Escape the Night
Escape the Night is an American fantasy horror reality web series hosted by Joey Graceffa that premiered on June 22, 2016 on YouTube Premium.[1][2] The fourth season was released on July 11, 2019.[3] The series is produced by Brian Graden Media.[4] As of September 4, 2019, 40 episodes of Escape the Night have aired, including seven specials, concluding the fourth season. It was the longest running series on YouTube Premium until its cancellation in 2020.[5][6]
Escape the Night | |
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Also known as | Escape The Night with Joey Graceffa |
Genre |
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Created by | Joey Graceffa |
Written by | Adam Lawson |
Directed by | Adam Lawson |
Presented by | Joey Graceffa |
Opening theme | Evil House by George Shaw |
Composer(s) | George Shaw |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English, Irish |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 40 (+7 specials) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
|
Producer(s) |
|
Cinematography | Cypress Sterling |
Editor(s) | Steve Grubel |
Running time | 19–41 Minutes |
Production company(s) | Brian Graden Media |
Distributor | YouTube |
Release | |
Original network | YouTube Premium |
Picture format | 4K (Ultra HD) |
Original release | June 22, 2016 – September 4, 2019 |
External links | |
Official website |
Premise
The series follows The Savant (Joey Graceffa) as he finds himself in an estate in a past era, where he invites a number of guests to a party which requires them to act and dress as various personas from that era. Once there, they are cut off from the outside world, challenged to survive the night and escape the estate. To do this, the guests team up with him to participate in challenges and escape room puzzles, competing with each other to escape from the historical era by solving and completing them. At the end of each episode, two guests are voted into a challenge to compete against each other, where the losing guest is eliminated via a fictional death until one or more guests ultimately win and are sent back to the modern world.
Production
When YouTube Premium launched in October 2015, Graceffa's show was one of ten exclusive original series scheduled to debut in 2016, and was still an untitled project.[7][8] The series was set to be produced by Brian Graden Media, and began filming in a house near Valencia, California.[4][9] Graceffa said that the show was inspired by an episode of television show Lizzie McGuire themed around a murder mystery, and was also closely related to the 1985 film Clue.[10][9] Graden called the show "a hybrid between scripted mystery and reality elimination show".[4]
The series debuted on June 22, 2016, with two episodes going live.[11] The premiere episode had 11.3 million views and 1.1 billion social impressions.[12] The show was renewed for a second season in October 2016, and was scheduled to debut on June 22, 2017.[13][14] In May 2018, Graceffa confirmed there would be a third season, which debuted on June 21, 2018.[15][16] The fourth season, which made it the longest running original series on YouTube, premiered on July 11, 2019.[3] The first episode of season 4 premiered simultaneously at VidCon during a panel conference with Graceffa, and was also available to watch for free on YouTube.[17]
Escape the Night: Escape Room
The Escape the Night: Escape Room was an immersive escape room centered around the fourth season of Escape the Night. The escape room was a limited event exclusively in Beverly Hills, California, that ran from August 9, 2019, to August 27, 2019. The escape room had multiple rooms to venture through, with surprise guest appearances from Graceffa, Jack O'Connor (Mortimer), and Eva Augustina Sinotte (The Sorceress).[18]
Board game and cancellation
In June 2020, Graceffa announced via vlog that due to COVID-19's impact on Hollywood and television, season 5 was suspended, but teased a new interactive fan version. Fans of the show signed up to an email list in order to receive updates about the new project.[19][20] In July 2020, a Kickstarter campaign was started to fund a board game based on the series; its goal of $30,000 was achieved in just 3 hours. It was formally announced the next day.[21]
In June 2020, it was confirmed that YouTube Premium had declined to renew the show for a fifth season, canceling its longest running original series.[5][6]
Cast and characters
- Joey Graceffa as The Savant[12]
Season 1 (1920s)
Guests
Name | Role | Eliminated |
---|---|---|
Eva Gutowski[11] | The Journalist | Winners |
Oli White[11] | The Big Game Hunter | |
Lele Pons[11] | The Hustler | Episode 9 |
Timothy DeLaGhetto[11] | The Mobster | Episode 8 |
Matt Haag[11] | The Professor | Episode 7 |
Sierra Furtado[11] | The Heiress | Episode 6 |
GloZell Green[11] | The Jazz Singer | Episode 4 |
Justine Ezarik[11] | The Gambler | Episode 3 |
Andrea Brooks[11] | The Fixer | Episode 2 |
Shane Dawson[11] | The Renegade | Episode 1 (Scripted/Plant[22]) |
Recurring
- Paul Chirico as Arthur
- Katia Hayes as Sarah
- David Hutchison as Marvin
Season 2 (The Victorian Era)
Guests
Name | Role | Eliminated |
---|---|---|
Andrea Russett[12] | The Mystic | Winners |
Tyler Oakley[12] | The Thespian | |
Alex Wassabi[12] | The Novelist | Episode 9 |
Gabbie Hanna[12] | The Vaudevillian | Episode 7 |
Tana Mongeau[12] | The Saloon Girl | Episode 6 |
Liza Koshy[12] | The Explorer | Episode 5 |
DeStorm Power[12] | The Railroad Tycoon | Episode 4 |
Jesse Wellens[12] | The Outlaw | Episode 3 |
Lauren Riihimaki[12] | The Engineer | Episode 2 |
Recurring
- Lindsay Elston as Alison
- AJ Martin as Jetpack Girl
- Eva Augustina Sinotte as The Sorceress
Season 3 (1978)
Guests
Name | Role | Eliminated |
---|---|---|
Matthew Patrick[23] | The Detective | Winners |
Nikita Dragun[24] | The Troublemaker | |
Manny Mua[25] | The Record Producer | Episode 9 |
Rosanna Pansino[25] | The Jet-Setter | Episode 8 |
Safiya Nygaard[24] | The Investigative Reporter | Episode 7 |
Colleen Ballinger[23] | The Disco Dancer | Episode 6 |
Teala Dunn[24] | The Super Spy | Episode 4 |
Roi Fabito[25] | The Daredevil | Episode 3 |
Jc Caylen[23] | The Hippie | Episode 2 |
Recurring
- Shontae Saldana as Calliope
- Jack O'Connor as Mortimer
- Micah Fitzgerald as The Carnival Master
- Amy Johnston as Jael, a member of the SAE
- Chris Wu as Ryu, a member of the SAE
Season 4: All Stars (1940s)
Guests
Name | Role | Original Season | Eliminated |
---|---|---|---|
Bretman Rock[26] | The Playboy | Season 4 | Winners |
Colleen Ballinger[26] | The Duchess | Season 3 | |
Rosanna Pansino[26] | The Socialite | Season 3 | Episode 9 |
Alex Wassabi[26] | The Aviator | Season 2 | Episode 8 |
Gabbie Hanna[26] | The Hollywood Star | Season 2 | Episode 5 |
Tana Mongeau[26] | The Pin Up Girl | Season 2 | |
DeStorm Power[26] | The Enforcer | Season 2 | Episode 4 |
Timothy DeLaGhetto[26] | The Con Man | Season 1 | Episode 3 |
Justine Ezarik[26] | The Adventurer | Season 1 | Episode 2 |
Recurring
- Nikita Dragun
- Matthew Patrick
- Jack O'Connor as Mortimer
- Eva Augustina Sinotte as The Sorceress
- Shiobann Amisial as The Collector
- Amy Johnston as Jael
- Chris Wu as Ryu
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally released | Specials | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | |||||
1 | 10 | June 22, 2016 | August 17, 2016 | 3 | ||
2 | 10 | June 22, 2017 | August 16, 2017 | 2 | ||
3 | 10 | June 21, 2018 | August 15, 2018 | 2 | ||
4 | 10 | July 11, 2019 | September 4, 2019 | N/A |
Season 1 (2016)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | ||||||||||||
1 | 1 | "An Invitation" | June 22, 2016 | |||||||||
2 | 2 | "The Ungodly Machine" | June 22, 2016 | |||||||||
3 | 3 | "Buried Alive" | June 29, 2016 | |||||||||
4 | 4 | "Mannequins" | July 6, 2016 | |||||||||
5 | 5 | "Freak Show" | July 13, 2016 | |||||||||
6 | 6 | "Did Someone Call For An Exorcist?" | July 20, 2016 | |||||||||
7 | 7 | "Mermaid Tails" | July 27, 2016 | |||||||||
8 | 8 | "All Out War" | August 3, 2016 | |||||||||
9 | 9 | "Wicked Hallucinations" | August 10, 2016 | |||||||||
10 | 10 | "Betrayal At The House On The Hill" | August 17, 2016 | |||||||||
Specials | ||||||||||||
S1 | – | "Mid-Season Recap" | July 20, 2016 | |||||||||
S2 | – | "How To Kill A YouTuber" | August 24, 2016 | |||||||||
S3 | – | "BTS Documentary: The Making of "Escape the Night"" | August 24, 2016 |
Season 2 (2017)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | ||||||||||||
11 | 1 | "The Masquerade Part 1" | June 22, 2017 | |||||||||
12 | 2 | "The Masquerade Part 2" | June 22, 2017 | |||||||||
13 | 3 | "Tangled Web" | June 28, 2017 | |||||||||
14 | 4 | "A Nation Divided" | July 5, 2017 | |||||||||
15 | 5 | "The Gingerbread Woman" | July 12, 2017 | |||||||||
16 | 6 | "Endless Winter Night" | July 19, 2017 | |||||||||
17 | 7 | "Automaton Love Story" | July 26, 2017 | |||||||||
18 | 8 | "Full Moon Slaughter" | August 2, 2017 | |||||||||
19 | 9 | "The Dark Dimension" | August 9, 2017 | |||||||||
20 | 10 | "The Sorceress" | August 16, 2017 | |||||||||
Specials | ||||||||||||
S4 | – | "Monster's Ball" | August 24, 2017 | |||||||||
S5 | – | "Behind the Scenes with Joey Graceffa" | August 30, 2017 |
Season 3 (2018)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | ||||||||||||
21 | 1 | "The Clowns Here Kill Part 1" | June 21, 2018 | |||||||||
22 | 2 | "The Clowns Here Kill Part 2" | June 21, 2018 | |||||||||
23 | 3 | "Venomous Affections" | June 27, 2018 | |||||||||
24 | 4 | "The Man With No Name" | July 4, 2018 | |||||||||
25 | 5 | "Strong Like A Demon" | July 11, 2018 | |||||||||
26 | 6 | "Twin Dolls" | July 18, 2018 | |||||||||
27 | 7 | "Funhouse" | July 25, 2018 | |||||||||
28 | 8 | "Wicked Witches" | August 1, 2018 | |||||||||
29 | 9 | "Control Issues" | August 8, 2018 | |||||||||
30 | 10 | "The Carnival Master" | August 15, 2018 | |||||||||
Specials | ||||||||||||
S6 | – | "Behind the Town" | August 22, 2018 | |||||||||
S7 | – | "Monsters of Everlock" | August 29, 2018 |
Season 4: All Stars (2019)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|
31 | 1 | "The Museum of Death Part 1" | July 11, 2019 |
32 | 2 | "The Museum of Death Part 2" | July 11, 2019 |
33 | 3 | "A Deal With A Demon" | July 17, 2019 |
34 | 4 | "A Wedding To Die For" | July 24, 2019 |
35 | 5 | "Dark Magic and A Twisted Fate" | July 31, 2019 |
36 | 6 | "The Maze of Terror" | August 7, 2019 |
37 | 7 | "Be Careful What You Wish For" | August 14, 2019 |
38 | 8 | "Cursed Treasure" | August 21, 2019 |
39 | 9 | "Prehistoric Evil" | August 28, 2019 |
40 | 10 | "The Collector Returns" | September 4, 2019 |
Elimination charts
Color key:
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Season 1
Guest | Episodes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
Joey | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winners |
Eva | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | |
Oli | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | |
Lele | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | |
Timothy | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | ||
Matt | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | |||
Sierra | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | ||||
GloZell | Safe | Safe | Dead[lower-alpha 1] | ||||||
Justine | Safe | Dead | |||||||
Andrea | Dead | ||||||||
- Joey and Lele were sent into a challenge, and they had to choose which guest would die. They chose to betray GloZell.
- Note: There was an extra guest at the start of the season in the form of "The Renegade", played by Shane Dawson. In the storyline, Shane knew about the evil of the house as a member of the "Society Against Evil" and informed Sarah the maid that he knew what she was doing. As a result, the evil saw Shane as a threat and poisoned him. In order to save him, the other guests had to complete a puzzle task within a time limit. They failed, resulting in his death. Interviews with production staff confirm that even if the group had completed the task in the time limit, he would have been killed anyway by Marvin the groundskeeper when the car exploded later in the episode.[22]
Season 2
Guest | Episodes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
Tyler | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winners |
Andrea | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe[lower-alpha 1] | Safe | |
Joey | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead |
Alex | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | |
Gabbie | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | |||
Tana | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead[lower-alpha 2] | ||||
Liza | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | |||||
DeStorm | Safe | Safe | Dead | ||||||
Jesse | Safe | Dead[lower-alpha 3] | |||||||
Lauren | Dead |
- Everyone had to compete in this challenge, with whoever finished last being the one to die. Andrea ended up finishing last, but a scripted event (Alison's death) revealed it was a non death episode.
- Joey and Andrea were sent into a challenge, and they had to choose which guest would die. They chose Tana.
- Gabbie and Tana were sent into a challenge to rescue either Jesse or DeStorm. They found out that the winner would get to choose whom to save. Gabbie won and chose to save DeStorm, and Jesse was killed.
Season 3
Guest | Episodes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
Joey | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winners |
Matthew | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | Safe[lower-alpha 1] | Safe | Safe | ||
Nikita | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | |
Manny | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | |
Rosanna | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | ||
Safiya | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead[lower-alpha 2] | |||
Colleen | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | ||||
Teala | Safe | Safe | Dead | ||||||
Roi | Safe | Dead | |||||||
Jc | Dead |
- Matthew was beaten to death in episode 5, but was revived by the Harp of Lazarus in episode 7.
- Safiya and Rosanna had to vote two into the challenge. Safiya voted for Nikita, while Rosanna voted for Manny. In a shocking turn of events, the person that voted for the winner of the challenge ended up being killed. Nikita won, and Safiya was fishhooked.
Season 4: All Stars
Guest | Episodes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
Colleen | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | Safe[lower-alpha 1] | Safe | Winners | |
Bretman | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | |
Joey | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Unknown[lower-alpha 2] |
Rosanna | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | |
Alex | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead | ||
Gabbie | Safe | Safe | Safe | Dead[lower-alpha 3] | |||||
Tana | Safe | Safe | Safe | ||||||
DeStorm | Safe | Safe | Dead[lower-alpha 4] | ||||||
Timothy | Safe | Dead | |||||||
Justine | Dead |
- Colleen was crushed by the Minotaur in episode 6, but was revived from the Genie's wish in episode 8.
- In a scripted event setting up Season 5, Joey was attracted to Pandora's Box. He opened it, and was trapped inside.
- Gabbie and Tana were sent into the challenge, and they both had a chance to live if they successfully completed it. However, time ran out before they could complete it, resulting in a double death.
- Alex and DeStorm were sent into the challenge. Alex was losing the challenge, but DeStorm decided to sacrifice himself.
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Streamy Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | Escape the Night | Won | [27] |
Best Costume Design | Olivia Hines | Nominated | |||
2018 | Streamy Awards | Best Costume Design | Olivia Hines | Won | [28] |
Best Ensemble Cast | Escape the Night | Nominated | |||
Show of the Year | Escape the Night | Nominated | |||
Best Comedy Series | Escape the Night | Nominated | |||
Shorty Awards | Best Web Series | Escape the Night | Nominated | [29] | |
2019 | Streamy Awards | Best Unscripted Series | Escape the Night | Won | [30] |
Best Editing | Steve Grubel | Won | |||
Best Ensemble Cast | Escape the Night | Nominated | |||
Show of the Year | Escape the Night | Nominated | |||
Best Costume Design | Olivia Hines | Nominated | |||
See also
References
- Weiss, Geoff (May 5, 2016). "YouTube Teases 'Red' Series From CollegeHumor, The Game Theorists, Joey Graceffa In Latest Trailer". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- "'Escape the Night' star challenges KLG, Hoda: Find your wine!". TODAY.com. July 1, 2016. Archived from the original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- Weiss, Geoff (June 7, 2019). "Joey Graceffa's 'Escape The Night' Teases Season 4, Becoming Longest-Running YouTube Original Ever". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
- Hamedy, Saba (June 21, 2016). "Watch Joey Graceffa bring YouTubers together for 'a dinner party to DIE for'". Mashable. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- Spangler, Todd (June 25, 2020). "YouTube Cancels 'Escape the Night' but Host Joey Graceffa Has Something Else in Store for Fans". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- Hale, James (June 25, 2020). "YouTube Cancels Its Longest-Running Original—Joey Graceffa's 'Escape The Night'". Tubefilter.
- Jarvey, Natalie (October 21, 2015). "YouTube to Launch Subscription Service With Original Series From Fine Brothers, PewDiePie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- Hamedy, Saba (October 21, 2015). "YouTube unveils ad-free subscription service, YouTube Red". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- Longwell, Todd (June 30, 2016). "Joey Graceffa Gets a Clue with YouTube Red's 'Escape the Night'". VideoInk. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- Lear, Samantha (July 6, 2016). "Joey Graceffa on Escape the Night & YouTube Co-Stars: Video". Wetpaint, Inc. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- Agard, Chancellor (June 23, 2016). "Joey Graceffa, Escape the Night cast perform seance in YouTube Red series — exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- Spangler, Todd (May 25, 2017). "YouTube Red's 'Escape the Night' With Joey Graceffa Season 2 Adds Tyler Oakley, Liza Koshy, Other Digital Stars to Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- Weiss, Geoff (May 25, 2017). "Liza Koshy, Tyler Oakley, Jesse Wellens To Star In Season 2 Of YouTube Red's 'Escape The Night'". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- Lawrence, Derek (May 24, 2017). "Joey Graceffa's 'Escape the Night 2' Cast Is Revealed — See Which YouTube Stars Are in the Sequel". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- Weiss, Geoff (May 24, 2018). "Joey Graceffa's 'Escape the Night' Returning to YouTube Premium for Season Three". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- "Escape the Night Official Twitter". Twitter. May 29, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 12, 2019). "YouTube Fantasy Competition Series 'Escape The Night' To Return For Fourth Season". Deadline.
- "Escape the Night – Escape Room". Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Graceffa, Joey (June 23, 2020). "I Have Bad News & Good News..." Youtube.
- "Escape the Night". Joey Graceffa. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- Graceffa, Joey. "The Truth". Youtube.
- "Stay Doomed Podcast 23:24". Podbean.
- "Colleen Ballinger among final cast revealed for 'Escape the Night' season 3". EW.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- "Joey Graceffa reveals three of the YouTube stars joining him for 'Escape the Night' season 3". EW.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- "Joey Graceffa's 'Escape the Night' season 3: Guava Juice, Manny Mua, and Rosanna Pansino join cast". EW.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 12, 2019). "YouTube Fantasy Competition Series 'Escape The Night' To Return For Fourth Season". Deadline. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- Robinson, Will (October 4, 2016). "Streamy Awards 2016: Full winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- Schaffstall, Katherine (October 22, 2018). "Streamy Awards 2018: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 16, 2018). "Shorty Awards Nominees: Tiffany Haddish, Lena Waithe Among Those Recognized For Social Media Excellence". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- "Streamy Awards 2019: The Complete Winners List". Variety. December 13, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.