I give you?
Sean Hayes
It doesn't matter. Chicken. Dance. Chicken dance. Chicken dance. Yes.
Elliot Kaelin
Chicken dance. You got it. I feel like Edward Albee wrote today's episode of the show, which is the pure tension and aggression. Sean, the word is dance, and the first letter of the second word is C. Dance.
Sean Hayes
C. I don't know. Club Again. We wouldn't do that.
Elliot Kaelin
Twice Would be a good answer. It's not the right answer, Jeff. Dance. Ca.
Sean Hayes
Dance camp.
Elliot Kaelin
No, not dance camp again. Sounds great. Sounds like a great time.
Sean Hayes
We don't want to hear about your past.
Elliot Kaelin
Go ahead, Sean. It's dance. C. A r. Dance.
Sean Hayes
Card.
Elliot Kaelin
Yes. Dance. Card. Very good. Then it's card. C. The second word starts with C. Carrier. No, that was good. That is very good, Jeff. It's card. Co.
Sean Hayes
Card. Card company.
Elliot Kaelin
No, Sean, it's card. C, O. Uh, Card.
Sean Hayes
If anybody could. Card. Could.
Elliot Kaelin
I like it. That's the start of, like, a detective story.
Sean Hayes
Card. I don't know.
Elliot Kaelin
Okay, Jeff, it's card. C, O, U, N, N or m. N, as in. No.
Sean Hayes
Console.
Elliot Kaelin
No. Okay, Sean, it's card.
Sean Hayes
C O, U n, T. C U n, T. Count. Card. Count. Carter.
Elliot Kaelin
Yes.
Sean Hayes
Card. Counter.
Elliot Kaelin
I know what you're saying. Card.
Sean Hayes
Yeah, I wasn't finished. I was taking a step. Water.
Elliot Kaelin
Okay, so card. Counter. Yes. And the next Counter. And the next word starts with T. Shawn. Counter. T, Top. Yep, you got it. Top. And the next word starts with B.
Sean Hayes
Top. Top button.
Elliot Kaelin
No, I'm gonna say this is a. This is a phrase that I'm not super familiar with, but we'll see. Jeff. Top. Ba.
Sean Hayes
Thank God it was an O because he'd say bottom.
Elliot Kaelin
Top.
Sean Hayes
Banana.
Elliot Kaelin
Yes. Top banana is right.
Sean Hayes
Wow. Yeah.
Elliot Kaelin
I've always heard of second bananas. I don't know that I've ever heard of a top banana before.
Sean Hayes
Top banana, sure.
Elliot Kaelin
So this phrase banana is the first word, and the second word starts with S.
Sean Hayes
Oh, split.
Elliot Kaelin
Yes, Banana split. And then for the last. Last one of this game until the mega clue, split. S. Split screen. Yes. Very good.
Sean Hayes
Oh, nice.
Elliot Kaelin
Very nice.
Sean Hayes
That was good.
Elliot Kaelin
Tallying up the points so far, we have Sean with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and Jeff with 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7. It is a tie game going into the mega clue.
Sean Hayes
Okay, mega clue question.
Elliot Kaelin
If you're a regular listener of clueless, you know that every main game ends with a mega clue. And if you're not a regular listener of clueless, you also know that because I just said it. For today's megaclue, both players will have 60 seconds to compete in this final challenge. Whoever gets a correct solution first will double their points and win the game. Here's the. Can you create your own chain of words connecting the final word of this chain, screen, back to the starting word shot, using three new words or less? For example, if you want to connect a tree to walk, you could say tree, house, House, Cat, Catwalk. That would be acceptable. And so you have 60 seconds to think of it, starting now.
Sean Hayes
Well, what's the words? What are the words?
Elliot Kaelin
The words are screen and to shot. Going from screen to shot mean.
Sean Hayes
Time. Screen time.
Elliot Kaelin
While our contestants are thinking, we might as well remind you that contestants of clueless stay at their own homes. It's possible I. It's possible. I made that joke before on the show. I'll make it again someday. Similarly, our guest wardrobe is provided by themselves. Same basic joke saver.
Sean Hayes
No, no. That's right.
Elliot Kaelin
Mr. Van Dyke's wardrobe provided by Botany 500. That's a dick Van Dyke joke.
Sean Hayes
Nice.
Elliot Kaelin
And that's our 60 seconds. It's time for you to put your pencils down and rest your brains. Put your whole brains down, actually. And tell me, what are the words between screen and shot and. Because we are tied and Jeff is our guest. Jeff, would you like to go first?
Sean Hayes
Well, screen time. Time. Clock. Clock. Tequila and tequila shot.
Elliot Kaelin
What? Clock? Tequila is a new one for me. It's too bad. Shot. Clock is a thing, but clock, shot, I don't think is. That's too bad. Sean, what about you? Can you do it without inventing a phrase Shakespeare style?
Sean Hayes
Sure. Screen, grab. Grab. Bag, Bag. Shot. No, I don't know what that means. I Don't know what a bag shot is.
Elliot Kaelin
All right, that was a tough one. You could have said, for instance, screenplay, play, money, money, shot, or screen print, print, screen, screenshot. So those are. I mean, you could. Screenshot itself is one. So if you guys had been like.
Sean Hayes
I know, that's what I was gonna say. I was gonna say, well, I got it. The shortest one is a screenshot.
Elliot Kaelin
I don't even need any new words. That was a tough one. But it means that we ended with a tie. You are both equal and wonderful friends. And there's something really life affirming about that, you know? Don't you think so, Sean?
Sean Hayes
I do. I just needed a minute to think about it.
Elliot Kaelin
Listeners, did you do as well as Sean and Jeff? If not, that's okay. Just remember that Sean Hayes represents. Represents an unrealistic game playing standard that no child should be expected to live up to, especially when it comes to today's cliffhanger puzzle. The cliffhanger puzzle is like a magic trick where we saw a riddle in half and we don't put it back together until the next episode. Today's cliffhanger is a game about games. And it goes. I am playing a game on the table in front of me are a movie that failed, a change in direction and water that heads downhill. So what game am I playing again? I am playing a game on the table in front of me are a movie that failed, a change in direction and water that heads downhill. So what game am I playing? We'll find out on the next episode of clueless. And of course, now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the first annual end of showy awards. That's right, the most prestigious award given out at the end of episodes of clueless. Of course, the award for best contestant in a single episode of clueless goes to. Jeff. Max. Jeff, congratulations. Oh, they do. They like you. They really like.
Sean Hayes
This is a win for everybody.
Elliot Kaelin
Oh, so selfless. Next, the award for best contestant who's in every episode of clueless goes to Sean Hayes. Sean, who would you like to thank?
Sean Hayes
I would like to thank Jeff.
Elliot Kaelin
I'm sorry. They're playing you off, Sean. I apologize.
Sean Hayes
I heard you, Sean. Thank you. Yeah.
Elliot Kaelin
And finally, the award for best audience goes to you, the listener. Until next episode, this has been smartless presents clueless. And I've been your host, Elliot Kaelin. Now let's turn to our in memoriam segment where we remember the games we lost this year.
Sean Hayes
Nice.
Elliot Kaelin
That's the end.
Sean Hayes
Fantastic. Clueless, 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 with those blue blue eyes. 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. 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 Less.
Elliot Kaelin
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?
Sean Hayes
Tap the banner or visit usaa.com autodiscounts restrictions apply.
SmartLess Presents ClueLess – Episode 162: "Linkuistics" (w/ Jeff Max) Release Date: June 30, 2025
Hosted by Emmy-winning writer Elliott Kaelin, Episode 162 of "SmartLess Presents ClueLess" features Sean Hayes and returning guest Jeff Max as they dive into a series of engaging puzzles and the main game, "Linguistics." This episode is packed with witty banter, strategic gameplay, and intriguing challenges that keep listeners entertained from start to finish.
The episode kicks off with Elliott Kaelin greeting the listeners and introducing Sean Hayes and Jeff Max as the contestants. Elliott sets a playful tone by presenting the initial puzzle designed to tease the audience:
"You're a farmer with a small boat who has to transport a chicken, a fox, and a sack of corn across a river. How many trips across the river will it take before you realize you need to get a new job?"
— Elliott Kaelin [00:24]
Sean Hayes humorously remarks on the puzzle, expressing his enthusiasm:
"That's the best one yet. Clueless."
— Sean Hayes [00:40]
Elliott revisits the previous episode's cliffhanger, which centered around deciphering the name of the fifth child in a list of celebrity-inspired names. The names provided were Meryl, Taylor, Winona, and Tilda, with the options for the fifth child being Frasier, Ethan, or Adele.
Sean and Elliott engage in a lively discussion to unravel the riddle, eventually arriving at the correct answer:
"The answer is Frasier because each child's first name begins with the first letter of the days of the week."
— Elliott Kaelin [03:24]
Sean celebrates the correct guess with enthusiasm:
"Yay."
— Sean Hayes [03:26]
The heart of the episode features the main game, "Linguistics," where Sean and Jeff engage in a competitive word chain challenge. Elliott outlines the rules clearly, emphasizing the fast-paced nature of the game:
"Linguistics is a competitive game that will test your ability to keep a word chain going."
— Elliott Kaelin [06:21]
Gameplay Highlights:
Round 1: Sean quickly identifies "Shot Glass" correctly, earning the first point.
"Shot. Glass."
— Sean Hayes [08:35]
Round 3: Jeff impressively navigates "Glass Ceiling," showcasing his sharp word association skills.
"Glass ceiling."
— Jeff Max [09:07]
Round 5: Sean connects "Dance Card" seamlessly, demonstrating his quick thinking.
"Dance Card. Very good."
— Elliott Kaelin [12:08]
Throughout the game, the contestants display a mix of competitive spirit and camaraderie, leading to a tied score as they approach the final challenge.
With the main game tied, Elliott introduces the "Mega Clue," a 60-second rapid-fire challenge where both participants must link the words "screen" and "shot" using three intermediary words or fewer.
"Here’s the mega clue... Can you create your own chain of words connecting the final word of this chain, screen, back to the starting word shot, using three new words or less?"
— Elliott Kaelin [14:25]
Contestant Attempts:
Sean's Attempt:
"Screen time. Time. Clock. Tequila shot."
— Sean Hayes [16:04]
Jeff's Attempt:
"Screenshot."
— Jeff Max [16:47]
Despite their efforts, neither contestant successfully completes the challenge within the time limit, resulting in a tie.
Elliott transitions to the award segment, humorously acknowledging both contestants for their performances. Jeff Max is awarded "Best Contestant in a Single Episode," while Sean Hayes receives "Best Contestant Who's in Every Episode."
"The award for best contestant in a single episode of clueless goes to Jeff Max."
— Elliott Kaelin [18:14]
"The award for best contestant who's in every episode of clueless goes to Sean Hayes."
— Elliott Kaelin [18:21]
Elliott leaves listeners intrigued with a teaser for the next episode's cliffhanger puzzle:
"I am playing a game on the table in front of me are a movie that failed, a change in direction and water that heads downhill. So what game am I playing again?"
— Elliott Kaelin [17:05]
Listeners are encouraged to tune in next time to uncover the solution.
"The gloves are off."
— Sean Hayes [04:00]
"There's something really life-affirming about that, you know? Don't you think so, Sean?"
— Elliott Kaelin [16:59]
"That's the pure tension and aggression."
— Elliott Kaelin [11:07]
The episode wraps up with Elliott thanking the guests and listeners, highlighting the fun and competitive spirit of the show. Both Sean and Jeff receive heartfelt acknowledgments, reinforcing the friendly rivalry that defines "ClueLess."
Episode 162 of "SmartLess Presents ClueLess" masterfully blends challenging puzzles with engaging interactions, making it a must-listen for fans of brainteasers and witty banter. Sean Hayes and Jeff Max showcase their puzzle-solving prowess, while Elliott Kaelin ensures a smooth and entertaining flow throughout the episode.