Warning: spoilers ahead!
Two people meet on a dating app, jet off to a Central American country on a whim for their third date and then get stuck there for more than two months during a global pandemic because of shutdowns and travel bans.
Sounds like a Hollywood movie, right? How about anew Netflixdocumentary?
Longest Third Date, which is streaming now, tells the real-life story ofKhani Le and Matt Robertson, a pair who met onHingeand then experienced the adventure of a lifetime when they decided to fly to Costa Rica in March of 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt.
Netflix
Just four days into what was supposed to be a romantic getaway for an epic third date, the first of many return flights was canceled — and the uncertainty of their stay in Costa Rica began.
“At first it was kind of surreal, and over time I felt like I was just in disbelief. How could this keep happening?” Robertson, now 34, tells PEOPLE.
“It was almost laughable, but definitely as it went on it got a lot more exhausting, a lot more deceiving,” adds Le, 32. “I didn’t think we were getting out of there.”
Being trapped in a foreign country can be nerve-racking, especially when people around the globe are getting sick and the hotel you booked for a few days shuts down and sends you packing. Going through it with someone you barely know would likely be even more distressing.
For Robertson and Le, the uneasy predicament meant they had to quickly get vulnerable with each other. “At the beginning, we were very much lost in paradise, but then things got really real and we just had to throw down our guards and really lean on each other for support,” Le explains.
“We ended up being a really good team in that way,” Robertson adds. “It was a little bit of this battle of wills letting our guards down, because one of us went into this thinking like, ‘Oh, we want a relationship.’ We just thought it would be a fun thing — a long weekend, nothing crazy. And here we are.”
Going through the experience of being stuck overseas with a relative stranger for an undetermined stretch of time — while the world is in a grip of uncertainty — meant coming up with activities that “could keep things fresh and fun” for the adventurous duo.
“I didn’t want things to stale. You’re stuck kind of living with somebody and you don’t really know. And I’m trying to come up with basically date ideas,” Robertson says. “We would do Airbnb experiences or things online, like a Tango lesson. Just anything fun and unique.”
While there was stress along the way, the pair learned how to work as a team rather quickly. “We were good at giving each other space when we needed it and then coming together to do all these fun things,” Le tells PEOPLE.
After 70 days of traveling around Costa Rica — they did some day-drinking, got matching “Pura Vida” tattoos to honor their temporary home, found themselves standing on tables to get cell reception so they could work and nearly submerging their rental car in a — Le and Robertson finally boarded a flight back to the U.S.
Last chance to avoid major spoilers about the stars ofNetflix’sLongest Third Date!
Almost three years since their 70-day date, Le and Robertson have moved in together in New York City, met each other’s friends and families and adopted a Frenchie named Banks.
Robertson documented their experience in Costa Rica in a series of videos, earning the pair some national recognition and banking footage that helped create the new Netflix documentary.
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The couple’s dating adventure has taught them some lessons in finding love. “Keep an open mind,” Le tells PEOPLE. “With Matt, I was very hesitant to even match with him but we’re very compatible and it all worked out. Sometimes it’s just better to see where it takes you and not put too much pressure on it.”
Robertson adds, “I realized through this whole process and experience that I was being a hypocrite. I was making vlogs about getting out of your comfort zone, but when it came to relationships and dating, I wasn’t doing that at all. It’s scary, but putting yourself out there is definitely the way to go.”
A pressing question remains: Reflecting on their entire experience, would Le and Robertson change their choice to go to Costa Rica?
“At the end of the day, I don’t think we would change anything. How can you be mad at the outcome?” Robertson says. “It was definitely trying and crazy at times, many ups and downs, but where it led us is amazing — I feel very fortunate, very blessed.”
“It’s not a conventional third date,” Le continues, “but when you’re willing to take risks and just see where life takes you, that outcome can be very rewarding.”
Longest Third Dateis currently streaming on Netflix.
source: people.com
