While many of us regret the things we said in the heat of an argument, it seems that the words Aaron Spelling spoke in anger were destined to lead him to success.

Spelling is widely recognized as the executive producer for popular television programs like Charlie’s Angels and The Love Boat. Spelling also served for the dark and mysterious program, Fantasy Island.

In his memoir, Aaron Spelling: A Prime-Time Life, Spelling admitted that at first, Fantasy Island was pitched as a joke to ABC.

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“Fantasy Island began as an argument,” wrote Spelling. “Leonard Goldberg and I were at ABC, pitching TV movie ideas, but all of our best ones were getting shot down. The execs kept telling us they didn’t want ‘soft’ stories, but ones with ‘heat.’”

Eventually, Spelling recalled, he lost his temper.

“Finally, I kind of went crazy. I said, ‘You guys don’t want a show. You don’t want something with characters or a plot or a story. You just want to have some sort of an island, where you can go and act out all your dumb fantasies. You want a show about some guy on an island to make all your fantasies come true.’ And that was when they started jumping up and down and shouting, ‘Do it, do it.’”

Despite his anger, Spelling ran with the pitch, to the delight of audiences everywhere.