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Solution to The Puzzle Your Puzzle Could Smell Like

Author: Dan Katz
Acting by Usman Akeju

This puzzle consists of twelve videos (starring Usman Akeju) that parody Isaiah Mustafa's Old Spice video responses to Twitter questions, which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL484F058C3EAF7FA6. Each parody video has Isaiah responding to a different fictional Twitter handle, and the video ends with a caption (an enumeration and a timestamp) that is displayed while a variation on the Old Spice jingle (with the last note changed) plays.

The solver must:

  1. Anagram each fictional Twitter handle in the video given in the puzzle (henceforth known as the "parody video") to get a real Twitter user to whom Isaiah posted a video (henceforth known as the "real video"), found online.
  2. Find two pairs of phrases, one of which is the other anagrammed with an additional letter:
    • The longer phrase is a two-word phrase that appears in the real video; the timestamp is given at the end of the parody video.
    • The shorter phrase is clued by the response in the parody video; the enumeration of this phrase is given at the end of the parody video.
  3. Order the extra letters by the incorrect jingle notes (which form a chromatic scale rising from D♯ to D) to get the answer.

The table below shows all the relevant information for each video; ordering the extra letters by musical note gives the answer TESTOSTERONE.

Real Twitter Handle Fake Twitter Handle (Anagram) Video Phrase Time Clued Phrase (Transdeletion) Enumeration Extra Letter Order Note
Kmanchester NetherSmack EARTH ROTATIONS 0:33 ART INTRO OATHS 3 5 5 E 8 A♯
RoseMcGowan WrongCameos PICTURE ALBUMS 0:30 BURLAP MISCUE 6 6 T 4 F♯
DrPeteNathaniel HerniatedPlanet HEART REPLACEMENT 0:14 EPHEMERAL TRANCE 9 6 T 7 A
TechFrog ChefGort SWAN DIVE 0:30 DAN VIEW 3 4 S 3 F
RyanSeacrest NecessaryRat SINGING STAR 0:20 GIANT SIGNS 5 5 R 9 B
KentVillard VerdantKill ELEPHANT KICK 0:25 INK CAKE HELP 3 4 4 T 1 D♯
MindOfChester FonderChemist MANSION HOUSE 0:14 ONION HAS SUM 5 3 3 E 12 D
IsaiahMustafa AShiatsuMafia PORTLAND OREGON 0:11 PROLONG A TREND 7 1 5 O 5 G
ProtoCollie LoopierColt SUPER STRENGTH 0:15 REPS HURT GENT 4 4 4 S 6 G♯
VenessaLocher SeveralChosen NOSE HOLES 0:18 SHOE LENS 4 4 O 10 C
TheEllenShow OwlThenHeels EASTERN LATVIA 0:25 SILENT AVATAR 6 6 E 2 E
LisaBarone AerialSnob MONEY BILLS 0:28 SMELLY BIO 6 3 N 11 C♯