# TAR 10/4 - "It's Like Being Dropped on Planet Mars" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643 "2009-10-05T05:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/21 "2009-10-05T14:58:56Z")
No, she had it for a while when they were outside and was just as confused as him. Her words, I believe, while holding it was “it’s just a bullet, where’s the clue?” ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/22 "2009-10-05T14:59:34Z")
Oh, and IMO, she’s MUCH worse than meathead–hyper-shrill passive aggressive whining? She’s like Flo (season 3) without the competence Flo showed in the first half of the season. And much as I hate this cliche, when she was shrieking at him in the cab and made him apologize, my buddy make a whip-cracking sound and said “Whiiiiiped” and I laughed. 'Cause it’s true. She refuses to do any work or make any decisions and then blames him when things aren’t done. He’s an ass, but she’s a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/23 "2009-10-05T15:00:46Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > The dumping of electronic waste into poor parts of Asia and Africa to be torn down for scrap in unhealthy conditions is a significant problem for environmental and public health reasons. Having it packaged as entertainment without any of that context bothered me a bit. Me too! I was seriously WTF for this task. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/24 "2009-10-05T15:07:41Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > No, she had it for a while when they were outside and was just as confused as him. > > Her words, I believe, while holding it was “it’s just a bullet, where’s the clue?” Oh, okay. She’s an idiot, too, at any rate. 🙂 > [@Fenris](#): > > And much as I hate this cliche, when she was shrieking at him in the cab and made him apologize, my buddy make a whip-cracking sound and said “Whiiiiiped” and I laughed. 'Cause it’s true. She refuses to do any work or make any decisions and then blames him when things aren’t done. > > He’s an ass, but she’s a bitch. Didn’t she say, “I’ll take my apology now” while they were in the cab? She’s a shrew and a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/25 "2009-10-05T16:00:53Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > No, she had it for a while when they were outside and was just as confused as him. > > Her words, I believe, while holding it was “it’s just a bullet, where’s the clue?” Perhaps if you are bullet-headed yourself, it was especially difficult to figure out. It seemed like there was some odd editing around that point, however, because it really looked like Lance handed one of the guys a small slip of paper rather than a bullet before they showed them going back inside and before they appeared to figure out that they needed to open it. We were really just pleased that Keri figured out, eventually, how to pronounce Ho Chi Minh. Okay, that’s not true, because we really enjoyed “Ho Cho Man”. She really seems D-U-M dumb, even above the accent. ETA: One of the other great moments was when one of the contestants duckwalked up to the dragons, as if he would sneak up on them so that the dragons couldn’t see him coming, and the other couple who approached it like they needed to do a dragon-charming dance. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/26 "2009-10-05T16:22:38Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > Oh, okay. She’s an idiot, too, at any rate. 🙂 > > Didn’t she say, “I’ll take my apology now” while they were in the cab? She’s a shrew and a bitch. Yeah, the correct answer to “I’ll take my apology now”, _even if you’re wrong_ is “Take this, bitch” and flip the person off. This is even true if the person who says “I’ll take my apology now” is the Pope. It’s true. I’m pretty sure I read it in Emily Post. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/27 "2009-10-05T16:35:50Z")
I liked sexy hip swiveling old lady in the park, and the guy who ran past her saying, “Work it, girl, work it.” ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/28 "2009-10-05T16:35:53Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > And much as I hate this cliche, when she was shrieking at him in the cab and made him apologize, my buddy make a whip-cracking sound and said “Whiiiiiped” and I laughed. 'Cause it’s true. She refuses to do any work or make any decisions and then blames him when things aren’t done. To be fair, Lance also blames _her_ when things aren’t done. Which, if you think about it, works out quite nicely. It seems like, in other seasons, one team would be a useless harpy yoked to the neck of some otherwise OK guy, and another team would be an obnoxious lunkhead teamed with some otherwise OK girl, and everybody’d say, “oh, if only the OK guy and gal deserted their partners and teamed up, leaving useless harpy and obnoxious lunkhead shackled together, wouldn’t than be poetic justice!” And now, tah-dah! Useless harpy and obnoxious lunkhead come pre-packaged! ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/29 "2009-10-05T16:42:54Z")
I’ll admit I was only half-watching last night, but I want Lance off my tv as soon as possible. And I’ll happily agree that Keri’s no better. But I’m thinking that it’s a shame Marcy and Ron got eliminated, if only for the moment in leg 8 or so when he was going to take that whistle and shove it down her throat. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/30 "2009-10-05T17:21:11Z")
One of these days I’d like to see a behind the scenes look at the show, maybe something that delves into the rules a little more deeply. Because, had I been at the dragon-theater thing, I wouldn’t have stood there and waited for my chance to grab a ribbon from the dragon. I’d have walked right into the pool, corralled a dragon, grabbed the ribbon, and been on my way. So either no one else thought of it, or it was forbidden in the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/31 "2009-10-05T17:51:56Z")
For some reason they’ve always been exceptionally gunshy about showing the entire clue or even part of the clue on screen for any length of time. Off the top of my head, I only recall one time where the entire clue was shown. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/32 "2009-10-05T18:08:56Z")
I haven’t had a chance to watch this season yet, between the fall holidays and I don’t quite trust my digital to analog TV converter box. Is it worth the effort to catch up? Is it worth the effort to jump in? Or am I better off following the Race via the Dope? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/33 "2009-10-05T18:24:03Z")
If it continues like this, it’s the best race in years. Real clues, not just “go here, do this”, solid racing teams, hard tasks that aren’t (so far) being wimped out to make sure the female racers win, etc. And (so far) the most annoying team is, at worst, just annoying (The lawyers, which TWOP has nicknamed “Team Masshole”) . No total freakshows like Myrna or Jonathon Well worth catching up. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/34 "2009-10-05T18:26:34Z")
And tons better than Survivor so far this season… ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/35 "2009-10-05T18:34:21Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Because, had I been at the dragon-theater thing, I wouldn’t have stood there and waited for my chance to grab a ribbon from the dragon. I’d have walked right into the pool, corralled a dragon, grabbed the ribbon, and been on my way. So either no one else thought of it, or it was forbidden in the rules. I was also wondering why the teams just did not go wading in the water and grab one of the dragons. I guess it could have been against the rules. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/36 "2009-10-05T19:22:10Z")
…or maybe the pool was twenty feet deep. In which case it’s too bad no one tried “wading.” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/37 "2009-10-05T19:47:09Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > One of these days I’d like to see a behind the scenes look at the show, maybe something that delves into the rules a little more deeply. I think it was just labeled on the map “there be dragons here.” And the guy who duck walked up to the pool got the clue. That’s what got me wondering who was controlling the dragons. If there were people behind the scenes who could see you, maybe you could mess with their heads a little bit; hold out a little piece of food for the dragon, lure it to you, and then make a grab for the clue. ---
**Author:** ![Jelymag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/38 "2009-10-05T20:36:08Z")
Am I the only person who thought that the “Team Zebra” reference was really cute? OK, maybe I’m just a softee. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/39 "2009-10-05T22:24:26Z")
> [@Jelymag](#): > > Am I the only person who thought that the “Team Zebra” reference was really cute? OK, maybe I’m just a softee. My reaction (ok, it was cute) was: gee, haven’t we gotten past the point where an interracial couple is noteworthy? But I’m not living their life (and I’m not from Nashville), so whaddo I know. I was a bit bemused by the guy sneaking up on the dragon. You know they’re not real, and they can’t really see you anyway (but the puppeteers can), right? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643/40 "2009-10-05T22:31:12Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I was a bit bemused by the guy sneaking up on the dragon. You know they’re not real, and they can’t really see you anyway (but the puppeteers can), right? The puppeteers are waist-deep in the water behind that curtain. They apparently operate the puppets with bamboo rods and strings that are concealed in the water. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-10-4-its-like-being-dropped-on-planet-mars/512643.md?page=3)