The Bodega Boys x Senator Elizabeth Warren | Ghost Submarine
Showtime’s Desus and Mero a.k.a The Bodega Boys brought Senator Elizabeth Warren to Trapology Boston to play our most challenging room: Ghost Submarine.
If you’re wondering why a late-night comedy show, two internet icons, and a sitting senator ended up locked in a room together trying to escape a haunted submarine, welcome to what happens when you build experiences that transcend the usual boundaries.
They came to conquer. They came to be funny. They came for the story they’d tell their audiences. What happened instead was they experienced exactly what everyone experiences when they step into a Trapology room: the real challenge isn’t the puzzles or the time limit.
It’s watching smart, confident people realize they need to actually work together to get out. We didn’t just get on Showtime. We proved that escape rooms are the great equalizer.
Features
Behind the scenes
The biggest risk with a Showtime collaboration wasn’t technical. It was that someone would show up to perform instead of play. Cameras have a way of making people forget they’re actually locked in a room with a time limit and real puzzles that don’t care about your TV presence.
We had to design the entire experience around one principle: make Ghost Submarine so genuinely difficult that authenticity becomes the only survival strategy. No room for posturing. No space for trying to be clever for the footage. Just the real moment of watching people realize they need to communicate, listen, and work together to get out.
We worked with the Showtime producers on that from day one. No gimmes, no easy solutions, no “we’ll film you winning” guarantees. Just a room that demands everything from whoever steps inside it. When you watch the actual footage, you don’t see performance. You see real problem-solving, genuine frustration, actual teamwork happening in real time. Senator Warren, Desus, Mero, two internet icons and a sitting senator all facing the same wall and realizing they have no choice but to trust each other. That’s not a TV moment. That’s what Trapology actually does.
Our Impact
We Made Showtime History
Senator Elizabeth Warren appeared on the season finale of Showtime’s Desus & Mero, one of the most high-profile late-night television placements for a 2020 presidential candidate. We didn’t just host a TV segment. We became part of a politician’s campaign strategy to reach millennial voters through authentic, unscripted moments.
We Reached Multiple Media Outlets
Boston Magazine ran a feature article titled “Escaping a Haunted Submarine? Warren’s Got a Plan for That.” Jezebel covered the segment. Multiple news outlets picked it up. The story wasn’t just about the escape room. It was about the authenticity of watching a presidential candidate solve puzzles and make jokes under real time pressure.
We Proved Ghost Submarine is Genuinely Difficult
Senator Warren, Desus Nice, and The Kid Mero formed team “Future Presidents of America” and actually escaped our most challenging room. The fact that they completed it didn’t diminish the challenge. It proved that when Trapology says a room is hard, that means something. They had to earn it.
We Generated Authentic Social Moments
Warren brought her own humor to it. “I just want to go on record as saying this is the worst Circle Line cruise I’ve ever been on,” Desus joked. Warren fired back with her own cruise jokes. Those weren’t scripted moments. Those were real people reacting to real pressure, which is what makes Trapology experiences work.
We Positioned Ourselves as Mainstream Media Territory
This wasn’t a sponsorship or a branded segment. This was a major cable network choosing Trapology Boston as the venue for one of their flagship shows’ season finale. We went from regional escape room company to national television stage.
We Captured It Beautifully
Behind-the-scenes footage was released on YouTube showing the crew setup, the talent, the real moments. Documentation became proof that the experience was authentic and substantial enough for premium cable television.
We Featured It in Our 2019 Year in Review
This collaboration was significant enough to be highlighted in our official year in review alongside WGBH partnerships and major creative initiatives. It wasn’t a side project. It was a flagship moment.