Fantasy (game show)

Format

The show, which ran for an hour, gave contestants a chance to have their dreams fulfilled. Each episode was filmed in front of a live studio audience and typically featured four or five segments. Hosts Marshall and Uggams would invite audience members onto the stage to have their fantasies granted. Usually, the guests had no idea what was coming, because the production team spent weeks beforehand working with their relatives, friends, and coworkers to arrange the elaborate surprises.

One example involved a man whose fantasy was to fix up his beloved 1971 Opel GT. He had never found the time or money to restore it, as he was busy caring for his wife and children and often gave away any extra cash to help others. To keep the surprise hidden, the show coordinated with his wife, the local police, and his auto insurance company. The producers had the car taken without his knowledge, and his wife told him it had been stolen.

He then reported the theft to the police and his insurer, both of whom were in on the plan. The show’s crew restored the Opel exactly as he had wanted. Meanwhile, his wife brought him to the studio for the taping, where he was genuinely shocked to see his car fully restored and given to him at no cost.

The show received between 40,000 and 80,000 letters each week from viewers across the United States hoping to have their own fantasies fulfilled. Producers carefully went through every request, looking for ones that would be entertaining enough for the program. According to mailroom supervisor Kathy Hassett in a 1983 TV Guide interview, many letters were simply asking for money, and those were usually thrown away. Hassett explained that the show sought out human interest and funny fantasies, such as people wanting to reunite with long-lost relatives, jump out of an airplane, or meet a favorite TV star.