Release Alex

Task notes

• When Alex introduces the task, he says “We have a hostage situation”, thus coining the episode title.
• Alex is standing in the corner of the study, with his hands handcuffed behind his back.
• There is a UV torch in a jar on the desk, which the contestants can use to read the hidden additional instruction on the task brief, and also a hidden code (‘0911’) written on a telephone in a painting in the room.
• The code can be used to unlock a combination lock on a cupboard, inside of which there is a jigsaw puzzle.
• On the back of the jigsaw puzzle, there is the message ‘Karma Tests page 41 word 35’, leading the contestants to the word ‘she’d’ in the book.
• The word ‘she’d’ is intended to lead the contestants to the shed, where they may find a piñata containing sweets and the clue ‘Look at the clock’.
• Stuck to the back of a Dali-esque melted clock ornament in the study, there is a photo of the handcuff key in Alex’s own hand.