Podcast Summary: SmartLess Presents ClueLess

Episode 205 – Bizarro Movie Guide
Guests: Naomi Ekperigin and Andy Beckerman
Host: Elliott Kalan
Air Date: December 8, 2025
Length: ~12 minutes

Overview

This lively, puzzle-packed episode features Emmy-winning host Elliott Kalan challenging comedian couple Naomi Ekperigin and Andy Beckerman to crack word and movie-themed conundrums. The main theme revolves around phobias and "Bizarro Movie Guide"—a game where guests decode movie titles from their opposites in a parallel universe. The episode is fast-paced, playful, and rich with comedy, camaraderie, and clever wordplay.

Key Segments and Insights

Warm-Up Puzzle (01:09–04:01)

• Elliott opens with a word-logic puzzle:
  He claims the DMV asked him to describe himself in five words: "optimistic, heroic, poetic, artistic, and romantic," and challenges his guests to find which word doesn't fit, hinting at something “about the words themselves, not their meanings.”
• Naomi and Andy work through the puzzle, landing on the correct answer:
  • Andy: "Because the rest of them are all nouns that you add IC to. And there's no such thing as a romantic." (03:55)
  • Elliott: "Exactly correct. You did it. Through the power of writing things down, you managed to crack the code." (04:01)
• Humorous Commentary:
  • Andy: "Watch out, Schrodinger. Watch out, Heisenberg. I'm coming for you. I'm coming for your Nobel Prize in Physics." (04:26)
  • Elliott: "Being wrong is just the first step on the road to being right." (04:37)

Fear and Phobia Lightning Round (04:53–09:51)

• Theme: Exploring the names and meanings of common (and not-so-common) phobias.

• Participants riff on anxieties and humorously discuss their own nerves.

• Phobia Quiz Questions:
  Elliott gives a phobia; guests guess what it’s the fear of.

  | Phobia | Correct Answer | Notable Commentary | |----------------|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | Claustrophobia | Fear of confined spaces | "Fear of confined spaces." (Naomi, 05:59) | | Acrophobia | Fear of heights | After confusion: "Fear of heights." (Elliott, 06:36) | | Aerophobia | Fear of flying | "Yes. Fear flying. Exactly." (Elliott, 07:40) | | Equinophobia | Fear of horses | "Yes. Fear of horses. Very good. Of the equine." (08:15) | | Nomophobia | Fear of being without your phone | "Yes, it is the fear of being without your mobile phone." (09:01) |

• Memorable digression:

  • Andy: "Fear of whoosh. That's a very specific fear. Whooshophobia." (07:28)
  • Elliott: "I'm only afraid of Bugs Bunny because I do not trust a rabbit who carries around that much dynamite." (05:03)

• Insightful quote:

  • Elliott: "One of the fun things about the world is everything has a name. And once you learn that name, you're like, I didn't know that I had a name." (06:59)

• Category Puzzle:
  Which phobia is unlikely to be experienced at the same time as the others on a plane?

  • Answer: Equinophobia (fear of horses), since you rarely encounter horses on a plane.
    • Elliott: "Unless a fellow passenger has a very loose definition of service animal, you will not be seeing a horse on a plane." (10:38)

Bizarro Movie Guide Game (13:10–19:21)

• Premise:
  Elliott reads “Bizarro” versions of famous rom-com titles from a parallel universe. Naomi and Andy must decode the original movies.
• Notable comedic riff: The guide is a kind of TV Guide from the Bizarro Dimension, where everything is the opposite.

Examples and Answers:

| Bizarro Title | Original Film (Answers) | Timestamps & Quotes | |-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Your Worst Enemy's Divorce | My Best Friend's Wedding | "Exactly. My Best Friend's Wedding." (14:11) | | Most Despise It Cold | Some Like It Hot | "Some Like It Hot." (14:28) | | Ugly Man | Pretty Woman | "Pretty Woman." (14:34) | | Hate | Love, Actually | "Theoretically, love. Actually, very good." (14:39) | | Hang Around Groom | Runaway Bride | "Yes, very good." (14:50) | | Kiss Sober Hate | Punch Drunk Love | "Yes. Punch drunk love." (15:06) | | Also Them | Only You | "What answer we're looking for is only you instead of also them." (16:11) | | Several Awful Nights | One Fine Day | "One fine day. Very good." (16:40) | | Unrelated to Tomorrow Morning | About Last Night | "About last night. You got it." (17:22) |

• Guest struggles and laughs:
  • Andy: "For the first five, I was starting to get sweaty. I was like, is this Welsh? Where's the vowel?" (18:23)
  • Elliott: "That's the trap that we deliberately set for you." (18:50)

The Mega Clue (17:30–19:21)

• Meta-puzzle:
  Guests take the first letter from each correct movie answer to spell out another rom-com.
  • Answers: S, P, L, A, R, P, O, O, A
  • Naomi jokes: "Obviously it's Poor Labs." (18:34)
  • Elliott: "The answer is proposal. The movie is The Proposal." (19:04)
• Funny moments:
  • Andy fixates on the accidental word "poo" in the letter order.
  • Elliott: "You were so close with Prolapse, you almost got there." (19:14)

Closing Banter (19:21–19:51)

• In-jokes and wordplay:

  • Elliott: "I wish I could bottle how good you are at listening. I'd call it Listerine." (19:51)

• Elliott plugs his book:
  Joke: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense

• Tongue-in-cheek thanks to the guests:

  • "I don't know what it is, but they sure did it. And they showed us how to do that." (19:49)

Notable Quotes

• Elliott (on being wrong):
  “Being wrong is just the first step on the road to being right.” (04:37)

• Andy (on his puzzle strategy):
  “Watch out, Schrodinger. Watch out, Heisenberg. I’m coming for you. I’m coming for your Nobel Prize in Physics.” (04:26)

• Elliott (on phobias):
  "One of the fun things about the world is everything has a name. And once you learn that name, you're like, I didn't know that I had a name." (06:59)

• Elliott (on planes and horses):
  “Unless a fellow passenger has a very loose definition of service animal, you will not be seeing a horse on a plane.” (10:38)

• Elliott (on listener praise):
  “I wish I could bottle how good you are at listening. I’d call it Listerine.” (19:51)

Structure of the Episode

• 01:09–04:01: Word logic puzzle (five descriptive words)
• 04:53–10:38: Phobia trivia and humor
• 13:10–19:21: Bizarro Movie Guide (main segment)
• 17:30–19:14: Mega Clue (meta puzzle using previous answers)
• 19:21–19:51: Wrap-up/goofy sign-off

Overall Tone

The episode is playful, banter-filled, and inviting, with sharp humor, geeky references, and a welcoming spirit. The competitive yet supportive dynamic between Elliott and his guests makes for an engaging listen, packed with clever wordplay and nostalgic movie references.

Best For

• Puzzle-lovers: Sharp, word-oriented games with a comedic twist.
• Film buffs: Fun play on classic rom-coms.
• Fans of witty banter: Quick comedic interplay and self-deprecating humor abound.
• Anyone wanting a brisk, brainy, uplifting mini-podcast.

Produced by SmartLess Media. Guests Naomi Ekperigin and Andy Beckerman host the podcast "Couples Therapy."