Escape the Night is coming back.

After SIX years, — that’s right, six whole years — Joey Graceffa’s hit horror show, Escape the Night, is returning for a new installment. A Mini-Series called Escape the Night: The Lost Tapes.

As a long-time fan of the show during its original running, I absolutely loved entering into the twisted world that Joey and his team cooked up. And it was mostly unscripted when it came to the contestants, which made things all the more fun.

For those of you who do not know, Escape the Night is a horror-based escape room themed game show, created by youtube star/author/actor Joey Graceffa, that features popular Youtube creators going through tasks, challenges, and eliminations in order to ESCAPE THE NIGHT! The show ran on youtube for three regular seasons and one season that served as an All Stars twist that brought back several familiar faces from seasons past.

This new mini-series is a bit of a departure from the original show. But after watching the trailer and looking into things, there’s a good reason for that. And it seems like the success and future of the show is in the hands of fans like me and anyone who happens to also enjoy ETN.

Here are some observations/facts about this new iteration of the show.

• Fewer Episodes, smaller cast.
  Escape The Night: Lost Tapes sports the smallest cast of content creators. Joey Graceffa, reprising his role as the Savant. Four returning cast members: Rosanna Pansino as the Fitness Instructor, Manny MUA as the Jock, Tana Mongeau as the Prom Queen, and Nikita Dragun as the Glam Rocker. And one new cast member, Jojo Siwa as the Burnout.
  
  Joey has explained that this season is possible thanks to the support of the fans of the show. If you backed the Indiegogo campaign, I LOVE YOU. THANK YOU! But yeah, I have to assume that the budget meant that there was not a lot of wiggle room when it came to certain aspects, like the tasks, the monsters, the effects. Everything in the trailer looks pretty on par with the other seasons, so I think that it still will have the same great quality.
  
• If we want more Escape the Night, WE NEED TO BACK THIS PROJECT SERIOUSLY. Watch the series. Rewatch the series. Reconnect with people you know who used to watch the series. There is so much you can doto support this project.
  
• The release date: November 27th, 2025.
  Knowing me, I scheduled this post to go up to the day of the show’s release.
  
• The story!
  Lost Tapes sees Joey trapped and cycling through different scenarios. Now the thing about this season though, is that the continuity is different. Or at least… it looks different. Previous dead contestants appear alive in their homes, checking out these video tapes. I am curious as to how that’s explained plot wise. Joey, bless that poor man’s heart, is trapped inside Pandora’s Box from the end of All Stars. Has been for six years. What in the world is happening like OMG.

When it comes to the cast, and the trailer, I have thoughts obviously. Impressions if you will. Maybe predictions But, I will only be discussing how I think the characters will be. I am maybe familiar with two of these content creators outside of this show (three if you count Joey) so I can only speak to their experience on prior seasons/general vibes.

SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS SEASONS.

Joey – Joey’s the easiest. He’s the host. The main man. He’s pretty much always got the plot armor. Even when he dies, it’s not permanent. Or it hasn’t been. Joey is a phenomenal actor. Whatever arc The Savant is on this season, Joey is going to knock it out of the park. As a character, I do not trust him. He’s hidden information from his friends, lured them to locations from which some did not return, and behaved in a shady manner. That being said, if this Joey and the Joey from the last four seasons are not connected, I still see him surviving or carrying the plot forward to another season. ALSO I LOVE HIS NEW HAIRCUT.

Tana – Tana’s character has always been super likeable to me. She’s underrated. People don’t expect her to be as big a help as she is. She seems to really be into the puzzles and hunts of it all, and her energy on screen is just something else entirely. A cast member that was taken way too early from both seasons she was in. With this show it is very easy to tell when someone is having fun, and Tana definitely enjoys herself. I mean, come on. This is her third season. Sadly, there’s not a lot of her in the trailer. And while that doesn’t mean definite death… It’s not looking good for The Prom Queen.

Jojo – Jojo Siwa is the only new face this season. She’s been the source of a lot of controversy lately. But as a character, there’s an easy way to know how she’ll do. She’s a survivor of a big reality series that she was in since she was a kid. She is loud and has a lot of personality that will make her stand out, even amongst all these other strong characters. I also, from the trailer see her not surviving this season. She does have a bit more screentime than Tana, but half of it is either her in chains or her being dragged off-screen.

Rosanna – Rosanna is easily my favorite character to come out of this show, and the person I am most excited for in this cast (beside maybe one other player.) She’s such a source of good vibes. The heroic type like Mat and Safiya from her season. She has, in the past, had the most controversial eliminations from the show, always making it so close to the end. This and her overall character have easily made her a fan favorite. This is also her third season of ETN. (Both of the Three-Time players are more good-aligned. I am SO scared.) I am going to choose to ignore the sensation of dread I got from a certain trailer scene and guess that Rosanna Pansino will finally ESCAPE THE NIGHT. COME ON. SHE’S MORE THAN EARNED IT!!!!!!

Nikita – Nikita Dragun is THE mean girl that survives the whole movie. She’s only been a player in ONE season of escape the night. (She returned to have a supporting role in All Stars.) She entered Season Three and displayed such blunt ruthlessness. It was wild. Up to that point we’d only seen villain arcs like that from Glozell and Destorm Power. And those two were quickly dispatched. Nikita not only got the crown, she stepped over bodies to get the crown. As a character, I love her. I hate her. I love to hate her. I hate to love her. I hope she brings this energy back to this season. Her fate this season is a tossup. She has major final girl energy. Obviously. But there’s a certain MUA with a possible grudge. I can see Nikita getting her first “L” this season. I hope not. Honestly. I know it’s a stretch, but I am rooting for both her, Ro, and Manny to survive. Let me live in my delusion!

Manny – Manny MUA was fucking robbed. I meant it when I said Nikita had to step over bodies. He was also a messy villain on season 3. But I loved him, because he was such a fun character to watch. He won the strong man competition against MATPAT. The muscles on the man with the pretty face are out of this world, like oh my god. In the end of his only season before this, he got murdilated by his best friend in the game. (All hail the queen.) Manny is the only person I am sure about when it comes to a winner this season. I may be devastated when the show comes out. But I believe wholeheartedly. This man lost to one person, and one person alone. Nikita Dragun. He’s physically and mentally one of the toughest players in the show’s history, and one of the best to never win (yet.)

Yeah! These are my thoughts on the new season and the cast. I will definitely be watching this show… probably as you’re reading this post. If you are interested, or are a fan of the series, it should be out on Tubi as of right now. That’s Escape The Night: The Lost Tapes. On Tubi. Here’s to another season! Let’s make it happen!

I wonder if the voting will be the same? Like with six people, the format might have to like change completely right? Is the focus to not get grabbed by the monsters? Are they on time limits? Gosh, so many questions…