The Quest premiered on ABC last night after being delayed from it’s planned winter launch. This was probably a smart move, as I don’t know how a competition reality show would compete against the ultimate competition reality series, The Olympics. In any case, the twist of The Quest is that show takes place in a fantasy narrative environment. The contestants are transported from the “real world” into the fantasy world of Everealm. Instead of a host, the show features actors who play citizens of this new world and introduce challenges.
The show begins with a brief introduction explaining that the realm is not real. At first I thought this was silly; did they expect me to believe the world filled with orcs and magic to be real? Upon further recollection, it was probably a smart move to admit that the world is real, otherwise everyone would just seem silly.
The show begins in our world, where 12 contestants are summoned to go underground, into a river, and transported into another world. The contestants remain from our world with their families and jobs back home. This helps the show from being completely bizarre with a bunch of people pretending to be someone they are not. While the show borders on live-action role-playing, the contestant are always playing themselves. Following an introduction to the world, which included being chased by ogres and being locked in a dungeon, the first challenge commenced. The twelve contestants were divided into teams of 3. The goal was to shoot arrows from a crossbow and hit targets that were over a fence. One member of the team was on a lookout that could see above the fence and directed the other two team members on how to adjust their aim. The team that lost the challenge was eligible for “banishment.” The winning team, selected the member that showed the most leadership, and she was awarded a pendant. It is unclear what benefit that award may have.
All of the contestants are summoned before “the fates.” While they are three women, they look nothing like the ones from Disney’s Hercules. The losing team competes in another challenge. The team member that wins the second challenge also becomes safe. The remaining contestants then get to vote between the two remaining contestants on who they want to save. The contestant with the fewest votes, is banished.
I’ll be honest, I thought I was going to hate this show. Last year, ABC premiered Whodunnit, another fantasy realty show where contestants tried to solve the murder of one of their own. That show suffered because everyone seemed stupid for acting like someone actually got murdered. The Quest benefits from everyone acknowledging it is a game. While they take the game seriously and play along with the actors, they understand that they are playing a game and trying to win.
I also enjoy that, so far, the show has a more positive vibe than other similar shows. They work as teams, and there is no back-stabbing or politics. They vote to save, not vote to expel which helps create a positive spin on the whole process. I hope the “drama” stays to a minimum so they can focus on the fantasy story the show is supposed to be telling.
One interesting note is that the full mythology was developed by Haxan Films, whose Blair Witch Project just celebrated 15 years the day before The Quest’s premiere. At one point Haxan Films was based at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios), as the principals behind the production company were graduates of the University of Central Florida Film Program.
I don’t know if The Quest will catch on. For many that may be interested, Thursday night is movie night during the summer. The constant Guardians of the Galaxy promos that aired during the broadcast reminded me that most people are probably out watching that film. I don’t know if VOD, DVR, WATCHABC viewership will make up for the poor choice in timeslot.
All that being said, I give the show 3 out of 5 dragons. I don’t know that I will keep up with the show, but there are far worse programs in the reality genre. I am also kind of interested in seeing how the story plays out. That being said, I will probably spend my summer entertainment time elsewhere.