S01.E04: Catch Me a Catch

[Geeky GenXer]

Quote

Nathaly tries to get out of her head and into the pool with her date; Stanika's second date has one too many surprises for her; Harold is open to new matches and a new look; Mark learns about local PDA laws.

TLC:6/4/23

[TwirlyGirly]

I'm really wondering how Mark's search for a Moroccan woman is going to go. Morocco is 99% Muslim. Muslim women cannot marry non-Muslim men, so he can only be matched with non-religious Moroccan women. That's not going to be a very large pool of women. 

[Booger666]

I wonder if Mark is doing this for influencer fame.  The outfit he picked to meet his matchmaker and then go on a date looked like he slept in it.  He’s so immature and lazy.

[Shelbie]

I think Mark is a sex tourist who chose a country at random , did no research whatsoever and is now shocked that Morocco is not the same as America. I don’t like him at all.

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, Shelbie said:

I think Mark is a sex tourist who chose a country at random , did no research whatsoever and is now shocked that Morocco is not the same as America. I don’t like him at all.

I don’t know what you mean… she won’t have sex or even hold his hand in public and she would be a proper housewife who stays home and doesn’t work…. Surely the man who chose to match Moroccan woman wouldn’t be that idiotic and done at least some research…oh, what am I thinking,…of course he thought he would get everything he wanted, how he wanted, local and religious customs be damned   

 

 

 

 

 

[LennieBriscoe]

Mark = "American Privilege" [tm Me], formerly known as "The Ugly American." He presents as a mature, normal guy, though. 

I can't criticize Nathaly for not getting into the pool, but I can, and do, criticize her for behaving like she doesn't even want to go on a date, never mind find a fiance. That "shy" act has got to go. 

Please get Harold a different hairstyle. And his Matchmaker might want to inform him that a distended stomach isn't exactly catnip to many women. 

Stanika will not see Match #1 ever again. 

I love this show! 😄

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by LennieBriscoe

[Stuckathome]

If I had to hear one more time that Nathaly's mother was in her head🤨 Case study of how parents can truly fuck up a child when it comes to love and relationships....she doesn't act like a mature woman of the world ready to settle down. She acts like a 13 year old who realizes the cute boy is looking at her and starts giggling, turns red and runs off to text her friends about it. Hell, today's 13 year olds are probably MORE mature than that, WTH. Yeah, the shy act needs to stop, it's either 100% fake or she truly is this sheltered and awkward. Or maybe she signed on in an impulsive moment and then realized, oh shit, my family can watch this, let me pretend I am sooooooooo uncomfortable with this hot guy taking off his shirt. And she really should have brushed up on her Spanish, "comer" and "comemos" is like, high school level and she had zero clue what he was saying. 

Mark is a douchebag who 100% wanted to be a sex tourist, but didn't want to be super obvious about it, so he booked this adventure under the guise of looking for a bride or a serious connection. I was hoping his matchmaker would point out that if he marries a woman from Morocco and they start a family right away, she IS contributing by raising the children, taking care of the home and Mark. Cause you know he is a man baby and will expect his wife to cater to his every whim---probably why he has struck out in the US. He finds the successful women who earn a decent living and can contribute financially but they do not want to raise a 44 year.  He looked horrible when he met the matchmaker and I assume that is what he will wear on the date. Total slob with man boobs. Sorry Mark, you are not a catch. 

[Stuckathome]

2 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Please get Harold a different hairstyle. And his Matchmaker might want to inform him that a distended stomach isn't exactly catnip to many women. 

Stanika will not see Match #1 ever again.

Oh, Harold. I think he knows that physically he is not any woman's ideal. So he hopes his intellect and quirky personality and what he sees as romantic gestures will win her over. He looked a lot better after the make over---and it was so basic. A button down white shirt and blazer.

Stanika, yeah----I can see it going either way. Can we talk about her second date (so far)?? WTF when the brother sat down and started asking questions. All I could think of was my best friend yelling FOB! FOB! FOB! She is of Indian descent but we used to watch these shows together and laugh at what she called the FOBness of some of the foreigners which she had experienced in her own family, lol. And then it just got even MORE awkward when the parent show up, lol. Selah was speaking French, but then his family was speaking Arabic? Or a dialect----was unclear why they needed the extra translator. He is a decent looking guy and his reasons for wanting an American woman checked the right boxes, but the way the family behaved just screamed "give us a green card STAT" as his only motivation. 

[Nancybeth]

I genuinely can't figure out WHAT Mark wants! A traditional woman who wants a family but also works and brings in income and pays her fair share? It feels like on a lot of these shows a traditional woman from overseas sort of feels like code for "A woman who will submit and do their traditional wifely duties and responsibilities and not be too difficult" but that directly conflicts with him not wanting someone who is dependent on him financially. I don't know but I think I hate Mark. 

Also, I don't know if it's just editing but I really really need Nathaly to shut up about her mom.

[FrancescaFiore]

Nathaly seems like she could be okay if she can just cut the cord and grow up a little. I get that she's nervous around guys and that she's incredibly overwhelmed by the culture shock and language barrier, (which it appears she's invested less than zero time to try to mitigate) but she has a very childlike demeanor and it's off-putting (except to guys like Siwar, who really thought he was gettin' some that night, but nope). Also, I don't know how the date recovered after the.. um.. text translation incident. I'm not a great lip reader and I didn't go all studying-the-Zapruder-tape to confirm, but I think he was trying to get her to drink a rum shot, but either he typed an incredibly unfortunate typo, or the translation app misunderstood. Either way, I think she ended up being offered a c*m shot instead of a RUM shot. Kinda hilarious, but also thoroughly mortifying and I would've had to end the date right there. But kudos to them for soldiering on. 

Stanika is literally shopping for men in Morocco. It seems odd to me that she's being paraded around like a prize horse. I'm also confused about what happened at the family restaurant. He said his parents didn't want him to meet up with Stanika at the restaurant, but his mother brought her flowers, so it seemed like there was some hopefulness on mom's part that her son would be taken to the US to start working and sending money home. Or at least hopefulness that her son would find a wife. Mom seemed delighted that Stanika was there, so I feel like maybe he was upset because his mother was kind of hovering and cramping his style. Regardless, I didn't like his questions or that he had his brother ask them. I also wasn't into his motorcycle driving. I had a boyfriend who rode and he was adamant that any proficient rider would never pop wheelies or take corners so steeply leaned that it scrapes the foot pegs while they have a passenger on the back of the bike. He told me it's widely regarded as a weak, loser move to showboat like that with a passenger, especially an inexperienced one.

Oh, Harold. I fear that "being used for sex" is the best he's going to get.

Other dude in Morocco who has the same matchmaker as Stanika seems like a sex tourist, but he really didn't do his homework. He's trying to thread that needle of finding a woman who he isn't going to have to pay for in perpetuity. What he fails to understand is that no such woman exists. 

[Stuckathome]

14 hours ago, FrancescaFiore said:

He's trying to thread that needle of finding a woman who he isn't going to have to pay for in perpetuity. What he fails to understand is that no such woman exists. 

And based on the previews for "next time" he actually pretty much asks the 24 year old how she would contribute financially. On first date. 🤨 Either he is truly a clueless douchebag or he is solely on here to promote himself and start some half assed reality "star" career----'cause he isn't looking for a wife. His dumbass wanted to be a sex tourist and probably had images of a sexy belly dancer stripping for him in his hotel room, different one night after night since he can dangle a green card. Only to say nope, not a match. Can you tell, I don't like Mark? lol

 

I am actually curious to see the women that are picked for his dates. On 90 day fiance, we have yet to see a female partner from Morocco or Tunisia----lots of "love rats" marrying much older American women. And sometimes those men have VERY attractive female relatives and I always wondered why THEY don't troll for a foreign guy to lift them out of poverty. I assume these women have also hired the matchmaker and therefore are not in quite the desperate financial straits of those on 90 Day....I mean, Stanika's dates were well off by Moroccan standards. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Stuckathome

[Chalby]

On 6/6/2023 at 11:00 AM, Nancybeth said:

I genuinely can't figure out WHAT Mark wants! A traditional woman who wants a family but also works and brings in income and pays her fair share? It feels like on a lot of these shows a traditional woman from overseas sort of feels like code for "A woman who will submit and do their traditional wifely duties and responsibilities and not be too difficult" but that directly conflicts with him not wanting someone who is dependent on him financially. I don't know but I think I hate Mark. 

That's the vibe I get from the majority of men looking overseas for "love". It's the '50s style wife and mother they want for cooking and cleaning, IG model for what "look" they want, 2000s videos for what they want in the boudoir, and they want the women to know English, and be submissive. 

There's nothing wrong with this checklist SO LONG as the men meet similar criteria (be able to support an entire household on one paycheck, look like an IG model, etc.)

That's what a lot of these singles forget - they're not the only ones with a checklist...

Edited June 10, 2023 by Chalby

[Stuckathome]

14 hours ago, Chalby said:

That's what a lot of these singles forget - they're not the only ones with a checklist...

Exactly...how dare the foreign partner have any criteria or standards. The panties should just be dropping at the prospect of a green card and flight to the US. And I love how a lot of the singles live in the middle of nowhere USA (not on this show but on 90 day). Not exactly the image of the US that is sold around the world. 

[endure]

On 6/6/2023 at 7:58 AM, LennieBriscoe said:

Mark = "American Privilege" [tm Me], formerly known as "The Ugly American." He presents as a mature, normal guy, though. 

I can't criticize Nathaly for not getting into the pool, but I can, and do, criticize her for behaving like she doesn't even want to go on a date, never mind find a fiance. That "shy" act has got to go. 

Please get Harold a different hairstyle. And his Matchmaker might want to inform him that a distended stomach isn't exactly catnip to many women. 

Stanika will not see Match #1 ever again. 

I love this show! 😄

 

I’m kind liking it too, it’s def a a big step up from 90 Day Fiance so might just fill my vacant reality spot and still enjoy the snark 🤓

Edited June 9, 2023 by endure

[lilmarysunshine]

I am liking it more than 90DF, too. Already caught up and started today!

 

[Texasmom1970]

So nice to see Mark wore his best t-shirt on his first date. 
As many have posted he isn’t looking for love, he wants a woman to have kids while working to pay for bills, while cooking and cleaning and also finding time to do him whenever he wants. 
He is clearly delusional!

[LennieBriscoe]

6 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

So nice to see Mark wore his best t-shirt on his first date. 
As many have posted he isn’t looking for love, he wants a woman to have kids while working to pay for bills, while cooking and cleaning and also finding time to do him whenever he wants. 
He is clearly delusional!

I thought I saw stains on the T-shirt, too! 🤪

[Breedom]

I feel a little bad for Harold. He hasn't a clue as what to do, how to act, what's acceptable and what's not. He wants a normal relationship like everyone else, but he's not able to get that. Why hasn't anyone told him, before the matchmaker did, to ditch the ruler suspenders? Or how to amp up his look? The matchmaker: "This may do in Hawaii, but not in Prague." No kidding. 

 

[Stuckathome]

11 hours ago, Breedom said:

Why hasn't anyone told him, before the matchmaker did, to ditch the ruler suspenders? Or how to amp up his look?

I think in the US we are just very open to everyone having their own style and quirks and there is the thought that well, for every pot there is a lid---somewhere. It's a big country and very diverse. For ex what women wear out at a bar in NYC is probably very different compared to a small town in Texas, or even a big city in TX or in San Fran vs the upper midwest (Minneapolis, Detroit, etc). Doesn't he live in Los Alamos, NM? Lots of nerdy people there lol. I agree though, he has it tough because he cannot read social cues, plus, he is a man, they aren't all known for fashion sense....he is looking for a woman in Prague, a very cosmopolitan city. Glad he got the makeover. 

[cinsays]

37 minutes ago, Stuckathome said:

I think in the US we are just very open to everyone having their own style and quirks and there is the thought that well, for every pot there is a lid---somewhere. It's a big country and very diverse. For ex what women wear out at a bar in NYC is probably very different compared to a small town in Texas, or even a big city in TX or in San Fran vs the upper midwest (Minneapolis, Detroit, etc). Doesn't he live in Los Alamos, NM? Lots of nerdy people there lol. I agree though, he has it tough because he cannot read social cues, plus, he is a man, they aren't all known for fashion sense....he is looking for a woman in Prague, a very cosmopolitan city. Glad he got the makeover. 

nah.... i imagine he got teased a lot for his look in the good old USA, and that's why he felt going abroad he'd do better

[seacliffsal]

This episode was really boring to me.  There's a reason these people are using professional matchmakers in other countries.  But, of course, most of the dates aren't up to their 'standards.'  You know, the standards that led them to having to go to other countries to find a match...

[Chalby]

On 6/14/2023 at 7:23 AM, cinsays said:

nah.... i imagine he got teased a lot for his look in the good old USA, and that's why he felt going abroad he'd do better

I agree with you 100%. I believe he probably didn't have a great time growing up but his mother probably built him up that he was wonderful and not to change a thing. Which is true - I think he indeed is a very good person and he seems self-aware enough that he needs guidance. So of all of them I think I have hopes for him as long as he can meet someone who will be kind to him, and not abuse him.

On 6/15/2023 at 2:44 PM, seacliffsal said:

This episode was really boring to me.  There's a reason these people are using professional matchmakers in other countries.  But, of course, most of the dates aren't up to their 'standards.'  You know, the standards that led them to having to go to other countries to find a match...

The women are especially off putting. They really need to have a reality check because they are not all that and a bag of chips.

[1011101010001]

On 6/6/2023 at 9:58 AM, LennieBriscoe said:

a distended stomach isn't exactly catnip to many women. 

Especially at 5’6”.  Is he going for Danny DeVito?

On 6/6/2023 at 12:00 PM, Stuckathome said:

I am sooooooooo uncomfortable with this hot guy taking off his shirt

She asks the guy if he wants to go to the pool and then is surprised he undressed.  At least he had loose boxers on.  A normal person wouldn’t assume going to the pool means dangling your toes in the water.

On 6/6/2023 at 5:18 PM, FrancescaFiore said:

Oh, Harold. I fear that "being used for sex" is the best he's going to get.

 

I do not believe any woman ever used Harold for sex.