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50 free Fantasy Island trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
For seven seasons on ABC's Saturday night, a seaplane landed in a lagoon, a bell rang, and Mr. Roarke lifted a glass and welcomed his guests to Fantasy Island. The show ran 152 episodes from 1978 to 1984, and its two catchphrases, 'De plane! De plane!' and 'Smiles, everyone, smiles!', are still quoted by people who never saw an episode. This Fantasy Island trivia quiz covers the whole story in 50 questions: Aaron Spelling's joke pitch that ABC took seriously, the network's odd first choice for Roarke, the $50,000 fee, the hints that Roarke was not mortal, the real California arboretum that stood in for the island, the Grumman Widgeon seaplane, Hervé Villechaize's rise and firing, Christopher Hewett's one season as Lawrence, and the three attempts to bring the island back with Malcolm McDowell, Michael Peña and Roselyn Sánchez. It starts with the catchphrases and ends with questions only a devoted rerun watcher would know. Every answer is checked against Wikipedia's articles on the series, its cast and its revivals, with the supporting sentence quoted under each question.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Who created the original Fantasy Island series?
Gene Levitt
Levitt wrote the pilot film; Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg produced the show, which is why it is usually remembered as a Spelling series.
Q 02On which US network did the original series air?
ABC
The regular series ran from January 28, 1978 to May 19, 1984, after two TV movies in 1977 and 1978.
Q 03Who played the mysterious host, Mr. Roarke?
Ricardo Montalbán
Montalbán, born in Mexico City in 1920, was already a familiar face from MGM musicals and television commercials.
Q 04What was the name of Roarke's diminutive assistant, played by Hervé Villechaize?
Tattoo
Villechaize had played a Bond henchman four years earlier and was a trained painter before he was an actor.
Q 05What does Roarke's assistant shout from the bell tower at the start of each episode?
'De plane! De plane!'
The line became a catchphrase largely because of Villechaize's distinctive French-accented enunciation.
Q 06What does Mr. Roarke tell his assembled staff just before the guests get off the plane?
'Smiles, everyone! Smiles!'
He then greets the arrivals with a raised glass: 'My dear guests, I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island.'
Q 07What color suit is Mr. Roarke known for wearing?
White
Tattoo wore a matching miniature white suit, one of the most-copied Halloween costume pairs of the era.
Q 08According to the first TV movie, how much did each guest pay for a fantasy?
$50,000
That is roughly $200,000 today; in the second film Roarke admits he sometimes lowers the price for guests who cannot afford it.
Q 09According to the series, the resort lies somewhere near which real place?
Devil's Island, French Guiana
The island was thus in the Atlantic, even though the scenery was pure Pacific: Kauai's Na Pali coast in the opening titles.
Q 10How many regular seasons did the original series run?
Seven
That added up to 152 episodes plus the two TV movies.
Q 11How many episodes were made, not counting the two TV movies?
152
Syndication later chopped the hour-long shows into half-hour versions, each carrying a single storyline.
Q 12How many independent storylines did a typical episode weave together?
Two or three
Only one episode, 'The Wedding', told a single story: terminally ill Helena Marsh returning to marry Roarke.
Q 13Which is the only single-storyline episode, in which the dying Helena Marsh returns?
'The Wedding'
Helena is presented as the great love of Roarke's long life, and the wedding does not end the way she hopes.
Q 21What type of aircraft was used as the guests' seaplane?
A Grumman Widgeon
The plane's 'arrival' was filmed in a lagoon behind a Victorian cottage in Arcadia, California.
Q 22The real house whose bell tower is rung at the top of each episode is called what?
The Queen Anne Cottage
It stands in the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia and features on the garden's guided tours.
Q 23The lush coastline in the opening titles was filmed on which Hawaiian island?
Kauai
The Na Pali coast and Wailua Falls appear; the rest of the show was shot in and around Burbank.
Q 14In the episode 'Elizabeth', a woman from Roarke's past appears. How long ago is it revealed she died?
Over 300 years ago
Other episodes suggest he knew Helen of Troy and Cleopatra personally.
Q 15Who played the Devil opposite Roarke in 'The Devil and Mr. Roarke'?
Roddy McDowall
The Devil returned in later episodes trying to claim souls; Roarke always outmaneuvered him.
Q 16Years after the show ended, what did the actor who played him reveal he had imagined Mr. Roarke to be?
A fallen angel
He kept the theory to himself during the run, saying only that he had 'a definite opinion' about the mystery.
Q 17In the pilot film, how does Roarke describe the guests who visit his island?
'So mortal'
It was the first of many hints that Roarke himself was not.
Q 18Which actress joined the cast from 1981 to 1982 as Roarke's assistant Julie?
Wendy Schaal
In 'The Case Against Mr. Roarke' he calls Julie his goddaughter; Schaal later voiced Francine on American Dad!
Q 19Why was Hervé Villechaize dismissed before the 1983-84 season?
He demanded a salary on par with Montalbán's
His behavior on set had also become an issue; the show lasted only one more season without him.
Q 20Who replaced Villechaize's character in the final season, as a butler named Lawrence?
Christopher Hewett
The very next year Hewett landed his best-known role, the title butler in the sitcom Mr. Belvedere.
Q 24At which studio were the interior sets built?
Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank
Stages 26 and 17 held the island's interiors while the exteriors were a short drive away in Arcadia.
Q 25Who composed the Fantasy Island theme music?
Laurence Rosenthal
Rosenthal also scored the miniseries The Winds of War and won Emmys for his TV work.
Q 26Aaron Spelling admitted the show's original pitch to ABC was what?
A joke
He blurted out to ABC's Brandon Stoddard, 'What do you want? An island that people can go to and all of their sexual fantasies will be realized?' Stoddard loved it.
Q 27Which legendary actor did ABC want for Mr. Roarke before Spelling rejected him?
Orson Welles
Spelling also vetoed the network's idea of a sexy female sidekick for Roarke.
Q 28On which night and time slot did the show air on ABC?
Saturday at 10 p.m.
It followed The Love Boat, another Spelling production, making a two-hour block of escapism.
Q 29Which other Aaron Spelling series aired directly before Fantasy Island each week?
The Love Boat
Both shows relied on rotating celebrity guest stars, and characters occasionally crossed between them.
Q 30How did children arrive at the island in two Season 2 episodes, instead of by plane?
By hot-air balloon
Typical episodes featured adult guests, so the balloon arrivals were a rare novelty.