{"id":4227,"date":"2026-04-07T20:22:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T20:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=4227"},"modified":"2026-04-07T20:22:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T20:22:37","slug":"tech-workers-ate-dead-tarantulas-crawled-through-fire-ants-in-corporate-retreat-from-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=4227","title":{"rendered":"Tech workers ate dead tarantulas, crawled through fire ants in corporate retreat from hell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A tech company retreat turned into a trip from hell with armed guards, crawls through fire ants, and dead tarantula<em> du jour <\/em>\u2026 similar to something out of the movie \u201cApocalypse Now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Around 120 remote workers at streaming service Plex flew to Honduras for what had been billed as a tropical getaway with fun team-building exercises inspired by \u201cSurvivor\u201d \u2014 the CEO\u2019s favorite TV show.<\/p>\n<p>But what they got was a literal fight for survival, according to employees who opened up to the Wall Street Journal about the harrowing ordeal, which occurred in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Employees were met by armed guards when they arrived on the remote island of Utila, Honduras.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A Plex employee chomps down on a tarantula during the 2017 retreat gone wrong.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Employees crawling on the beach during one of the Survivor-inspired challenges.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By day, guests were ushered to the beach to complete grueling challenges in 100-degree heat.<\/p>\n<p>One involved an army-crawl through sand, in which several workers passed out from exhaustion, and one scrambled through a bed of fire ants, leaving her covered in welts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe medical area didn\u2019t have any regular antihistamine. So they\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, we can shoot some into your butt cheek.\u2019 That was a first for me,\u201d employee Greta Schlender, 41, told the Journal.<\/p>\n<p>Another challenge forced survivors to choose covered platters and eat whatever they held \u2014 which in one case was a dead tarantula.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One could argue the challenges were simply staying faithful to the Survivor TV show, in which exhausted, half-starved contestants battle it out to stay on the island.<\/p>\n<p>But even the supposed luxury resort part of the trip turned out to be a nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>The compound was infested with sand fleas that feasted on anyone brave enough to take a stroll through the grounds.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Plex CEO Keith Valory (pictured) is a huge fan of the Survivor TV show. <span class=\"credit\">Plex<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The power, water, and showers kept cutting out.<\/p>\n<p>At dinner, the guests were instructed to cut their chicken and beef in half before eating it because the kitchen had been serving it undercooked.<\/p>\n<p>In one incident, a porcupine fell through the roof into an employee\u2019s bedroom, they recalled to the Journal.<\/p>\n<p> Plex CEO Kieth Valory had intended to play the part of Survivor host Jeff Probst and hopefully moderate some of the chaos.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, he spent most of the trip in his hotel room battling an E. coli infection.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sean Hoff (left) founded the company that helped Plex organize the retreat.  He and other attendees were left stranded the night they were supposed to leave. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/@monikerpartners<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI lost 8 or 10 pounds \u2026 They nailed an IV bag to the bedpost,\u201d Valory told the Journal.<\/p>\n<p>The retreat did have one thing the Survivor show lacked: A former commando hired to scream at the miserable employees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of our biggest mistakes was hiring a former Navy SEAL to pump the team up,\u201d Valory recalled to the Journal. \u201cI could hear them out there doing all their drills and yelling. So I\u2019m in here thinking, \u2018This is terrible, but it sounds terrible out there, too.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Finally, on the night they were meant to leave the hellhole, the island\u2019s air strip didn\u2019t have enough planes to get everyone away, leaving some workers stranded.<\/p>\n<p>By then, the tribe had spoken.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just said, \u2018Guys, there\u2019s nothing we can do. Let\u2019s just make the most of it.\u2019 We found some beach hotel and drank beers all night,\u201d said retreat-goer Sean Hoff, whose company helped plan the trip.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/07\/us-news\/tech-workers-ate-dead-tarantulas-crawled-through-fire-ants-in-corporate-retreat-from-hell\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A tech company retreat turned into a trip from hell with armed guards, crawls through&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[349],"tags":[4967,4964,4968,4966,1844,1408,4455,4969,4965,984,1283],"class_list":["post-4227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-ants","tag-ate","tag-corporate","tag-crawled","tag-dead","tag-fire","tag-hell","tag-retreat","tag-tarantulas","tag-tech","tag-workers"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779.jpg",1200,799,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-768x511.jpg",640,426,true],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-1024x682.jpg",640,426,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779.jpg",1200,799,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779.jpg",1200,799,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-1115x715.jpg",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-800x500.jpg",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-1024x682.jpg",1024,682,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/125176779-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=349\" rel=\"category\">Blog<\/a>","tag_info":"Blog","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}