When we performed the Murder Mystery on the ship, different people would end up being the murderer depending on who the audience picked to be the murder victim. Without getting spoilery about it, I was often the murderer. Not always, but often.

There’s a nice moment at the end where the murderer is revealed and then someone from the kitchen staff (we performed the show in one of the ship’s restaurants) rushes in and takes the murderer away. And the scripted line is, “Oh no, I’m going to end up in a prison in the Philippines!” A very high percentage of the crew is from the Philippines, or there about, and this always got a big big laugh.

Near the end of the contract we were filming the show to send back to Unnamed Comedy Theater for review, and one of the waiters, the one who most often takes the murderer away, approached me at intermission and asked, “Are you the murderer today?”

“Uh.. yes,” I said. “I am.”

The waiter handed me this paper, and said, “I want to get a copy of the video to send home. Would you mind saying that the prison you’re going to is in Yerba York, like New York? It’s in Peru. It’s where I’m from.”

“Sure. Of course.”

And at the end of the show, the waiter grabbed me and I yelled, “Oh no, I’m going to end up in a prison in Yerba York… in Peru,” and he steered me straight towards the camera on the way out, getting as much screen time as possible.

Here’s the thing: Obviously… obviously… the Philippines and Peru are nowhere near each other. I know that. And this waiter didn’t look the least bit Asian. No one ever mentioned it.

I switched it to “I’m going to end up in a prison in Peru” for the next couple shows and it never got the same response, so I eventually settled on, “I’m going to end up in a prison in the Philippines or Peru,” which seemed to work.