First they beat the Patriots. Then they beat the Midnighters!
Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz, Jordan Hicks and Chris Maragos with Eaglettes as The Midnighters!
As we started building our own escape rooms in Philadelphia, we always heard that Carson Wentz, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles national football team, was a huge escape room enthusiast. Rumor was that while injured and unable to play against the Vikings in the NFC Championship, Carson toured Minneapolis on an escape room marathon playing games all over the city.
Philly loves an underdog, and at Olde City Escape Games, we happen to love an underdog even more when he also happens to share an enthusiasm for immersive productions.
While we always hoped Carson would swing by one of these days to play our games, we were absolutely stunned when we realized who came out of our elevator one quiet evening. We were even more star-struck after that when Eagles middle linebacker Jordan Hicks and safety Chris Maragos joined the group with their wives. It was a full-on Superbowl Champions date night at Olde City Escape Games, where Eagles became Midnighters.
Having the Eagles at Olde City Escape Games was a humbling experience. Carson, Jordan, and Chris were extremely nice guys. A funny moment was when we went through the pre-game rules and mentioned that this was a game of "brains not brawns." Everyone chuckled and teasingly gestured at Jordan because of his linebacker position. Inside the room, Carson took charge as the natural leader, delegating responsibilities and staying in character when he asked for clues over the walkie-talkie. Everyone enjoyed the immersiveness of the game, and it was awesome watching the guys' dedication and competitive nature manifest in such a silly environment as they intensely focused on crushing the room.
While the Eagles and Eaglettes didn't take our all-time record, they found the moon rock and finished with ample time to spare. They warmly gave us high-fives and laughed over how much fun the experience was, even commenting on how this was one of the better games they had played over the years. As owners, we tried not to gush as we took their post-game photos.
Eagles center Jason Kelce #62 said (erm...screeched) in one of the most memorable sports speeches of all time during the Superbowl LII parade, "Hungry dogs run faster." As a bootstrapped new escape room business, we relate - we didn't set out with all the support and experience that comes with a franchise, and had more than a handful of setbacks along the way, but we definitely strive to produce what we imagined would be the best escape room experiences. If Superbowl champions are grinning and chuckling over what a great time they had, heck, maybe we might be doing alright.
It felt really special to be able contribute a great night to these guys who chose to spend a Friday evening off the field at our venue. Big thanks to the Carson Wentz, Jordan Hicks, Chris Maragos, and all of our amazing Midnighters and Rebels who've supported and enjoyed our games these first five months of opening. Hungry dogs do run faster, and we're on that runner's high being able to share these fun and memorable moments with you all at Olde City Escape Games.