Someone becomes a third wheel (but who?!) in this week’s Hailey’s On It!, which also features the most intense escape room experience any 14 year old has ever seen.
Road Trippin’
Beta tells Hailey and Scott that now is the optimal time for list item #411. Their excitement is contagious, but it takes a minute for the reveal as to what this list item is. Turns out, Hailey has a box full of gift cards that she has received as gifts that the list dictates she must spend.
We are treated to a montage of them spending the cards at different shops and eateries throughout the local mall, getting totals at the register to ring up with accurate precision so they don’t spend a dime on their own. Just when they think they have the to-do list item finished and registered, Hailey’s bracelet buzzes implying that they’ve either failed or not yet completed the mission. They have one gift card left and this one is going to be exceptionally challenging.
The gift card is for Butter Burger, a restaurant that has closed all of its locations – except for one, and it’s in Flagstaff, Arizona. Not exceptionally far from the duo, but not easily accessible either. So it’s time for a road trip, except that the only time that they can go interferes with the 45-day anniversary of Kristine and Scott. Hailey has to go to this lone Butter Burger on her own.
Or does she?! Scott appears on the bus with his girlfriend, Kristine, and they’re ready to celebrate their anniversary on this special adventure to Butter Burger. The bus ride is full of fun road trip games – that are fun for Hailey and Scott, not so much Kristine. For avid viewers and even newcomers to the series, it’s very easy to see that Hailey and Scott have a stronger connection than Kristine and Scott do. Either way, the bus ride is miserable for all parties and passengers involved.
Finally, the trio arrives at the Flagstaff bus station, conveniently located directly across the street from the last Butter Burger in existence. And the Butter Burger might actually be more disgusting than the bus ride.
More exciting than anything, this particular Butter Burger is home to the world’s deepest ball pit, and it really has no bottom. Scott jumps in, swimming like either Scrooge McDuck or maybe an olympic diver. Kristine goes in too, but quickly loses her hat. This proves to be her breaking point with the whole adventure, having a meltdown as Scott tries to find her hat, mistaking it for a diaper or two.
As Kristine runs away, Hailey spends her gift card on a meal, which she gives to Kristine as a way to thank her for coming on the adventure. While Kristine is eating the food, which is mostly made of butter apparently, Hailey confesses that she is afraid of losing her best friend to Kristine, afraid that they will grow apart in time. To the contrary, Kristine confesses that she has always been jealous of the friendship and connection that Hailey has had with Scott. Especially right now on their anniversary, she can’t even think of a gift for him. Fortunately, Hailey had a baseball card featuring Mike Trout ripping his pants that she was planning on giving to Scott for his birthday. As an offering of good will, Hailey gives it to Kristine so she can use it as her gift.
The hat still hasn’t turned up despite Scott’s best efforts, but it’s okay, Kristine has other hats with her. Scott ends up surprising Kristine with a special anniversary gift: First Class tickets on a train home. Kristine excitedly asks if Hailey can join too, just this time with less games. Scott also pulls Hailey aside and thanks her for helping with Kristine and for the baseball card.
Their connection is so strong, he knew all along.
Escape Doom
At Hailey’s school, we see her one-sided rival A.C. guessing how many jellybeans are in a jar. You know that whole thing. After several failed attempts, Hailey takes a glance and guesses immediately that there are 1200 in the jar. How does she know?! It’s on the jar. The principal forgot to take off the label.
Beta also tells Hailey that today is the optimal day to embark on her next item on the list: conquer the Tomb of Doom Escape Room after school. As she is discussing it with Scott, A.C. overhears the plan. The group – Hailey, Scott, and Kristine – arrive at the Escape Room facility to partake in the Tomb of Doom, but they can’t get a spot. It has been booked already….by A.C.
Fortunately, he can not do the room on his own, and must have a minimum of three people. Hailey suggests that they join him and become a foursome, and they’ll even let him be the team leader. A role Hailey doesn’t want considering she has had leadership flashbacks throughout the episode thus far to a traumatic game when they were all younger.
Once the group is inside, A.C. goes through the room solving all the puzzles with ease with the intent of setting not only the record of the first group to successfully escape, but also holding the fastest time. After a number of puzzles, A.C. unlocks a new door that leads them further into the escape room. In this next phase, A.C. seems to have no clue about anything and can’t solve a single puzzle item.
Confused, Hailey asks how this is possible. A.C. cracks and shares that he used and memorized tutorials to get through the first part of the room. He didn’t know there was more once they got out!
Out in the lobby, the game attendant, Cody, steps away as one of the game effects is initiated, with the walls seemingly intent on closing in on the group inside. Cody is in the restroom, and we see that chaos bots have arrived on scene and are bolting up the doors, trapping Cody inside, now in an escape room of his own.
In the main game, Hailey takes charge despite her traumatic leadership past and delegates tasks. She assigns Kristine the task of translating the Egyptian style hieroglyphics on the wall. After all, they are pretty similar to emojis. Scott uses skills of his own to use scales around the room, similar to the jellybean contest yet different. And, with A.C. 's memorization skills, he is asked to decode a book that is close to the statue in the center of the room that they are sure has something to do with the way out.
Time is running out, and the chaos bots have tripped all the safety systems so that the walls will continue to close in and take out Hailey and her friends. Thanks to the strength of the skills on the team, they figure out they need to put the proper prop in the arms of the statue, opening a door that literally drops them back into the lobby in which they arrived, though the sofa could also be moved an inch or two.
Cody also got out of his escape room just in time, and is able to recognize their victory! Everyone is safe, and another item is marked off Hailey’s list.
This episode of Hailey’s On It! Is now available on Disney Channel and the DisneyNOW app. You can also catch up with the series on Disney+.