# TAR 12/4: "We Are Charlie Chaplin" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065 "2011-12-04T22:37:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/81 "2011-12-07T15:23:57Z")
There was a rerun of _The Big Bang Theory_ last night, the episode where Raj and Howard pose as goths, go to a goth club, and pick up some goth chicks. Among all the goths in the background, there were Kynt and Vyxsin (or however the frak you spell it). The looked pretty much as they did on TAR, which is how I recognized them in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/82 "2011-12-07T19:01:08Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Phil said that exact phrase “find the name” when he described the task in the voiceover, and at least 2 racers said that exact phrase while doing the task, so I’m assuming they were quoting the clue. Note that pretty much everyone focused on the word “Balboa” on the coins, implying they were specifically looking for words as their clue. It was kind of a crappy challenge since they had another word on their necklace. If it there was someone right there they had to tell the word to, that’s fine, but it’s not a dumb mistake to drive to Balboa because that’s whati t says on the necklace. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/83 "2011-12-07T19:04:50Z")
Totally concur. Especially since there was a statue of Balboa in Panama City. I wonder how thoroughly the producers screened the dancers costumes & decorations beforehand. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/84 "2011-12-07T19:09:26Z")
The necklaces said “Balboa” because they were made up of [balboas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamanian_balboa), which are a traditional accessory for pollera dancers. Some of the teams even knew that was the Panamanian currency and still went haring off on the wild goose chase. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/85 "2011-12-07T19:51:35Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > I’m horrible at remembering people’s names (seriously, I once worked for a boss for four years then a year after he left I had to ask my wife what his name was). So I consider it good that I can remember names for three of the last six. > > Cindy, Marcus, Amani. The others are Cindy’s boyfriend; weak chin with stubble, and \*\*fake boobs with cold nipples \*\*even in Panama. Funny you should mention that (my bolding). Despite her affinity for tight spaghetti strap tank tops, I’ve been unable to detect a single instance of nipplage. And I’ve _tried_. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/86 "2011-12-07T20:03:21Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > The necklaces said “Balboa” because they were made up of [balboas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamanian_balboa), which are a traditional accessory for pollera dancers. Some of the teams even knew that was the Panamanian currency and still went haring off on the wild goose chase. But it’s only a wild goose chase because it’s not what they producers were going for. If they made the challenge that you had to notice the word Balboa on the coins, and wind up at the statue of Balboa, no one would have batted an eye. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/87 "2011-12-08T01:12:33Z")
Having had a role in creating Amazing Race style quests (from before there was an Amazing Race) I can say that eventually the players will find a perfectly reasonable way to screw up a quest that never occurred to you in making it. The flaw in the quest was that there was no way to self correct. You’re told to find a hint to a location within a scene. You have no way of knowing that what you’ve found isn’t the right one and no reason to think that you should keep looking beyond the first thing you find. “We need to find the place on their money” doesn’t seem like an unreasonable clue. If the exact same quest had been set up in D.C. with one skirt saying “Arlington National Cemetery” but the dancers were all wearing necklaces made out of $5 bills, it would be reasonable when most of the teams ended up at the Lincoln Memorial. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/88 "2011-12-08T01:42:38Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > “We need to find the place on their money” doesn’t seem like an unreasonable clue. If the exact same quest had been set up in D.C. with one skirt saying “Arlington National Cemetery” but the dancers were all wearing necklaces made out of $5 bills, it would be reasonable when most of the teams ended up at the Lincoln Memorial. I agree; the challenge was broken. They either should have had someone to confirm it with, or more specific clues. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065/89 "2011-12-08T02:11:41Z")
I don’t think it’s unfair that the cab drivers colluded. How were Jeremy and Sandy supposed to stop it before it happened? They don’t speak Spanish. I don’t think they realized it was happening until after it was too late. And how are the other teams supposed to know that they’re not going to “Balboa” right away? It’s not like they knew the direction they needed to go to get there. If Jeremy and Sandy knew that the boys were lost and told the other two teams where to go in order to try to knock the guys out, it wouldn’t be an issue. So why is it an issue that the cab drivers were the ones to communicate the correct info? Nobody else has discussed the two laugh-out-loud moments in this episode, both of which came from Cindy. First, she mentioned, upon finding out that the boys were having trouble with the Tintin task, that they thought they were “Charlie Chapman.” And then, her utterly genuine statement upon stepping onto the tightrope: “Holy Balls.” Both of these would have been better episode titles–the titles this season have been weak. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tar-12-4-we-are-charlie-chaplin/605065.md?page=4)