Page 79 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

In short order, we’re hustled out of the villa and taken on a ten-minute trek down to the beach, where a massive wooden structure has been erected. The walls of this structure are easily thirty feet tall and are painted with a variety of colorful symbols. We pass by one of the entrances, and a quick peek inside confirms that our challenge involvesa labyrinth.

Dawn Taylor is striking a pose at the top of the structure. Despite the early morning chill, she’s in a bright-orange leather bikini with sparkling spikes on the cups, like she’s auditioning for a role in a glitzy remake ofFury Road.

“Welcome to the Wrath Challenge!” she shouts, and pyrotechnics shoot off behind her, lighting up the dark sky. “Babes, I hope all of you are well rested.”

We’re not.

“It’s time to put your love to the test. Love is patient, love is kind, blah blah blah. The truth is that love is easy when everything’s going right. But what about when everything around you is going to hell? Well, you’re about to find out.”

A crew member ducks past the cameras and puts down a giant treasure chest.

“For the Wrath Challenge, each couple must navigate my infernal labyrinth…but I’m not making it easy. One of you will be blindfolded, and one of you will have your hands tied behind your back. Communication and cooperation are the name of the game here. The first couple that escapes the labyrinth will win the chance to get hot and heavy in a luxurious hot tub date. The last couple to finish is, well, you know the drill. Have fun…and try not to lose your cool.”

Dawn Taylor blows a kiss, and we’re off. Noah and Dominic race over to the treasure chest, jockeying to be first. Dominic shoves Noah roughly out of the way and wrenches the chest open. Inside is a stack of blindfolds and coils of rope.

“Dominic, you’ve got tolistento me if you take the blindfold,” Zya insists, trying to grab his arm and stop him from putting one on, but Dominic just brushes her off.

“You should wear the blindfold,” I say to Daniel when he comes back with our supplies.

“Yeah?” he asks. “Go on, let’s hear it. I’m sure you’ve got a list of reasons.”

“You know me so well,” I say sweetly. “Number one, I think it’s safe to assume that the labyrinth will involve some physical challenges. And even without your sight, you’ll be better equipped to tackle it if your hands are free. You’ve clearly got more upper body strength than I do.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“It’s an objective fact. Don’t let it go to your head,” I say. “Plus, you’re about five inches taller than me, which gives you an additional physical advantage. Number two, I’m better at giving instructions than you are.”

“And how do you know that?” he asks.

“I’m a teacher,” I remind him. “And number three, you’re still healing from getting burned. Having your hands tied behind you would probably stress your wound.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I’m sore, sure, but I don’t think being tied up will necessarily be any harder than whatever I’ll have to do blindfolded.”

“Number four, I just really don’t want to be blindfolded,” I tell him.

Strategically, it makes sense for me to give the instructions. But honestly, I just hate the thought of groping about, unable to see where I’m going. The idea of giving up that control, trusting someone else to tell me where to go and what to do—it’s enough to give me hives.

“Fine by me,” Daniel says. “I can take the blindfold.” Once we have our blindfold and rope, he makes quick work of tying my hands behind my back. His touch is gentle but sure.

“I hope that was as good for you as it was for me,” he says, putting his blindfold on. I laugh, and it loosens the knot of anxiety that’s been lodged in my throat since the start of the challenge.

Then it’s time to enter the labyrinth. Pair by pair, each of us are led to a different entrance.

“Babes, it’s time!” Dawn Taylor’s voice booms from a megaphone. “Get ready…get set…and go!”

On her mark, Daniel and I venture into the labyrinth. It’s not much darker inside than it is outside. Although the labyrinth is open to thesky, the early-morning sunlight streaming in is half blocked by the towering walls on all sides. The crisscross of scaffolding above us serves as catwalks for the camera crew. I spot Lex up there, along with a squadron of camerapeople following along as we navigate.

Before us, the path is illuminated by electric torches that cast a warm, flickering glow over everything, creating a haunting atmosphere. It feels like we’re adventuring archeologists traversing unexplored catacombs. Or, you know, like we’re in line for the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.

The crew must’ve spent weeks constructing this labyrinth before we arrived on the island. I feel bad for the set designers—the labyrinth is an incredible set piece, but it didn’t fare well in the storm. I can see where some planks from the catwalks have fallen and paint has been washed away.

Making our way through the labyrinth is slow going. The packed sand paths have transformed into long trenches of mud. Our shoes squelch as we walk—or, at least, as I walk. I turn back to see Daniel with his hands outstretched, tentatively edging forward. We don’t have time for this.

“Daniel, reach out in front of you,” I say. I maneuver so that my bound hands are in front of him, and he takes them.

We continue slogging through the mud like this until we make it to the first obstacle. A space has been cleared, and on the floor is a mound of huge blocks. Letters are painted on each block. Gaps have been cut into the wall, clearly designed to hold the blocks. Above the gaps is a riddle.

“It’s a giant word puzzle,” I say, my mind already racing to come up with a strategy. “There are these big blocks here, five in total. It looks like we’re going to have to slot them into the wall to spell something to answer the riddle.”

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