how do you define smartest developers?
Not to get on a soapbox, but I would imagine someone with great pattern recognition would be able to realize this way of doing things is deranged; and ultimately helps them more than the team- On second though: perhaps they are genuinely the smartest people in the room -- prioritizing their image and importance by making others believe they're too stupid to understand what's going on.
I really should go study Gang of Four -- job security demands it.