So in my personal life, I love immersive experiences. Especially horror or surreal ones. Many years ago, I did one called Alone (I even wrote about it on this blog, find here) in which, as the name implies, you go in Alone. I loved it, and even since then, I’m been a bit hooked.
So one came to Los Angeles by Candle House, a New York company that is mostly known for doing one-on-one experiences over the phone. But they did a live, in person event, and it was only meant for one person. I saw an article about it here (may be behind paywall, but give it a try), and I was curious. While it’s meant to be mostly a mix of psychological horror (which I’m a big fan of), there were also some elements that smacked of kink–though let’s be clear, it’s not intended to be a kink experience. But it certainly didn’t hurt.
Called The Pineapple, the premise is that I’m answering an ad to help a guy contact aliens. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t turn out that way. While I won’t share every single moment, I will share the ones with kinkier aspects. It’s a very odd story, but that’s part of the fun.
So first off, when I entered, I was greeted by a hot college thin jock guy wearing flip flops I’ll call Cole (not his name is the show, but this name is a bit easier, haha). The guy below is NOT him, but had a very similar vibe. While he was wearing jeans and a tshirt when I first met him, he is later shirtless in the show. “Cole” immediately tells me to take off my shoes and socks and empty my pockets, as no phones are allowed in the experience.
Anway, he initially tells me there’s a ritual to help summon aliens, and that pineapple is part of the ritual, and I need to squeeze some pineapple juice. I do so, but turns out, I’m being duped to host an alien birth. and that Cole had tried with someone else, but the last host didn’t do well because he was allergic to pineapple. He orders me on my back and tells me to hold my arms in the air as if I’m praying. He put a hood on me (it was thin enough that I could still see through it), and then bound my hands together with PVC tape (the kind that sticks to itself, but not your skin). With my hands bound, he orders me to crawl into the next room, following a light on the floor.
I ended up next to a bathtub filled with some water, and another guy (not naked, but in an open shirt and shorts) in the tub, handcuffed to the faucet. The guy below is NOT him, but again a similar look. He tells me he was the former host, and is not doing well health-wise. We have a very deep surprisingly tender discussion about how he misses his wife and family, as asks me who I’ve lost. He asks for my hand (still tied) andhe pulled me in check-to-cheek to comfort him and each other, and tells me I should be a much better host. So far so good, from my point of view, haha! But in all seriousness, in that moment, it was unexpectedly moving.
Another masked guy emerges, who seems to be a helper of Cole–I’ll call him the henchman, because he sort of gives off that vibe wearing all black and a black ski mask style hood that covers his face. He unties me and leads me down darkened hallways to another room. When the lights come up, there is a woman in a nurse’s outfit (with a nametag that says “Hello! My name is WOMAN”), crazy make up, and a demented grin. A voice recording plays, as well as very cheesy music, ala Spanish Flea by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, explaining I’m going to be looked after as the new host.
This section felt very “Widow’s Bay” to me. If you’ve watched that show, it expertly blends horror and humor, and the short clip of it below is very much the vibe of this section.
At one point, she sits me in a chair, puts her gloved finger in some liquid and then a power, straddles me as the voice tells me to open my mouth. When I do, she puts the finger all inside my mouth. Turns out the powder was pop rocks. I’m also asked to pick my favorite image on a series of display cards (say, between a feather and a gun), and then am given 20 seconds to state any fears I may have. Later, Cole reappears shirtless but in a long silk robe and asks the nurse if I’m finally ready. The voice over says I (the host) needs to be fully relaxed, and that Cole has to give me a foot massage… which he actually does when the henchman puts a shock collar on him and forces him to comply! So as you can imagine, I’m having a pretty great time, haha. As I later told my husband, this is just a typical night out for me. 🙂 The massage was with his gloved hands, not his mouth.
I later have blackout goggles put on me, and I’m led to another room. When they’re removed, I’m suddenly face to face with the WOMAN again, but now she’s in outlandish sunglass and a bikini, the room is outfitted with a plastic sheet with a beach scene on it and inflatable palm trees. The former host guy from the tub emerges wearing an open Hawaiian shirt and shorts (but no undershirt, and is barefoot) and tells me I’m going to be a great host, and we all dance to Margaritavillie. He later slow dances with me as the music starts to distort, and I am told to lie down on a lounger chair.
The Cole comes back out, shirtless, only in shorts and flip flops, a bit of blood coming out of his mouth, shock collar still around his neck, and a handcuff on one wrist (the other end is just open and dangling). Former host has Cole look after me, forces Cole to kiss me on the lips, and then cuffs Cole next to me on the lounger chair. Long story short, apparently I have incubated long enough, and before I know it, the lounger chair is reclined all the way back, a towel is put over my face, frantic sounds play, and a man is grunting and growling loudly directly into my ear. The towel comes off my face for a split second, and I can see WOMAN holding up a Pineapple before the lights go back out.
They swaddle the pineapple in a blanket and give it to me to hold. I am lead down another hallway to find a bed, and I lie down in it, and the former host lies next to me and spoons me, even intertwining his legs with mine, as WOMAN serenades with a song and guitar. Former host whispers in my ear he’s glad it worked, and eventually I am lead out of the bed by the henchman and outside, telling me I did a great job. And that was the end.
It’s meant to be a surreal experience, and it was! It was amusing for me personally, though, that the kinkier aspects were pretty second nature to me. For more vanilla folk, there was a safe word. You also had to verbally interact with Cole for a while in the beginning while he asks you some questions about your life.
I did enjoy it a lot, and both the hot guys and kink-adjacent aspects were just icing on the cake. While this was expensive (about $250), it was an intimate, hour long experience that I’m going to remember for a while. I should also add I did have to sign a waiver to participate in this. The news article also mentions that there could be different endings and experiences depending on how the person reacts… so even if you do participate in this (it has also played in New York and New Jersey), there is a chance your experience may vary a bit.
