The Quest (2014 TV series)


The Quest is a fantasy-based reality competition series that aired on the U.S. network ABC that premiered on Thursday, July 31, 2014, at 8:00 p.m. EST. Filmed on a castle estate outside Vienna, Austria, contestants face a variety of fantasy-themed challenges in the fictional kingdom of "Everealm." The show ran for a single season on broadcast television, and a revival version has been announced to be broadcast on the Disney+ streaming service.

Format

Twelve people compete in a reality competition that takes place against the backdrop of a high fantasy setting, the kingdom of Everealm. While the ongoing storyline is scripted and the contestants are interacting with actors throughout the competition, the actual challenges and eliminations are genuine and determined by the contestants' abilities and decisions.
In each episode, the contestants compete in a challenge related to events in the storyline. The winning Paladin receives a "mark" of a virtue corresponding to the challenge; it is a medal that the Paladin wears, however, this medal doesn't save them from elimination. A predetermined number of losing Paladins are subjected to a subsequent challenge, and the winner of that challenge remains safe from elimination. The remaining Paladins, including the winner of the Fates' Challenge, decide which of the losing Paladins should be banished; the Paladins deliberate as a group and then each publicly stands behind the Paladin he or she wishes to save from banishment. The Paladin with the least support is banished.

Location

The series was filmed on location in Austria, for the most part at Burg Kreuzenstein, just north of Vienna. The Quest was developed by a production team who had produced The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Amazing Race and Queer Eye. The local service company was Gebhardt Service Productions. Arie Bohrer of Location Austria of The National Film Commission of Austria, said that the location was very film-friendly and had a huge courtyard which lent itself to set construction. The castle was closed to the public for a month and the furniture was moved out and replaced with props. Location Austria grants funding subsidies for scripted film and television productions but The Quest was not eligible as reality shows are largely extemporary.

Plot

Everealm is a magical land of twelve peacefully coexisting kingdoms that is periodically menaced by a dark power known as Verlox, who first appeared a thousand years ago. Each time Verlox appears, the three Fates summon twelve Paladins, heroes from our world who are transported to Everealm. Each receives one piece of a mystical weapon called the Sunspear. The Paladins are tested by the Fates until one True Hero remains. The True Hero is destined to use the Sunspear to defeat Verlox.

Season 1 ('''ABC">American Broadcasting Company">ABC)'''

Each Paladin receives a scroll, proclaiming that he or she is a Paladin, beckoned to save Everealm from Verlox. The Paladins gather underground at a passageway between realities; there, the Fates explain the quest. The Paladins are sent into Everealm to find the pieces of the Sunspear and to meet their guide, Crio, a follower of the Fates who is also Royal Steward of Castle Saenctum, the stronghold of the only kingdom still resisting Verlox. The Paladins are welcomed by Queen Ralia XXIII and are trained by Sir Ansgar, who initially doubts the Paladins' worth but eventually comes to respect them. However, the Grand Vizier seems hostile to the Paladins.

Season 2 ([Disney+])

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Paladins

Season 1

Season 2

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Performers

Uncredited performers

Season 1 (2014)

Season 2 (2021)

Game summary

Season 1

Sir Ansgar's challenge results

A bold placement indicates the Paladin who received the Mark, either by placing first or being chosen by and between the winning team

An italicized placement indicates the Paladin placed in the bottom group of Sir Ansgar's challenge and, as a result, faced the Fates' challenge

Fates' challenge and voting results

The vote was tied between Patrick and Lina. As holder of the Mark, Andrew was to break the tie; he chose to save Lina, banishing Patrick.

Legend:

Marks

These badges are pinned on a Paladin who achieves the best performance during each of Sir Ansgar's challenges, either by placing 1st or being selected by and between the winning team. Each Mark represents a different Kingdom and the values they represent.
  1. Mark of Leadership - Awarded to Bonnie by her team for being the "eyes" of the winning team during the scorpion challenge.
  2. Mark of Dexterity – Awarded to Shondo for earning the most points during the horsemanship challenge.
  3. Mark of Wisdom - Awarded to Andrew for completing the potion making challenge and saving the Queen.
  4. Mark of Strategy – Awarded to Leticia for defeating Andrew and Shondo in the finals of the battle dome challenge.
  5. Mark of Ingenuity - Awarded to Lina by her team for being the smallest member of the winning team in the barricade challenge.
  6. Mark of Observation – Awarded to Lina for being the first Paladin to return with a Fire Orb during the retrieval challenge.
  7. Mark of Intelligence - Awarded to Patrick by his team for both being the "eyes" and strategically rotating tasks during the flag signals challenge.
  8. Mark of Bravery – Awarded to Andrew for being the first Paladin to reassemble his ratchet system and then use it to close one of the dragon's gates during the dragon trapping challenge.
  9. Mark of Strength - Awarded to Andrew for being the first Paladin to break out of the Rana's cage.

    Season 2

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Reception

The show's debut was met with generally positive reviews.
Lily Sparks of Gawker praised the show saying, "The Quest is vicarious wish fulfillment, and one of its greatest joys is witnessing the sheer unadulterated happiness on the contestant's faces. I have never seen people enjoy their time on reality TV so much, ever, and I love it." Whoopi Goldberg of The View posted on Facebook, "I love this show!"
Andy Dehnart of Reality Blurred compared the show favorably to its grand predecessor, Survivor, saying, "Watching Survivor for the first time was an experience that inspired awe, its high quality and rich storytelling creating a new world that drew from familiar elements. That’s how The Quest feels, and it builds in a similar way, with the context and contestants continually offering epic surprises." Geoff Berkshire of Variety commended the show for taking a risk and setting itself apart from other reality television and called it "An epic adventure."
The series made numerous "Must Watch" lists including Entertainment Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, Parade Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, The Huffington Post, TV Guide.
A Facebook group, known as "The Quest Army" was created by founder David Patterson as a community for discussing episodes, narratives, and topics raised by the show. In addition, he also created an online petition at change.org, calling for a renewal of the show to Robert Mills of the American Broadcasting Company.

Revival

Disney announced in January 2020 that a revived version of The Quest will be produced for its Disney+ streaming service, with van Munster and Doganieri as showrunners. van Munster had pitched the revival to Disney after they had announced plans for the streaming service. The new version will be filmed again at Burg Kreuzenstein and will have the same type of narrative/reality game structure, but will feature primarily teenaged contestants, as van Munster stated the original show's broadcast had attracted a high teen demographic.