Escape the Night season 3

Dead after the second season's finale, Joey's soul reaches the world between worlds, where he is offered a way back to the living: a contract binding him to the town of Everlock. Save the town and he returns; fail, and he is lost among the dead forever — and his friends will need to die along the way. Concealing the bargain, Joey sends invitations to nine friends, framing the trip as "an extraordinary adventure," and leads them through a doorway into Everlock, a town trapped in 1978 on the night of its carnival.

Inciting Incident: The town's welcome sours as killer clowns overrun the carnival at the appointed hour — Mayor Janet is thrown from a balcony, and the guests learn that the Carnival Master's summoning ritual is underway. A vital box is stolen from the group, and the trail points to Mortimer.

Eliminated: None — the episode ends on a cliffhanger as the clown leader forces the captured guests to roll the "dice of death," with a life to be taken unless an improbable roll spares one of them.

Rescued from the clowns, the guests learn the season's true objective: the Carnival Master draws his power from eight artifacts hidden throughout Everlock, all of which must be found and cleansed before sunrise, or everyone dies with the town.

Voted into the challenge: JC and Teala — the first vote of the season.

• Each nominee chooses a partner to compete on their behalf while they are bound to spinning wheels; Matthew fights for JC.

Death Challenge: The partners race through the killer clowns' four carnival trials to save their bound players.

Challenge Winner: Teala's side.

Eliminated: JC Caylen (The Hippie) — stabbed by knives thrown by the killer clowns.

Notes: The first artifact is cleansed, and a hidden note plants the season's paranoia: "Not everyone in town is telling the truth."

A flashback shows Cindy, a jilted woman of Everlock, transformed into the Snake Woman. The guests locate the next artifact, the Serpent's Eyes, and its guardian.

Voted into the challenge: Nikita — joining Roi, who earned automatic nomination by toppling the tower in the Serpent's preliminary game.

Death Challenge: The two search the innards of a serpent and race to complete their mosaics to claim its heart.

Challenge Winner: Nikita, who warns the group she is coming for whoever voted her in.

Eliminated: Roi Fabito (The Daredevil) — poisoned and bitten by the Snake Woman.

Notes: The second artifact is cleansed. The guests discover a box containing the Harp of Lazarus — an instrument that can raise the dead — sealed until two brass coins hidden in Everlock are earned through additional tasks.

The guests find the next artifact and face its guardian: Benjamin, the Man with No Name, sent by the Carnival Master.

Voted into the challenge: Rosanna and Teala.

Death Challenge: Each nominee hunts letters of her assigned color to spell out the guardian's true name and retrieve the Blood Gem that cleanses the artifact.

Challenge Winner: Rosanna, who returns with new resolve — "I'm a fighter."

Eliminated: Teala Dunn (The Super Spy) — strangled by Benjamin.

Notes: The third artifact is cleansed, but the group fails the side task at the pump and loses its shot at a Lazarus coin, leaving the resurrection box seemingly locked forever — proof, Joey observes, of how powerful the Carnival Master is.

A flashback introduces the Strong Man, the carnival's brutal champion. Joey's secret begins to unravel as the group presses him about his knowledge of Everlock.

Voted into the challenge: Manny and Matthew — the guardian demands two men.

Death Challenge: The nominees compete to defeat the Strong Man and claim his title, retrieving the holy band of leather that cleanses the artifact.

Challenge Winner: Manny — "the strongest man, full face of makeup."

Eliminated: Matthew Patrick (The Detective) — beaten to death by the Strong Man. His last words urge the group to find the other Lazarus coin.

Notes: The fourth artifact is cleansed, and Safiya secures the first of the two Lazarus coins, restoring hope that a fallen friend might be brought back.

Joey's secret is out: he has been to Everlock before, he died, and if the town is not saved he dies with it. The guests confront the Twin Dolls and their instrument of death, the Maiden of Madness.

Vote (direct-death vote — no challenge): To cleanse the artifact, the group must vote one of their own into the Maiden of Madness. Colleen is chosen.

Eliminated: Colleen Ballinger (The Disco Dancer) — trapped and impaled inside the Maiden of Madness.

Notes: Joey proves himself to the group by recovering the second Lazarus coin, and the Lazarus box is opened at last. The episode ends with the surviving guests weighing who to resurrect — Joey and Nikita exchanging a knowing look — as the harp begins to play. Matthew is brought back from the dead, the first resurrection in the series.

A flashback shows Willy, a failing salesman, remade by the Carnival Master into the funhouse's four-headed caretaker. Entering the funhouse to cleanse the next artifact, the guests are captured; only Safiya and Rosanna escape.

Voted into the challenge: Manny and Nikita — chosen by Safiya and Rosanna, the only guests free to vote.

Death Challenge: The nominees are sent back into the funhouse — but the funhouse plays by different rules. Both competitors are told they will live; instead, the guest who voted for the challenge's winner will die.

Challenge Winner: Nikita.

Eliminated: Safiya Nygaard (The Investigative Reporter) — having voted for Nikita, she is stabbed with a fishhook by Willy. This is the season's only elimination of a guest who was not competing in the challenge.

Notes: The sixth artifact — a light bulb — is cleansed as the group fractures over Nikita's unapologetic self-preservation and Matthew's grief.

With the night nearing its end, three witches curse the guests one by one, and the Wickerman Doll can only be cleansed by breaking the curses laid on three citizens of Everlock — Sam, Maria, and Nolan.

Cursed into the challenge: Joey, Manny, Matthew, and Rosanna — every guest cursed by the witches during the episode, with no vote taken.

Death Challenge: The cursed guests navigate the witches' tangled skein to retrieve the amulet of youth; the last to pass through becomes the witches' sacrifice.

Eliminated: Rosanna Pansino (The Jet-Setter) — stabbed to death by the three witches.

Notes: The seventh artifact is cleansed. "We only have one more artifact left," the guests realize — and only three of the remaining four can escape.

The final artifact is guarded by Lucy, the Carnival Master's daughter, and her Demon Dog. Meanwhile Calliope confronts Mortimer, sensing that something is happening to him — the Psychedelic Swirl has begun to corrupt him.

Voted into the challenge: Manny and Nikita, for the second time.

Death Challenge: The nominees must beat Lucy at her own game: straitjacketed, they hunt a key in a pool of popcorn to free themselves and reach the box holding "salvation" — a pink gun the winner may turn on themselves or their opponent.

Challenge Winner: Nikita, who makes the dark choice and fires.

Eliminated: Manny Mua (The Record Producer) — shot by Nikita.

Notes: All eight artifacts are cleansed. But as the episode closes, the corrupted Mortimer makes his move — and the guests run.

Betrayed: Mortimer, corrupted by the Psychedelic Swirl, uses the cleansed artifacts to free the Carnival Master, who kills him for his service and then kills Calliope.

Endgame: With the Society Against Evil's remaining help, Joey, Matthew, and Nikita turn the artifacts' power against the freed Carnival Master and defeat him, breaking his hold over Everlock as sunrise arrives.

Eliminated: None.

Escaped: Joey Graceffa, Matthew Patrick, and Nikita Dragun — Joey's contract fulfilled, restoring him to life.

Notes: The season closes on a plea from beyond — "Please, we need you. Come save us" — the voices of the dead that set up the fourth season's rescue mission into the Museum of the Dead.