178 - National Chicken & Waffles Day (Mini Episode)

Summary

Podcast Summary:

SmartLess Presents ClueLess
Mini Episode 178 – National Chicken & Waffles Day
Release Date: October 20, 2025
Host: Elliott Kalan
Producer/Co-Host: Devin Tory Bryant

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Episode Overview

This bite-sized mini episode celebrates National Chicken & Waffles Day with host Elliott Kalan and producer Devin Tory Bryant. The central theme is duos—iconic food duos, brand origins, and classic pop culture pairs—all wrapped in the show's trademark playful banter and pun-filled repartee. Listeners are challenged with trivia, brainteasers, and rounds of duo-themed puzzles.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chicken & Waffles – A Culinary Odd Couple

[01:20]

• Elliott introduces the focus on the iconic but odd combination of chicken and waffles in celebration of the holiday.
• Trivia about the origins of the dish:
  • Waffles have Dutch roots but were only first paired with poultry (usually stewed!) in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
  • The now-popular fried chicken and waffles combo gained fame after Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles opened in Los Angeles in 1975.
• The holiday’s origin:
  • "Roscoe's founder, Herb Hudson, ... deemed that October 20th be a day of observance to celebrate this delicious combo and also promote volunteerism." – Elliott Kalan, [03:18]

2. Eggo Waffles – What Else Did They Make?

[01:20 – 02:13]

• Elliott quizzes listeners: Which WAS NOT an original Eggo product—potato chips, cake mix, mayonnaise, or noodles?
• Answer revealed:
  • "The answer to what food was not one of their products originally made by Eggo was cake mix. ... Potato chips, mayonnaise, and noodles ... are all original Eggo products and they are very unpopular waffle toppings." – Elliott Kalan, [03:34]
• Fun fact:
  • Eggo’s name comes from their egg-laden mayonnaise.

3. Main Game – Iconic Duos (Round 1)

[03:52 – 05:27]

• Listeners are given clues to famous duos, with answers always in “X and Y” format. Example: “The dynamic duo of DC Comics” = Batman and Robin.
• Round 1 Answers:
  1. Comic strip boy and his stuffed tiger – Calvin and Hobbes
  2. Fable with moral ‘slow and steady wins the race’ – The Tortoise and the Hare
  3. Assortment of random objects – Odds and Ends
  4. Outlaws in love during the Great Depression – Bonnie and Clyde
  5. Brother plumbers in the mushroom kingdom – Mario and Luigi
• Light comedic moment:
  • “Listeners, did you get the answers? If so, I’ve got a shiny nickel for you. Just remind me the next time I see you … If I don’t remember and I run away, just chase me.” – Elliott Kalan, [05:28]

4. Main Game – Iconic Duos (Round 2)

[07:14 – 09:00]

• Another set of clues to duos, interspersed with puns and cereal-themed banter (“cluos” as Sherlock Holmes cereal).
• Round 2 Answers:
  1. The two old men heckling the Muppets – Statler and Waldorf
  2. Small, hard to find places – Nooks and Crannies
  3. British comfort food of sausage and potatoes – Bangers and Mash
  4. Involving spycraft, secrecy – Cloak and Dagger
  5. Roman phrase to distract/entertain – Bread and Circuses
• Playful exchange:
  • “Were you confident in your answers or did you waffle?” – Elliott Kalan, [09:00]
  • “Oh, boy.” – Devin Tory Bryant, [09:00]

5. Closing & Teasers

[09:02 – 09:16]

• Signature lighthearted closure, teasing the return of ClueLess for its upcoming Season 2.
• “I want to thank you, the listener, for always staying extra crispy and perfectly seasoned.” – Elliott Kalan, [09:02]
• “Every week brings us that much closer to season two of Clueless.” – Devin Tory Bryant, [09:12]
• “I promise that promise will be kept. I promise that he will keep his promise.” – Elliott Kalan, [09:16]

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Elliott’s honesty on his food preferences:
  “Fried chicken is no lie. My favorite food. But waffles I can take em or leave em.” – [02:25]
• Food lore fun:
  “Waffles are originally Dutch, but apparently nobody in the old country thought of sticking a chicken on them.” – [02:43]
• Signature humor and wordplay:
  • “Cluos. No, actually, forget that. It sounds like a Sherlock Holmes themed cereal. ... I could go for a big bowl of cluos. The pieces are all shaped like deerstalker hats.” – [07:14 – 07:39]
  • “Were you confident in your answers or did you waffle?” – [09:00]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Main theme and opening banter: [00:30 – 01:20]
• Eggo trivia & the origins of chicken and waffles: [01:20 – 03:34]
• Iconic duos (First round): [03:52 – 05:27]
• Iconic duos (Second round) & cereal banter: [07:14 – 09:00]
• Episode closure & teasers: [09:02 – 09:31]

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Lighthearted, witty, and rapid-fire in style—core to SmartLess brand.
• The episode keeps puzzles accessible, focusing on iconic pairs with universal appeal.
• Heavy emphasis on playful banter and puns, creating an inviting atmosphere for all ages.

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Useful for listeners who want:

• A quick, fun brain break;
• To learn some trivia about comfort foods;
• A parade of classic duo references from pop culture and history;
• Good-humored, family-friendly entertainment in under 12 minutes.

Transcript

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[Elliot Kaelin]

Smart Less meow. They say home is where the heart is. Especially if home is what you call your rib cage. This is Clueless. Clueless. Clueless. I'm Clueless. Welcome to Smartless Presents. Clueless, the puzzle podcast that makes hay while the sun shines and makes trouble with moonshine. I'm your host, Elliot Kaelin's long lost identical twin. And I've secretly stolen Elliot's identity. Don't tell anybody. Producer Devin what would the original Elliot do if he was here right now?

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Well, Elliot, season two of Clueless is getting some work done to remove the bags under its eyes. So this week we've got another exciting mini episode.

[Elliot Kaelin]

This week's mini is in celebration of National Chicken and Waffles Day. Chicken and waffles have been an item for so long, it's easy to forget what a weird duo they are. Truly the food equivalent of when a chimp becomes best friends with a pigeon. True story. We're going to start today's episode with a question about the waffles half of chicken and waffles. Waffles. Eggo is the most famous brand of frozen waffle in America. But did you know Eggo didn't always make waffles? The company was founded in 1932 by the Dorsa brothers in San Jose, California. But they didn't get into the frozen waffle business until 1953. So which of the following was not one of the products originally made by Eggo? Not one of the products they originally made. A potato chips, B cake mix, C mayonnaise or D noodles.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Elliot, to give the listeners some time to ponder that Eggo question, why don't you lego some more information about chicken and waffles?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Sure, Producer Devin. That only seems fair. Excellent use of the Eggo slogan, by the way.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Thank you very much.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I'm gonna start with a confession. I have always loved the chicken half of chicken and waffles. Fried chicken is no lie. My favorite food. But waffles I can take em or leave em. So who first paired a food I love with the passion of a billion burning suns with a food I have never ordered on its own in a restaurant? And probably never will. The answer is nobody knows. Waffles are originally Dutch, but apparently nobody in the old country thought of sticking a chicken on them. They first appear with poultry in Pennsylvania Dutch country only. This chicken was usually stewed. Mmm. Stewed chicken. It's delicious. The better known version with fried chicken grew popular in the American south. And the dish saw a big jump in popularity in 1975 with the opening of Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Yes, Roscoe's.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's a great house for chicken and waffles. Again, if it was just Roscoe's House of Chicken, I'd be.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

You'd be.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I'm even more excited about it. Yes, it was Roscoe's founder, Herb Hudson, who deemed that October 20th be a day of observance to celebrate this delicious combo and also promote volunteerism.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Elliot, I think all that food talk has made the audience hungry for the answer to our first question.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Then let them eat cake. Because the answer to what food was not. One of their products originally made by Eggo was cake mix. You see, potato chips, mayonnaise, and noodles have two things in common. They are all original Eggo products and they are very unpopular. Waffle toppings. Nobody wants noodles and waffles or potato chips and waffles. Oh. You may be wondering, why is Eggo called Eggo? Because their flagship mayonnaise boasted that it contained more eggs than other leading brands. Whether the waffles contain more eggs remains a mystery to this very day. Ooh. Speaking of mysteries to this very day, let's move to today's main game. In honor of the life partnership between chicken and waffles, today's game is all about iconic duos. I'm going to give you clues to well known pairs and you tell me what duo I'm describing. Every answer will be in the form of X and Y. So, for example, if the clue was the dynamic duo of DC Comics, the answer would be Batman and Robin. Are you ready for our first round? If not, pause the podcast, because here I go. Duo number one, Comic strip boy and his stuffed tiger. You may know that that's Calvin and Hobbs. Question 2. Fable with the moral. Slow and steady wins the race. I'm sure you're already fast enough to get that. That's the tortoise and the hare. Clue number three, an assortment of random objects. Rummage through your junk drawer for the answer to this one. It's odds and ends. Clue number four, Outlaws in love during the Great Depression. That answer is wanted by me. And it is Bonnie and Clyde. Clue number five. Brother plumbers in the mushroom kingdom. You know this one? It's Mario and Luigi.

[Disney Cruise Line Advertiser]

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[Elliot Kaelin]

Listeners, did you get the answers? If so, I've got a shiny nickel for you. Just remind me the next time I see you say, hey, Elliot, give me that nickel. If I don't remember and I run away, just chase me. Until then, stay tuned for the second round of duo Clues after we find out the answer to the question. Who's sponsoring today's show.

[Disney Cruise Line Advertiser]

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[Elliot Kaelin]

Welcome back to Smartless Presents. Clueless, the only puzzle podcast that's most of the way done. We've got another round of clues about famous duos, or as I call them, cluos. No, actually, forget that. It sounds like a Sherlock Holmes themed cereal. Forget it. Never mind. I could go for a big bowl of cluos. The pieces are all shaped like deerstalker hats.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Magnifying glasses.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Magnifying glasses. You got it. Exactly. Somebody get on this. Kellogg's get on this.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

It's kind of good, actually.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah. Yeah. Let's just go to round two. You know what? We'll brainstorm cereals later. Let's go to round two.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah. And the clues are clue number one in round two. Two old men heckling the Muppets. Look up in the theater box and you'll see it's Statler and Waldorf. Clue number two, small, hard to find places. Hopefully you don't have to look too hard to find those nooks and crannies. Clue number Three, traditional British comfort food consisting of sausages and potatoes. Well, looking at this menu from Ye Olde Pub, I see that it's bangers and mash. Clue number four, involving spycraft, secrecy, mystery or danger. Ooh, I shouldn't tell you this. It's a secret. But the answer is cloak and dagger. And finally, clue number five, phrase originating in ancient Rome, that means to distract or entertain the public in order to keep them complacent and prevent rebellion. And you may know that that is one of the most fun of all duos. Bread and circuses. Again, the circuses are handling most of the fun in that. Yeah, right. Exactly. But bread is good, too. Bread is good, too. Listeners, how did you do on our second round? Were you confident in your answers or did you waffle?

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Oh, boy.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Get it?

[Devin Tory Bryant]

I do.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You know what? I should stop this episode before I embarrass myself any further. But before I go, I want to thank you, the listener, for always staying extra crispy and perfectly seasoned.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

And I want to remind the listener that every week brings us that much closer to season two of Clueless.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I promise that promise will be kept. I promise that he will keep his promise. We'll be back next week with more Smartless presents Clueless. Until then, I'm your host, Elliot Kaelin. Saying Listen, they're playing our song. It's the theme song from Clueless. Clueless.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

You have been listening to Smartless presents Clueless, a Smartless Media production in association with C SiriusXM. Your host is Elliot Kaelin, who also writes our scripts. Your producer, editor and engineer is Devin Tory Bryant, who is me. I also write all the music and sound effects. Today's puzzles were written by Jason Reich. Executive producers are Elliott Kaelin, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman. Executive producers for Smartless Media are Richard Corson and Bernie Kaminski. Remember to follow, subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps. That's all for now. We will see you again for more.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Smart blessings.

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[Elliot Kaelin]

Dream that you wish.

[Disney Cruise Line Advertiser]

Disney Cruise Line where magic meets the sea.