About This Quiz
¡Ay telenovelas! ¡Que dramáticos!
Are you ready to ramp up the drama? If you're a fan of telenovelas, we're about to put your fandom to the test. With just one image, we'll see if you can recognize some of the most iconic telenovelas in the history of Spanish television. So cue the suspenseful music, get ready for the tears, the drama is coming full speed ahead!
From Mexico and Argentina to the Philippines and Turkey, telenovelas are broadcasted all over the world. Though most popular among Hispanic viewers, many of the original Latin American telenovelas have made their way across the globe either with subtitles or as remakes. Take Yo Soy Betty, La Fea for example. Originally released in Colombia, the show's immense popularity led to the creation of 12 remakes in other countries including Ugly Betty in the United States and Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin in India. The remake of telenovelas is a fairly common practice within the industry. After all, most soap operas are known to fall into the same general categories. Whether a teen drama, historical romance, mystery or in the realm of "narcotraffic," one thing's for sure: telenovelas are bound to bring the drama and capture your attention every day for six months! Are you ready to soap it all up?
Try your luck now with this ultimate telenovela quiz!
Beginning in 1998, audiences everywhere fell in love with "La Usurpadora," and we mean everywhere. In fact, this telenovela has aired in 125 countries around the world. It has been dubbed in 25 different languages and is considered one of the most popular telenovelas in history.
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Did you know that "Yo Soy Betty, La Fea" has been remade in 25 different countries around the world? "Ugly Betty," a popular series in the United States, is just one example. Starring Ana María Orozco, the original show ran in Colombia from January 4, 1999 - May 8, 2000.
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Based on the Argentine telenovela "Rebelde Way," Rebelde was released in Mexico in 2004 and continued for three seasons. An unknown fun fact is that the show's band members were in a real band together. From 2004 - 2009, they were known as RBD and sold more than 60 million records worldwide.
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"Sin Senos no hay Paraiso" premiered in the United States on the Telemundo network in 2008. Creator Gustavo Bolívar gained so much notoriety from this, and other investigative novels-turned-telenovelas, that he was recently elected senator in Colombia and is serving a four-year term.
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In 1996, "Maria la del Barrio" won many TVyNovelas Awards, including Best Young Lead Actress, Best Young Lead Actor and Telenovela with the Highest Rating. In Mexico, its popularity led to worldwide broadcasts in more than 180 countries.
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"Dos Mujeres, Un Camino" aired in 47 countries around the world and featured Erik Estrada, Laura León and Bibi Gaytán in each of its 229 episodes. Prior to his work as Johnny, the Mexican truck driver, Estrada starred as Frank on the TV series "CHiPs" from 1977 - 1983.
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Created and directed by famous producer Emilio Larrosa, "Muchachitas" aired 200 episodes in Mexico from 1991 - 1992. This popular and award-winning telenovela follows the story of four girls each in their pursuit of acting and singing careers.
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Want to know how successful "Quinceañera" was? It won every TVyNovelas award it was nominated for, that's how successful! As the 1988 Best Telenovela of the Year, "Quinceañera" is widely considered one of the best telenovelas of all time.
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María Rubio portrayed her best villain role as Catalina Creel in this 1986 telenovela — so much so that she won the 1987 Best Antagonist Actress award. The show was a major hit not only in Mexico but also in Brazil, Germany, Australia and the United States.
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Written by Valeria Phillips and Carlos Romero, "Los Ricos Tambien Lloran" was released on October 16, 1979. Audiences were quick to fall in love with lead actress Verónica Castro in Mexico but also in the Soviet Union, where it aired years later in 1991.
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Though she began her career as a fashion model, actress Bárbara Mori Ochoa got her big break with the role of Rubí. Her full name, however, was Rubí Pérez Ochoa de Ferrer. This telenovela was named Univision's top telenovela of all time.
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Actress Angelique Boyer was born in Jura, France. Having moved to Mexico at the age of two, Boyer is now a dual French and Mexican citizen. Teresa was her first major telenovela role and she has since starred in several others including "Abismo de Pasión" and "Lo Que La Vida Me Robó."
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Translated to "The Prettiest Ugly Girl," "La Fea Más Bella" premiered on January 23, 2006 and ran 300 episodes until February 25, 2007. Angélica Vale, who stars as "Lety," acts alongside her real-life mother Angélica María who portrays Lety's mother.
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Directed by Rodrigo G. H. Zaunbos, "Atrévete a Soñar" is an adaptation of an Argentinian telenovela called "Patito Feo," or the "Ugly Duckling." It aired from 2009 - 2010, and its theme song "Mundo de Caramelo" won the Best Musical Theme award in 2009.
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Yadhira Carrillo and Sergio Reynoso starred alongside each other in "Barrera de Amor." Spoiler alert: the main characters, Maité and Luis, get engaged, but you have to watch all 155 episodes to see the convoluted drama that unfolds.
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Inspired by telenovela "Floricienta," "Lola: Érase Una Vez" is a Cinderella story starring Eiza González and her "Prince Charming" Aarón Díaz. In 2008, González not only won the Best Female Revelation of the Year TVyNovelas Award, but she also won the Female Revulotion Premios Bravo Award.
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"Triunfo del Amor" premiered on October 25, 2010 on the Canal de las Estrellas network. Written by Liliana Abud and Ricardo Fiallega, this drama follows the story of an aspiring model and a rich fashion designer through 176 episodes.
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"Piel de Otoño" translates to Autumn's Skin. A remake of the 1986 Mexican telenovela "Cicatrices del Alma," "Piel de Otoño" follows the story of an unhappy and abused married woman in Mexico who escapes to Spain and falls in love with a more deserving man.
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Based on the Colombian series "Pura Sangre," "Mañana es Para Siempre" was created by Kary Fajer and released on October 20, 2008. Did you know that it won Best Telenovela at the 2009 Premios People en Espanol Awards?
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Marianela Ruiz y de Teresa was Ariadne Díaz's first starring role in the television industry. Following the success of "Llena de Amor," Díaz went on to star in "La Mujer Del Vendaval" in 2013, and "La Malquerida" in 2014.
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"Duelo de Pasiones" was produced by Juan Osorio and released in 2006. Based on the radionovela "Flor del Campo," actress Ludwika Paleta stars in the dual role of Alina and Flor. Will she ever make it out of the cave and fall in love with Emilio?
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Created by Robert Stopello, "La Reina del Sur" was based on the same-titled novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. Many of Pérez-Reverte's books are set in Spain and such is the case with "La Reina del Sur." The show was the 2011 People in Spanish Awards Best Telenovela winner.
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A remake of the 1984 Venezuelan telenovela "La Dueña," actress Aracely Arámbula stars as Gabriela Suárez in "La Patrona." Over the course of the show's 127 episodes, Suárez fights her way through the abusive taunting of a male-dominated workforce. How will it end?
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"En Nombre Del Amor" is a remake of the 1991 telenovela "Cadenas de Amargura" The story follows young Paloma, portrayed by Allisson Lozz, and her two opposing aunts who hold the secret of her parents' tragic death.
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Created by Emilio Larrosa and written by Alejandro Pohlenz, "Amigas y Rivales" ran 185 episodes from February 26 - November 9, 2001. It was nominated for and won many awards in 2002, including Best Leading Actor, Eric del Castillo, and Best Young Lead Actress, Ludwika Paleta.
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"Gata Salvaje" aired 252 episodes on Venevisión from 2002 - 2003. This was not the first time that the lead actors Marlene Favela and Mario Cimarro, portraying Rosaura and Luis Mario, starred together. They previously starred alongside each other in "Los Herederos Del Monte".
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"Amor Real" was the first telenovela to be released with English subtitles. Produced and broadcast by Televisa in Mexico, the show also aired in the United States, Russia and Spain. The show's popularity earned cast and crew the award for Best Telenovela in 2004.
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Whereas many telenovelas air their entire series over the course of one season and four months, "Clase 406" was much longer in comparison. Directed by Luis Pardo and Juan Carlos Muñoz, "Clase 406" was filmed in Mexico City and covered relevant teenage topics such as love, drugs, heartbreak and more.
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"Apuesta por un Amor," translated to "Gambling on Love," aired on Canal de las Estrellas from October 25, 2004 to April 22, 2005. Its opening theme song "Que seas feliz," was performed by Mexican singer, and ex-husband of Mariah Carey, Luis Miguel.
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Not only did "Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe" win Best Telenovela of the Year in 2010, but Itati Cantoral won Best Actress and Pedro Fernández took home the Best Actor award for their performances in this popular telenovela.
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Known simply as Thalía, the lead actress of "Marimar" is also called the Queen of Latin Pop. As a successful pop star, she has sold more than 25 million records worldwide. A singer-songwriter by day, Thalia wrote and recorded the opening theme "Marimar" for the show.
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As a remake of the Colombian telenovela "Pedro El Escamoso," "Yo amo a Juan Querendón" was produced by Mapat L. de Zatarain in 2007. As fate would have it, leading actor Eduardo Santamarina eventually married his "Yo amo a Juan Querendón" co-star Mayrín Villanueva.
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While many telenovelas are remakes of previous telenovelas, the story of "Mi Pecado" is an original story by José Cuauhtémoc Blanco and María del Carmen Peña. In fact, the two writers took home the award for Best Original Story or Adaptation at the 2011 YVyNovelas.
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Known as "Cuando Me Enamoro" in Spanish, "Timeless Love" is based on the 1998 telenovela "La Mentira." Starring Silvia Navarro and Juan Soler, the show aired on Univision from 2010 - 2011, and its self-titled opening theme song was performed by Enrique Iglesias and Juan Luis Guerra.
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"Eva Luna," winner of the 2011 Best Telenovela of the Year award, premiered on Univision in 2010. Did you know that Blanca Soto is not just an actress? She is also a model and the 1997 winner of Mexico's universal beauty pageant, "Nuestra Belleza Mundo Mexico?"
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Created and written by María Zarattini, "Alborada" aired a mere 90 episodes but left an incredible impact on its viewers. Their love for Luis and Hipólita earned the show multiple accolades, including the 2006 Best Telenovela of the Year award.
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The catchy theme song to "Las Tontas No Van al Cielo," "Esto Es Lo Que Soy," was performed by Mexican pop stars Jesse & Joy Aired from February 11 to August 22, 2008, Manuel "Flaco" Ibáñez, won the 2009 TVyNovelas Best Actor award for his role in this telenovela.
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Starring Susana González and Eduardo Santamarina, "Velo De Novia" was a heart-wrenching drama produced by Juan Osorio and aired between 2003 - 2004. Did you know that Susana González won the Best Television Actress award at the 2004 Premios ACE?
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"Heridas De Amor," or "Wounds of Love" in English, aired 125 episodes in 2006. The show was a remake created by Nora Alemán, a writer for the 1991 series "Valeria y Maximiliano." "Heridas De Amor" was just as successful as the original.
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"Niña... Amada Mía" was the Mexican adaptation of the Venezuelan series "Las Amazonas." Though it aired for just six months in 2003, its 109 episodes resonated with critics. "Niña... Amada Mía" was nominated for and won several 21st TVyNovelas Awards that year.
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