From tarantula eating to extreme heat drills, how a US company’s retreat turned into chaos

A company retreat meant to strengthen team bonds has returned to the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Nearly a decade after the trip took place, fresh attention on social media has brought back accounts of a 2017 offsite organised by Plex in Honduras that participants later described as a “calamity”.

The weeklong retreat involved around 120 employees and was designed to bring together the company’s largely remote workforce through beachside meetings and ‘Survivor’-style challenges. But according to the original report by The Wall Street Journal, the experience quickly spiralled into a series of mishaps.

 

 

 

 

 

CEO falls ill on first day

Trouble began early into the trip. CEO Keith Valory reportedly contracted a severe case of E. coli on the first day after eating a salad. He spent the remainder of the retreat confined to his room, hooked up to an IV and unable to lead activities.

Extreme drills raise concerns

The challenges organised for employees soon raised concerns. A former Navy SEAL led physically demanding drills on a beach in sweltering 100-degree heat. Participants were made to crawl through sand and endure extreme conditions, with several reportedly fainting. One employee even ran into the ocean in an attempt to escape the heat.

 

 

 

 

Medical emergencies during activities

Health scares continued during the retreat. A senior product manager suffered a severe allergic reaction after being bitten while sitting on a fire ant hill, requiring an emergency injection. In another activity, employees were asked to eat a dead tarantula, hairs and all, as part of a “gross-out” challenge.

Wildlife encounters and travel chaos

The situation grew more unusual as the week went on. One engineer woke up to find a porcupine crashing through the ceiling into his hotel room. Later, more than 100 employees were stranded overnight on the island of Utila after flights were cancelled at dusk, leaving them without proper lighting or immediate transport.

A retreat that went off course

Six employees who attended the retreat recounted these incidents to The Wall Street Journal, describing a trip that veered far from its original purpose. What was planned as a morale-boosting getaway instead became an example frequently cited in discussions around workplace safety and corporate event planning.