ABC'S NEW GENRE-BENDING REALITY BASED COMPETITION SERIES "THE QUEST," PREMIERES THURSDAY, JULY 31

12 People Are Beckoned To Save a Besieged Kingdom in the Pursuit to Become the One True Hero

A genre-bending new reality series unlike anything else on television, "The Quest," combines harrowing and intense competition challenges, narrative storytelling and cutting edge special effects and prosthetics to conjure an immersive fantasy environment. 12 real people, pulled from their everyday lives, are transported to a fantasy world where they are declared Paladins, defenders of a noble cause. The Paladins must compete to save the besieged kingdom of Everealm but only one will prevail and earn the right to be called the One True Hero. "The Quest" premieres THURSDAY, JULY 31 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on the ABC Television Network. From the executive producers behind such television and motion picture hits as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Amazing Race" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," "The Quest" creates a seamless and surprising experience for these fans of fantasy and fairytales, featuring an elaborate and full mythology (developed by Haxan Films), animatronic creatures (created by the award-winning team at Spectral Motion), and real-time 3D projection mapping (developed by NuFormer).

As previously announced, the Paladins who will rely on physical stamina, intelligence and resourcefulness to emerge as the One True Hero are:

Shondo Blades (30, MMA Fighter from Houston, TX)
Lina Carollo (27, School Counselor from Delran, NJ)
Jim Curry (22, Student from Little Rock, AR)
Andrew Frazer (25, Personal Trainer from West Hartford, CT)
Bonnie Gordon (28, Property Manager from Lafayette, LA)
Ashley Guerrero (35, Horse Trainer from Murrieta, CA)
Patrick Higgins (41, High School Math Teacher from Joliet, IL)
Jasmine Kyle (31, Mother and Homemaker from Media, PA)
Adria Kyne (41, Marketing Director from Nashua, NH)
Leticia Reyes (36, Executive Assistant from White Plains, NY)
Katherine "Katie" Smaluk (26, Bartender from Chicago, IL)
Christian Sochor (23, Server from New York, NY)

"The Quest" was filmed on location in Austria and is executive produced by Bertram van Munster, Elise Doganieri, Mark Ordesky, Jane Fleming, Rob Eric and Michael Williams.

About the Executive Producers:

Profiles Television Productions is responsible for the ground breaking TV series "The Amazing Race," airing in some 80 countries worldwide. Owned and operated by nine-time Emmy(R) Award winning producers Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, Profiles began in 2003 and has since produced hundreds of hours of broadcast television. Court Five was founded by former New Line Cinema executives Jane Fleming and Mark Ordesky, and is a multi-platform media company that develops and converts diverse intellectual properties and brands into bold filmed entertainment. Among others, Court Five's studio output includes "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Oscar, Golden Globe and Palme D'Or winners like "Shine" and "Dancer in the Dark" and the upcoming feature film, "Exists" (Lionsgate). Green Harbor is a television and film production company that creates groundbreaking entertainment founded by Emmy and Academy Award winning producers Michael Williams and Rob Eric. Their work has been recognized with several Emmy awards, including one for the iconic "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and an Academy Award for Michael Williams for the film "The Fog of War."

For more information on "The Quest," visit ABC.com.