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Welcome to An Encyclopedia of Escape the Night Ships! For those of you who are new to the Escape the Night shipping world, we know that things can get a bit confusing. Never fear! L, R, and T are here to break down all the ships from all three seasons. From the super-popular ones with oodles of fanfic about them, to the tiny crack ships that almost no one knows about, we've got you covered!A few reminders:1. The entire encyclopedia is in alphabetical order, as most encyclopedias tend to be. Ships are sorted by last name...specifically, the last name of the person in the ship whose name is closest to the beginning of the alphabet. For instance, Eva Gutowski/Oli White will be sorted based on Eva's last name, so it will be somewhere in the Gs. (For Alex and Manny, we will use the last names Wassabi and Mua respectively. Yes, they have real last names, but it's just easier this way.)2. Each ship is its own chapter. This will leave us with a very long encyclopedia.3. Each chapter will feature about three paragraphs' worth of commentary about the ship, one from each of our three authors. We try to be as positive as possible, even if we don't actually ship the thing. After all, we just want to inform everyone what the options are. We don't want to colour your opinions.4. This encyclopedia will not be spoiler-free! If you haven't seen all three seasons of Escape the Night, please watch them before you read this. They are on YouTube Premium. If you do not have YouTube Premium and don't want to use a shady streaming site, L has written novelizations of s1 and s2 (and is currently in the process of doing the same for s3), so you can just read those instead. (Shameless self-promo is shameless.)5. If we somehow end up forgetting a ship, please let us know, and we'll go back and add it later.Thank you, and we hope you enjoy our Encyclopedia of Escape the Night Ships!
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Characters involved: Alison (s2) and Andrea Russett (s2).Known ship name(s): Andrison, Aldrea.L's thoughts: First of all, I've noticed that Andrea Russett has been shipped with almost every (named) female vampire. Maybe it's her smell. At any rate, this lesser-known ship is far less problematic than its infamous Andrea/Vera counterpart. Alison's role as the group's protector didn't really allow her to form close relationships with the individual guests, but you gotta admit, there was a bond between her and our dear Mystic. Alison helped Andrea prepare to face the vampires in s2 ep 2, Andrea spoke kindly of Alison on a few occasions, and, of course, in s2 ep 8, Alison died so that Andrea could live. Without Alison's sacrifice, Andrea would not have been the s2 female survivor. There might not even have been a s2 female survivor! I certainly see the appeal of this one, and honestly, it's a bit underrated. Even without the potential angst factor, it would be cute to see the otherwise stoic Alison fall in love with a mysterious but good-natured girl like Andrea. I'd like to see this pairing get some more love.R's thoughts: I kind of forgot this was a ship, but yeah, thumbs up from Birdy. As I see it, it's based around the fact that Alison gave her own life for the group, but she directly saved Andrea in her actions. The possible "I would die for you" and "I will live in your honour" dynamic is actually quite adorable wow this book is off to a great start I'm gonna be even shippier by the end of this. Also, what is it with Andrea R being shipped with non-guest characters? Oh boy. Anyway, final opinions, I forgot this existed but actually the idea and scenario it's based off does make this a cute ship. Birdy seal of approval :DT's thoughts:
This one is often overshadowed by the
far
more popular Andrea R/Vera, but at least it's a lot purer! I love the idea of this - if you watch carefully, there are
plenty
of little moments between the two to build up a ship. Of course, the biggest one is the whole Alison-dying-instead-of-Andrea thing, which was
the
noblest death in the entire season, and I'd be surprised if season
four managed to get any nobler. I really like this ship, and as
said before, it's well built up if you watch and listen carefully. In conclusion, this is
definitely
a
great
ship to start off the encyclopedia! It's got a thumbs up from me!Summary in three sentences: Protective vampire princess grows close to human girl. She then proceeds to die for her. It could be really angsty, obviously, but it could also be really cute.
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Characters involved: Colleen Ballinger (s3) and Jc Caylen (s3).Known ship name(s): Jcolleen (I know, that's dumb, but it's the best we can think of).L's thoughts: I honestly didn't even know this was a ship until I wrote my Spin the Bottle fic. You learn something new every day, I guess. But the more I think about it, the more I think that it could work. What do we know about Jc's character in Escape the Night? Not much, considering that he was the first to die in s3 (thanks, vegan hot dogs, for ruining everything), but we do know that he was an intelligent, level-headed individual who tried to stay cool about everything. By contrast, Colleen was energetic, passionate, and ruled by her emotions. It's an "opposites attract" situation here. They even interacted a few times in canon, mostly in s3 ep 2, where Colleen was incredibly impressed by Jc's puzzle-solving skills. Then, when he died, she lamented his death in a confessional, calling him "one of the best players we had all day." The seeds of a ship are present. It's a shame that Jc died so early on, and not just because he was so useful. I would've loved to see more interactions between these two. Oh, well. Them's the breaks.R's thoughts:
As L mentioned, I didn't actually realise this was a thing until STB, but I can still see it somehow working. On one hand you have Colleen, who's not afraid to express exactly what she's thinking and honestly is just a very emotional person. Then, we have Jc, who's the highest degree of chill and can solve equations without batting an eyelash. They're two opposites, but I still think they could go well together. As for in the show, Colleen was one of the people we saw who fully realised Jc's potential and showed visable shock at his death. These two would be able to push each other, Colleen getting him to actually loosen up and not be pure monotone all the time, and Jc reeling her back in when she's about to rant and tell someone exactly what she thinks of them. I think of it more as a platonic thing, but I can genuinely see the appeal of this one. Also Colleen yelling enthusiastically while Jc just stands there like nothing is happening just chill as ever. They contrast while complimenting each other’s traits at the same time. Another Bird seal of approval!
T's thoughts:
Not one that immediately jumps out at you, but a good'un none the less! L's right, the seeds are there, but it's one, like the last one, that you gotta watch for. But it does make sense when you think about it - both in Team Disco, both have standout personalities, both are 0 and 100 on the chill scale, both died of piercing wounds, yadda yadda. Also, Colleen did seem genuinely upset when he died, as L pointed out. Personally, I see this as a more platonic ship, but it still works as romantic. Overall, a very good ship.Summary in three sentences: A chill boy and a girl with no chill whatsoever. Recipe for romance? I'm putting this down as a solid "maybe."
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Characters involved: Colleen Ballinger (s3) and Roi Fabito (s3).Known ship name(s): Roileen.L's thoughts: Oh, look. Another ship between Colleen and a boy whose character potential never made it out of the starting gate. In this case, the boy in question is Roi, a human ball of energy who only wanted to keep everyone safe. Colleen, too, wanted to protect everyone, but while Roi did it by shielding his friends from monsters and taking blocks for people, Colleen did it by going after the person she saw as responsible for their plight. (See Colleen Ballinger/Joey Graceffa.) Roi and Colleen struck up an interesting friendship in canon. They were stuck in an RV together in s3 ep 1 (along with Joey), and they worked together to get out of it. Later, in s3 ep 2, Colleen chose Roi as an ally, and in s3 ep 3, Roi protected Colleen from the Snake Woman (and got bitten because of it). These Team Panties compadres could work out as a couple. Now, if only Colleen would learn Roi's real name and stop calling him "Guava" all the time...R's thoughts:
Oh boy my two favourite POVs to write, here we go. So, the main drive behind this ship is likely the whole "RV Buddies" thing, and don't get me wrong, even if I ship both of them with other people, I still find this pairing oddly adorable. Take the idea that Roi survives longer than he did, I feel like their relationship would likely evolve to the point that they're very protective of each other, having each other's backs. (*cough*shameless plug to A Hero and His Maiden I'm very sorry*cough*) They're two bundles of energy who want the best for their friends and even though Roi is more likely to do that through protection (Such as; Roi literally pushed Colleen out of the way of the snake woman, which caused him to be bitten), Colleen will be upfront and face the problem (Such as; Colleen in ep 5&6 @ Joey, mainly the 'Liar' argument), which makes for a nice dynamic between them. I'd very much put this in the category of "Partners in Crime" ship because oh boy imagine that excitable chaos, either way, close platonic or possibly romantic, it's another Birdy seal of approval from me.T's thoughts: The first ship involving my hero son! Happy days! Well, let's start off with the obvious - both members of Team Panties! It's obvious that they work well together - I think they'd make a wonderful couple (even though I see it as a more platonic relationship, but this is a romantic ship review, I gotta do my job up in here). I wonder if Roi would've sided with Colleen or Joey when the feud came - or even healed the rift, and made Team Panties whole again? I'm getting off track. Anyway, this is a really good ship, with plenty of evidence in the three episodes they have together.
Summary in three sentences: Team Panties, without the Savant. They both want to protect their friends. Maybe they can protect their friends together.
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Characters involved: Colleen Ballinger (s3) and Joey Graceffa (protagonist).Known ship name(s): Joleen.L's thoughts: Well, well, well. If it isn't Joleen. This one is very minor, and not a lot of people ship it, mainly because, a) Joey is directly responsible for Colleen's horrible death, and b) to borrow a quote from Joey, guess what! He's gay! Those who ship it are mostly confined to the YouTube comments section, and even then, they are rare. But since we are obligated to cover all the ships, we might as well go ahead and cover this one too. They started out well, working together to escape the RV along with Roi (hooray for Team Panties!) in s3 ep 2, and joining forces as teammates on Team Badass Bitch in s3 ep 4. They even shared a group hug with the Sass Squad! Sadly, it was all downhill from there. You know the story: he acted shady, she called him a liar, she tried to kill him, he turned everyone against her, and then she died in the Maiden of Madness. What a happy ending! But all sarcasm aside, this one just makes me sad. It's a shame that such a promising friendship ended the way it did, especially when you consider the fact that they were friends for a long time before this. On the bright side, I believe that Colleen's death changed Joey, and from then on, he began his path to redemption. That's probably not very much comfort for her, but you gotta take your optimism where you can find it!
R's thoughts: Well. This is one the ship I don't really have much to say one for, y'know, a couple of small reasons... One, Joey is *breaks out the pride flags* very much gay and two *waves flags at the Maiden of Madness* y e a h. But, let's rewind, back to the start. Here we have two close friends, they worked together on the RV with Roi (eyy the two Team Panties ships have now been covered!) And escaped. Time went on and they were in a hunting party together, okay, things still going well enough. Now we get to the box of dramatic fireworks that is the infamous "liar" argument from episode five. Colleen C A M E for Joey, holding back literally nothing, trying her best to tear him to shreds. This was the point this ship went somewhat off the rails into "wait what?" land, mainly because Joey they proceeded to basically send her to her death but ANYWAY. This had a somewhat promising beginning, but the undoing of this friendship is far more known about than the friendship itself. Alas, perhaps it could've turned out differently maybe? Maybe if Joey hadn't invited all his friends to D I E-
T's thoughts:
Joleen, Joleen, Joleen Jo-lEEEEEEEEeeenn. Right. Now that I've got that out of my system, this one is
undeniably
sad. Honestly, if you just focus on the drama between these two, season three is still an entire plotline and it still breaks your heart. From freeing each other to the Maiden of Madness, these two have such a strong connection (for better or for worse) that it's hard not to see some kind of ship (though mainly platonic in my opinion, because, *jumping down from kitchen counter in green spandex* JOEY’S GAY.). The ending of this iconic pairing is, and always will be, one of the most poignant and terrible endings in the show.
Summary in three sentences: What was once a beautiful friendship ended in a painful way. It still depresses everyone. I’m gonna go cry now.
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Characters involved: Colleen Ballinger (s3) and Mortimer (s3).Known ship name(s): Colltimer, Mortleen.L's thoughts: This one falls into the category of "Kinda-Sorta Canon, But Not Really." This is because it is canonically confirmed that Colleen had feelings for Mortimer, starting in s3 ep 2, when she was like "He rescued me! And everyone else, but mostly me." You could say that there was an odd little love triangle going on between Colleen, Mortimer, and Nikita (see Nikita Dragun/Mortimer for more information on that part). It all culminated in s3 ep 6, when a hopeless Colleen not only flirted with Mortimer, but straight-up offered to sleep with him. Interestingly enough, Mortimer seemed perfectly willing to have some We're Gonna Die Anyway sex with our Disco Dancer...well, until Joey kindly reminded everyone that they still had a bunch of artifacts left to cleanse. (Maybe it would've been better for Colleen if they had banged. At least she would've had a nice experience before everything went into the toilet for her.) Could these two have worked out in the long run? Well, they were both pretty, vivacious, protective, and outgoing, so...maybe. That's the sad thing about Escape the Night. Oftentimes, possibilities are forced to remain possibilities.R's thoughts:
Okay, I'm gonna be straight up right now. Writing this I'm not sure what to say, but I'll try my best. Moments: Like L said, you
can pick up on moments that do at least show Colleen's side of the attraction, and then oh boy episode six... Where things kick off. Honestly this entire ship could probably be based on that one "heyyyyy ;)" interaction alone. S O in conclusion, we do have here a ship that could have possibly happened in the ETN universe, k'know if the whole d e a t h thing didn't get in the way- and I say that in relation to the point L made above, also y'know in a single world Colleen has a wonderful partner we're not encouraging cheating I swear. All in all though, you know what, if you ship in then go ahead, why not, thumbs up.T's thoughts:
Ah yes, that really random one that popped out of nowhere and lasted about 2 minutes, if that. Yeah, this one never really made sense to me, I was all about that Nikita/Mortimer, but now I'm wOkE for Mortipe. Anyway, whilst there is foreshadowing leading up to the very sudden climax (no innuendo intended), it still strikes me as sort of out of the blue? But it's still quite an interesting ship!
Summary in three sentences: Girl meets boy. Girl crushes on boy, then tries to sleep with him. Love, hormones, and hopelessness make people do strange things.
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Characters involved: Colleen Ballinger (s3) and Safiya Nygaard (s3).Known ship name(s): Safleen.L's thoughts: I blame R for this. Her little afterlife story (which is very good, by the way, so go check it out) established Safleen as a viable alternative to the wildly popular Rofiya. (See Safiya Nygaard/Rosanna Pansino.) In canon, these gals didn't actually interact all that much. There was that one time in s3 ep 5 when they looked at the Lazarus box together, but honestly, the real shipping material came after Colleen's death in s3 ep 6. As the group departed the Maiden's room, Safiya looked back at the thing they had all just used to murder their friend, and the look on her face was the picture of "My God, What Have I Done?" She was one of the most affected by the incident, and it could be argued that it shaped her character for the rest of her (short) time on the show. Also, what this ship lacks in shared screen time, they make up for in potential chemistry. The thought of Colleen, a fun-loving party girl, falling for studious, serious Safiya is quite interesting. Really, this is R's area of expertise, so I'll let her go into more detail about why they work, but I'll just sum up my thoughts on Safleen with this: if you're not into Rofiya but still want to ship Saf with a girl, here's your answer.R's thoughts:
OH LOOK IT'S MY BIAS OOP :D here we go oh boy be prepared for me to basically take this as me explaining why I adore this pairing, and I'll mostly be referring to the Afterlife AU in TOLycL & AA, though these comments could probably be applied to other AUs etc, anYWAY, here I go! (Once again, this is super biased on my part I apologise oop) So, my other oops this happened ship, Safleen. For me, this is another that's mainly based of support (See Teala Dunn/Roi Fabito for my other "What have I done?? This apparently" fangirling of a ship explanation), except these are two both strong-willed characters who only really showed their weaknesses a couple times. Colleen visibly snapped around the end of ep 5 (During the "Liar" argument with Joey), but really lost her shit
at her death, and we can literally see her breaking down right there on screen in the moments before her cruel demise. Safiya, on the other hand (once again, this is how I see it) was bottling up her emotions right up until her death, where they stayed bottled up and then got released in the afterlife in the form of just well, utter panic and sobbing (Safiya I just want to apologise for that, I love you I swear). Mainly, Colleen can relate to what Safiya is going through, and sees that she needs help and someone to talk to, even if she won't admit it. Colleen is also persistent enough to give Safiya that help, and will stick with her when things get particularly bad, Colleen proTECC. Honestly they can just cry with each other and know that they won't be judged because hey we're both dying inside so let's let this out here because I trust you. Plus I mean that one look from Saf back at the maiden is damn heart breaking to me, like I will quote (And have quoted at least a dozen times to my friends) that look as the exact moment when Safiya started her slow spiral of a bottle up emotional roller-coaster to her death and I will stand by that point fight me- I should write that- anYWAY. More than just a seal of approval from this Birdy, this is my shit I stg I will probably adore and write this along with Roila until my dying days oh boy.T's thoughts:
Actually can i just...wOW oKaY. These guys have left me with like,
no
points to cover, so this is going to be r e p e t
i
t
i
v e. Yeah, there really isn't much evidence for this until Colleen dies, because of the
look
(tm) and Safiya's spiral of regret leading up to
her
death (fun times all round!). Still, it's a very good ship, well-explored in fanfics and the like.Summary in three sentences:
Outgoing Disco Dancer and introverted Investigative Reporter. One's death contributed to the other's spiral into guilt. Not much canon interaction, but there's honestly a lot of potential here.
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Characters involved: Colleen Ballinger (s3) and Rosanna Pansino (s3).Known ship name(s): Colsanna, Roleen.
L's thoughts: I've mostly only ever seen this ship when Safiya is involved (geez, all the ladies want what Safiya's cooking, I guess). But it is an adorable little pairing in its own right. First of all, they were friends before the show, and that's a fact that not a lot of people tend to appreciate. They have a history. Second of all, Colleen clearly had a soft spot for Ro, and Ro respected Colleen as a friend. They, along with Matt, created the antidote to save Roi in s3 ep 3, they arm wrestled in s3 ep 5, and Ro cried when she voted for Colleen in s3 ep 6. I feel like they'd be a cute pair, since Colleen's extrovertedness is a decent match for Ro's adorable sweetness. I could see it working out.
R's thoughts:
IT'S THE SEASON MOMS. Oh boy bless these two. Now, back behind this ship likely comes from it being the third side to the Rosanna/Safiya/Colleen shipping triangle (See also Colleen Ballinger/Safiya Nygaard and Safiya Nygaard/Rosanna Pansino) (Also I'm using that term from now on and you can't stop me), but there are some cute moments to this ship. Firstly, they did seem to get along quite well, they worked well together in the drugstore creating that antidote, "I'm the weakest person that I know so I snag up Ro so I think I might have a chance of beating her" *later* "That cute little muffin is strong she
crushed
me!" (no hard feelings, bless them), Ro fully breaking down over just
voting
for Colleen. Oh boy, it's actually precious. Two mom friends having to look after their squad because some of them can't look after themselves, chaos and hilarity ensues. Birdy seal of approval with added potential floof (any ship with Ro has floof, it's a legal requirement). Also, did I mention Ro called Colleen at like 2am from a bathtub to apologise for voting for her? WELL NOW I DID.T's thoughts:
I really enjoyed these two's small interactions, especially in the drug store as they tried to rescue Roi, that was really good! Two s o f t girls (who both
love Safiya) sound pretty good to me! They mightn't be the most popular of ships, but they're a good match in my books. I don't remember them having much shared screen time, but from what there is, they work pretty well together, and are both pretty protective of their friends. Overall rating? Very good!
Summary in three sentences: Energetic Disco Dancer and sweet little muffin of a Jet Setter. They had a few minor moments. Sweet, but underrated.
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Characters involved: Colleen Ballinger (s3) and Matthew "MatPat" Patrick (s3).Known ship name(s): Mattleen, ColPat.
L's thoughts: This is the last of the Colleen ships, and it is also the first occurrence of a little phenomenon that I like to call "Everybody Loves MatPat." Pretty much every s3 character has a reason to be shipped with our Detective, as you will soon see. But anyway, Colleen and Matt had two major Bonding Moments in canon. The first is in s3 ep 3, where they (along with Rosanna) went to the drugstore and created the antidote for Roi. (Honestly, the Matt-Colleen-Ro trio is very underrated.) The second moment is, well, pretty much all of s3 ep 5. First, Matt and Colleen spent the majority of the pre-challenge task together (this time, they were accompanied by Nikita instead of Ro, but still). Then, after Colleen ragged on Joey for lying, Matt openly took her side, remarking on Joey's shady behavior and calling him out for being "willing to trade nine lives for yours." Finally, in the aftermath of Matt's death, Colleen practically gave up, since she saw Matt as their last hope for survival. Both characters were intelligent and emotional, and both of them shared a healthy amount of skepticism, so I could see this pair happening. Then again, this is Matt we're talking about. He goes well with everyone. (See Matthew "MatPat" Patrick/literally anyone else.)
R's thoughts: Oh look its the episode five "Death-To-Joey" duo :D There's isn't much to say that L hasn't already covered, these two get along pretty well when you take the time to notice, and Colleen never seems to doubt Matt's sheer brilliance. Plus, she was the one who mainly voiced the whole "okay so we're screwed" idea at the start of episode six, and I'd say even more vocal about it than Ro. Colleen lost a lot of hope after Matt's death and honestly I'd say she was running on bitterness and pure grit most of that episode. Overall, I'd give this pairing a Birdy-you-do-you-I-mean-it-kinda-works-when-you-think-about-it seal of sure-go-ahead. Though, you can't deny, these two would make one hell of a debate team.
T's thoughts: Ah yes. The end of the Colleen-Flirts-With-Everything-In-A-10-Mile-Radius saga, and the beginning of the Literally-Everyone-Loves-MatPat-aND-WHY-WOulDn't-THEY?! chronicles. Otherwise known as the death-to-Joey pairing, this is very, very underrated - I quite enjoy this ship, why should they not team up to murder Joey and rescue everyone? Hmmm? Anyway, almost every episode (up to and including episode 6) they have some sort of interaction, the most notable being the aforementioned Pharmacy Incident and the DeaTH-To-tHE-iDiot plotting. Overall, I really enjoy this ship! It's very good!
Summary in three sentences: Two smart but emotional people who had some issues with the host. She fell apart after his death. It's a shame she didn't live long enough to see him come back.
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Characters involved: Andrea Brooks (s1) and Justine Ezarik (s1). Known ship name(s): Andristine.
L's thoughts: Andristine is a bit of a crack ship, but it does have some basis in canon...even if that basis is mostly a negative one. In s1 ep 2, our sweet little cinnamon roll Andrea Brooks had her pick of partners. She could've chosen anyone to save her. Why did she choose Justine, of all people? Well, if you ship Andristine, you could say that Andrea had a crush on Justine and wanted a Rescue Romance. Alas, it didn't work out that way. Once Andrea was dead, Justine proceeded to tell the group that maybe she needed to go, but this always struck me as an emotional outburst born of anger and guilt. She clearly regretted her actions later, to the point where she was a total wreck throughout almost all of s3 ep 3. This, of course, eventually led to her terrible, tragic death. While the pairing isn't something to be considered at first glance, it's a decent ship, especially for fluffy AUs and tragic canon fics. Plus, it gives you someone to pair Andrea B off with if you ship her BFF with someone else. (See any and all ships involving Timothy DeLaGhetto.)
R's thoughts: Kicking off the season one ships with this little rarepair, huh? First things first, I know this has been addressed but Justine's outburst, in my opinion, was driven by guilt and fear, that just manifested itself as anger. Now, you could take this to be her frustration and fear of being killed next coming out wrong, or just her being angry that she's being accused of "killing" Andrea, but either way, this pair might not be as impossible as you think. If you're a fan of this, I'd really recommend The Beginnings Of The Ended by Unoriginal_Username, which shows how this pair could actually work in an aftermath situation where Andrea forgives Justine and they manage to help each other along in the good ol' afterlife. Overall though, this does have potential to be a p cute ship, so a thumbs up for this lil pair from me.
T's thoughts: An odd ship, in my opinion, because Justine failed to save Andrea. Not that it was her fault, anyone would've failed in the face of Eva, but her seeming lack of remorse afterwards is strange. Yes, she was bluffing and trying to defend herself, but if she was in luUuUuuUurve, she'd be devastated and self-destructive at that moment. The ship, however, would explain why Andrea picked Justine - she'd trust her with her life, right? Well she trusted too easily oOPS. Overall this ship is very enjoyable, even though it's easy to pick holes in it, and even though it's far from my favourite, I like it!
Summary in three sentences: A cinnamon roll trusted a ditzy (but good-hearted) blonde to save her. It ended in tears. They could've been cute if things were different.
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Characters involved: Andrea Brooks (s1) and Timothy DeLaGhetto (s1).Known ship name(s): Timdrea.
L's thoughts: Screentime-wise, Timothy and Andrea had next to no real scenes together (mostly because the poor girl got offed in s1 ep 2), but despite that, their friendship was completely undeniable. They had known each other for ages before that fateful night. Their roles of Mobster and Fixer complimented each other (a friend of mine describes it as "he kills people, she covers it up"). They worked together (along with Justine and Sierra) in a (failed) effort to decode the riddle in the book. If you watch the first two eps closely, you will see many scenes where she is instinctively standing next to him, especially in group shots. But, of course, their storyline really kicked into gear when Andrea was voted into the Ungodly Machine in s1 ep 2. Andrea chose Justine as her partner, and the camera immediately cut to Timothy in a confessional, expressing his doubts about Justine and his worry about Andrea. Then, of course, Andrea died, and a grieving Timothy blamed Justine for his BFF's demise. In s1 ep 3, not only did he orchestrate Justine's awful fate, but he also (and this is true) didn't crack a single joke for the entire episode (unless you count the "eye for an eye" bit in the confessionals.) Honestly, as it is, Timdrea could be considered to be a platonic version of Laurex. Their storylines are eerily similar. But even putting aside that parallel, this ship is adorable, and I honestly wish they'd had more time.
R's thoughts:
Eyy! This is personally my favourite ship for both of these characters. Though, looking back on the season, it's one of those ones that despite not having much air time, did have an impact on the show. You might not understand what I mean, but think about it. Justine died because she failed to save Andrea, and the others ganged up on her. Who was the leader of that whole scheme? Timothy "You let my friend die Justine" DeLaGhetto. Andrea's death set Tim on a self-made mission to avenge her, and oh boy, avenge her he did. (Plus their lil friendship moments in some of the behind the scenes clips are adorable.) Birdy seal of approval from me!
T's thoughts: Bittersweet buddies! I loved these two's interaction in episodes one and two (before Andrea's untimely, far too early, no good death. I mean, I preferred Lele when I first watched it but that doesn't mean andREa DesErVEd iT! I love how in almost every group shot featuring the two of them, they stood together! It's amazing, and perfect for shipping! And the intense, murderous rage he felt after her death was... sweet? Not sweet, but you know what I mean. Overall, a wonderful, amazing ship that I adore - even if I think it works better as platonic, because I'm a sUCKER for close, overprotective friends, it works very very well as a romantic ship! I love it!
Summary in three sentences: Two outlaws who were separated too soon. He pulled out all the stops to avenge her. If only Escape the Night wasn't so cruel.
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Characters involved: Andrea Brooks (s1) and Matthew Haag (s1). Known ship name(s): Mandrea, Mattdrea.
L's thoughts: Today's pairing is another seemingly random one, but don't change that channel yet! Let me explain! Matt Haag and Andrea Brooks (otherwise known as "the Matt and Andrea who didn't survive") had pretty much no scenes together in canon, partly because Andrea wasn't around long enough to make friends with anyone besides Timothy (who was already her BFF anyway). But this ship still could work, because they share two major similarities. One, they're both buddies with Timothy. Two, they're both at least somewhat socially awkward; she bumbled her way through an explanation of her role, while he spent his first few minutes of screentime clumsily asking everyone for mints. Where does a charismatic guy like Timothy keep finding these dorks? Lord only knows. But at any rate, it would be cute to put the two of them together, and Andrea's sweetness would go nicely with Matt's well-meaning (if sometimes confrontational) nature. Also, in s1 ep 2, Matt expressed hope that Andrea would survive the Ungodly Machine. Yes, this was mainly because he wanted Lele's head on a stick, but it's the thought that counts, right?
R's thoughts: When Leah first mentioned this to me my reaction was just "what? How? Why?" and then when she introduced it as "Tim's two awkward friends," I realised how cute that'd actually be. Since these two hardly e v e r interact in cannon- I don't even know if they did other than when the whole group was present- this ship is one that is almost purely based in headcannon, one which takes general things we know about them and ideas of how those traits work together. For a start, they're both seen as close friends of Tim (in the show at least) and one's seen as soft spoken, while the other just doesn't really seem like a people person (makes enemy within the first fifteen minutes, and then basically gets ganged up on by everyone). Though, with some other traits they share in common, these two main ones- "slightly awkward people who are good friends of Tim"- could result it many headcannons of cute moments between the two, one of which being Tim trying to pair his friends up. Overall, I honestly find this pairing p darn cute, so a thumbs up from me.
T's thoughts: You know what? I feel like this ship would work the best in an AU where the party was actually a party and no one dies, due to the lack of interaction in canon. Imagine the scene: Tim's laughing and chatting to two awkward dorks who probably each think the other is p cute, and it's very sweet. He ends up setting them up on a date, and its awkward but cuUUuuUuuTttTtEeEe. That's one of the few scenarios I can see this ship working, because otherwise, the following are an issue: A) Andrea dies too soon for her to interact with Matt, like, at all, and B) with Andrea's death so early, and both Matt and Andrea being incredibly awkward and often coming off as shy, they would not have had the courage to speak to one another. However, in the scenario(s) where it does work, it's a very cute ship, that I kinda like and Tim would definitely adore!
Summary in three sentences: Timothy DeLaGhetto's two closest friends, both of whom happened to be awkward dorks. Sadly, they had zero canon time. It could work, though.
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Characters involved: Andrea Brooks (s1) and Oli White (s1). Known ship name(s): Oldrea.
L's thoughts: Again, these guys barely interacted in canon. They only shared one scene, in s1 ep 1, in which Oli talked to Andrea about his imaginary hunting trip, followed by Andrea calling his outfit "cute" in a confessional. But I have some friends who enjoy this pairing anyway, most likely for the sweetness factor of a cinnamon roll ship. Plus, if Andrea thought his outfit was cute, maybe she thought that the rest of him was cute as well? Oli is a cutie. Well, sadly, Andrea got offed two episodes in, so I guess we'll never know. (This seems to be a reoccurring tragedy for most of the Andrea B ships we've covered.)
R's thoughts: Firstly, I'm fairly sure the moment that this stems from is Andrea's line of "I'm a vegetarian, but I'll let it slide 'cause his outfit's cute" after Oli talks about his recent hunting trip (totally in character, of course, everything hadn't gone to hell by then) and after that my mind... kinda of hits a blank. So onto my usual tactic of taking similar traits. Mainly, they're both cinnamon rolls, and why they don't interact much at all during the episodes they're in together, being two cuties could lend to an interesting dynamic between them. Overall, I don't have much of an opinion on this XD But if you ship it I'm in no way against you, each to their own.
T's thoughts: Well, I wouldn't call this the most common of ships, but I will call it the OG Cinnamon Roll Ship! Okay, so there's barely any evidence, almost nothing, actually, for this ship, apart from the aforementioned "I'm a vegetarian, but I'll let it slide because his outfit's cute!" moment. Their characters seemed quite different, especially looks-wise; stood together, they look like polar opposites - Oli's tall, and well-built, and Andrea's smaller and slimmer - Oli's wearing light colours, and Andrea's all in various shades of black. But you know what they say - opposites attract! Anyway, this ship could be cute, if it was given enough time to develop into an actual ship instead of just what it is now, a basic concept. Final judgement? It's alright, but not evident enough for me to form a strong opinion of it.
Summary in three sentences: All aboard the S.S. S1 Cinnamon Roll! They only had one scene together, but that scene did feature her calling his outfit cute. I would've liked to have seen more of their dynamic.
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Characters involved: Calliope (s3) and Mortimer (s3).Known ship name(s): Mortipe.L's thoughts: Oh, these two! The third season of Escape the Night gave us a pair of absolutely awesome helpers: the hot-headed but good-hearted Mortimer Wilson, and Calliope, the mysterious badass with a secret soft side. Of course, these two helpers got to work as a little helper team, and the more I saw of them, the more I loved them. I think they had a real hot-and-cold dynamic. Mortimer was intrigued by Calliope from the moment they were thrown into the situation together, and Calliope begrudgingly accepted his help, then came to truly care for the guy upon seeing what a good man he really was. Also, there's that "forbidden" element, since this romance features the town's outcast and the mayor's son (especially since said mayor openly disparaged Calliope in front of everyone). Sure, Mortimer flirted with a lot of girls, but his connection to Calliope was very genuine, and I feel like it could've developed into something more if not for Escape the Night doing what it always does. Seriously, can't one helper survive this cursed show?!?R's thoughts:
*cracks knuckles* oh boy here we go. As one of the few pairs in this book that doesn't include a YouTuber (Possibly until a later season, that is) I can safely say that I ship this with reckless abandon and that if the ship ever sinks I'm going down with it. For a start, on their first proper interaction after saving the guests, he is totally flirting with her (and you can fight me on that) and by the fact she calls him "pretty boy" in return kind of makes me believe that feeling isn't exactly one-sided. During most of the episode, unless they're not helping separate teams, they're together (cuties). When Mortimer gets possessed goddamnit Mortimer) you can clearly see the panic and concern in Calliope's eyes right after she pulls him back. Bonus for the part where she just goes straight into "okay screw this" revenge mode when he dies, attacking the Carnival Master even when she probably knows that it's unlikely to work but oH BOY SHE'S GONNA TRY. Overall this is one of my favourite ships and it does have a pretty substantial amount of evidence behind it, along with not much to go against it (they seem to get along pretty well, etc.) so a solid Birdy seal of approval from me! Sail on Mortipe, Sail on.T's thoughts:
Hoooo
boy!
I
love
me some good ol' Mortipe! Mortimer is
clearly
a flirty little bastard, and there are multiple times in the show where Calliope either a) sort of flirts back, or b) gets angry when something happens to her partner in crime - in the scene just before their collective deaths, she
pleads
with him not to betray the group and release the CM - and, when he does, shes
horrified,
and it's his death that spurs her into attacking the CM. Overall, I
love
this ship, and I
will
go down with it! 10/10!Summary in three sentences: He was a boy hotheaded warrior whose mom was the mayor. She was a girl mysterious, coolheaded outcast. Can I make it any more obvious?
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Characters involved: Jc Caylen (s3) and Teala Dunn (s3).Known ship name(s): Jceala.L's thoughts: So here are two characters who we barely got to know, and who also happened to face off against each other in a challenge. (Challenges, as you will soon see, are prime shipping fodder.) While Teala was a nervous wreck who was known for getting antsy, Jc was chill and cool, unwilling to let things bother him. Naturally, she admired his brain, as well as the way he kept his head, and she (along with everyone else not named Matthew Patrick) was absolutely shocked when he was selected for the first s3 death challenge. Then, she got voted in along with him, and any relationship they might've had was promptly put to rest by the clowns' knives. Oh, well. There's always fanfic. Then again, that's what we say for pretty much every ship, since almost all of them ended horribly.R's thoughts:
The first pair in the shipping triangle that is Early Dead Squad, and what some people might consider the most unlikely one, but hey, it's in the book. In canon, Teala was one of the people praising Jc's smarts when he solved the puzzle in ep 2, but since the guy lasted two episodes, there aren't many moments other than that for these two. This is where character dynamics come in. Teala's nerves could easily be balanced out by Jc's natural chill-ness, and in situations where she was being ganged up on he could calmly step into to defend her, and help calm her down afterwards. Overall, as much as I adore the other EDS ship with this gal, I do find this pairing to be quite cute, so a thumbs up from me.T's thoughts: AyYYYyyy eArly DeAD sQuAD sHIP! Y'all should know by this point I love the Early Dead Squad and putting them through endless angst and suffering oOPS.can see the evidence for, as long as you watch through that lense, if that makes sense. I mean, Teala seems upset that Jc's going into the challenge, and horrified at his death - but, then again, its the first death and everything's scary now aaaAAA. But the problem with this ship is that neither of them are alive long enough to get enough development with each other! Its still kinda cute though. Overall? Yeah, I like it!Summary in three sentences: Chill boy and nervous girl. They didn't even get a chance to get off the ground. Maybe, if they'd been given the chance, they could've had something.
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Characters involved:
Jc Caylen (s3) and Roi Fabito (s3).Known ship name(s):
Joi.
L's thoughts: Here is another study in contrasts: Jc, the chill boy who rarely showed emotions beyond a "hey it's cool" vibe, and Roi, who tended to wear his heart on his sleeve. Since they were the first and second person to die in s3, they got no time to interact in canon, but R's story The One Life You Can't Live shows some pretty heartwarming interactions between them. In fact, our boys pretty much got the afterlife to themselves until Teala showed up. Again, I really like the idea of this. Not only is it cute, but the relationship between these guys (whether platonic or romantic) could've helped them bring out the best in each other.
R's thoughts: And here we have another side of the Early Dead Squad shipping Triangle- Joi! Even their name is happy and that's how you can tell Roi's here tbh. If Colleen and Jc seem like opposites, then this is one step up. There's not much of this in canon (apart from Colleen going to them as allies during the first voting and they had a lil chat) so gu ESS W HA T TI M E IT I S ???? Personality time! For polar opposites these two would probably compliment each other pretty well, Roi dragging Jc around to do all the random-but-pretty-fun things he'd never do otherwise, and Jc reeling Roi back in before he gets a little too reckless. Overall, I do think this is another small ship that'd be hella cute, but alas, the show had other ideas. Thumbs up from the bird!
T's thoughts: Well, first off, that ship name is pure perfection and i lOVe it! As for the ship itself, the downfall is, once again, the loose basis in canon. Once again, its due to Jc's early death, but in fanon it's much more prevalent - even though thats not what this book is really about. But yeah, I think their personalities would compliment each other quite well - opposites attract, after all! They'd balance each other out - Jc being the calmest one, and Roi being the most energetic. Over all? I quite like this ship!
Summary in three sentences: One's chill, and the other's a ball of energy. They'd be cool contrasts to each other. Nothing in canon, but hey, there's always fanfic.
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Characters involved:
Jc Caylen (s3) and Matthew "MatPat" Patrick (s3).Known ship name(s):
JPat.
L's thoughts: This ship is a lot like Andristine, only without the revenge. One voted for the other, then was tasked with saving him, then failed. The difference here is that no one attacked Matt for it afterwards. And why should they? Matt, with his "I failed him," was the picture of heartbroken regret. One can't help but wonder what might've happened had our beloved Detective been a little bit quicker with those damn hot dogs. Would they have gotten along? I think they would've. Both boys are smart, levelheaded, and logical, although Jc's chillness is a contrast to Matt's more emotional tendencies. Heck, in a blink-and-you'll-miss it moment, Jc even helped Matt win Blanche! If nothing else, they can bond over the stuffed horse!
R's thoughts:
Well, for starters, these two are arguably the smartest two guys this season, even if Jc only got to prove himself once. The real kicker for this ship is what broke it apart. These two were never in a team together, so neither ever saw what the other could do. While word (end general knowledge) of Matt's brilliance got around, since Jc naturally flies under the radar, Matt picked him. This single vote led to Jc landing in the challenge, and as mentioned, due to Matt being considered by everyone as a front runner, he chose a Matt as his partner (WHAT A TWIST!!!). Matt, despite being the reason for Jc's peril (and arguably this make him even more determined), gave his all into saving him. Though we know how this ends, and sadly, Matt was unable to save Jc, but oh boy did he feel terrible about it. A tragic end for these two, hopefully Jc was chill enough to forgive him from beyond the grave. Thumbs up from Birdy!
T's thoughts: Hoooo boy, this one is just a bucketload of angst, isn't it? Matt voted for Jc, and then was tasked with saving his life - which of course, him being Matt, he threw himself into. And the intense agony we get from him when he fails, how absolutely broken and confused and so so guilty he feels for "letting" Jc die is so so obvious - from his deafeated posture to the way his voice is completely different from normal in the following confessional. So yeah this ship has some basis in canon, even though the whole "voting in" thing kinda shakes it up a little. But overall? Very good, very angsty, very neat!
Summary in three sentences: A pair of smart boys. Unfortunately, one couldn't save the other. Curse you, vegan hot dogs!
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Characters involved:
Shane Dawson (s1) and Joey Graceffa (protagonist).Known ship name(s):
Shoey.
L's thoughts: Really, the only reason why this is being included in the ship guide at all is because this is one of the few ships that was a ship before Escape the Night was a twinkle in Joey's eye. Don't believe me? Look it up. Shane and Joey's collabs had people shipping them long before either of them came out. It's died down quite a bit since both of them found other people, of course, but it's still out there. Now, on to the show...where there's really not a lot to talk about. Poor Shane got offed in the very first episode of s1 for knowing too much, and his death was Joey's introduction to a never-ending spiral of despair. They say that the first cut is the deepest, and really, that's all there is to it.
R's thoughts:
well, well, well. Technically, these two are where the show began. Joey, the origin of it all, and Shane, the first ever victim. Since the latter literally lasted less than one episode (wow, a record) there isn't much to go off for these two. I feel like most of this comes from
outside
the fandom (which honestly doesn't help with this review oop). During Shane's death, or rather the start of it, Joey seems to be one of the only ones who's genuinely concernedfor Shane's health, and he's horrified when the guy eventually dies. There's isn't much to say that hasn't been covered, but in the end, Shane is the pulled pin that set this whole shebang off, so maybe he and Joey are linked past what we see on the show. Hopefully we'll get to see a little bit of this in season four, whether it's all-stars or just trying to save some friends.T's thoughts: Now, in my opinion, Shoey isn't a very easy ship to ship, based purely on the show, because Shane manages to die in the very first episode, not giving him enough time to interact with, well, anyone before his untimely and preventable demise. I mean, you could maybe take the fact that Shane was invited to the party as a shipping hint? But, then again, you could say that about Joey x Literally Anyone Who's Been On EtN. If the s4 revival stuff actually happens, maybe we'll get more Shoey content then, but for now? For now, I think that overall this is a very flimsy ship. I mean, ship it if you want, but you'd be hard-pressed to find EtN content that actually has Shoey hints in it.
Summary in three sentences: The protagonist and the first to go. One's death kicked it all off for the other. Never really got the chance to shine.
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Characters involved:
Shane Dawson (s1) and Eva Gutowski (s1).Known ship name(s):
Sheva.
L's thoughts: If anything could be called the "original EtN ship," it's these two. They were the first ones to actually have a shippy moment! Right on the very first EtN episode ever, they had a Not-So-Excellent Adventure where they went exploring upstairs, only to discover a dead body and a murderous maid. Heck, while they were doing this, the others were speculating about where they were, and several of them thought that they were making out. They weren't making out, but Shane was protective of Eva when they were faced with the maid, and Eva was incredibly scared for Shane's life when he started choking on his own blood. Unfortunately, we don't know where their relationship could've gone, since Shane did not survive the episode, but it was nice while it lasted.
R's thoughts: Oh boy- another ship right back from the very beginning. Not only were these two the first pair to split from the rest of the group, but the first two guests to discover that something wasn't quite right... Just from this shared moment alone it's easy to see why people ship them, and they did seem to get along together pretty well. Eva was also very concerned about Shane's early death, possibly fearing that she'd end up taking their discovered secret to the grave along with him. I wonder if she ever did tell someone what she saw...
T's thoughts: Shane/Eva, huh? Well, I'd like to give this a medal for being possibly the first hinted ship in all of EtN! Well done, Sheva! But yeah, y'all know where this one stems from - Shane and Eva did the stupid horror movie cliche of wandering off to do a Scooby Doo and investigate, which led to Shane's death. The evidence for this ship is pretty good - Shane picked Eva to wander off with, they were kinda????? flirting?? or at least it could be construed that way?? for a bit, and she was Very Extremely Quite A Bit Concerned when he was, you know, dying. So yeah, given more time this could have been great - with what we have to work with, overall, I'd call it good!
Summary in three sentences: The original EtN ship. Sadly cut short by Shane's untimely death. It had potential, though.
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Characters involved:
Justine Ezarik
(s1) and Timothy DeLaGhetto (s1).Known ship name(s):
Timostine.
L's thoughts: Yes, this is actually a ship. Yes, I've seen it. Basically, from what I understand, it's similar to Male (see Matt Haag/Lele Pons) in that it takes two characters who hated each other's guts and has them secretly be doing it all because of Sexual Tension or something. I don't know. At any rate, they had one nice interaction, when they were playing cards with GloZell in s1 ep 1. But after that, it was a lot of "You let my friend die!" and "I'm voting you into a coffin!" So if you want to ship that, go ahead, but you can see why it isn't very popular.
R's thoughts:
Oh boy I completely forgot this was a ship. Another one that is more of a love/hate-focusing-on-hate ship. These two have an interesting relationship, that went downhill around episode two. Oops. Andrea's death was technically the spark of this tumble, as Tim thought that Justine deliberately let Andrea die, as he suspected Justine was one of the reasons she was in there in the first place. This wasn't helped by Justine's outburst against Andrea and well... we knows how this story ends. But maybe if someone other than the two of them had ended up in the maiden they could've come to some kind of peace in the aftermath... I guess we'll never know.
T's thoughts: I'm not gonna lie, this is like, the Least Possible Ship - Mele at least has the whole "I hate you so much I love you" thing going on, but this? n o . Almost all of their shared interactions are Timothy trying to get her killed as revenge for her not saving Andrea, which isn't really all that ~lovey dovey~, if you ask me. Also, Timothy was easily the least disgusted at her horrific death, telling Joey that the death of Joey's bEST FRIEND was "worth it" when they get the artifact. So overall? This is, in my opinion, really not a good ship, and I Would Not Recommend.
Summary in three sentences: He blamed her for her friend's death. He then got her killed. What a romance, am I right?
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Characters involved:
Timothy DeLaGhetto (s1) and Sierra Furtado (s1).Known ship name(s):
Tierra, Timerra.
L's thoughts: I've always had a soft spot for this ship, to the point of hinting at it a little in my s1 novel (then again, I've hinted at a lot of ships over the years, because I can't help myself). Their interactions technically began in the first episode, when they (along with Justine and Andrea B) worked together to not solve the book riddle, but it wasn't until s1 ep 4 that things really kicked off between them. He asked her to go with him to explore the car, mainly because he thought that it could be a possible escape route and he didn't want to check it out alone, and also he thought she was cute. She went with him, and they had a Great Car Adventure that resulted in them finding the mannequin they needed. Then, in s1 ep 5, he tried to flirt with her a bit, even asking for a kiss, but she at that point had written him off as creepy and campaigned to get him killed in the circus challenge. However, interestingly enough, their relationship seemed to have repaired somewhat in s1 ep 6; they got along well, she grabbed his hand at one point when she was scared, and she voted for Matt instead of him. Then she died, and he was noticeably quieter than normal afterwards. A friend of mine once said that their dynamic reminded her of Han and Leia from Star Wars—one's a charming scoundrel, the other's a princess/heiress, and their romantic tension includes a lot of bickering. The end result is awesome. So in conclusion, this pairing is great! I honestly think it's quite shippable.R's thoughts:
Tierra!
To me, this one works fairly well in two main ways. One, in the show, there are some canon moments between them that some other ships don't have, for a start, Sierra was the first person Tim went to when he spotted the car, a possible method of escape, and out of everyone (even his buddy Matt) it was Sierra he chose for his possible escape partner (because he trust her, "and she's kinda cute")- and even if Sierra vocalized her skepticism of Tim's plan, she still went with him, rather than sticking with the rest of the group. In my opinion- they actually worked pretty well, even leading for even more flirting in the next episode. (even if Sierra says she thinks Tim's somewhat creepy, Sierra also radiates a certain level of tsundere sooooooooooooooo). On the other hand, it also works with their roles: Mobster attempting to charm the Heiress of a rich company and somewhat succeeding?? sign me up tbh.T's thoughts: Ah yes! Another ship with a fitting name- this one sounds like "tiara" and both of the people involved wear tiaras - if you count Tim's hat as a tiara, which I personally do. But yes, the ship that had a hilarious contrast between each perspective- Sierra thought something slightly dodgy was going on, but Tim just didn't want to be alone in a horror show (which is fair enough). Apart from that whole shebang, there's not that much for this ship? Personally, I think its kinda cute, but overrall I think Tim inviting her to a car with a hostage mannequin was not all that ~romantic~, if you ask me, and whilst nothing bad happened, Sierra might've been better off not going with him. But, yeah, in the right context, its pretty cute!Summary in three sentences:
Pretty but prim rich girl meets charismatic bad boy. There's a lot of trust and mistrust at the same time, but they work well together. You could call it Mele-lite.