Oh No Ross and Carrie

Ross and Carrie in front of one of Tony Alamo's churches

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Oh No Ross and Carrie is a Los Angeles, California-based podcast with the hosts Carrie Poppy and Ross Blocher. With their motto "We show up so you don't have to", they visit events and participate in treatments with a focus on the paranormal, pseudoscience, fringe science, spirituality and religion.

The show started in early 2011. The show ended "for the foreseeable future" in October of 2024.

Format

For the most part, the format is relatively loose. Ross and Carrie report on what they witnessed, supported by their notes and external sources. Once the episode is concluded, they will give ratings for the overall experience:

• Hot drinks — yes or no (Carrie likes hot drinks)
• Pseudoscience — scale from 1 (like the theory of evolution) to 10 (like "your body is made of goat sperm")
• Creepiness — scale from 1 (not creepy at all) to 10 (incredibly creepy)
• Danger — scale from 1 (harmless) to 10 (deadly dangerous)
• Pocket drainer value — scale from 1 (free) to 10 (financially crippling)

Criticism

As with any undercover investigation and reporting on (mostly) faith-based claims, it is easy for people to get offended.

Guests

As part of their experience, Ross and Carrie have an open invitation for representatives from investigated organisations. In some cases, this means some guests will express their disappointment about what they perceive as dishonesty or as mockery. Ross and Carrie usually respond by clarifying the concept of the podcast: Their goal is to get the same first-time experience as any other relatively uninformed newcomer — and if the claims hold up to their scrutiny, they're ready to become convinced. Any humour is supposed to be more situational than anything, and beliefs instead of people are evaluated.

Getting the boot

When being found out, their investigation may come to a sudden halt once the people involved figure out how to use Google. They have been thrown out of Scientology, Ordo Templi Orientis, and Gene Scott's church.

That said, some people were fine with the podcast and even came on the show to continue the conversation.

Salton Sea experiments

In 2018, for the podcast's investigation of Flat Earth groups, Ross Blocher worked with the Center for Inquiry in setting up an experiment at the Salton Sea in California to test whether or not you can see the curvature of the Earth. After the first attempt had issues, they set up and performed a second test. Both of these attempts were discussed on the podcast. Despite the curvature of the Earth being demonstrable, the flat earthers continually moved the goalposts, claiming the evidence presented was just waves or fata morgana, and many belligerently accused the investigation team of being frauds and shills.

(Ross Blocher can be seen in this video at around 2:50)

Legal action

• The Raëlians were not amused by Ross's and Carrie's visit and sent a notice to cease and desist. Unfortunately, it was baseless. Nevertheless, Ross and Carrie removed some content on their website and Facebook account, as an act of good faith.
• The Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica offered Ross and Carrie a free trip, stay and experience in return for two podcast episodes - but it was made clear they wouldn't advertise, but report. Ross tried some Ayahuasca, Carrie partook with the super-effective^{Do You Believe That?} homeopathic version. When Ross & Carrie released 13 episodes (including an interview with the Chief Medical Officer and an interview with the founder), Rythmia Life Advancement Center actually sued in the US and in Costa Rica, for breach of oral implied contract (nevermind that pesky written contract, who cares about those) and claimed, among other things, copyright (!) on their experience. The rejection of the cease and desist letter was resolved with an anti SLAPP motion in California and by not even worrying about it in Costa Rica. ONRAC won!

Notable achievements

• They are now certified - but not licensed - naturopaths. All they did for the diploma was participating in a Centre of Excellence Online course. It took Ross about 25.5 hours and Carrie about 8.5 hours (instead of the 150 advertised hours)
• Carrie is a certified level 1 and 2 Reiki healer, thanks to one of the investigations. This means she can give other people Reiki sessions, but not for money. It's supposed to work. To no one's surprise, practical tests were negative.
• Their Scientology series was one of the longest, but also one of the most acclaimed set of episodes, garnering some media attention. In fact, they're apparently in the so-called "rogues' gallery" for famous suppressive persons.
• They have been baptised Mormon and Raëlian during their investigations.
• They have "completed the Apprentice, Warrior and Exorcist Levels" of Bob Larson's International School of Exorcism. That's all levels there are. There's no way they'd pull a Scientology and add more levels with twice the fee. No way. They are now "certified to engage in exorcisms based on the paradigm of deliverance [they] have been taught."

See also

• RationalWiki:Rational podcasts
• Center for Inquiry

External links

• Oh No Ross and Carrie
• Carrie Poppy TED talk
• Center for Inquiry Investigations Group