Escape Room RVA Announces New Rule: Failed Participants End Up at District 5

RICHMOND, Va. — Escape Room RVA has created a new rule for groups unable to complete the escape room puzzle and is now sending failed participants to District 5, a restaurant and bar in the city’s Fan District.

“We wanted to increase the challenge—we were sick of people not really attempting to finish,” explains Escape Room RVA manager Chris Todd. “So many birthday parties or work team-building groups would just hang out and goof off in the rooms. We put a lot of work into this, and it’s annoying when they don’t even try. We decided there had to be a bigger penalty than simply ‘not finishing in time.’ We found that wasn’t enough motivation.”

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Todd also commented that that other establishments have been used in the past for dumping losers. “We used to send people who couldn’t finish to Social 52. But we quickly tossed that method when we saw our sales start to decline.”

Now, players who fail to finish in the allotted one-hour timeslot end up at the crowded Fan bar, District 5. The bar is known for its numerous televisions, rowdy bar guests, overpowering smell of Fireball whiskey, and pop music too loud for conversation.

“This really isn’t how I was hoping to spend my birthday,” said one Escape Room RVA failed participant, Amber Quinn. She and her friends wanted to do something fun and different for her 35th birthday. “I wish we had worked a little harder to try to put together the clues. I don’t know, it’s just that my friend, Erin, just got engaged, so we spent a lot of our time talking about that. Before we knew it, the hour was up and we hadn’t figured out any of the riddles or clues on the walls.”

Once the time had depleted the clock, the group was escorted to a van waiting outside. Upon arrival, the group looked around nervously. “This looks more difficult to escape than that room we were just in.”

Quinn and her group of friends were last seen holding vodka Redbulls and complaining about the loud music and the odor of Axe body spray.

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