‘What’s with the steering wheel?’: TikTok’s ‘Boy Room’ takes us inside the apartments of twentysomething dudes

In our modern social and political landscape, investigative journalism is more important than ever. The neverending pursuit of the world’s hard truths keep us informed as a public, and those on the ground doing the dirty work deserve our utmost respect. Rachel Coster is one of those individuals—whom you might recognize as the host of Boy Room. 

What is “Boy Room”?

 Well, first off. Take a look at an episode for yourself: 

@boy.room Meet Blake, 28, Buchwick, NY #comedy #funny #series #nyc #tv #messy #apartmenttour #boys ♬ original sound - Boy Room

For those of you wondering “what did I just watch?” 

Boy Room is a show that premiered in early April on TikTok in which Coster takes a look into the bedrooms of New York’s boy-iest boys, ranging from the bland to the cluttered to the downright soul destroying (Blake’s above).

Where did Boy Room come from?

It’s MTV’s Cribs for the post-covid generation. How and (more importantly) why did Coster come up with the concept? She tells Vulture, "When I was dating, I loved going to people’s apartments. After a date, I would always say “yes” if they wanted me to come over, not even because I wanted to bang but because I loved seeing how people live. One time, a guy had a bedside table that was just a cardboard box with a Gatorade on top of it. He was a Republican. But once I started dating my boyfriend, I didn’t get access to that kind of thing anymore so I had to create a whole show."

The whole thing is a production of Gymnasium, the studio behind other social media, NYC-centric shows like Keep the Meter. It’s also run by maybe-subject-of-Olivia-Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” Adam Faze. 

Peeking into real-life apartments

As you watch through the series, you realize that in the annals of journalistic heroes, Coster makes Bob Woodward look like freaking Carrot Top, venturing in countless boy rooms so we don’t have to.

For the smells in “Middle Part’s" place alone, she deserves our utmost allegiance. Give her that Pulitzer now, nerds. 

@boy.room Middle Part, 32, Williamsburg, NY Welcome to Boy Room, the show where we investigate boys rooms. On today’s episode, @Rachel Coster travels to a terrifying crevice of a room to meet “Middle Part.” I don’t really know how else to describe the room.  I’m still scared. a @Gymnasium series  #apartmenttour #nyc #messy #boys #boyroom #comedy #funny #hoarders #newyork #dirty #gymnasium ♬ original sound - Boy Room

Not all of the Boy Rooms are purely messy/smelly/grody however. For Jerome, a young man the formative age of 32 (?!), it’s not what’s in the room, but how it’s in the room. 

@boy.room Jerome, 32, Chinatown, NY Welcome to Boy Room, the show where we investigate boys rooms.  On today’s episode, Rachel Coster travels down to Chinatown where she visits handsome lad Jerome which is also filled with bike parts and a closet that looks like the Eye of Sauron. #apartmenttour #nyc #messy #boys #boyroom #comedy #funny #hoarders #newyork ♬ original sound - Boy Room

Of course, one of the best aspects of Boy Room is, as you might imagine, the comments and reactions from normal-room havers like you and I. 

"He knew he had people over and this is how he had it," explained one TikTok commenter. "Why is it ALWAYS navy sheets?????" exclaimed another.

There’s no telling how long Boy Room plans to truck on, but with the number of both boys, rooms and boys with rooms in and around New York alone, Coster seemingly has a bottomless well of material to choose from.

So, remember, boys: keep those rooms presentable because you never know when you might get a visit from…(*knock knock*) ah crap, she’s here. BRB.

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