“No. Huh-uh. I’m not wearing this.”
“But it goes with the theme of the date, Olivia,” Natalie says. “The men will be wearing Hawaiian-themed clothing too.”
I put my hand on my grass-skirt-covered hip. “Will some of their body parts be crammed into coconut shells?”
The producer looks at me pleadingly. I don’t mean to be difficult, but a coconut shell bra is not a good look for me, and once the image of me wearing this gets on the internet, it will live on forever. Besides, I don’t exactly feel secure in this outfit, and I really don’t want a wardrobe malfunction on national TV.
“I’ll wear the grass skirt and definitely a lei, but how about just a plain bikini top?”
The wardrobe person holds out a bright magenta bikini on a hanger. “This could work, Natalie.”
The producer looks back and forth between me and the magenta top before finally throwing her hand in the air. “Oh, all right. That’s fine. Add a few more leis though, and do her hair in big wavy curls.”
When I’m styled to Natalie’s satisfaction with a plumeria blossom tucked behind my right ear, the group date is ready to begin. Though the theme of the party is Hawaiian, sadly, we are not on a beach. The large lawn at the mansion, where the introductory ceremony was held, is the setting for the date, and it’s been transformed with grass huts, tiki torches, and grass-skirted tables holding pitchers of drinks, bottles of alcohol, and trays of tropical fruit.
There’s no sign of the men yet, but after I’m escorted onto the scene, Blake Barrows shows up. “We ready?” he asks Natalie, sounding rushed and mildly irritated.
“All ready,” she confirms before turning to me. “Olivia, when the guys are brought in, Blake will introduce the date, and then we’d like you to say a few words to welcome the men as a group. Bonus points if you can work in the theme. Maybe say you’re hoping to go to Hawaii on your honeymoon or something like that. We can do multiple takes if needed.”
Less than a minute later, the men are brought out from the mansion, with Johnny leading the way. I was told who would be on the date, but Natalie rattled off the names quickly and it was hard for me to match all of the names with faces in my memory.
As they come in, I notice that the group is made up entirely of men who weren’t on the first group date, with the exception of Johnny and Xavier, which seems suspicious, like the producers are trying to put me together with those two men at every opportunity.
The guys are all wearing vibrant floral board shorts and leis. A few have sunglasses on and Samuel is wearing a straw trilby hat, the perfect look for a relaxing day at the beach. With some of the props I see lying around, and the extra amount of crew that’s here today, I get the idea that this date won’t be a relaxing one.
“Welcome, everyone, to our tropical paradise!” Blake Barrows says to one of the cameras. “We have a lot of fun activities planned today to help Olivia get to know the men, and to help them win her heart.”
When Blake turns to me, I wave to the group of men. “Hi! I’m so glad to be here with you today. I’m not sure what exactly is in store for us, but I know we’ll have fun. It’s a dream of mine to go to Hawaii, and maybe I’ll be going there with one of you someday.”
The guys make sounds of agreement and excitement, with Berk, the cowboy, even throwing a fist pump.
“Are we ready to get started?” Blake asks. He leads us over to the group of tables that I now see also hold blenders, cutting boards, juices, and basically everything a bartender could need.
“First up is a drink-making competition,” Blake says. “The ten of you will compete to make a delicious tropical drink, and Olivia will choose the one she likes best. Everything you need is right here, and you’ll have twenty minutes.”
The men each take a spot behind the table and Blake gives the signal to start. Most of them get busy right away, selecting bottles or cutting fruit. One or two of the guys look momentarily stumped.
Johnny pours some type of amber liquor into a shot glass, but instead of putting it in a larger glass or a blender, he brings the little glass to his mouth, tips his head back, and swallows it all. I watch as he repeats the process, first perusing the available bottles, then pouring himself another shot.
A few of the other men are tasting things, but Johnny’s the only one putting away multiple shots.
Blake gestures for me to follow him, and we walk along the line of tables, watching the men’s progress. Some of them seem to be quite heavy-handed with their pours. Most of them are being really creative and making impressively fancy concoctions.