'The Quest' Is Just LARP-ing on TV

As a rare example of a fantasy reality show, The Quest, will have many obstacles to overcome in order to remain on the air for multiple seasons. ABC’s newest reality drama, The Quest airs on Thursday nights and hopes to gain the attention of fantasy lovers, which is currently trending, in case you missed the memo. So what is The Quest? The simplest way to describe the show would be a mash-up of Survivor and Game of Thrones. Sounds promising right? 12 people will compete in challenges for the prize of being the ultimate hero of the fake land of “Everealm.” However it seems that's all the winner gets, as there doesn't appear to be a cash prize or any other sort of incentive to win. Executive Producer Michael Williams explains it as, “A scripted fantasy world with unscripted reality contestants.”

Bringing in big names like Mark Ordesky, who was one of the Executive Producers on The Lord of The Rings trilogy, as well as Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster from The Amazing Race, the show carries potential, but I just don’t see it lasting long. The first major problem is that Game of Thrones and Survivor might not have enough common viewers who would to see a show that combines the two. It should be a real struggle to get people interested in a show like this.

Executive Producer Rob Eric, said “You look at Lord of The Rings and it’s kind of a reality show. Elijah Woods has to get the ring to Mordor and throughout that there are quests and challenges that happen along the way. It’s no different. We are putting our Paladin’s [contestants] through quests and challenges to make them a true hero.” I understand that one of the Producers is from LOTR, but as a LOTR super fan, I am a little offended with the comparison. Lord of The Rings is in no way comparable to a reality show, sir. It’s a masterpiece.

Here’s the difference between Lord of The Rings and The Quest: If Frodo doesn’t get to Mordor, EVERYONE DIES. The incentive of saving the human race is there and he has a limited amount of time to get there, putting an enormous amount of stress on viewers. The same goes for The Amazing Race, the adrenaline of beating someone and winning the prize is motivating them to do crazy things, making people want to watch the show. For me, The Quest feels like one giant reality LARP (Live Action Role Playing) game and at the end someone gets a pat on the back. Congrats bro, you saved a fake kingdom, let’s eat some turkey legs and drink mead.

Images: ABC (3)