To Tattoo or not to Tattoo? That is no longer the question for 2021’s Fantasy Island, now that viewers know how Fox’s infectious and emotionally layered reboot has handled the matter of whether Elena Roarke (Roselyn Sánchez) would have a sidekick.
Instead of a diminutive dress-alike, this version has given us Ruby (Kiara Barnes of The Bold and the Beautiful), a guest who came to the island in the opener with her husband Mel (Adain Bradley) as a 75-year-old woman with terminal cancer. Though the couple was hoping to feel healthy again, if only for one last time, their vacation quickly turned into a trip back in time as they suddenly found themselves 50 years younger.
By the end of the weekend, Ruby had realized some important parts of herself that she’d ignored as a younger woman, Mel made peace with the inevitable loss that awaited them back home, and Roarke had an idea: invite Ruby to stay on the island as her vibrant new self and be her second.
Adain Bradley and Kiara Barnes (Laura Magruder/FOX)
This twist not only fills the role fans loved from the original Island series, but it also allows the show to build a more compassionate connection between Roarke and her protégé than we previously saw on the classic anthology.
Here, Barnes fills us in on Ruby’s role going forward and how she and Sánchez are Fantasy‘s dream team.
OK, I love this take. I love this idea. I love this second chance that Ruby gets.
Kiara Barnes: I’m so glad that you’re connecting…