Is Everything in the Disney Plus Fantasy Series 'The Quest' Scripted? Hold Your Horses!

The evil sorceress Tavora (Mel Mehrabian) threatens the peaceful kingdom of Everealm. Eight young heroes from other realms are tasked with recovering the four gems of virtue in order to restore them to the divine crown of Everealm.

However, there can only be one true hero in the newest Disney Plus reality series The Quest.

You'll likely have to remind yourself that The Quest is actually a reality competition series when Episode 1 begins. The show feels like a fantasy series with high stakes. It's only when the eight young competitors (referred to as paladins in the series) arrive that The Quest begins to feel more like a reality TV series.

As the young paladins began their heroes' journey, we embarked on a mission of our own. Is The Quest a scripted reality series?

Per The Mary Sue, two of The Quest's executive producers Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster said, "What makes The Quest so unique is that it’s a true hybrid of scripted and reality. … It’s a groundbreaking new genre where we place real teenagers in a reality competition and bring them into a fully realized fantasy world that is built on a scripted mythology of intrigue and adventure played out alongside actors for a completely immersive experience.”

Mark Ordesky, another producer for The Quest, told Nerd Reactor, "This iteration of The Quest is a much more sophisticated, scripted, unscripted story device. ... The scripted content exists both as it integrates with reality and in its own trajectory if that makes sense. The realities sort of weave through that. And then there’s an intersection point, which I won’t ruin. But really, towards the end, they really become one. One adventure."

If you watch The Quest, it quickly becomes clear that the series is a hybrid of scripted and unscripted storytelling. The characters of Everealm are certainly following a script. However, the eight paladins are clearly not following a script, which leads to fun, authentic interactions with the characters in The Quest.

There were some entertaining interactions between the paladins and The Quest's characters in Episode 1. Prince Emmett (Braeden De La Garza) asks the paladin Ava if she had a fall on the way to the castle, because of her ripped jeans. She replies that it's a fashion statement, which perplexes Emmett.

Meanwhile, Dravus (Harry Aspinwall) asks the paladin Myra about her age, assuming she's 10 or 11. Myra says she's 16 and Dravus responds, "Practically middle-aged!"

Overall, The Quest is an innovative blend of scripted, unscripted, and improvisational storytelling. Which brave paladin manages to earn the title of the one true hero of Everealm? You'll just have to watch to find out!

All eight episodes of The Quest are available to stream now on Disney Plus.