SmartLess Presents ClueLess

Episode: Re-release: 202 – Word Workout (w/ Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman)
Host: Elliott Kalan
Guests: Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman
Date: March 16, 2026

Episode Overview

In this bite-sized, brain-stretching episode, host Elliott Kalan welcomes comedians Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman (co-hosts of "I Need U Guys") for a space-themed puzzle session, featuring wordplay, Oscar trivia, and brainteasers designed to test both wit and wisdom. The bulk of the show is devoted to “Word Workout,” a puzzle game where words are trimmed—literally—and a mega clue ties it all together.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Space, The Final Puzzle Frontier (01:39 – 04:14)

• Opening Banter:
  Elliott riffs about America’s lost romance with the moon, setting up the space theme with a trivia question about Alan Shepard's moon-sport exploits.

  • Noteworthy humor:
    “I was looking at the moon...because my neighbors told me to stop peeking in their windows...” (01:39 – 01:44)
  • Favorite Smells:
    • Max: "Toast." (02:47)
    • Elliott: "Fireplace."
    • Max: "We're going burns." (02:51)

• Moon Sports Trivia:

  • Elliott asks: “What sport did Alan Shepard play on the moon in 1971?” (02:51)
  • The group guesses basketball, leading to a comic riff on lunar dunks and improbably tall hoops.
  • Correct Answer: Golf.
    • “I assume it’s really easy to get a hole in one on the moon because it looks like there’s holes all over that thing.” (04:07)

2. Oscar-Nominated Astronauts (04:14 – 10:04)

• Game: First and Foremost
  Elliott challenges Max and Gabe to name the four most recent films (by year: 2016, 2015, 2014, 1995) where someone was Oscar-nominated as an astronaut or NASA employee.

  • Their Answers:

    • 1995: Apollo 13
    • 2016: Hidden Figures
    • 2014: Gravity
    • 2015: (Struggle, but after hints) The Martian

  • Fun guesswork includes tangents to Interstellar and Ad Astra and Max’s tongue-in-cheek wager:
    “I would bet my life on it. Now, the other thing I’m gonna say is... not because I think it’s right...” (05:54)

  • Elliott’s gentle prompting leads to the correct final answer (“The Martian”) with a classic host tease:

    • “You have not mentioned it yet. Oh, shocker, shocker...” (07:18)
    • Gabe’s “The Martian! What about The Martian.” (07:25)
    • “Excellent job, wonderful work. Great job. You got them all.” (07:41)

• Further Oscar Trivia:
  Only one actor has actually won an Oscar for playing an astronaut or NASA employee.

  • Gabe’s comedic wild guess: “Tommy Lee Jones, Space Cowboys. He farted trying to get in the suit.” (08:21)
  • Correct answer after clues: Jack Nicholson, "Terms of Endearment" (1983).
  • “It was Jack Nicholson.” (09:23)
  • Max: “That’s insane. I don’t remember a single man being in that movie.” (09:29)
  • Fun aside about rewarding astronauts in space vs. “zero gravity plane where they have to float around...” (09:44)

3. Main Game: Word Workout (12:48 – 18:21)

Elliott introduces “Word Workout,” in which contestants must remove one letter from a given word, then rearrange the result into a new target word based on a clue.

• Format Example:
  Q: Remove a letter from “cartels” to find a type of fortress.
  A: Remove "R" to unscramble “castle.”
  “Very good. Castle is exactly right.” (13:49)

• All Seven Puzzles & Solutions:

  1. Cartels ➔ Castle (13:37)
  2. Painter ➔ Parent (14:19)
  3. Creased ➔ Sacred (14:42)
  4. Carbon ➔ Baron (15:12)
  5. Stories ➔ Sister (15:45)
  6. Action ➔ Tonic (16:06)
  7. Lantern ➔ Tanner (16:28)
  • The duo’s teamwork and playful banter shine:
    • “You got this one.” – Max, encouraging Gabe (14:57)
    • “Which is what I am. And that’s why I don’t have kids.” – Max on "baron" (15:28)
    • “That’s the member of the [Full House] family you’re going to get at the beach.” – Elliott (16:56)
    • “If you want Michelle, go to the mountains.” – Max, referencing Full House biomes (16:58)

• Mega Clue:
  Using all removed letters (R, I, E, C, O, A, L), find something you lose while using your brain...

  • Answer: Calorie
  • “Exactly. You may have burnt exactly one calorie. Just one. Thinking is not great exercise.” – Elliott (18:21)

4. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’m not pregnant, but I do have a very full stomach.” – Elliott Kalan (01:58)
• “My thumb drive has jazz is what a lot of that movie [The Martian] is about.” – Gabe Liedman (07:51)
• “None of the movies we mentioned so far won that acting Academy Award... Only one person has ever actually won...” – Elliott Kalan (08:03)
• “I love that they’re like, we’re going to give the Academy Award to someone playing an astronaut, but not in a space movie? I don’t think so.” – Elliott Kalan (09:44)
• Final send-off:
  “As Benjamin Franklin once said, fish and podcasts stink after 15 minutes.” – Elliott Kalan (18:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• (01:39) – Introduction & Lunar sports banter, smells, and opening puzzle
• (04:14) – Space-themed Oscar trivia & co-guessing game
• (12:48) – Main “Word Workout” game begins
• (18:01) – Mega Clue reveal and solution
• (18:38) – Show wrap-up and comedic sign-off

Summary

This fast, funny episode provides both trivia for movie buffs and interactive wordplay for puzzle lovers. Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman’s camaraderie keeps the puzzles engaging, and Elliott Kalan’s dry humor and nerdish charm guide the ship effortlessly.

If you love puns, film trivia, and flexible thinking, this episode is a bite-sized treat—perfect to play along with and guaranteed to have you laughing (and maybe burning a calorie or two).