Tie-Dye vs. Friendship Bracelets

NARRATOR: From the brains behind Brains On, it's Smash, Boom, Best.

ELSA: The show for people with big opinions.

MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, I'm Molly Bloom. And this is Smash, Boom, Best. The show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Today's debate is a creative collection of craftiness. It's a colorful spread against a twisted thread. It's tie-dye versus friendship bracelets. In one corner, we've got Brains On producer, Aron Woldeslassie, ready to paint a picture for team tie- dye.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Today, tie-dye. Tomorrow, the world.

MOLLY BLOOM: And comedy writer Sam Suksiri is here to definitely defend team friendship bracelets.

SAM SUKSIRI: We're going to lasso ourselves a win today.

MOLLY BLOOM: And here to judge it all is Elsa from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Elsa is a huge fan of murder mysteries, black and white movies, and all things sushi. She also recently competed in her own version of Smash, Boom, Best through a debate class at school. Hi, Elsa.

ELSA: Hi, Molly.

MOLLY BLOOM: So Elsa, what was the topic of your Smash, Boom, Best school debate?

ELSA: It was vampires versus werewolves, and we were team vampires.

MOLLY BLOOM: And did you win?

ELSA: We did win.

MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent. Good work. Congratulations.

ELSA: Thank you.

MOLLY BLOOM: So if you only had to eat one sushi roll for the rest of your life, what would it be?

ELSA: Ooh, it would definitely be a shrimp tempura roll. Those are my absolute favorites.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. I'm hungry now. OK. Have you ever made your own sushi?

ELSA: No, but my parents have. And it did not go very well. They tried their best.

MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah. It's hard to make sushi.

ELSA: It is.

MOLLY BLOOM: That's one of those foods where it's like, go to a restaurant where they know what they're doing, and--

ELSA: Yes.

MOLLY BLOOM: --enjoy.

ELSA: For sure.

MOLLY BLOOM: Today, we're talking about tie-dye, friendship bracelets.

ELSA: Yes.

MOLLY BLOOM: Do you have any connections to either of those topics?

ELSA: Well, with tie-dye, I feel like tie- is a great thing that many generations have done.

MOLLY BLOOM: Totally.

ELSA: And I know for sure it's a very fun summer activity that I've done in the past. And then friendship bracelets have recently become very popular because of Taylor Swift and the whole fad with friendship bracelets. And it's cool because you can make them for your friends, which is--

MOLLY BLOOM: Exactly.

ELSA: --what I do too.

MOLLY BLOOM: It's a thing to keep your hands busy.

ELSA: Yeah.

MOLLY BLOOM: They're both so wonderful. So do you have any advice for our debaters today?

ELSA: I would say break a leg and do your best.

MOLLY BLOOM: Good advice. So will Elsa side with Aron or Sam? Only time will tell. Elsa, are you ready to judge today's debate?

ELSA: I'm so excited.

MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Before we dive in, let's review the rules of the game. Every debate consists of four rounds of argumentation, the Declaration of Greatness, the Micro Round, the Sneak Attack, and the Final Six. After each round, our judge, Elsa will award points to the team that impresses her the most. But she'll keep her decisions top secret until the end of the debate. Listeners, we want you to judge too. Mark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website, smashboom.org. And vote for whichever team you think won.

Aron, Sam, and Elsa, are you ready?

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Absolutely.

MOLLY BLOOM: Then it's time for the--

NARRATOR: --Declaration of Greatness.

MOLLY BLOOM: In this round, our debaters will present a well-crafted, immersive argument in favor of their sides. Then they'll each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements. We flipped a coin, Aron you're up first. Tell us what makes tie-dye to die for.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: To help with this debate, my pal, Charlie in Sacramento promised to introduce me to a tie-dye pro.

CHARLIE: Yeah, dude. My man, Dave has the best tie-dye. I was just headed to his place to get a shirt for the concert tonight. Come with me.

[ENGINE REVVING]

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: While we track down Dave, let's talk tie-dye. Tie- dye or resist dyeing is a special way of coloring clothes, where the clothes themselves resist dyes from reaching every piece of cloth. You do this by twisting, bending, or tying clothes and then soaking them in dye. The folds and twists keep the dye from reaching certain parts of the fabric, and the result is amazing patterns.

CHARLIE: Oh, hey. That person has some truly original tie-dye. Hey, lady. You have some nice tie-dye. Do you know my buddy, Dave?

LADY: Oh, thanks dude. I made this myself. That's the genius of tie-dye. For less than $5, you can change any piece of clothing into something mesmerizing.

CHARLIE: Cool. My buddy, Dave teach you to do that?

LADY: Oh, sorry dude. Dave's not here. I've been tie-dyeing here in Woodstock, New York since the late '60s when it was all the rage.

CHARLIE: I drove all the way to New York? Oh, man. Let's keep looking.

[ENGINE REVVING]

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: It is absolutely wild that Charlie can drive so far without noticing. But what isn't surprising is how popular tie-dye is. It's a great way to give worn out clothes a second life. Old gray dress? Now, it's a rainbow swirl dress. Drab khakis? Now, they're party pants. Shirt from 5K you ran four years ago? Now, it's a shirt from 5K you ran four years ago, but also tie-dye.

CHARLIE: Oh, wait. So you're saying if I tie up all my shirts and dip them in color, they'll all come out with the same cool pattern as the one I want for the concert.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Your clothes might have the same colors, but they won't look exactly the same. Because you can't completely replicate a twist, bend, or fold, every piece of tie-dye is unique. It physically denies conformity. That's why it's always original.

CHARLIE: You know who has some awesome tie-dye? That righteous dude over there. He's got to know Dave. Yo, my man. I love your shirt.

DUDE: Thank you, darling. Isn't the tie-dye to die for? Everybody looks amazing in it. From modern celebrities like Selena Gomez, Jack Black, and Halsey to classic rockers like, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.

CHARLIE: Cool. My buddy, Dave made that for you?

DUDE: Sorry, dude. Dave's not here. I got this shirt after seeing it on the runway at Paris Fashion Week. Au revoir.

CHARLIE: Now I'm in France? Oh, this seriously grills my cheese.

[ENGINE REVVING]

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Wow, Charlie's driving all over for some quality tie-dye. And that makes sense because tie-dye is a global phenomenon. China, Japan, Nigeria, so many different countries and cultures have tie-dye. Many of those traditions are hundreds of years old. In Japan, designers place a grain of rice or small piece of metal in each knot of cloth and bind it tightly in thread to make a special design. In Nigeria, they use stones and large seeds to make intricate patterns. And in India, where the oldest form of tie-dye is used, they pluck the cloth into tiny peaks before applying dye.

CHARLIE: Bro, do you think Dave knows how to do all that?

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: I don't know, man. Do you have any idea where he is?

CHARLIE: I don't know. Let's go to his house and ask him.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: You didn't try going to his house, first?

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

DAVE: Hey, dude.

CHARLIE: Dave! I need a tie-dye shirt for the concert, tonight.

DAVE: Here, try this.

CHARLIE: It's perfect.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Wow, it is perfect. Dave knows dye. But also that's part of tie-dye's appeal. Unlike some exclusive fashion items that are for a special click, like say, friendship bracelets, tie-dye is for all. Kids wear it, grannies wear it. Bears don't wear it, but I bet they wish they could. Tie-dye is a club anyone can be a part of, no questions asked. Am I right, Dave?

CHARLIE: Sorry, dude. Dave's not here. He left during your speech. You want to go to that concert, though?

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Absolutely. But this time, I'm driving.

[CHUCKLES]

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, man. An unintentionally globetrotting journey.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: It was a fantastic time.

MOLLY BLOOM: Incredible. Elsa, what stood out to you about Aron's declaration of greatness?

ELSA: I really liked how he put in how different countries make tie-dye, and what methods that they use. I thought that was very interesting.

MOLLY BLOOM: Very cool, indeed. OK. Sam, it is time for your rebuttal. Tell us why tie-dye is a lie guy. You've got 30 seconds, and your time starts now.

SAM SUKSIRI: Look, tie-dye is colorful, but that whole argument is just soaked in problems. For one thing, yes, while a lot of cultures around the world have very specific uses of tie-dye, like in Japan, in America, the spiral style, it's really you just throw it in there, and you see what comes out. It's not intentional, which if you're making a gift for your friend, you want it to have the artist imprint.

And another thing, Dave owes me a lot of money. And I'm upset you weren't able to track him down because I really thought we were finally going to get to the end of this. And then, if I still have time I just want to say, if you want to make a T-shirt for a concert that same day, it takes a long time with tie-dye.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: First off, Sam, I kind of want to just put this out there. Like, yeah, the spiral design is intentional. That's the work. It's unlike friendship bracelets where you're just like pumping out 100 a minute. With tie-dye--

SAM SUKSIRI: Each one of those stitches is intentional.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: --they all look different. All right. They're all intricately designed. There's no such thing as too tie-dye pieces of clothing that look exactly the same. It's just impossible to do. You can't replicate the spin, the folds, the bindings. It's just-- you just can't do it. Whereas friendship bracelets, I mean, come on, right? You just take some thread--

SAM SUKSIRI: You can't replicate an accident, which is what tie-dye is.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Yeah. Serendipity. Chance, right? That's what life is made of, Sir.

MOLLY BLOOM: All right. Sam.

SAM SUKSIRI: Wow. This has gotten philosophical.

MOLLY BLOOM: It has.

SAM SUKSIRI: The embrace of chaos or order.

MOLLY BLOOM: Well, on the side of order, Sam, it is your turn. Tell us why friendship bracelets should win first place.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

SAM SUKSIRI: For generations, there has been a piece of jewelry that gives the wearer tremendous powers. Three strands of cotton cord, yellow, blue, and red, seven charms for besties who met in second grade. Nine beads of letters that spell out "empowerment." One band of many knots that by their hands was made. In the land of summer camp where the meatloaf's green, one bracelet for every friend. One bracelet, they all share. One bracelet to tie and then forevermore, they all wear.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I can tell you that this legendary jewelry is not just a legend. The modern friendship bracelet caught on in the 1970s, based on traditional knot techniques developed by the Indigenous peoples of Central and South America. The only real requirement for a friendship bracelet is that you make it for someone else. Other than that, you can use almost any material, braid it in any style, customize it. If you have a friend who likes French Bulldogs, you can make a bracelet that says, I heart Frenchies.

Or if you have a friend who likes fried potatoes, you can make a bracelet that says, I heart Frenchie fries. They're easy to make. You can get started in a few minutes with just a couple pieces of string and a short YouTube tutorial. But if you want to get super fancy, there are lots of complex patterns too. And you can make them anywhere. Got a long car ride? Pass the time making a bracelet. Watching TV with your friends, you can be making one at the same time. And let's say you need to suddenly stop.

NARRATOR: Come quick. They're giving out free pretzels at the library and jetpack rides.

SAM SUKSIRI: Just toss it in your pocket, and it's ready to be picked up again anytime. There are no buckets of messy, spillable dye to worry about like with some cumbersome crafts. Selena Gomez wears friendship bracelets, Simu Liu, even the Prince of England. And do you know who else? Taylor Swift. Hit it! What was that? Oh, we don't have clearance for any of Taylor's songs? Not even the non-Taylor's version of Taylor's songs? Oh, OK. How about we play some mariachi music?

[MARIACHI MUSIC]

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is not only packing stadiums, it's brought friendship bracelets center stage like never before. In her hit song, "You're on your Own, Kid," Taylor sings, "so make the friendship bracelets. Take the moment, and taste it." Fans took that line literally, and wore dozens of handmade friendship bracelets to Taylor's concert to trade with fellow fans. It became such a frenzy that when Taylor Swift performed in Santa Clara, California, the stadium managers tried to ban the bracelets.

But fans protested, and the stadium quickly reversed the ban. And according to my sister's firsthand account, the concert was epic. That's right. My sister was there, and she's also here. Hi, Melissa.

MELISSA: Hi.

SAM SUKSIRI: First of all, how is the Taylor Swift concert?

MELISSA: Incredible. Life-changing. Everything I hoped it would be.

SAM SUKSIRI: Wow.

MELISSA: And before Taylor Swift, I made friendship bracelets for all the people in my life. I put initials on each one. I tied them on my wrists, and I wore them to the show to imbibe the Taylor magic. And I have one for you.

SAM SUKSIRI: Oh. You have one for me? Oh my God.

MELISSA: I haven't given it to you yet.

SAM SUKSIRI: I was supposed to surprise you because I don't know if you recall, when we were in high school, we were in a jazz band. And we took a band trip. And do you remember traveling in the bus from venue to venue? I don't know how this got started, but everyone started making friendship bracelets and passing them around. And you, of course, being the valedictorian homecoming princess, you actually made me a friendship bracelet.

MELISSA: Oh.

SAM SUKSIRI: I wasn't even thinking you were going to make me one. I wasn't an easy brother to get along with. When you gave me that friendship bracelet, I felt included.

MELISSA: Yeah.

SAM SUKSIRI: That was really nice. I still have that bracelet you made me. Kept it--

MELISSA: What is that? 20 years? Wow.

SAM SUKSIRI: I made you this one.

MELISSA: Wow.

SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah.

MELISSA: Thank you.

SAM SUKSIRI: Thank you, for being my sister, my friend, and for the Taylor Swift infused friendship bracelet. Be it new friends you met at a concert or old friends you grew up with, a friendship bracelet is a simple, personal, and fashionable way of remembering that we are all tied together with string and with love.

MOLLY BLOOM: Aah. A lovely argument there invoking sibling love and Taylor Swift. How delightful. Elsa, what stood out to you about Sam's argument?

ELSA: I really liked how you put in that lots of people make friendship bracelets at summer camp, which is a very popular thing to do. And that Taylor Swift too, has popularized friendship bracelets a lot in the past year.

MOLLY BLOOM: Absolutely. Braiders going to braid, braid, braid, braid. All right. Aron, it is time for your rebuttal. Tell us why friendship bracelets should be tossed in the trash. You've got 30 seconds, and your time starts now.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: My main question for friendship bracelets are, do we need to mark the people in our lives to demonstrate friendship? Also you said friendship bracelets can be made of anything, so you're saying there are friendship bracelets made of nose hair, or snot, or dried earwax? A friend-- by the way, like a friendship bracelet is a solution without a problem. When I have a friend, I love I don't burden them with wristwear made of nose hair. I say kind things to them. I invite them to events. I bake them cakes.

Whereas you're saying, hey, here's a piece of jewelry that you're going to forget and you can't take a shower with.

SAM SUKSIRI: Now, there is a tradition of giving locks of hair to loved ones. Maybe not nose hair, I think it's more head hair.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: So hold on, you're saying there are people who are cutting off their hair and then they're giving them to other people and saying, hey, I'm a rational human being, take some of my hair. Keep it on your person.

MOLLY BLOOM: All right. Somehow Aron has gotten us talking about hair exchanges.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Me? I'm not who brought this up. All right.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Elsa, it is time to award some points.

ELSA: OK.

MOLLY BLOOM: Please give one point to the Declaration of Greatness you liked best, and one point to the rebuttal that won you over.

ELSA: OK.

MOLLY BLOOM: You get to decide what makes a winning argument. Did one team jokes make you giggle? Was another team's logic to die for? Award your points, but don't tell us who they're going to.

ELSA: OK.

MOLLY BLOOM: Have you made your decision?

ELSA: Yes.

MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Sam and Aron, how are you two feeling so far?

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Very good. Very feisty.

SAM SUKSIRI: I'm hungry. I really want a shrimp roll.

ELSA: Yes.

MOLLY BLOOM: Well, grab your craft kits and tap into your creative vibes.

ELSA: And we'll be right back with more Smash, Boom, Best.

NARRATOR: You're listening to State of Debate. Home to rage and rhetoric, and awe-inspiring argumentation.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: Hey there, debate tutors. This is Taylor Lincoln. And I'm here with the flame to my candle, Todd Douglas.

TODD DOUGLAS: Hey there. Hi there. Ho there, friend-till-the-end. I was just making myself a sandwich.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: Ooh. I do love a sandwich.

TODD DOUGLAS: Then I'll make one for you. And trust me, this one will go way better than that situation I heard about on my favorite sitcom, BFF o'clock.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: OMG, I love that show.

TODD DOUGLAS: Me too. And this episode featured a big old logical fallacy, which makes an argument easy to defeat.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: Ooh.

TODD DOUGLAS: Here, let's take a listen.

[AUDIO PLAYBACK]

Oh. Hey, Benny. Want a sammie?

- Oh, Dot. When in our entire best friendship have I ever said no to a sammie?

- Not once. Today, I'm going to make you one of my childhood specialties, the Pickle Berry Surprise.

- Excuse me?

- Everyone knows about the Pickle Berry Surprise.

- What? How?

- Everyone knows about them because they're infamous.

- Since when?

- Since they are very well-known.

- But--

- They're super popular because they're very infamous. Now, stop asking questions and eat already.

[END PLAYBACK]

TODD DOUGLAS: Well, now I'm hungry. But did you notice what was wrong with Dot's argument?

TAYLOR LINCOLN: She just kept going round and round in circles.

TODD DOUGLAS: Exactly. She was using circular arguments. That's when an argument ends the same way it started with no real evidence or reasoning to support the conclusion.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: Plus, it makes me dizzy.

TODD DOUGLAS: Here, Taylor. Sit down and enjoy half of this Pickle Berry Surprise sandwich.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: Mmh. Oh, that is not good.

TODD DOUGLAS: No. It's really not. See you next time on, State of Debate.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) Bathroom. Smash. Smash, Boom, Best.

MOLLY BLOOM: You're listening to Smash, Boom, Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom.

ELSA: And I'm your judge, Elsa.

MOLLY BLOOM: And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners. Take a listen to this festive debate idea from Chapman.

CHAPMAN: Hi, I'm Chapman from Charlevoix, Quebec. And my debate idea is Halloween versus Easter.

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. How can you choose? We'll check back in at the end of this episode to see which side Chapman thinks should win.

ELSA: And now it's back to our debate, tie-dye versus friendship bracelets.

MOLLY BLOOM: That's right. And it's time for round two, the--

NARRATOR: Micro round.

MOLLY BLOOM: For the Micro Round challenge, each team has prepared a creative response to a prompt they received in advance. For Aron and Sam, their prompt was top of the hour, in which a local news anchor must fill us in on breaking news, politics, arts and culture, or maybe even a tear-jerking human interest story about your side. Aron went first last time, so Sam, you're up. Give us the newsy goss on friendship bracelets.

[AUDIO PLAYBACK]

- Folks, it's an exciting afternoon here at Wrigley Fields. I am of course referring to the field here at Lake Shasta Summer Camp called Wrigley Field because of all the worms that wriggle around in the field. I'm starting to think my agent sent me to the wrong place. But oh well, I'm going to cover all the plays as these kids make friendship bracelets. First up is Kevin with a classic Chevron pattern. There's the wind up. He's winding the string around his finger. It's passing over, under, back around. And it's good. The knot is good.

And over here in the outfield-- I mean, over here out in the field, Renee is lining up her next pitch-- I mean, stitch. She's using strips of an old tie-dye T-shirt to make her friendship bracelet. Apparently, she made the shirt earlier at camp and didn't like it. But fortunately, the T-shirt that was ruined by tie-dye can now be upcycled into a much, much better friendship bracelet. What's this? CC just stepped out of the dugout path by the creek. She was out for the season after she got poison ivy. And incredible, she made friendship bracelets while in the nurse's tent.

She's giving one to Kevin, one to Renee. And in an incredible triple play, Renee and Kevin are now giving theirs to CC. Folks, these three friends will always remember the summer they shared together and the Major League announcer who probably went to the wrong Wrigley Field

[END PLAYBACK]

MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. Friendship was never so exciting. OK. Aron, now it's your turn to keep us informed on the latest tie-dye events and happenings.

[AUDIO PLAYBACK]

- Good evening. This is the news at night with Kurt Bite. We're starting this evening's broadcast with breaking news. A local dye factory has exploded, causing rivers of color to wash over Downtown Coolsville's cobblestone streets, creating a sort of environmental tie-dye that citizens are adoring. Let's go now to reporter Kim Perkins for details.

- Thanks, Kurt. I'm on the scene where residents of Coolsville are absolutely adoring the funky colors of our newly dyed streets. Who knew a city could look so fab?

- Kim, were there any injuries in the explosion?

- None. However, it does look like the stylish explosion that rejuvenated our city also destroyed the Plaid Factory next door in what experts are calling a win-win.

- [CHUCKLE] We sure do hate plaid, Kim. Let's now pivot to sports with reporter, Amanda Ralph. How were the big games this week, Amanda?

- I've got two words and one hyphen for you. I'm talking about tie-dye. Both the Brooklyn Nets and the entire NFL are sporting tie-dye uniforms. These funky, fresh outfits are for a good cause. The NFL is using proceeds from their tie-dye merch to help fund early cancer screenings.

- So people can look and feel great at the same time?

- Absolutely. Hey, did you hear about the explosion that took out that Plaid Factory?

- I just heard. What a great news day. This has been News at Night with me, Kurt Bite.

[END PLAYBACK]

MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. They're all united over their hatred of plaid.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Yeah.

SAM SUKSIRI: Somebody needs to speak up for plaid.

MOLLY BLOOM: I loved it. Such a good news program. I would tune in every night for the latest tie-dye news. All right, Elsa. What stood out to you about Aron and Sam's Micro Rounds.

ELSA: Well, I really liked for the tie-dye, how they all kind of bonded together over their love of environmental tie-dye. And then for friendship bracelets, I found it really funny that the announcer was just kind of there. And I found it really amusing. I really did.

MOLLY BLOOM: I know, I kind of want that announcer to come with me just to announce what I'm doing in my life. It would make it all feel very exciting.

ELSA: I know. And dramatic.

ANNOUNCER: And now, Molly is picking up her laundry. It looks like she got it dry cleaned and permanent pressed.

MOLLY BLOOM: Yes.

ANNOUNCER: This is clearly a sign that she's going somewhere very fancy this weekend.

MOLLY BLOOM: I love it. All right, Elsa. It's time to award a point. The criteria, again are completely up to you and completely subjective. Did someone make a news program you'd like to tune in to night after night? Someone make you laugh? Did someone make you think? It's up to you. Have you made your decision?

ELSA: Yes.

MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Then it's time for our third around, the super stealthy, Sneak Attack. This is our improvised round where debaters have to respond to a challenge on the spot. Today's sneak attack is called, Rhyme on Time. Each debater will give us a rhyming couplet about why their side is awesome. A couplet is a short poem with two lines that rhyme, like for example, in a bowl, a delight that's sure to please. Curdled goodness, the magic of cottage cheese. Yeah. We all love--

ELSA: Cottage cheese.

MOLLY BLOOM: Your opponent will respond with a couplet about their side. And you're going to go back and forth three times. Aron, you're up first. Let's hear your first rhyme for tie-dye that will make your performance soar sky high.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: All right. I want to point out that this is essentially just asking me to freestyle, which I'm totally OK with, I guess.

[CHUCKLES]

Today's tie-dye takes time, togetherness, ta-da. Tomorrow's friendship bracelets take hair, snots, and blah.

[LAUGHS]

MOLLY BLOOM: All right. Sam, it's your turn. Let's hear you rhyme on time for friendship bracelets in their prime.

SAM SUKSIRI: You don't use nose hair for a bracelet for your hand. That's the silliest thing I've heard in all the land.

[LAUGHS]

MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent. OK. Aron, your turn.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Tina told tie-dye

[LAUGHS]

--tank tops.

SAM SUKSIRI: OK.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: No, I'm committing to this.

SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah. I believe in you. I believe in you.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Tina told tie-dye, tank tops, trolleys, crop tops.

SAM SUKSIRI: Now, I don't believe in you.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Frankie, forbade friendship bracelets. All good, no flops.

[LAUGHTER]

MOLLY BLOOM: More flavours.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Yeah.

MOLLY BLOOM: I mean, couplet. But that's fine. OK Sam, it's your turn.

SAM SUKSIRI: Bracelets becoming, bounce about my wrist. Boy, beads bake brown isn't.

MOLLY BLOOM: I think we've both learned in that last round that alliteration is not poetry's friend.

SAM SUKSIRI: It's the solution.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: It's the rhyming that's getting me.

MOLLY BLOOM: Aron, our last couplet, please.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Friendship bracelets bore babies.

SAM SUKSIRI: What?

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Oh, tie-dye shirts fight rabies.

ELSA: Oh.

MOLLY BLOOM: I was really wondering where that was going and you landed it.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Rabies and babies.

MOLLY BLOOM: There you go.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: What a duo.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK, Sam. Your final couplet, please for friendship bracelets.

SAM SUKSIRI: Tie-dye shirts are a swirl like the sky above, but friendship bracelets are a true sign of love.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Nicely done, both of you. Such variety in those couplets. So creative.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: We really peaked at the front end.

SAM SUKSIRI: We peaked about 20 minutes ago.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: We-- Yeah. We were good, and then bad, and then pretty good, I'd say.

ELSA: Yeah.

SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK, Elsa. It is time to award another point. Have you made your decision?

ELSA: Yes.

MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Then it's time for our final around, the Final 6. In this round, each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their side. Sam, let's hear your six words for this tight-knit skill.

SAM SUKSIRI: Taylor's version is a friendship bracelet.

MOLLY BLOOM: Nicely done. OK. Aron, it's your turn. Give us your colorful words for this swirly craft.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Absolutely. A point of order though, I want to make this clear. Tie-dye is actually hyphenated.

ELSA: Oh.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: So it's one word.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Good to know. Good to know. That is important.

ELSA: We'll put that in mind.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: My guy, tie-dye, so super fly.

[LAUGHS]

SAM SUKSIRI: Now you can rhyme it?

[LAUGHS]

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, so good. OK Elsa. It is time to award a final point for this Final Six. It's a tough one, I know, but we trust your astute judgment.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Just to be clear, one side wants you to look nice and the other side wants you to cut off your hair and give it to strangers.

SAM SUKSIRI: Which is really weird that Aron wants you to do that, because no one asked.

MOLLY BLOOM: Elsa, have you made your decision?

ELSA: I have.

MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Please add up the points, tally them up. Are you ready to crown one team the Smash,Boom, Best?

ELSA: I am.

MOLLY BLOOM: Drumroll, please.

[DRUMROLL]

And the winner is--

ELSA: Friendship bracelets.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Ah. Oh.

MOLLY BLOOM: Elsa, was there a moment that really decided it for friendship bracelets?

ELSA: I think the Declaration of Greatness was really good for friendship bracelets.

MOLLY BLOOM: Was it a close debate, though? It seemed like you were having trouble.

ELSA: It was very close. You both did really well, really well.

MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent work, both of you.

SAM SUKSIRI: Aron, I had a really great time following Charlie around the world, learning about tie-dye in other countries.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Sam, what can I say? You absolutely crushed it. You were so fantastic. It's such a kind affirmation of feelings. Also, I didn't know you could make a friendship bracelet on anything. And I absolutely adored your Micro Around. The idea of coming to the wrong Wrigley Field is just classic.

MOLLY BLOOM: It's very funny. And I think we can all agree, tie-dye and friendship bracelets go great together.

SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah. You could tie dye a friendship bracelet.

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh.

[GASPING]

SAM SUKSIRI: See?

MOLLY BLOOM: That's it for today's debate battle. Elsa crowned friendship bracelets the Smash, Boom, Best. But what about you?

ELSA: Head to smashboom.org, and vote to tell us who you think won.

MOLLY BLOOM: Smash, Boom, Best is brought to you by Brains On and APM Studios.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: It's produced by Molly Bloom, Anna Weggel, and Aron Woldeslassie. That's me.

[LAUGHTER]

MOLLY BLOOM: We had engineering help from Josh [INAUDIBLE] with sound design by Anna Weggel.

SAM SUKSIRI: Our editors were Shahla Farzan and Sanden Totten.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: And we had production help from Rosie Dupont, Anna Goldfield, Ruby Guthrie, Marc Sanchez, and Nico Gonzalez Wisler.

MOLLY BLOOM: Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the APM Studios executives in charge are Chandra Kavati, Alex Schaffert, and Joanne Griffith. Our announcer is Marley [INAUDIBLE]. And we want to give a special thanks to Austin Cross and Taylor Kauffman. Aron, is there anyone you'd like to give a shout out to, today?

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: I want to give a special shout out to my mom, and our fantastic producer, Anna, and Sam because you did such a great job today.

SAM SUKSIRI: Oh.

MOLLY BLOOM: Awesome.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Yeah.

MOLLY BLOOM: Sam, how about you? Any special shout outs?

SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah. I want to give a shout out to my sister, Melissa, for being on the show. And to her two wonderful children, Kelvin and Casper. Hey, guys. And, Aron, a shout out to you.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Such a gent. Thank you.

MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah. I'm feeling friendship right now. This is beautiful. Elsa, do you want to give any special thanks, today?

ELSA: I'd like to give a shout out to my parents, most of all, and all of my friends. And of course, the Smash, Boom, Best team who put this all together.

MOLLY BLOOM: Elsa, it's such a joy to have you back. But before we go, let's check in and see who Chapman thinks should win the Halloween versus Easter debate.

CHAPMAN: I think Halloween should win because you get more candy.

MOLLY BLOOM: If you're between the ages of 13 and 18 and you'd like to be a judge, or if you're any age and you have an idea for a knock-down, drag out debate, head to smashboom.org/contact, and drop us a line. And make sure to subscribe to Brains On Universe on YouTube where you can watch animated versions of some of your favorite episodes. We'll be back with a new Smash, Boom, Best debate battle next week. Bye.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) Ooh, you're the Smash, Boom, Best. Ooh, put you through the test. Ooh, you're the Smash, Boom, Best. Ooh, better than the rest. It's a Smash, Boom, Best. It's a Smash, Boom, Best.

You really took the nose hair and ran--

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Yeah. I did.

ELSA: That was very unforgettable. I don't think I'll ever forget that.

ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Oh.