201 - State Of Confusion (w/ Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman)

Summary

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SmartLess Presents ClueLess

Episode 201 – State Of Confusion (with Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman)
Published: November 10, 2025
Host: Elliott Kalan
Guests: Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman

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Episode Overview

This lively, bite-sized episode features guest contestants Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman—comedians and co-hosts of another SmartLess podcast—tackling two main puzzle games led by host Elliott Kalan. The first game, “It’s Elementary,” revolves around puns involving periodic table elements. The main event, “State of Confusion,” challenges the duo to combine US state abbreviations and inserted letters to spell descriptive words, culminating in a final “mega clue” anagram. The show is packed with playful banter, puns, and witty science references.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

I. Opening Banter & Introduction

• Elliott opens with a cheeky riff about email abbreviations and being "fortified with riboflavin."
  • “I’m your host, Elliot Kaelin, and I’m all organic. Well, the parts of me that our organs are.” (00:36)
• Introduces guests Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman, who immediately set the jovial tone.

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II. Game 1: "It’s Elementary"

(Starts ~03:08)

Premise:
Every answer contains the name of a chemical element.

Discussion Highlights

• Question 1: What archaic phrase does "CC" stand for in email?

  • Answer: Carbon Copy
    • “Yeah, you’re exactly right. It’s carbon copy. For the children and forgetful people in the audience listening..." – Elliott (02:03)

• Nostalgia and jokes about carbon paper:

  • “I stood in a long line [to hold carbon paper].” – Max (02:40)
  • “The Children’s Museum in Pittsburgh has a whole exhibit on holding carbon paper.” – Gabe (02:43)

• Periodic Table Knowledge Check:

  • “I’m probably the most familiar with it of anyone.” – Max (03:29, dry sarcasm)

Elemental Wordplay Questions

1. Jason’s Crew:

   • Q: Which group helped Jason steal the Golden Fleece?
   • A: Argonauts (Element: Argon)
     • “That would be the argonauts, as in argon, right, Max?” – Max (04:23)
   • “But what if you did [argue]? That would be a huge foul.” – Elliott (04:31)

2. Newborns and Gases:

   • Q: What word to describe newborn infants contains the name of a fluorescent gas?
   • A: Neonatal (Element: Neon)
     • “Neonatal.” – Gabe (04:59)
     • “Exactly right. And what element is in there?” – Elliott (05:00)

3. Fake and Real Elements:

   • Q: Which of these is NOT like the others: selenium, dilithium, adamantium, kryptonite?
   • Misfire: Max and Gabe pick kryptonite.
   • Correct Answer: Selenium (the real element; the rest are fictional).
     • “The one that is the odd one out is selenium because it is a real element.” – Elliott (06:44)
   • Jokes about taking “fake lithium” for depression.
     • “So why do I take it for depression if it’s fake?” – Max (06:53)

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III. Game 2: "State of Confusion"

(Begins ~09:22)

Premise:
Take the postal abbreviations of two US states; add a letter between them to form a word that matches the host’s travel description. The inserted letters later form an anagram for a final mega clue.

Example

• “If I said my trip from Orlando to Lexington was like a buttery croissant…” (FL + _ + KY = FLAKY)

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Questions & Answers with Notable Banter

| Time | Clue & Route | Abbrevs | Inserted Letter | Answer | Banter/Notes | |--------|--------------|---------|----------------|----------|--------------| |11:19|Bar Harbor (Maine) → Birmingham (Alabama), “listening to heavy rock music” | ME + _ + AL | T | METAL | “That’s where we should have stopped. Metal.” – Max (11:56)| |12:26|Seattle → Gulfport, “temperature kept going higher” | WA + _ + MS | R | WARMS | They confuse MS with MO (Missouri); only get half credit.| |14:22|New Orleans → Indianapolis, “studied an ancient language” | LA + _ + IN | T | LATIN | “...the language that we speak every morning, first thing we say, cogito ergo sum.” – Max (14:39)| |15:15|San Juan → Kennebunkport, “of the highest quality” | PR + _ + ME | I | PRIME | “And it was a great trip from San Juan to Kennebunkport.” – Elliott (15:37)| |15:46|Wilmington → Topeka, “sat at many work tables” | DE + _ + KS | S | DESKS | “...I just break into a school, try out all the desks.” – Elliott (16:15)| |16:37|St. Louis → Bend, “moved really quickly” | MO + _ + OR | T | MOTOR | Jokes about being a “straight line guy” not fitting in Bend, OR.| |17:42|Myrtle Beach → Omaha, “like something out of a movie” | SC + _ + NE | E | SCENE | Sidetrack on their imaginary Myrtle Beach T-shirt shop.| |18:54|Boston → Eugene, “to see a large country home” | MA + _ + OR | N | MANOR | “You would add the letter N, but for Maine and Oregon, to make Manor.” – Elliott (19:28)| |19:38|Little Rock → Philadelphia, “snacked on a stuffed South American flatbread” | AR + _ + PA | E | AREPA | “Add an E in the middle to make arepa.” – Elliott (20:26)| |20:46|Bloomington → Omaha, “totally pointless” | IN + _ + NE | A | INANE | “You got every single question right except for one that you got half credit on.” – Elliott (21:05)|

Memorable Exchange:

• On half-credit: “Who cares that we got the state wrong?...This is like doing a crossword. You don’t have to show your work...” – Gabe (21:21)
• “See you in court.” – Max (21:46)

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IV. The Mega Clue Anagram

(~22:00)

• Task: Unscramble the added letters from each question (T, R, T, I, S, E, N, E, A) to describe how Elliott got around the country.

  • Stirring brainstorming: “I mean, train seat. Hold on.” – Elliott (23:27)

• Struggle to find the answer, suggesting “trains” and “transit.”

• Elliott finally gives the answer: INTERSTATE

  “Give you the answer. The answer is interstate. That is the word we were looking for, the interstate. I didn’t take the outer state—it takes too long.” – Elliott (24:03)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The fifth element is boron...All you need is boron.” – Elliott, riffing on The Beatles. (09:33)
• “You know, they’re the only mammals that thrash.” – Gabe on whales and metal music. (12:20)
• “I send a lot of mail to Puerto Rico, and I know it’s going to be PR...” – Max (15:20)
• “Myrtle Beach is in South Carolina, right?” – Gabe, showing off “spring break” expertise (18:04)
• “You got a mole on your selenium.” – Max (07:14)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:27 – 01:38: Elliott’s intro and guest welcome
• 03:08: Launch of "It’s Elementary"
• 04:20: Argonauts/Argon discussion
• 04:55: Neonatal/neon question
• 05:47: Real vs. fictional elements
• 09:22: State of Confusion game explained
• 11:19: First puzzle (METAL)
• 12:26: Second puzzle (WARMS)
• 14:22: Third puzzle (LATIN)
• 15:29: Fourth (PRIME)
• 16:02–17:00: Fifth & sixth puzzles (DESKS, MOTOR)
• 17:42: Seventh puzzle (SCENE)
• 18:54: Eighth (MANOR)
• 19:38: Ninth (AREPA)
• 20:46: Tenth (INANE)
• 22:00: Mega Clue anagram struggle
• 24:03: Reveal of “INTERSTATE”

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Episode Tone and Takeaways

The episode perfectly blends quick puzzle-solving, clever wordplay, and chemistry-and-geography puns with the guest comedians' dry, self-aware humor and friendly banter. The difficulty is accessible, but challenges escalate with the anagram mega clue. Even failing the last puzzle becomes a communal laugh. Listeners come away both entertained and a little smarter—or at least with a renewed fondness for state abbreviations and the elemental wonders of carbon paper.

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For listeners who missed it:
Max and Gabe excel at word- and element-based puzzles, stumble hilariously over state abbreviations, and together—with Elliott’s dad-joke authority—make a charming, laugh-out-loud team. The perfect quick listen for fans of crosswords, trivia, or comedic wordplay.

Transcript

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[Elliot Kaelin]

Contact us Smart Bless me. I got an email from my friend Cici. She was mad that I hadn't cc'd her on an email to our friend bb, even though I bcc'd bebe on an email to Dee Dee. So I was cc' ing Cici, BB and Dee Dee on an email to Fifi when I asked myself, do you even know what archaic two word phrase the email abbreviation CC stands for? If you want the answer, I'll cc you. On today's episode of Clueless. Clueless. Clueless. I'm Clueless. Welcome to Smartless Presents. Clueless, the puzzle podcast that's fortified with riboflavin. Whatever that is, we don't know. We just put it in there. I'm your host, Elliot Kaelin, and I'm all organic. Well, the parts of me that our organs are. On today's episode of Clueless, we're joined by two very special guests. They are writers and comedians. They are the co hosts of the new Smartless podcast. I need you guys. Please welcome Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri. Thank you so much for joining us today, guys.

[Max Silvestri]

Oh, my God, what a thrill to be here.

[Gabe Liedman]

Absolutely. To start this with a question felt great.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Well, before we go on, I have to ask you, do you know the answer to our opening question? What archaic two word phrase does the email abbreviation CC stand for?

[Max Silvestri]

Well, you, Honor, I think I do.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah, I believe we both do. But you should answer, Gabe.

[Max Silvestri]

I think it's carbon copy.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah, you're exactly right. It's carbon copy. For the children and forgetful people in the audience listening. In the olden days before email, people would make copies of letters using the awesome power of carbon. Gabe, have you ever used carbon paper to make a carbon copy?

[Max Silvestri]

I have held the results of it. I've never been the one typing onto it, but I have, like, I've held that kind of carbon paper receipt. And yeah.

[Gabe Liedman]

Oh, when you go to a place where there's a yellow one, a pink one, and then a blue one. Yeah, I love that.

[Elliot Kaelin]

What I like is you're describing it as if you went to, like, a nature preserve for endangered animals. They let you hold a piece of carbon paper.

[Max Silvestri]

Very exciting. I stood in a long line.

[Gabe Liedman]

The Children's Museum in Pittsburgh has a whole exhibit on holding carbon paper.

[Elliot Kaelin]

But to think there's so few these left in the wild. This is.

[Max Silvestri]

No one has seen the pink kind in years.

[Elliot Kaelin]

No, no. Carbon is, of course, an element, one of the basic building blocks of reality. And that question is one of the basic building blocks of today's first game. It's called. It's elementary.

[Gabe Liedman]

It's elementary.

[Max Silvestri]

I love that.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That's right. The elements rock. I'm going to ask you to answer three more questions. Every answer will contain the name of an element found on the periodic table of elements. How familiar are you, Max and Gabe, with the periodic table of elements?

[Max Silvestri]

I'm probably the most familiar with it of anyone.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah, definitely. When the numbers get high, like the deep stuff, that's really what I know. That's the stuff that I'm always using in my work.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Other people are yelling out, hydrogen, and you're like, seaborgium. That's the element I like.

[Max Silvestri]

Meet me on row five, and then we'll talk.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You're all about lanthanides.

[Max Silvestri]

Yeah, exactly.

[Gabe Liedman]

I have it tattooed on my back, but I never get to look at it because of where it is. So, unfortunately, it's not that useful.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's very difficult. Okay, this should go great. Clearly, from the jokes you're telling, I know that you are two physical scientists of the top order. So are you ready to start this game?

[Max Silvestri]

Yes, I am.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay, you got it. Here's the first of these questions, almost like the original. A team. What ragtag group did the ancient Greek hero Jason assemble to help him with his quest to steal the Golden Fleece?

[Max Silvestri]

Oh, okay.

[Gabe Liedman]

That's a layup.

[Max Silvestri]

That's a layup. That would be the argonauts, as in argon, right, Max?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yep.

[Gabe Liedman]

I agree with you. I'm not gonna fight that.

[Elliot Kaelin]

But what if you did? That would be a huge foul.

[Gabe Liedman]

No, it's Jason and the heliotropes or.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Whatever, but that is correct. It is the argonauts. But like argon, one of those noble gases.

[Max Silvestri]

I love those.

[Elliot Kaelin]

The next question. This word to describe newborn infants, especially in the first month, contains a gas with fluorescent. Uses word to describe newborn infants.

[Gabe Liedman]

Oh, especially for. I think I know this.

[Max Silvestri]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay.

[Gabe Liedman]

Neonatal.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Exactly right. And what element is in there?

[Gabe Liedman]

Neon.

[Elliot Kaelin]

There you go, another one of those gases.

[Max Silvestri]

I wasn't gonna get there.

[Gabe Liedman]

You know what I really needed? Fluorescent. And I've had a baby in the first month and was like, I don't know what you're talking about, but your.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Baby was very fluorescent, so that's what linked you.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

He was always hanging in the window, blinking.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Last question in it's elementary, It's a slightly different kind of question about elements. This is not a word game question. I want you to tell me which of the following substances is not like the others. Selenium, dilithium, adamantium, and kryptonite. Which of those is not like the others? Selenium, dilithium, adamantium, and kryptonite.

[Gabe Liedman]

I mean, my. My feeling is, even though adamantium, I first learned from the comic books on Captain America's shield and then Wolverine's blades, I think it is kind of real.

[Max Silvestri]

Yeah, I think so.

[Gabe Liedman]

It's like something. But kryptonite is fake, right?

[Max Silvestri]

Okay, well, kryptonite, whether it's real or not, I don't think it's an element.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Right.

[Max Silvestri]

You know what I mean?

[Gabe Liedman]

We're certainly not from this planet.

[Max Silvestri]

No.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

It's the remainders of the exploding derivative of an element. I think it's a product. And so I think on that basis.

[Gabe Liedman]

I'm gonna agree that I don't think kryptonite is on the periodic table of elements.

[Max Silvestri]

There we go.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Kryptonite is your answer. And. Oh, you were doing so well. I'm so sorry, that is not the right answer to this question.

[Gabe Liedman]

What in the world is another one of them a fake thing?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Almost all of them are fake things.

[Gabe Liedman]

Right? So one is a real thing.

[Elliot Kaelin]

The one that is the odd one out is selenium because it is a real element. On the piano table, what was the second one? Dilithium. That's a Star Trek thing.

[Max Silvestri]

That's lithium.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That's what they're speaking about.

[Max Silvestri]

So why do I take it for depression if it's fake?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Well, that's something you have to talk to your therapist about. If it's working, it's real. Don't ask questions about it. Adamantium. You were right. That is a Marvel Comics thing. Kryptonite. You were right. That is a DC Comics thing. But they're all fake except selenium, which is a real element. It's under the symbol SE. Check it out on your back, Max. It's right there.

[Max Silvestri]

You got a mole on your selenium.

[Elliot Kaelin]

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[Max Silvestri]

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[Elliot Kaelin]

Listeners at home did you do as well as Gabe and Max, who got three questions out of four? If not, that's okay? The only element that really matters is the fifth element.

[Gabe Liedman]

Love.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Wait, I misread that. The fifth element is boron. I'm sorry? As in the Beatles song All you need is boron. Which is ironic since since you won't need moron for today's main game, it's state of confusion. Regular listeners of Clueless know I'm what you'd call a Ramblin Man. I've traveled all across this great nation of ours from the tippy top to the bitty bottom. In this game, I'm going to tell you two states I traveled to, and I'm going to describe my trip. Your job is to take the postal abbreviations of those states and add one letter in the middle between them to create a word that matches the description of my trip. Sound complicated? It does sound complicated, but it's actually not complicated. So, for example, if I said my trip from Orlando to Lexington was like a buttery croissant, you would take the abbreviation for the statement, which is flat, and the abbreviation of the state Lexington is in, which is ky, and you'd add a letter in the middle. What letter do you think you would add to that?

[Max Silvestri]

I would add a U to make it flukey.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yep.

[Max Silvestri]

Because that's how I like my croissants.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yep. Like the fish.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Well, flukey, we were going for A for flaky, but flukey could also work. That's fine. That's fine.

[Max Silvestri]

Let's see.

[Gabe Liedman]

Finding Nemo also had to get home to Kentucky.

[Max Silvestri]

Yeah, that's right.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Is that where he was ending up was Kentucky the whole time?

[Gabe Liedman]

I believe so, yes.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Oh, wow. Yep.

[Max Silvestri]

Right at the end of the ocean.

[Elliot Kaelin]

At the end of the game, you will unscramble all the letters you added to get the answer to this week's mega clue. Does any of this make sense to you?

[Gabe Liedman]

It does. I'm with you 100%.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Wonderful.

[Podcast Narrator/Producer]

Great state of confusion.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Let's begin with our first question. My trip from Bar harbor to Birmingham, I spent listening to heavy rock music. My trip from Bar harbor to Birmingham, I spent listening to heavy rock music. And remember, you can discuss this between yourselves.

[Gabe Liedman]

So I think we've got Bar Harbor, Maine to start. Me. And then Birmingham, Alabama. Al. So I'm gonna guess the letter is T. Okay.

[Max Silvestri]

And then metal music. Yeah. Like heavy metal or death metal or. But yeah, that's where we should have stopped. Metal.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah, Metal.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That was great. I was ready for you to tell me three or four more different types of metal music. It would have been wonderful.

[Max Silvestri]

Folk metal.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah, Folk metal.

[Max Silvestri]

Baby metal.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Coral metal.

[Max Silvestri]

There is a band called babymetal Nature sound metal.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Ooh, yeah. Yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

That's when it rains on your zinc roof.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I've been listening to metal songs of the whales to get to sleep at night.

[Max Silvestri]

Oh, I love that.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's just wonderful how they can.

[Max Silvestri]

They feel so much too.

[Gabe Liedman]

You know, they're the only mammals that thrash.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Question number two. On my trip from Seattle to Gulfport, the temperature kept going higher. On my trip From Seattle to Gulfport, the temperature kept going higher. Gulfport.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay, so we're starting in Washington State.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yep.

[Max Silvestri]

Which I would give a wa.

[Gabe Liedman]

I would as well.

[Max Silvestri]

And then we're going to have to locate Gulfport.

[Gabe Liedman]

Gulfport, which.

[Max Silvestri]

Which sounds like it's near a gulf. Yeah, yeah. So that would give me Texas. It would give me Louisiana.

[Gabe Liedman]

Maybe Florida.

[Max Silvestri]

Florida. That's a big old Gulf. How do you spell waffle? Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay.

[Max Silvestri]

No, wait, hold on. Okay. And it gets hotter when you go from.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's.

[Gabe Liedman]

It's warming. I mean, I feel like we're somewhere in the area. Washington helps warm. I mean, wa. So if we can get to ms, maybe Gulfport is in, like, Missouri warms. And we add an arms and we.

[Max Silvestri]

Add an R. Yeah. I love that.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You are so close. I'm gonna give you half credit. You're right. The answer is warms. But that Ms. At the end is for Mississippi.

[Max Silvestri]

That sounds right.

[Gabe Liedman]

Did I not say that?

[Elliot Kaelin]

You said Missouri.

[Max Silvestri]

I think if you were doing Missouri, it might be warm.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Oh, yeah, you're right.

[Gabe Liedman]

You're right.

[Max Silvestri]

Warmo. Well, also, now, also, I literally just.

[Gabe Liedman]

Watched last night Mississippi Burning, and I'm completely flaked on all knowledge of the state and said Missouri, which I know is landlocked.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's a big scene in Mississippi Burning where he goes, we got a problem here in Mississippi. A lot of people think the abbreviation's MO but it's Ms. Here. Missouri is mo. Yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

And that was right in the trailer. Everyone knows that line.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That was the Oscar winning speech. That was what won that movie, the Oscar. Let's go to question number three. From New Orleans to Indianapolis, I studied an ancient language. From New Orleans to Indianapolis, I studied an ancient language.

[Gabe Liedman]

You know, I took four years of this in high school.

[Max Silvestri]

Gabe, did you. They made us start in sixth grade.

[Gabe Liedman]

Oh, my God.

[Max Silvestri]

I did a lot of this one.

[Gabe Liedman]

But Louisiana we're starting with.

[Max Silvestri]

That's right.

[Gabe Liedman]

And then Indiana is our ending, and we're adding, of course, Gabe, our favorite.

[Max Silvestri]

Letter, which is T, to spell Latin, the language that we speak every morning, first thing we say, cogito ergo sum.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I mean, you're thinking and you're aming. You're doing great right now.

[Max Silvestri]

Yeah, yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You say to yourself, I'm never going to use this when you're in school. But you just used it right now. You know, all those years of learning.

[Max Silvestri]

I had. I said a whole sentence.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Let up this moment. Yeah. Yep. Question number four. My trip from San Juan to Kennebunkport was of the highest quality. My trip from San Juan to Kennebunkport was of the highest quality.

[Max Silvestri]

Wow. So Kennebunkport, Maine, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yep.

[Max Silvestri]

I send a lot of mail to Puerto Rico, and I know it's going to be pr and then Maine is going to be me.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yep.

[Gabe Liedman]

And we're going to add.

[Max Silvestri]

And I know we're getting warm.

[Gabe Liedman]

O.

[Max Silvestri]

We're getting warm. O, which is.

[Gabe Liedman]

We're adding I. The letters I. It's prime.

[Max Silvestri]

That's right.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Exactly right. It is prime. And it was a great trip from San Juan to Kennebunkport.

[Max Silvestri]

Did you walk?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Moving on to question five. Great work on that one. Question five. On my trip from Wilmington to Topeka, I sat at many work tables. On my trip from Wilmington to Topeka, I sat at many work tables.

[Max Silvestri]

Wilmington is a beautiful city in Delaware.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yep.

[Max Silvestri]

Right by my hometown of Philadelphia.

[Gabe Liedman]

And we're ending with KS for Kansas.

[Max Silvestri]

That's right. Okay. And when you. When I do my work, I like to sit at a desk. And so I'm going to add an S right in there.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You got it. You had an S for desks. I sat at so many desks between Wilmington and Topeka, sometimes in the middle of the night, I just break into a school, try out all the desks. They never knew I was there. Question 6. From St. Louis to Bend, we moved really quickly. From St. Louis to Bend, we moved really quickly. We.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay, so St. Louis, this is Missouri.

[Gabe Liedman]

Missouri.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Not St. Louis, Mississippi. Yes.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay, so we're going mo. Which we knew this whole time. We were just being fun before.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

And. And we're ending up in Bend, Oregon. That's a lovely town.

[Gabe Liedman]

I've never been.

[Max Silvestri]

Oh, you should go.

[Gabe Liedman]

I. Yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

Bend, Oregon is great.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay, so I had trouble. I'm a straight line guy, so, you know, it was. It was hard for me in Bend. It was just not. Not my place.

[Max Silvestri]

Right. Wait, wait. And then what was the clue? What is the letter?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Really quickly.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay, so I mean, this is.

[Gabe Liedman]

Perhaps we add a T and we were motoring.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Motoring.

[Max Silvestri]

We were motoring to motor.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Exactly right.

[Max Silvestri]

We motored.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Good job. Okay. Okay. If I said from St. Louis to Bend I was in a Shakespeare play, you'd add no letters and it would be more for Othello.

[Max Silvestri]

That's right. Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

But that's not what I said. So you're exactly right. You added T in its motor.

[Max Silvestri]

But that's great. Bonus content for between seasons.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Question number seven. My trip from Myrtle beach to Omaha was like something out of A movie.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay. Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach.

[Gabe Liedman]

Gabe and I still spend spring break there every.

[Max Silvestri]

Well, we own a T shirt shop.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

A lot of the kids like to work at.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yep.

[Elliot Kaelin]

One of the many businesses.

[Max Silvestri]

Yep.

[Gabe Liedman]

So Myrtle beach is in South Carolina, Right.

[Max Silvestri]

Myrtle beach feels like it's somewhere around there. Yeah.

[Gabe Liedman]

Right.

[Max Silvestri]

Can't quite remember how I get there in December to work there with you.

[Gabe Liedman]

But I handle the travel stuff, so.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

You know, no one. You know, I almost was thinking Maryland, but who would start a word with MD you know what I mean? So I said no, that's good thinking.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That's good thinking. What the hell? Where would.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay, wait. What was the. What was the.

[Elliot Kaelin]

What was the. My trip from Myrtle beach to Omaha was like something out of a movie.

[Gabe Liedman]

Oh, okay. So Omaha is something out of a movie.

[Max Silvestri]

I see.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yes.

[Gabe Liedman]

Omaha, Nebraska, and E. It was almost.

[Max Silvestri]

Like a scene from a film.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You got it. South Carolina and Nebraska throw an E in the middle and you get it.

[Max Silvestri]

It was almost like a scone from a movie.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Question number eight. You guys are doing fantastic. I went from Boston to Eugene to see a large country home. I went from Boston to Eugene to see a large country home.

[Gabe Liedman]

I grew up in Massachusetts, so I feel comfortable saying.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay.

[Gabe Liedman]

That Boston is ma.

[Max Silvestri]

Right.

[Elliot Kaelin]

And.

[Max Silvestri]

And now we're back in. In Oregon.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You couldn't say. No.

[Max Silvestri]

You couldn't say goodbye in a large house with.

[Gabe Liedman]

Or I think could to the. To the manor born.

[Max Silvestri]

That's right. A manor.

[Elliot Kaelin]

A man.

[Max Silvestri]

That's right.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That's right.

[Max Silvestri]

That's what it is.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You would add the letter N, but for Maine and Oregon, to make Manor. Great. You are doing fantastic in this game.

[Max Silvestri]

Yep. Great.

[Elliot Kaelin]

There's two questions left. Question 9. From Little Rock to Philadelphia, I snacked on a delicious stuffed South American flatbread. From Little Rock to Philadelphia, I snacked on a delicious stuffed South American flatbread. You get the best South American flatbreads in Little Rock and Philadelphia, Right?

[Max Silvestri]

Yeah. Right. I would say that's probably true now. Okay. Little Rock, Arkansas.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah, I've been to Little Rock, Been to the presidential library. You in Little Rock. It was fantastic. Obviously, it wrestles with parts of the legacy in an interesting way.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You know, parts wrestled with parts of his legacy, too.

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah. But AR is what we're PA For.

[Max Silvestri]

Pennsylvania, and that sounds like an AREPA to me.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Very good.

[Max Silvestri]

Maybe an E in there.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Very good. Add an E in the middle to make arepa. Finally, question 10 for you have almost. Almost totally dominated this game. Almost. Let's see if you can do it. Question 10. My trip from Bloomington back to Omaha was totally pointless.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay.

[Elliot Kaelin]

My trip from Bloomington. Bloomington back to Omaha, where we've already talked about, was totally pointless.

[Max Silvestri]

That's right. Okay, so Bloomington.

[Gabe Liedman]

Bloomington is Indiana.

[Max Silvestri]

Indiana.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah.

[Max Silvestri]

So I, N, I, N. Blank. N, E. Totally pointless.

[Gabe Liedman]

Inane.

[Max Silvestri]

Inane. We're adding the letter A.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You're right. You're adding letter A for inane. Fantastic. You have got every single question right except for one that you got half credit on. So that's fantastic, you guys. Wow. I'm so impressed at your knowledge of state abbreviations and words.

[Gabe Liedman]

I really resent getting half credit for that because frankly, it's none of your business how we get the answer of the clue. You're asking us. Who cares that we got the state wrong? Ultimately, the word is warm. The letter was R. This is like doing a crossword. You don't have to show your work in the refs.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay.

[Gabe Liedman]

Absolutely none of your business.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I I. This is something we'll have to talk about after the game. Okay, sir, but you know what?

[Max Silvestri]

See you in court.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I will. Just. Just to avoid that, I'll settle. I'll give you two thirds of a point. Love that for that one.

[Max Silvestri]

Thank you.

[Elliot Kaelin]

There you go. State of confusion. There's still one part left of the game, though. That's the mega clue.

[Gabe Liedman]

Mega clue question.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That's right. There's always a mega clue at the end. Can you unscramble the letters that you added to the game to make a word that describes how I got from place to place around the country? Let me remind you what those letters are. Unless your memories are so amazing that you remember all of those letters.

[Max Silvestri]

Well, we're starting with eight T's. Yeah, I know that.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Why don't I give you the letters? Why don't I give you the letters? Yep. Yep. T. Yep. R, T, I, S. There's no way.

[Gabe Liedman]

There'D be another T. Oh, you got it.

[Elliot Kaelin]

E, N, E and A. So there were three T's, two E's, and then an A, an N, an S, an I, and an R. And.

[Gabe Liedman]

What'S the question again?

[Max Silvestri]

How we're getting around.

[Elliot Kaelin]

How did I get from place to place around the country in my perambulations through this nation of ours?

[Max Silvestri]

Mmm.

[Gabe Liedman]

I'm horrible at anagrams.

[Max Silvestri]

I should have written this down, but I didn't. And now we're gonna go on the journey. You did?

[Gabe Liedman]

Yeah, I wrote it down before he read all the letters. I put it all down. I did the wrong.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That was good thinking.

[Gabe Liedman]

But it's not helping me.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Now, you also wrote it down on a very small piece of paper. There's three T's, two Es and then an R, an I, an S, an N and an A. I mean, in.

[Max Silvestri]

A train seat or some crap like that.

[Gabe Liedman]

I mean, train seat. Hold on.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It almost works. It doesn't quite work, but it almost works.

[Gabe Liedman]

We can get trains and then what's.

[Max Silvestri]

Left after you do trains?

[Gabe Liedman]

I, T, E, E. Transit. We could do transit, right?

[Max Silvestri]

Okay, let's do transit.

[Gabe Liedman]

Transit E. Transit E. I think that's probably it.

[Max Silvestri]

Transit E to Warmo Gulford.

[Gabe Liedman]

Steam train.

[Max Silvestri]

No, steam train. Steam train's a thing.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna. It is a thing. The letters don't quite match it. I'm gonna gently take this out of your hands.

[Max Silvestri]

Okay, great, Great.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Give you the answer. The answer is interstate. That is the word we were looking for, the interstate. I didn't take the outer state takes too long. The outer state just takes too long. You got to take the interstate.

[Max Silvestri]

So where the hell was I getting that N from? I know there was an N. Oh, no. Interstate.

[Gabe Liedman]

Of course.

[Max Silvestri]

I'm going to go back to bed.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Listeners at home, did you get the answer? If so, great job. You've shown you've got what it takes to answer that question. Gabe. Max, you did a fantastic job. You didn't get the mega glue, but that's okay. You got nine and two thirds points out of a 10 possible points. You did great on its elementary. This is. I'm very impressed with your work here on Clueless. And I think you should take that pride with you through the day and just let it motivate you in whatever you're doing next. Of course, now it's time for everyone's favorite part of the show. If you really like the credits, the end of the show. But before we go, I'd like to thank Gabe Liedman. Max Silvestri, thank you for being our guest today. Never losing your cool, even though I was glaring at you the entire time. The audience at home could not see it, but I was giving them a death stare the entire time. And I want to thank you, the audience at home, for assuming when you listen that I have a full head of hair. Thank you. I don't. But please keep imagining me that way. I really appreciate it. We'll be back next week with more Smartless presents Clueless. Until then, I've been your host, Elliot Kaelin, reminding you to keep reaching for the stars, but not without gloves on. Stars are hot.

[Gabe Liedman]

Clueless.

[Podcast Narrator/Producer]

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. Today's contestants were Gabe Liebman and Max Silvestri. Check out I need to meet you guys anywhere you get your podcasts. 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 Brock Mahan and Jason Reich. Talent producer is Anne Harris, Associate Producer Maddy McCann Social media producer Tommy Galgano. 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 Bless Media Foreign.

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