The Quest (2022 TV series)

Bold indicates a Paladin who was awarded a talisman for an outstanding performance in the challenge.

Talismans

1. Talisman of Courage - Awarded to David
2. Talisman of Speed - Awarded to Caden
3. Talisman of Strength - Awarded to David
4. Talisman of Initiative - Awarded to Shaan
5. Talisman of Wisdom - Awarded to Ava
6. Talisman of Resilience - Awarded to Serean
7. Talisman of Leadership - Awarded to Holden
8. Talisman of Knowledge - Awarded to Ava
9. Talisman of Ambition - Awarded to David
10. Talisman of Kindness - Awarded to Toshani and Myra
11. Talisman of Intelligence - Awarded to Serean
12. Talisman of Friendship - Awarded to Holden

Grouped based on the number of talismans accumulated, the Paladins selected a single member from each group to participate in the trial for the Kingstone. With the most talismans, David was the first Paladin selected. With 2 talismans apiece; Ava, Serean, and Holden were in the second group; from which Holden was selected. From the remaining Paladins, Toshani was chosen. In the trial, Holden was the first Paladin to complete the trial, and was the one to retrieve the Kingstone, proving himself the One True Hero.

Several reviewers praised The Quest for its high production values for a reality TV show—with good effects and production design, dedicated performances by the actors, and ambitious scriptwriting—such that the show felt more like a regular scripted fantasy drama than a reality TV show.^[10][11][12] Reality TV blogger Andy Dehnart writes, "The show provides attention to details that few reality TV shows are even aware of, and there are plenty of scripted shows on broadcast and cable with weaker acting and writing."^[12] The actors were complimented on both their handling of the scripted material, as well as their apparent improvisational skills when dealing with the teenaged players.^[11][12][10] The enthusiastic, positive, and collaborative attitudes of the players was commended as a refreshing change of pace for a reality series, and wholesome for the intended young adult fiction audience.^[13] Denhart gave the series a "B" letter grade,^[12] Joel Keller for Decider gave The Quest a favorable "stream it" recommendation,^[11] and Tony Betti of Laughing Place gave it a score of 7 out of 10.^[13]

While praising the scripted fantasy aspect of the show, a number of reviewers expressed disappointment at the limited attention drawn to the players, with the little opportunity to distinguish them or explore their individual stories—which was attributed to the shift away from a reality TV presentation style.^[11][12] Regarding the omission of confessionals, Keller notes, "Without the benefit of side interviews, it’s hard to know exactly what these kids are thinking."^[11] Multiple reviewers remarked on being unable to name most of the players after watching the initial episodes.^[11][12] The reviewers posited that the quality of the scripted fantasy aspect of the show worked to the detriment of the players on the reality TV side of the show, with Denhart stating, "The Quest’s storytelling and production are so thoroughly immersive, it nearly entirely swallows the contestants, making them more like props than main characters."^[12]

From a scripted sci-fi/fantasy perspective, Nelson Acosta of Fiction Horizon called The Quest "a TV series that is trying to be two things at the same time," and deemed the series a failure on nearly every level from conception to execution—criticizing the believability of the players' behavior as "clearly directed," the acting as "pretty bad overall," and the story as "so incredibly generic that it is laughable." Acosta argued that having the entire season available to view all at once eliminates any suspense to a reality competition, and attributed the decision to an lack of faith on the part of Disney—an attempt to dispense with the series as quickly as possible. Acosta gave the series a score of 2 out of 10, calling it "potentially one of the worst shows of the year."^[14] Sharon at DisneyFanatic.com stated that "The Quest is filled with fantasy tropes. However, [...] the show comes across as charming in its predictability instead of being silly."^[10]

• The Quest on Disney+
• The Quest at IMDb 
• The Quest at Rotten Tomatoes