Page 138 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

“Alice, it’s so great to see you,” Selena says.

“Is it?” I ask. I wrinkle my nose at her to show that I’m teasing.

“Of course,” she says, pulling me into one of those careful hugs where no one wants to mess up their clothes or makeup. I’m sure to anyone watching, it looks like two Barbies trying to embrace. “Are youglad to see me?”

“I am,” I say, and I’m a little surprised at how much I mean it. “It was incredibly messed up what we all went through, but I’m glad we came out of it as friends.”

Selena gives my hand a squeeze. “I’m glad, too.”

STORY NOTES FOR EDITORS: “DAWN TAY’S INFERNO HELL-ALL: JOURNEY BACK TO HELL” (CONT.)

DAWN TAYLOR:Honestly, babe, I wish I could say I was surprised by Peter’s actions, but I should’ve seen it coming. Not everyone can handle the pressure of Hollywood. Some of us bloom, and some of us self-combust.

TONY WARREN:Now, Dawn, from what we’ve heard about what went down on the island, it sounds like some of the events that happened were intentional and at your direction. I think we all want to hear what you have to say about that.

DAWN TAYLOR:Of course. I’m so glad you brought that up, because I want to take this moment to deeply, truly apologize to every single contestant and especially Selena Rivera. There were things that Peter Dixon did on the set that I incorrectly assumed were coming from Selena, too. And because of that, I got carried away trying to hold on to my role as host. I lost sight of what was important. I let Peter get in my head.

TONY WARREN:What do you mean by “things he did on the set”?

DAWN TAYLOR:Peter knew that I had a stalker years ago, and that’s part of why I quit acting for a while. He took advantage of that part of my past—leaving madeleines outside my door, slipping me threatening notes. I assumed Peter and Selena were in on it together, trying to bully me out of my own show. But later I realized that Selena was an innocent victim in all of this. That instead of letting Peter turn me against her, I should’ve been workingwithher in this male-dominated industry. So, inspired by what happened on the island, I’m startingDawn Taylor’s Internship Inferno, a YouTube miniseries where I select five young women in the industry to mentor and, of course, put through hell. The one who wins will get to be my personal assistant!

TONY WARREN:What a great way to turn a negative experience into something constructive.

DAWN TAYLOR:Yes. From now on, I’m here to lift up my fellow women. And on a personal note, tonight I’d like to officially invite Selena to be my cohost of the next season ofDawn Tay’s Inferno!

[Audience applause and cheers.]

DAWN TAYLOR:Thank you! Thank you. Yes, it just feels like the right thing to do. After all, being a woman in this industry is its own kind of hell.

I don’t feel any less nervous by the time Dawn gets through her segment and Chase and Selena are called onstage.

I’m wandering around backstage trying to distract myself when I spot Lex. They’re rummaging around the craft services table.

“Lex!” I shout, running up to them.

“Keep it down!” Lex says. “You probably just ruined their take.”

“Lex!” I stage-whisper. “You’re off-duty here, right? Giving an interview instead of recording one.” Some of the crew were brought in to give their side of the story. “Why are you stressing about the sound?”

Lex gives me a wry smile. “Old habits die hard.”

“You must be slipping if you’re late getting to the snacks,” I tell them.

Lex shakes their head. “Tell me about it. And there isn’t anything to drink here. What’s up with that?”

“I got you!” I reach into my bag and pull out a bottle of H2Whoa.

“Thanks. I better go get my mic on now. Weird to be wearing one instead of listening in.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I guess since Daniel and I were talking about how the three of us solved this thing together, they decided to rope you into talking about it, too.”

“It’s cool. I just got a new haircut, so I might as well show it off,” Lex says. They turn their head to show off their fresh new undercut, and Ioohandahappreciatively. Then Lex gets called onstage.

I’m surveying the craft services spread when Leah walks by, notices me, and stops short. Her eye-catching red jumpsuit emphasizes the red in her curls, and for once, she’s not messing with them upon seeing me.

“Alice, so nice to see you,” Leah says, raising a hand when she gets close to me, and I instinctively look down at myself, wondering if my hair’s out of place or if I’ve gotten something on my dress. Leah laughs at my reaction and says, “You look wonderful, I promise. I’m not going to adjust you. If there’s anything I learned fromInferno, it’s that you can take care of yourself.”

“Sorry. Reflex.” I lean into the hug that I now realize she was tryingto give me from the start. “I wasn’t sure if you would be here.”

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