SmartLess Presents ClueLess

Episode 208 – The Sort ‘Em Consortium (w/ Naomi Ekperigin & Andy Beckerman)
Release Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Elliot Kalan
Guests: Naomi Ekperigin & Andy Beckerman

Episode Overview

In this fast-paced, puzzle-packed episode, Elliot Kalan invites comedians (and married couple) Naomi Ekperigin and Andy Beckerman to tackle a series of geography- and color-themed brainteasers. With characteristic wit and playful banter, the trio sorts through city-name puns and color trivia, sprinkling in cultural references—from Rob Reiner films to the color weaknesses of superheroes. Listeners are challenged to outpace this week’s contestant, Sean Hayes, and test their knowledge on U.S. geography, historical cities, and surprising color facts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Directional Puzzle: The Backstreet Boys Conundrum

• Prompt: If the Backstreet Boys leave their concert headed north and make a series of turns (six lefts, three rights, a U-turn, and three more lefts), which direction are they now facing?
• Highlight: Naomi nails it with "North", referencing the Rob Reiner movie, showcasing the trickiness of circular puzzles.
  • [03:11] Naomi Ekperigin: "If I've done the math correctly, the answer should be my favorite Rob Reiner movie, North.”
  • [03:18] Elliot Kalan: "You are correct with the answer. Your taste in Rob Reiner movies is questionable, but you're right. The answer is North."

2. City-Name Geography Game: U.S. Cities with International Names

Contestants identify U.S. cities that share names with famous international locales.

Sample Questions:

• Texas city with a cowboy-hat-topped Eiffel Tower?
  • [04:11] Andy Beckerman: "Paris, Texas."
• Tennessee city with a pyramid, but instead of a mummy, it’s got a Bass Pro Shop?
  • Both initially guess "Cairo," but the correct answer: Memphis.
  • [05:04] Elliot Kalan: "No. The answer is Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis is also a city in Egypt. Yes. Or was an ancient city."
• Home of the University of Georgia, famous for music scene (R.E.M., Michael Stipe)?
  • [05:30] Naomi Ekperigin: "Athens, baby.”
• Oregon city named after a coin toss, shares name with a Maine city?
  • [05:45] Andy Beckerman: "Portland."
• Florida city once called Leningrad?
  • [06:13] Andy Beckerman: "St. Petersburg."
• South Carolina city, capital of West Virginia, and a famous dance?
  • [06:39] Elliot Kalan: "Very good. Charleston, South Carolina."

Notable Banter:

Referencing trick answers and contestant confusion, e.g.,

• [06:48] Andy Beckerman: "Don't even say it again. The way I could crumble into a ball. And D."
• Playful marital teamwork celebrated:
  • [08:10] Elliot Kalan: "You have both provided for each other what each was lacking, and that's the true meaning of a marriage."

3. The Mega Clue: Ordering U.S. Cities West to East

• Task: Order the previous five cities from west to east.
  • Correct answer: Portland, Memphis, Athens, St. Petersburg, Charleston.
  • [07:58] Andy Beckerman: "It's Memphis or Athens..."
  • [08:10] Elliot Kalan: "I'll give it to you. I'm giving it to you for the teamwork."

4. The Sordum Consortium: Match the Color to the Clue

Answers to Match: Red, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Green, Purple.

Clues & Answers:

• A traditional color of Islam: Green.
• Most common color on national flags: Red.
• A dye once only made by sea snails: Purple.
• Color for maritime safety / objects at sea: Orange.
• A word/term that didn’t exist in ancient Greek: Blue.
• A weakness for at least one DC superhero (Green Lantern): Yellow.

Memorable Puzzle-Solving Moments:

• [13:20] Elliot Kalan: "It is yellow, but not for that reason. So you know that yellow goes to number six, a weakness for the Green Lantern."
• [14:22] Naomi Ekperigin: "It's got to be blue royalty, right? Oh, purple, Duh. Purple royalty."
• [14:56] Naomi Ekperigin: "If you want something to stand out in the sea, it's gonna be blue. So that. That's the obvious answer to the maritime. So orange. I mean, that's. Aren't buoys orange?"

Approach to Reasoning: The guests reason aloud, often questioning “what makes a color special?” and drawing on pop culture and history.

5. Mega Clue: America's Favorite Colors (2015 YouGov Poll)

• Prompt: Rank red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and purple from most to least popular with Americans.
• • Final tally (from YouGov, in order): Blue, Green, Purple, Red, Yellow, Orange.

Highlights:

• Naomi and Andy debate whether red or green is more beloved:
  • [17:09] Andy Beckerman: "Okay. I think I'm gonna put patriots, so I think. Okay. It would go in order of most to least would be blue, red, purple, green, yellow, orange."
  • [17:35] Elliot Kalan: "I'm so glad you went to that Staten island marriage school. You are so close. You're almost right. ... Unfortunately, people like green more than red."

Fun Fact:

• Blue is overwhelmingly the favorite (31%). Orange and yellow are least popular among these options.
  • [18:16] Elliot Kalan: "For anyone interested, ...31% of Americans said they liked blue. Orange and yellow are super popular at 3% and 4%..."

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Puzzle logic meets pop culture:

  • [04:13] Elliot Kalan: “The answer is Paris, Texas, because the Backstreeters are huge fans of the films of Wim Wenders. And let me stop right there to ask you, how many other puzzle podcasts give you references to boy bands and German new wave filmmakers? None. Just this one.”

• Comic banter on marriage and teamwork:

  • [08:23] Andy Beckerman: “We did so much.”
  • [08:24] Naomi Ekperigin: "I'll say this. We ordered those five from west to east in our vows."

• Meta humor and callbacks:

  • [03:29] Elliot Kalan: "No, no, you only thought he did the one movie. That makes sense. That makes sense."

• Self-aware game show riffs:

  • [11:04] Naomi Ekperigin: “We have to match. I've never heard of a game show. I've never heard of a game show. Do that where you have to like, then say the question.”

Section Timestamps

• [00:00–01:09] – Banter, tree-carrying and sponsor plugs (skip)
• [01:09–02:55] – Opening “Backstreet Boys” directional puzzle
• [03:11–08:32] – Main geography game: U.S. cities with international names
• [07:53–08:15] – West-to-East ordering (“Mega Clue”)
• [10:09–11:55] – Introduction to “Sordum Consortium” (sort the colors)
• [11:55–16:39] – Main color sorting game and discussion
• [16:39–18:36] – Color popularity poll (YouGov) and results
• [18:36–19:43] – Closing remarks, gratitude, humorous send-off

Episode Summary

This episode of ClueLess is a joyful sprint through geographical trivia and clever color puzzles, with thoughtful back-and-forth and sharp wordplay among Elliot, Naomi, and Andy. Listeners are treated not only to tricky questions ("Which direction are the Backstreet Boys now heading? North!") and giggle-worthy geography (Paris, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee), but also learn fun facts about city names, color symbolism, and pop culture quirks, such as superhero weaknesses—"Yellow is the Green Lantern's weakness"—and why some colors are more beloved than others.

The episode wraps up with the hosts celebrating each other, recapping correct answers, and reminding everyone that winning is, as always, overrated—just like being rich, beautiful, or clean.

For Listeners

If you enjoy:

• Rapid-fire puzzles and brainteasers
• Smart, silly banter and cultural riffing
• Learning obscure facts about cities and colors

…then this is a must-listen (or, thanks to this summary, a must-read!).