The Bureau on International Drive rolls out the Underground Game Show, a brand-new entertainment offering fiendishly difficult questions

When you watch a game show on television, do you have a habit of shouting out the answers ahead of the onscreen contestants — to the point that your friends and family tell you to either audition yourself, or shut up? The Bureau on International Drive is branching out their escape room and adventure game options, and I recently got to be a beta tester for The Underground Game Show, a brand-new offering that officially launched last weekend. It might not quite cure your jones to go on Jeopardy or fulfill all your Double Dare dreams, but going Underground proved to be an engaging upgrade over my usual family game night arguments over Reagan-era Trivial Pursuit answers.

Ever since opening in 2020 during the peak of the pandemic, the Bureau has survived and thrived, establishing itself as one of Orlando's most polished independent escape room operations with imaginative missions involving puppets and cryptids. Competitors opting for the Underground Game Show still get to enter through the same speakeasy-style anteroom, which is disguised as an antique travel agency, before being ushered into a retro-futurist lobby (think Bioshock's Rapture meets Loki's TVA).

The Underground Game Show takes place inside a room previously used as a VIP lounge, which has now been outfitted with a pair of long podiums with buttons for players to buzz in and a large vertical video screen for displaying questions and scores. While lacking the elaborate scenic detail of the adjoining escape rooms, it sets the stage sufficiently for a six-on-six showdown; as few as two people can play, and larger groups may be accommodated using a smartphone app. Completing the package is an in-person emcee, and Zac Adelson, our velvet-tuxed host, proved adept at accompanying the hourlong contest with a constant commentary track of snarky patter, keeping the show rolling despite some minor technical bugs with the custom-designed iPad control system.

Since our group was largely comprised of attractions employees and observers (like myself) we naturally picked Theme Parks as our first trivia topic, out of categories including Sports, Theater and Science. That's how we quickly discovered that the Underground's questions are both cleverly composed and fiendishly difficult, even for self-proclaimed experts in a field. Not all the categories proved quite as challenging, but I frequently found myself having to wait for the multiple choice answers to appear before hazarding a guess.

In between rounds of trivia, members of each team are pitted against each other in a mixed bag of physical challenges, which are less like Survivor and more like middle-school party games. Players may have to try to pass a stack of metal nuts back and forth on a handheld plate, balance an egg on a spoon while wearing distorting goggles, or eat a cookie balanced on their forehead without using their hands. These interactive interludes provide a welcome change of pace, and the best bits (like a blindfolded riff on Pictionary) got the entire room animated, but several stunts seemed clunky or undercooked.

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I've always feared that if I were to appear on a game show, I'd be stuck knowing the answers but unable to work the buzzer. Initially the Underground appeared insistent on manifesting my recurring nightmare in real life, because no matter how fast I pounded the plastic dome in front of me, the other side was quicker. It wasn't until almost halfway through that I realized you have to wait for the end of the question — signaled by the light that shines in players' faces extinguishing — or else your button will be frozen out.

Once I learned that trick, I was able to help my side eke out a narrow victory, which was ultimately sealed with a surprising lack of fanfare. I was hoping to see a finale bonus round, or a farewell message from the Director (portrayed in videos by local actor Steve Hurst) to pay off the training exercise framing device that supposedly ties this game show into the metaverse connecting the Bureau's other experiences. Don't expect to take home a pile of cash or a new car, either; the only prizes you'll win are souvenir buttons and bragging rights.

To begin, the Underground Game Show is currently featuring its first "season" of questions, with plans to add additional trivia and challenges in the future. The creators seemed receptive to our constructive critiques, so I'm confident they can bring it up to match the high bar set by their escape rooms. And although this experience isn't quite as intense and immersive as battling Dr. Braingood or hatching Nessie in a bathtub, for some audiences that can actually be a good thing. My spouse enjoyed playing the game show far more than any of the escape rooms I've invited her to endure over the years, and I suspect that many others who find the genre anxiety-inducing will feel the same way. With a little more tweaking, this could turn into a terrific alternative to yet another tear-filled family fight over the Monopoly board.