- Hello. - Hi. How are you?
- Good. How about yourself? - Good.
So, Alexis T. called up. She said she got a booth for us.
Oh, amazing. Yes, yeah. She just called.
Follow me.
Um, can I get you anything while you wait?
- Uh, yeah. I'll just get a coffee. - Okay.
No shot, brother.
Dude, Anthony.
Oh, you know who I am?
Let's go. Bring it on in.
It's nice to meet you.
- So, how are you doin'? - I'm doing alright.
I have a lot of questions for you.
Oh, I know you do, man. I'm sure you do.
It's a lot to take in, bro. It's a lot.
You don't understand how much, like, I researched you.
Like, I feel like a creep. Like, I was just…
You're just the only person that has remotely a similar journey
- that I'm about to go on. - Yeah.
Do you know the characters? Have you seen anything?
Oh, yeah. I watched 'em all.
- Of mine? - Yeah.
- You haven't seen any, have you? - Nothing.
I've seen 'em all.
It was very weird watching your experience.
I know you're biased.
It's a different scenario, dude.
I'm a little bit jealous that you got to be at a retreat,
whereas I was locked up.
Like, this is bullshit, man.
So, you guys kinda had that compound, right?
- Were you able to roam that compound? - Yeah.
- For sure. - You were.
Really, anytime that I wanted to go anywhere,
I could go. Like, there was no like…
- Curfew? - Yeah, there was no curfew.
Damn. Okay.
But I will say, it was actually a joke. I don't know if it made it in.
I called them all old-heads, right.
Because after our like, last class of the day, or whatever,
we would eat, then we would kinda sit down and talk.
And all of them, at like 6:15, 7:00, they're like, dippin'.
And I'm like, I'm just there by myself.
Yeah, it makes sense now, right?
- Yeah. - Knowin' what they had to do, yeah.
Good night, old-heads.
- Old-heads! - Old-heads.
Y'all want to play some Uno or somethin' when we get back?
Or y'all just want to run to your rooms?
Wait.
- Old-heads. - Old-heads, right. Ghetto.
- Get 'em. - I'm sorry.
How did they pitch to you about like, the cameras,
and then, like, doing the interviews in your hotel room?
Yeah. So, very similar, that it was just gonna be a low-budget documentary.
You know what I mean?
- We spoke on the phone. - Anthony.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
You know, I mentioned we we're doing a doc on Rockin' Grandma's…
'Cause that was one thing I did when I was watching your season,
I was like, cameras in a courtroom
where they sequestered y'all to not go talk to anybody.
Me, in my head, that would've been a red flag for me.
Yeah. The number one question is gonna be, "How did you not know?"
So, get prepared to answer that.
A thousand times? I got you.
Oh, a million times. Dude, it's the number one most asked question.
I just like to think that I'm aware of my surroundings.
Obviously, this experience has taught me I'm not.
- Um… - Don't be too hard on yourself, though.
Like, also… So, this is something I had to come to terms with, too.
Like, the people who pulled this off
are like, the top of the line in their professions.
You saw the amount of people on reveal day?
- Yeah. - Just floodin' in.
Where did they all come from? Yeah.
It takes a ton of work, you know.
So, don't beat yourself up on that front.
Okay, I got you, man.
I wouldn't be surprised if they had cameras set up in here already.
- Right. - Right? It's wild.
Was it hard for you to accept your flowers?
You know what I mean by that?
- No, I don't know what you mean. - Okay, so, like…
it was hard for me to be like, after it all happened, to be like,
you know, thank you guys, I appreciate this.
I wanted to tell them, like, it was not me.
Like, all of this is because of you.
I didn't want to take any credit for the goodness coming out of the show.
I just wanted to put it all on them.
Was it hard for you to be like, you know, yes, I'm a good person
and yes, you know, I did right?
I mean, honestly, I still don't even feel like I do that, though.
To this day, I still attribute the success of the show
to the actors, the talented people, yeah.
Because I always told people I had the luxury of just being myself.
Whereas you had the luxury of just being yourself,
and getting to react, you know.
It might've made the cut in Jury Duty,
but there were times when, like, you would see something happen,
like David or Todd would get embarrassed in the courtroom, you know,
And then, I would literally watch his hand wipe a tear from his eyes.
So, it's just kinda like the human aspect…
After all this stuff happened, seeing the reaction of how that person
genuinely felt… "genuinely felt"
at the moment.
Like, that's what got me, you know.
At the time, I was like, "Oh, my God, this is so embarrassing.
Please stop doing this, Todd."
Then I see him crying in the back and I'm like dude,
I gotta help this guy. He needs some help.
So, it's just like, that human emotion.
Somebody'd act like they'd get mad or get pissed off,
or they'd be sad or miss a loved one, you know.
So, then, you just kind of bond with people on that level.
In those moments, you realize how great these actors really are.
Dude, phenomenal.
I will say, like, the humor of the show
does not come from people laughing at you.
It's more laughing at like your responses
to the wild shit they put you through, you know.
Because everyone wants to see that genuine reaction,
how a real person would react.
And then, they laugh at the absurdity that goes on around you.
We are gonna be talking about conflict in the workplace.
And just as an exercise, I want to go around the room
and just turn to the person to your right,
and just say, like, a negative name,
or insult you might call that person.
So, what-what?
Amy, let's start with you. You can just insult Steve,
and then continue the insulting down that way.
Um… little butt head.
Little butt head, okay.
How is this helpful…
Um, older bitch.
Whoa.
What?
Over-exaggerator.
- Doofus. - Whoa.
Fart face.
Fart face junior.
Do I have to?
Um…
Look me in my eye.
Stylish.
That's not gonna cut it.
No, that cuts it.
Uh, we have to go back around here, so…
No, I want to do you.
Oh, you're gonna do me? Okay.
- I wrote some stuff. - Okay.
Poindexter.
Doo-doo head.
Ick, cringe.
Do you wash your leg?
- Geek. - This is a great reason why
- this is a good exercise. - Four-eyes.
Lame.
That's good.
- That's enough, Jackie. - Okay, thank you.
Let's give it up for, uh, Jackie.
I still don't understand the point.
Everything would just kind of hit me in waves.
And again, our experiences were a little bit different in this,
because I was kind of shepherded around, whereas you were just on the compound.
But just knowing that like everywhere you went,
every interaction you had, every person you spoke to,
was a paid actor, it was a controlled environment.
Just accepting that that was real for me would hit me in waves.
Like, we went out to Margaritaville, and they rented the whole place out.
They filled it with actors.
And I'm like, oh, my God, that was fake.
The conversation I had with the waiter, was that even real, you know?
It says it's a secret code for white supremacists
to identify each other.
The woman at the table behind you
wanted to send this over to you.
It's a Bloody Mary.
So, do you have anything that's hit you kind of like that?
One moment that I guess I would think about is…
We're stuffin' papers, right?
There was one night where everybody went to sleep,
and I went into the welcome center.
And I was literally sitting there, watching a movie
doin' the foldables, thinkin' I'm being a good employee, man.
And Kate actually told me, she was like,
"No, don't worry about it. It's not that serious."
I feel like that was her trying to hint
to tell me, like, you don't have to do all of that.
I did not get started on any of those mailers.
- I'm so sorry. - Don't worry about it.
Look, don't tell Doug,
but I am gonna do some tonight, 'cause I didn't do any.
I… no.
That's when I was like… You're such a good employee.
Like, you were doin' all of that for nothin'.
So, I was sequestered, took away my phone.
And then, I had to call from a bailiff's phone
I was told was listening to my conversation.
What was your experience like? Because did they take away your phone?
So, I had it for the first two days when I was at the office,
but then, when I actually went on the retreat,
they said the retreat was a "no-phone." Like, we're all here to bond,
you know, get together.
And so, you all are going to be giving up your phones
for the remainder of the retreat.
I want you to actually say goodbye to your phone.
You're really fun and I like you a lot, but you're not good for me.
So, we need a break, pal.
See ya.
Goodbye, phone. Bring me more matches on Bumble.
Alright.
This is a moment for both of us to get a break.
Okay?
Goodbye, phone.
You're a great tool and a horrible tool, all in one.
Um, I'll see you in a week.
I had to give up my phone.
And then, they had an iPad and a landline
that I could call home from. It was in the welcome center,
anytime I wanted to, so.
You probably reached out to more family members than I did,
but I think I made two calls the entire time I was there.
Did you reach out to a bunch of people?
I definitely, I called home once a day, at least.
Oh, nice. Okay.
Talked to my mom, brother, sister.
- And you have a son. - Yeah, I FaceTimed my son.
Did you tell your family members during the whole thing
kinda what was going on?
Yeah, kinda like day-by-day play.
And I would tell my mom,
and that's when I'd be like, yo, you can't make this shit up.
And she would tell me, like yo, something's not right.
- Damn! - She knew something was off, too,
- just by the stuff I was telling her. - Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I was hesitant to even talk about like the crazy stuff
that we had going on there.
- To your point, it sounded made up. - Yeah.
Who the hell's gonna believe me?
I don't want people to think I was going crazy, too.
- You know? - Yeah.
Our situations were a little bit different.
You know, you entered into this, what you believed
was this tight-knit family of people who had worked together
and they knew each other. You know, like, did a fake proposal.
It's crazy.
I felt so bad about that, too, because while I'm recording,
she says, "No," and I kinda start laughing.
And I cover my mouth, still recording this no.
And I'm like, maybe I should not record this anymore.
- Yeah. - I remember when Claire first got there,
she was sayin' hi to Doug, and like, givin' him a hug,
and then we were sat down.
She basically said that she thought Doug was gonna die.
Yeah, it's his last one.
No, he's retiring.
Not because he's dying?
And then, Kate looked at Claire like she wanted to kill her.
That was hilarious to me.
I can't remember the names of the two people making out at the bar.
How did you feel about that?
I mean, like, I saw your reaction in real time.
Bro!
- Bruh! - Uh-huh.
Hey.
It was like, I kinda felt childish for laughing at it
because, you know, if they, if it was real,
like they're finding love, I'm happy for them.
It was just funny to me, because with Amy being proposed to,
- Yeah. - and them being such a close-knit family,
how could Other Anthony turn around and stab him in the back like that?
"We will behave professionally at all times,
- even if the relationship ends." - Yeah.
- Yes.
How long has the current consensual relationship been going on?
A couple days, and a few times of those days.
Yeah, like, in those days,
- we packed a lot into those days. - Mm-hmm.
But at the same time, like, Other Anthony's character
is a guy that I would assume…
that struggles to find love, in a way.
So, the fact he was able to find somebody that loved him for who he was,
or liked him for who he was,
I was kinda happy for him, I was rootin' for him.
How did you feel when you found out it was fake, too, then?
- About them kissing? - About them kissing, yeah.
'Cause you found out they're both married, as well.
Yeah, yeah. Um, I didn't think too much about it.
I would say, I couldn't be married to an actress.
I guess it's what y'all get paid to do. I love it.
- There you go, right? - But even like,
Doug and Dougie were kissin'. It's just like,
- a lot of love, man. - That is true.
Yeah, that's a close family.
Well, who did you bond with?
I would say Dougie. I bonded with all of them,
but, uh, Dougie for sure.
I think probably 'cause I had a lot more one-on-one with him.
'Cause it's jerk sauce. Can you teach me out to jerk?
- Okay. - I kinda… It's like…
Bro, you just did it.
It's like skippin' backwards, right.
So…
Go backwards. You're tryin' to go forwards.
Back over your knee. There you go.
- Oh! - There you go!
- Boom. Boom. - Over your knee.
- Jerk… Ah, ooh. - Just find a rhythm.
I saw a lot of my younger self in him.
Or really even myself now.
Tryin' to put forth the most effort.
You know, and not getting the outcome that you want.
You know, I know how that feels to give it your all
and still, no, no, no.
So, just to continue to push him and build his self-esteem.
Talk to me, man, what's goin' through your mind?
I mean, the sauce was good. You know?
Sauce is great.
And I'm not tryin' to toot your horn to make you feel better.
- I'm being honest with you right now. - Yeah.
After… I don't know if you saw the jerk off sauce,
there was a sign. And when we were walkin' away,
and his head was down, and I told him, pick your head up, man,
like, you're our leader.
So, if your head goes down, our head's gonna go down.
Remember, we follow you, man.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, and I can see how Dougie can almost be comparable to Todd Chair-Pants.
Where they're just tryin' to figure it out.
They're tryin'. It's not necessarily workin' for 'em.
But they're trying, you know. And you gotta give it to 'em.
Tell me about your day of the reveal.
It was a lot of running. I had to run up and down that hill.
- You could see. - Oh, yeah.
If they just wanted a partnership,
why would they spend all this money…
Right, right.
At this point, now that I've heard it with my own ears,
I can't accept any of their gifts.
Why you think it's been so hard, dawg.
I'm not wowed by international superstar Sia? Of course I am.
I had to run up the hill several times.
- That honestly was the craziest thing. - Assholes.
Right!
I will say there was a bit of, when I was running down the hill,
and, um, Dougie fell.
Oh, God, that was so funny.
I was like, come on, get up.
I was like, I can't be the one to stop it.
But when he fell, I was like, ah, I guess I gotta keep goin'.
Yeah, they'll do that to ya.
They'll put you in that position.
What we're gonna do now is just communicate
using only emotions.
We're gonna have somebody step out of the room.
When they're gone, we're all gonna decide something we want to see them do.
Who's brave enough to be our volunteer and step out?
Anthony.
Havin' fun!
So, what we want him to do
is go over here…
open this bag of marshmallows.
Put it in the bowl, bring it to the chair…
get down, eat it.
- Great. Okay? - Yeah.
We're gonna use positive emotions; "Yay, you can do it!"
Hahaha, laughter, whatever.
Then, if he gets away from it, negative emotions.
Go "Mm! Mm-mm-mm!"
We're gonna be mostly non-verbal and we're gonna get him to do what we want.
You think we can?
Anthony!
Okay, no more talking. Shh, shh.
Whoo-hoo, yeah!
Yeah!
No!
Ohh, ohh…
Boo! Boo!
Ohh, ohh…
I want to know what your favorite part about the whole thing was.
Or if you can even narrow it down.
So, to be a part of this team, even though it was fake,
I think that was my favorite part.
To just feel like I was a vital piece of a machine.
It made me feel seen as a person,
because they were doin' like these skits and stuff in front of us.
I feel like they were able to see the real me.
And it made me learn to appreciate and love myself more.
So, that's also just a blessing. You know what I'm sayin'?
If Jury Duty, the season I was on, if it became absolutely nothing,
if like, nobody ever watched it, I was happy
with like, the experience I had, the friendships I had made,
and the perspective I now have on life.
Like, everything you took from that,
if that really is enough for you, man, like, keep that mentality.
This opportunity blessed me more than I could've ever asked for.
So, I do want to give back.
Do you feel a burden to always be a good person now?
Honestly, that's a solid question.
And the only reason I laugh is 'cause I get it a lot.
And if I would've been interviewed five years prior,
I would've not made the cut.
So, the person that people saw on Jury Duty
is who I have worked hard to become.
And so, I don't feel pressure to maintain that,
because I already put pressure on myself to become that person.
And I don't know where you're at in your life journey,
but this show, if anything, should reaffirm that you are on the right path.
And don't change. Stay on the path that you're on.
I'm just the assistant and I'm here to assist everybody.
I mean, I'm his assistant, but if you need anything,
- I'm here for you. - Yeah. Great.
Well, his hat is cooler.
Yeah. I like mine, just 'cause it comes with a title
and it comes with responsibility.
You know, some people don't like it…
It's a good responsibility, so I like it.
One thing you forgot on the list is a positive attitude.
We all need to bring that with us.
I don't think anybody's struggled with that so far.
But just keep that on your mind.
I also wanted to say, I know it's gonna be a busy day,
so if you have any questions, need any help,
don't be afraid to reach out. I'm here for you.
We all wish that you were here. So, when you can get over that,
just get back to being you and kinda act like it didn't happen.
You know, I know right now, it's hard to think like that.
So, you know, when you're good and ready,
you'll be welcomed back.
Can I be the assistant at every retreat?
- Yeah! - Love to.
We're using a T? Or we're pitchin'?
- I don't know. - I was thinkin' we could do…
Ohh…
This is the Realtor.
- No. - Yeah, with the… Yeah.
Do we know where Marge is at?
Hey, sorry. Um, I was actually here a couple weeks ago
with the Malibu Realtors. I left a personal item here.
And I'm just trying to locate it.
- We spoke a couple of days ago. - Yeah, yeah.
Give me a moment, I'll go look for Marge.
What is it?
It's a personal relaxation device.
It's kind of this erotic blue color.
Have you seen it?
- I have not. - You have not?
- Uh-uh. - It's kind of like a good luck charm
in our company, like in our office.
So, if somebody finds it,
you don't have to tell me right now. I'm gonna give you a card.
I'll give you $1,000 towards…
- A thou… - Yeah, credit towards a commission
if we end up working together in the future.
Marge, Marge…
The Realtor's back.
He's asking the group, like, have we seen it.
Stop. The flesh-light guy?
It's really important to us back at the office.
Hey! Hey, you need to get outta here!
- I'm-I'm leaving. - Get outta here!
I still have my pass.
Give it back at security and get outta here, man.
- If anybody sees it… - She said go.
I'm just gonna leave my card.
- What? - Ew!
Don't… Don't… No!
- Get! - Wait, can I see your card?
No! No!
- I'm allowed to network! - No, no.
- No! - I can network.
If you see it, call that number. There's a lot of money in it for you.
Why'd you touch that?
Well, I mean, I wanted to be polite.
I know it's here!
I'm gonna ram into you, man.
Please do not.
As soon as they get the call,
like, you should be more careful about the mirrors, right.
They start looking around.
That's when they're gonna know.
We'll see what they do.
But that's when the cameras should be ready.
I got money from this.
I made some friendships. I had a wild experience.
And that was good enough for me.
Like, everything that comes after that would just be a cherry on top.
Um, so…
Order up!
Is that us?
I have a call for you guys.
Oh, son of a bitch.
Ah, see, that's what I'm talking about. Now I gotta chill out.
- Hello, chaps. - Hello, hello.
Have you ever noticed when you're shootin' with us
you eat in places with a lot of mirrors?
Yeah, son of a bitch.
Explore the space, fellas. Go for it.
- I don't want to. - What'd he say?
He said, explore the space. I don't want to.
I do.
Damn it.
Hey, everybody.
Doin' alright today?
Aw, man, I had a feeling.
- Oh! - Ronald, Anthony.
Come on through.
One more time.
That's the biggest surprise.
Well, I did look at the mirrors over there.
I immediately thought, there's no point.
Yeah, don't investigate it.
I've got to promise it's the last time.
I promise. I'm told until next season.
Ah, even the seating now, I see it. It was too perfect.
If you look really closely…
- Did you guys use another button camera? - That's a microphone.
- Oh… - That's a microphone, right there.
Brother, this is amazing.
Like, you getting here made my energy go up.
And then, them getting us again is like…
Honestly, I'm just glad that you've taken the whole thing well.
You know?
It's been a great experience, man.
- Let me grab your phone number. - Absolutely.
Man, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for comin' out.
Dude, it's great to meet you. I'm excited for you.
- Thank you. - I'm so excited for you, man.
I gotta give you… I'm a hugger, man.
You're a hugger? Ooh, dude, I like your kicks.
- Thank you, man. - They look good.
Appreciate it. I seen your blue Jordans.
I was like, okay, he's fresh.
Hell, yeah. They look good. I like it.
- It was a pleasure to meet you. - You, too.
And you are taller in person, brother.
You know what's funny is I was gonna say the same about you.
I thought you'd be shorter.
On the next episode of Company Retreat.
- Hey! - Oh!
This is my first time meeting the real them
not the character them.
Do you guys know who's hosting it?
- How are you? - Pleasure to meet you.
James Marsden. How are you, Anthony?
The whole time, like, we had to stay in character
24/7.
- And I found it so weird and hard. - Yeah.
And I was like, yeah, this guy says multiple times,
I'm havin' the time of my life.
And I was like, I just did not have that same experience.
What are you talkin' about?
I'm dealin' with jackass over here, man.
- You spent most of your time with me. - I know.
How much better could it get?