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{{Short description|Game show}}
{{About|the American television show|other uses|Fear factor (disambiguation)}}
{{About|the American television show|the international versions|Fear Factor (franchise){{!}}''Fear Factor'' (franchise)|other uses|Fear factor (disambiguation)}}
{{Not to be confused with|Fear Factory}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox television
{{Infobox television
| show_name = Fear Factor
| image = Fear-factor-logo.jpg
| image = [[File:Fear-factor-logo.jpg|250px]]
| caption = Fear Factor seasons 1–4 title card
| format = [[Reality Show|Reality]]/[[Game show]]
| genre = Stunt/dare [[game show]]
| runtime = 60 minutes<br> (with commercials)
| runtime = 42 minutes
| company = [[Endemol|Endemol USA]]
| company = [[Matt Kunitz|Pulse Creative]]<br/>[[J. Rupert Thompson|Evolution Media]]<br/>(2001)<br/>(season 1)<br/>[[Endemol USA]]
| presenter = {{plainlist|
| distributor = [[NBCUniversal Television Distribution]] (syndication only)<ref>[http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=5877 NBC Renews 'Fear Factor,' Syndication Deal Looms]</ref>
* [[Joe Rogan]] (NBC)
| creator = Endemol USA
* [[Ludacris]] (MTV)
| executive_producer =
}}
| presenter = [[Joe Rogan]]
| theme_music_composer = [[Russ Landau]]
| judges =
| director =
| country = United States
| filmed =
| list_episodes = List of Fear Factor (American TV series) episodes
| language = English
| picture_format = [[480i]] [[SDTV]] (2001-2006) <br /> [[1080i]] [[HDTV]] (2011-2012)
| num_seasons = '''Original series''': 6<br />'''Revived series''': 1<br />'''MTV series''': 2<br>
| country = [[United States]]
'''Total''': 9
| language = English
| num_seasons = '''Original series''': 6<br />'''Revived series''': 1
| num_episodes = '''Original series''': 142 (excl. specials with highlights)<br />'''Revived series''': 9<br />'''MTV series''': 33<br>
'''Total''': 184 (excl. specials with highlights)
| num_episodes = '''Original series''': 144<br />'''Revived series''': 8
| network = [[NBC]]
| network = [[NBC]]
| network3 = [[MTV]]
| first_aired = '''Original series''': <br />{{Start date|2001|6|11}} – {{End date|2006|9|12}}<br />'''Revived series''':<br />{{Start date|2011|12|12}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2012|7|16}}
| first_aired = {{Start date|2001|06|11}}
| website = http://www.nbc.com/fear-factor/
| last_aired = {{End date|2006|09|12}}
| followed_by = [[NumbNuts]]
| first_aired2 = {{Start date|2011|12|12}}
| last_aired2 = {{End date|2012|07|16}}
}}
| first_aired3 = {{Start date|2017|05|30}}
'''''Fear Factor''''' is an [[United States|American]] sports stunt/dare [[reality television|reality]] [[game show]]. It originally aired between 2001 and 2006, when it was canceled. It was later revived in 2011, only to be cancelled again on May 13, 2012. After its second cancellation, a two-part special aired in July 2012. The original Dutch version was called ''Now or Neverland''. When [[Endemol]] USA and [[NBC]] adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to ''Fear Factor''. The show pits [[contestant]]s against each other in a variety of stunts for a grand prize, usually of [[United States dollar|US $]]50,000. From Seasons One to Five, the contestants were generally three men and three women, all competing for themselves, but in Season Six, the show moved to a permanent format of four teams of two people, each with a pre-existing relationship with one another. The show was hosted by comedian and UFC commentator [[Joe Rogan]], executive produced by [[Matt Kunitz]] and [[David A. Hurwitz]] and directed by [[J. Rupert Thompson]].
| last_aired3 = {{End date|2018|08|21}}
}}


'''''Fear Factor''''' is an American stunt/[[game of dares|dare]] [[game show]] that first aired on [[NBC]] from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]] commentator [[Joe Rogan]]. The show was adapted by [[Endemol USA]] from the original Dutch series titled ''Now or Neverland''.
The series has been banned from returning in the USA since its final series in 2012.
==History==
As NBC's answer to the successful series ''[[Survivor (US TV series)|Survivor]]'', the show was initially a hit for the network in the summer of 2001, and built strong ratings for the next couple of seasons, but as the years passed, the ratings declined. In 2006, ''Fear Factor'' faced tough competition with the TV ratings champion, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s talent series ''[[American Idol]]'' on Tuesday nights, and the ratings declined further. Despite much publicity concerning an improved format and better stunts for Season Six, [[NBC]] put the struggling program on hiatus for the remainder of the season to make room for the sitcom ''[[Joey (sitcom)|Joey]]'', which was removed from the NBC lineup a few weeks later. NBC then canceled the episodes of ''Fear Factor'' in May. The network began airing the remainder of the season on June 13, 2006, with the remaining episodes to be aired throughout the summer.<ref>[http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_2914.asp]{{Dead link|date=October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=New, Monday, January 9th 9/8c |url=http://www.nbc.com/Fear_Factor/ |title=Fear Factor - NBC Official Site |publisher=Nbc.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-04}}</ref> In 2004, ''Fear Factor'' became the first network reality show to be syndicated. Over its six seasons, ''Fear Factor'' earned NBC a reported $600 million in advertising revenue. Currently only the first season has been released on DVD, but in early 2009, plans were made to release a box set containing the entire series on DVD. The project was put on hold for an unknown reason in March 2010. On June 5, 2010, it was announced that the project was canceled because of the low sales of the first season DVD.


For the first five seasons, the contestants consisted regularly of three men and three women pitted against each other in a variety of three stunts for a grand prize, usually $50,000. In the sixth season, the show's format was modified to feature four competing teams of two people who have a pre-existing relationship with one another.
With [[Chiller (TV network)|Chiller]] airing reruns of the show every Sunday night, the ratings on Chiller led to Comcast informing ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' in a May 31, 2011 report that ''Fear Factor'' would be revived for a new season. Eight episodes were ordered, with two of them being two-hour episodes and Rogan returning to the hosting duties.<ref>[http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/06/02/nbc-reviving-fear-factor NBC Reviving Fear Factor], ''Entertainment Weekly'', June 2, 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/29/us-fearfactor-idUSTRE75S7CL20110629 Joe Rogan returning as Fear Factor host], Reuters, June 28, 2011</ref> The revival was shot in high-definition, and owing to concerns over the then-ongoing NFL Lockout and the loss of [[NBC Sunday Night Football]] episodes, [[TV Guide]] reported in early July the show could be ready as early as September as lockout replacement programming.<ref>[http://www.tvguide.com/News/Joe-Rogan-Fear-Factor-1034757.aspx Exclusive: Joe Rogan to Return as Fear Factor Host] TV Guide. Last Accessed on July 5, 2033
.</ref> (NBC eventually lost one episode, the season premiere Hall of Fame Game, because of the lockout that ended in late July) The program began airing December 12, 2011,<ref>[http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/10/19/fear-factor-photos/ 'Fear Factor' explosive first photos and premiere date revealed -- EXCLUSIVE]</ref> with the final episode airing July 16, 2012. On May 13, 2012, NBC announced that the episodes of ''Fear Factor'' were canceled. As of July 2012, "Fear Factor" is officially cancelled. It is unknown whether or not the show will be revived again for a third time. Reruns now currently air on [[Chiller Network]]<ref>[http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/13/the-marriage-ref-fear-factor-minute-to-win-it-who-do-you-think-you-are-and-the-sing-off-all-canceled-by-nbc/133914 'Fear Factor,' 'Minute to Win It,' 'Who Do You Think You Are?' and 'The Sing Off' All Canceled by NBC]</ref>


''Fear Factor'' was cancelled by NBC in 2006 after six seasons (142 episodes excluding specials with highlights); NBC would briefly revive the series for a nine-episode run in 2011. In 2017, [[MTV]] revived the series with rapper and actor [[Ludacris]] assuming the host role; this incarnation ran two seasons (thirty-three episodes) before being cancelled in 2018. The show has since spawned many spin-offs, creating [[Fear Factor (franchise)|its own media franchise]].
==Show format==


{{TOC limit|3}}
Before the contestants are introduced (and at the half-way point of a two-hour special), Rogan utters a verbal disclaimer. The wording has changed with certain versions, but this is one most commonly used:


== Series overview ==
{{cquote|I'm Joe Rogan, and this is ''Fear Factor''. The stunts you are about to see were all designed and supervised by trained professionals. They are extremely dangerous and should not be attempted by anyone, anywhere, anytime!}}
{{main|List of Fear Factor (American TV series) episodes}}
{{Series overview
| multiseries =
{{Series overview
| series = [[NBC]] Series


| color1 = #FFD700
The normal format involves three men and three women, or four teams of two people with a pre-existing relationship, who have to complete three professional stunts to win [[United States dollar | US$]]50,000. If a contestant/team is too scared to attempt a stunt, failed to complete a stunt, or (in some cases) had the worst performance on a stunt, they are eliminated from the competition. If only one contestant/team successfully completes the first or the second stunt, they automatically win $25,000, and the other contestants eliminated in the stunt along with the winner of the stunt return for the next stunt to compete for the remaining $25,000. If no one successfully completed the first or the second stunt, then all of the contestants/teams eliminated in the stunt would return to the next stunt to compete for a reduced $25,000. (In season one, if one person completed the stunt, then the completer won $10,000 and the $50,000 grand prize was not reduced.)
| link1 = #Season 1 (2001)
| episodes1 = 9
| start1 = {{Start date|2001|6|11}}
| end1 = {{End date|2001|9|5}}


Only once in the history of ''Fear Factor'' did the $50,000 top prize go unclaimed in an episode. This happened on a Best Friends edition on September 27, 2004, when none of the remaining teams were able to complete the final stunt. In the stunt, one member of each team had to drive a ramp car, while the other member had to drive a sports car. The one driving the sports car had to drive it onto the truck bed via the ramp car. If the sports car fell off of the truck bed at any time, the team was automatically eliminated. Had it been successfully completed, the team who did this the fastest would have won. However, the last remaining contestants walked away with two [[Mazda]] vehicles.


| color2 = #006161
After the acquisition of [[Universal Studios]] of [[Vivendi Universal]] by [[NBC]]'s parent company [[General Electric]] in 2004, contestants could win vacations in order to promote the theme park division of [[NBC Universal]] at [[Universal Orlando]], or win trips to Universal Studios in [[Hollywood]].
| link2 = #Season 2 (2001–02)
| episodes2 = 19
| start2 = {{Start date|2001|11|27}}
| end2 = {{End date|2002|5|20}}


The order of the stunts on a typical episode of ''Fear Factor'' is as follows:


| color3 = #B11030
=== First stunt ===
| link3 = #Season 3 (2002–03)
The first stunt is designed to physically test each of the contestants or teams (e.g., jumping from one building to the next). Usually, the two men and the two women, or the three teams, that gave the best performance (such as the fastest time, farthest distance, or number of flags collected in under a certain time) will move on to the second stunt. The others are eliminated.
| episodes3 = 27
| start3 = {{Start date|2002|9|23}}
| end3 = {{End date|2003|5|12}}


| color4 = #006600
=== Second stunt ===
| link4 = #Season 4 (2003–04)
The second stunt is meant to mentally challenge the contestants or teams. The three most common types of stunts in the second round are eating stunts, animal stunts, and retrieval/transfer stunts. Eating stunts entail ingesting vile animal parts, live bugs, or a blended concoction of multiple gross items; animal stunts entail immersing one's head or entire body in animals considered to be disgusting or intimidating (such as rats, spiders, snakes, or worms); retrieval/transfer stunts entail retrieving items or gross objects (often by mouth) hidden in disgusting substances (e.g., blood, lard) or live animals (such as sit in a tub of snakes as long as they could). Less often, the second stunt involves a pain endurance challenge or embarrassment tolerance challenge, such as outlasting competitors in a [[tear gas]] chamber, walking on broken glass with bare feet, or ingesting [[habanero peppers]]. With the exception of retrieval/transfer stunts, contestants are usually not eliminated after this stunt unless they did not complete it, or vomited before finishing. In the case of teams, one team may be eliminated for performing the worst.
| episodes4 = 34
| start4 = {{Start date|2003|9|22}}
| end4 = {{End date|2004|5|17}}


| color5 = FFA500
In later episodes, a common (but not always used) rule was that no one would be eliminated after the second stunt; instead, the contestant or team that performed the best would receive a prize, such as a vehicle or a prize package similar in value. More often than not, the contestant/team with the best performance had the privilege of choosing the order that the contestants/teams had to go in to perform the next stunt [for the following day].
| link5 = #Season 5 (2004–05)
| episodes5 = 31
| start5 = {{Start date|2004|8|30}}
| end5 = {{End date|2005|5|23}}


| color6 = #F0E68C
=== Third stunt ===
| link6 = #Season 6 (2005–06)
The third and final stunt is usually something from an extreme type of stunt seen in an [[action film]]. Like the first stunt, it usually involves heights, water, vehicles, or some combination of the three. In order to avoid ties, this stunt is always competitive. The player or team with the best performance this round wins the grand prize, usually [[U.S. Dollars|$]]50,000, and had the privilege of being informed "evidently, fear is not a factor for you".
| episodes6 = 22
| start6 = {{Start date|2005|12|6}}
| end6 = {{End date|2006|9|12}}


| color7 = #800000
==Other formats==
| link7 = #Season 7 (2011–12)
| episodes7 = 9
| start7 = {{Start date|2011|12|12}}
| end7 = {{End date|2012|7|16}}


| color7S = #000000
===Tournament of Champions===
| link7S = #Specials
The second and third seasons concluded with a Tournament of Champions featuring the winners of each show in that season and a $100,000 grand prize.
| linkT7S = Specials
| episodes7S = 5
| start7S = {{Start date|2001|8|6}}
| end7S = {{End date|2003|5|19}}


}}
In Season two, the thirteen non-celebrity winners were divided into groups of eight men and five women. For the first four stunts, men competed amongst men and women competed amongst women, in two stunts each. The men had to release a flag from a locked box while hanging suspended in the air and eat three different items from a table. The women had to collect flags while on top of an aircraft and retrieve three poles from a tank with [[alligator]]s. The stunts narrowed the contestants down from eight men and five women to two men and two women who will, in the end, compete against each other for the grand prize by using a key to activate a horn while riding on a speeding truck.
{{Series overview
| series = [[MTV]] Series


In Season three, the twenty-four winners were divided into two groups of twelve, each containing seven men and five women. In the first semifinal episode, the group was cut from twelve to six to three to two finalists. In the second semifinal episode, the group was cut from twelve to six in the first stunt, then the men competed amongst the men and the women competed amongst the women in the second stunt, and then the final four contestants, two men and two women, were cut to two finalists. Each finalist won a 2004 [[Mazda RX-8]] and a chance at the $100,000. In the finals, the four finalists competed in three stunts. Each stunt eliminated one contestant, and the final stunt determined the winner.


| color1 = 87CEEB
===Special episode formats===
| link1 = #Season 1 (2017)
'''Four Stunt Show''' (Seasons three to six):
| episodes1 = 13
This was typically a 90-minute episode featuring four stunts instead of three. The first such episode was notable for the stunt involving [[body piercing]]. In seasons four to six, at least one of the four stunts was a non-elimination stunt, in which contestants competed for a prize. The four-stunt format was sometimes used in conjunction with other special formats, such as Family Fear Factor, Twins Fear Factor, and Reality Stars Fear Factor.
| start1 = {{Start date|2017|5|30}}
| end1 = {{End date|2017|9|19}}


| link2 = #Season 2 (2018)
'''All-Gross Show''' (Seasons three to six):
| episodes2 = 20
All three stunts on this show followed the format of the second (gross) stunt as described above. The first such episode involved [[Apple bobbing|bobbing]] for objects in a vat containing 50 gallons of cow [[blood]]. In seasons four and five, the all-gross format was used for Halloween-themed episodes. In season six, a "Farm Fear Factor" episode featured all gross stunts.
| color2A = #8B008B
| episodes2A = 10
| start2A = {{Start date|2018|2|25}}
| end2A = {{End date|2018|3|28}}
| color2B = #4B0082
| episodes2B = 10
| start2B = {{Start date|2018|7|17}}
| end2B = {{End date|2018|8|21}}
}}
}}


==History==
'''Las Vegas Show''' (Seasons three to five):
===Original series (2001–2006)===
Stunts took place at various [[hotel]]s and [[casino]]s in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. The show's winner was required to bet at least half their winnings on one hand of [[Blackjack]], with the chance to continue gambling if successful.
As NBC's answer to the [[Columbia Broadcasting Service|CBS]] television series ''[[Survivor (American TV series)|Survivor]],'' the show was initially a hit for the network in the summer of 2001 and built strong ratings and popularity in the following seasons. [[Joe Rogan]], then known for his role on the sitcom ''[[NewsRadio]]'' (1995–1999) and as a commentator for [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]], was hired as the host. According to a 2015 interview with [[Art Bell]], Rogan expected ''Fear Factor'' to be cancelled after a few episodes due to objections to some of the content and further stated that he took the job mainly to obtain observations and anecdotes for his stand-up comedy career.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Midnight In The Desert with Art Bell Joined by Guest Joe Rogan: 1st Hour|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cDKRXkgTBg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/2cDKRXkgTBg |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=[[YouTube]]| date=September 21, 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The series had a runaway success during the first few seasons, but after the series' fourth season (2003–2004), the popularity and ratings began to decline. By the time the series was in its sixth season, the ratings were in steep decline as a result of content concerns and a growing loss of viewer interest, coupled with the series facing tough competition with other TV shows in the same time slot. As a result, the series was only averaging a 2.6 in the ratings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_2914.asp |title=Media Life Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218012406/http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_2914.asp |archive-date=February 18, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbc.com/Fear_Factor/ |title=Fear Factor – NBC Official Site |publisher=Nbc.com |access-date=January 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018081056/http://www.nbc.com/Fear_Factor/ |archive-date=October 18, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Later that year, ''Fear Factor'' faced tough competition with the TV ratings champion, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s talent series ''[[American Idol]]'' on Tuesday nights and the ratings declined even further and continued to trend further downward during this period. Despite much publicity concerning an improved format and better stunts for season six, the series' ratings continued to drop and consequently, [[NBC]] put the struggling program on hiatus for the remainder of the season to make room for the sitcom ''[[Joey (TV series)|Joey]],'' the ''[[Friends]]'' [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] that was itself removed from the NBC lineup a few weeks later. After a continuous and steep drop in the series' ratings, it was officially cancelled by NBC in May 2006 after six seasons (''Joey'' was cancelled in April) and the network began airing the remainder of the season on June 13, 2006, with the remaining episodes to be aired throughout the summer, with its last episode airing on September 12, 2006. Over its six seasons, ''Fear Factor'' earned NBC a reported $600 million in advertising revenue. Currently only the first season has been released on DVD; in early 2009 a box set release containing the entire series on DVD was planned. The project was put on hold for an unknown reason in March 2010. On June 5, 2010, it was announced that the project was cancelled because of the low sales of the first season DVD.


===Syndication===
'''Second Chance''' (Season four):
In 2004, ''Fear Factor'' became the first network reality show to be syndicated. In the fall of that year, [[NBCUniversal Television Distribution]] put it into barter syndication and it aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]], [[The WB]] and [[UPN]] affiliates and on the cable channel [[FX (TV channel)|FX]]. However, as of fall 2006, ''Fear Factor'' had left local syndication due to lack of sales of [[NBCUniversal]] and was not renewed for another season next fall since NBC canceled ''Fear Factor'' after six seasons due to low ratings. In addition to FX, reruns of ''Fear Factor'' have aired in syndication on [[Chiller Network|Chiller]], [[MTV2]] and [[TBD (TV network)|TBD]], with TBD airing a ''Fear Factor'' marathon the weekend of May 15–16, 2021. The series also has a [[YouTube]] channel, where previously unaired footage is shown.
Losing contestants from previous seasons came back for a second chance at winning $50,000.


===Revived series (2011–2012)===
'''Favorite Winners''' (Season five):
With [[Chiller Network|Chiller]] airing reruns of ''Fear Factor'' every Sunday night, the ratings led to Comcast informing ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' in a May 31, 2011 report that ''Fear Factor'' would be revived for a seventh season. Eight episodes were ordered, including two two-hour episodes and Rogan returning to hosting duties.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2011/06/02/nbc-reviving-fear-factor/ |title=NBC Reviving Fear Factor |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=June 2, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/television-us-fearfactor/joe-rogan-returning-as-fear-factor-host-idUKTRE75S7CL20110629 |title=Joe Rogan returning as Fear Factor host |work=[[Reuters]] |date=June 28, 2011}}</ref> The revival was shot in high-definition and owing to concerns over the then-ongoing NFL Lockout and the loss of ''[[NBC Sunday Night Football]]'' episodes, [[TV Guide]] reported in early July the show could be ready as early as September as lockout replacement programming<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/joe-rogan-fear-factor-1034757/ |title=Exclusive: Joe Rogan to Return as Fear Factor Host |work=[[TV Guide]] |access-date=May 10, 2021}}</ref> (NBC eventually lost one episode, the season premiere Hall of Fame Game, because of the lockout that ended in late July). The series revival began airing on December 12, 2011;<ref>{{cite web|title=Fear Factor explosive first photos and premiere date revealed|url=https://ew.com/article/2011/10/19/fear-factor-photos/|website=EW.com}}</ref> the two premiere episodes were viewed by 8.7 million and 8.5 million viewers, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee |first=Stephan |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/12/13/fear-factor-ratings/ |title='Fear Factor' premiere ratings &#124; Inside TV &#124; EW.com |publisher=Insidetv.ew.com |date=December 13, 2011 |access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref> This makes the premiere the highest rated non-sports programming to air on NBC at 8:00&nbsp;p.m. since February 2008. Following Rogan's verbal disclaimer, the narrator gives a statement and this is one most commonly used:
Winning contestants from previous seasons came back for a chance at winning another $50,000.


{{cquote|It all began 10 years ago at the dawn of reality television. Audiences had never seen anything like it. Now, the legend begins all over again. It's bigger, better and more intense than ever before. Welcome back to ''Fear Factor.''}}
'''Couples''' (Seasons three to five):
Four couples competed in three stunts, with the winning team dividing the prize (and, in season 3, sending one player to the Tournament of Champions).


The revival featured four teams of two people with a preexisting relationship per episode, rather than the original versions' six people (three males and three females). The first five seasons had typically used the three male, three female grouping, but the sixth and final pre-revival season always utilized four teams of two people each. The stunts remained basically the same, with the "gross" one in between the two physical ones. NBC pulled a two-hour, five team, five stunt episode entitled "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My!" which featured a stunt where teams spun a wheel to determine whether they would have to shave their heads and eyebrows, get tattooed or be tear gassed. This episode was scheduled to air in two parts on January 23 and 30, 2012, but it was postponed after Part 1 was replaced by a GOP debate. Another episode, entitled "Hee Haw! Hee Haw!" and featuring a stunt where contestants drink the urine and semen of a donkey, was then scheduled to air January 30, 2012. Hesitant about airing the stunt, NBC eventually pulled the episode after pictures of the stunt appeared online. Video footage of the stunt appeared online after the episode aired on Danish TV in June 2012<ref>{{cite web|title=Fear Factor' Donkey Semen Stunt Finally Airs ... On Danish TV|date=June 8, 2012 |url=http://www.tmz.com/category/fear-factor-donkey-semen/|publisher=TMZ|access-date=June 30, 2012}}</ref> and ''Fear Factor'' eventually posted short clips of all three stunts on their [[YouTube]] channel in July 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fear Factor Moments – Shock Walk|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Ku1rgjidg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/V7Ku1rgjidg |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube| date=July 28, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Factor Moments – Donkey Juice|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk6KiP7iQgo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Zk6KiP7iQgo |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube| date=July 29, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fear Factor Moments – Train & Car Crash|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O41xsGXPeks |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/O41xsGXPeks |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube| date=July 30, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The sixth episode, entitled "The Bees Are So Angry", was two hours instead of the usual one and included five teams, five stunts and a $100,000 prize instead of the usual four teams, three stunts and $50,000 prize. Following this episode, ''[[The Voice (American TV series)|The Voice]]'' replaced the series' slot on Monday nights. On May 13, 2012, NBC announced that ''Fear Factor'' was officially cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 13, 2012|title='Fear Factor,' 'Minute to Win It,' Who Do You Think You Are?' and 'The Sing Off' All Canceled by NBC|url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/broadcast/the-marriage-ref-fear-factor-minute-to-win-it-who-do-you-think-you-are-and-the-sing-off-all-canceled-by-nbc/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030204134/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/broadcast/the-marriage-ref-fear-factor-minute-to-win-it-who-do-you-think-you-are-and-the-sing-off-all-canceled-by-nbc/|archive-date=October 30, 2016}}</ref> NBC rescheduled the two hour "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My!" episode, which aired in two parts over the nights of July 9 and 16. The first part ended with the "To Be Continued" subtitle followed by a preview for the second part.
In Season four, nine couples competed over seven weeks and 17 stunts for $1,000,000. Along the way, they competed for various other prizes, including $10,000, [[Automobile|cars]], vacations, [[credit card]]s, and a chance to steal a desired prize from another team. In Season five, eight couples competed for the million dollar prize.


====US Nielsen ratings====
While not specifically designated as "couples" episodes, several themed episodes in Season six featured all-couples teams. These episodes included "Psycho Fear Factor" and "Old vs. Young".

'''Twins''' (Seasons two, four, five and seven):
In season two, three pairs of [[twins]] competed as teams in the first stunt, and competed individually the second and third stunts. In sвцфав competed in three stunts, with the winning team dividing the prize.

'''Family''' (Seasons four and six):
Four teams of one parent and one child competed in three stunts for the prize. In the second stunt, the team with the best performance received a bonus prize, such as a car or a vacation.

'''$1 Million''' (Season four and six):
Twelve contestants competed in six stunts. The one player who survived all six won a $1,000,000 annuity.

'''Models''' (Seasons four and five):
Played in the normal format with models or entirely female contestants. The fifth season had one episode with male and female models.

'''Fear Factor [[Super Bowl]] Halftime Show''' (Season two):
Played in the normal format with ''[[Playboy]]'' Playmates. The first stunt aired as counter programming to the Super Bowl halftime show and ended right before the third quarter of the game started. The remaining two stunts were shown immediately after the game as counter programming to the Super Bowl lead-out show.

'''Miss USA''' (Seasons three to five):
Played in the normal format with [[Miss USA]] contestants, with the winning contestant keeping $25,000 and giving $25,000 to a charity of their choice. There was no Miss USA edition in the sixth season of ''Fear Factor'', as [[NBC]] produced a Miss USA edition of ''[[Deal or No Deal (US game show)|Deal or No Deal]]'' instead; the Miss USA contestants were the briefcase models for the entire episode. The next time that Miss USA delegates would be involved in a game show was in 2010 on ''[[Minute to Win It]]''. It is unknown if there will be a Miss USA edition in the revival, as the current format will require a Miss USA delegate to pair up with a male contestant.

'''WWF/E Stars''' (Season two):
Six WWF/E stars played for $50,000 to donate to the charity of their choice. It was won by [[Matt Hardy]].

'''Reality Stars''' (Seasons five and six):
Contestants from other reality shows, like ''[[The Amazing Race]]'', ''[[Survivor (US TV series)|Survivor]]'', ''[[American Idol]]'', ''[[The Apprentice (U.S. TV Series)|The Apprentice]]'', and ''[[The Real World]]'', played for a grand prize and other bonus prizes such as cars and vacations. In Season five, six contestants competed in a four-stunt episode for $50,000, and in the sixth season, five teams of two competed in a three-episode series for $150,000.

'''[[Military]]''' (Season six):
Contestants from the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]], the [[United States Army|Army]], the [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]], and the [[United States Navy|Navy]] competed.

'''Psycho''' (Season six):
A three episode series featuring six couples performing stunts which were centered around the Bates Motel on the set of the original ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' horror movie from [[Paramount Pictures]]. Unlike other Fear Factor episodes, contestants were required to sleep in the filthy Bates Motel between stunts, and were subjected to Fear Factor pranks and mini-challenges while in the motel.

'''Newlyweds''' (Season five):
Four sets of Newlyweds competed for $50,000 at [[Universal Studios Florida]].

'''Blind Date''' (Season six):
Four single men were introduced to four single women, and either the women (in the first episode) or the men (in the second episode) got to choose their partner among the available contestants of the opposite sex. The winning team divided the prize.

'''No Sleep''' (Season four):
Five co-ed pairs of contestants competed as teams in the normal format, with one exception: contestants were not allowed to sleep for the 48-hour duration of the competition. If a contestant fell asleep at any time before the final stunt was completed, his or her team would be eliminated. This was the only episode the TV series in which contestants could be eliminated in the downtime between stunts{{citation needed|date=April 2011}}.

'''Home Invasion''': This was included at the end of each episode in Season six. It involved Joe Rogan going to different homes across America and challenging the family to compete in a stunt. Each stunt usually involved the contestants, under time limit (usually 1 minute), ingesting something foul or undesirable before receiving keys to open two safes, both containing $5,000 credit cards from [[Capital One]].

==Revived series==
The series revival began airing on December 12, 2011, and the 2 premiere episodes were viewed by 8.7 million and 8.5 million viewers, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee |first=Stephan |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/12/13/fear-factor-ratings/ |title='Fear Factor' premiere ratings &#124; Inside TV &#124; EW.com |publisher=Insidetv.ew.com |date=2011-12-13 |accessdate=2012-01-04}}</ref> This makes the premiere the highest non-sports programming to air on NBC at 8:00 p.m. since February 2008.

The revival featured 4 teams of 2 people with a preexisting relationship per episode, rather than the original versions' 6 people (3 male, 3 female). The first 5 seasons had used the 3 male, 3 female grouping, but the sixth and final pre-revival season utilized 4 teams of 2 people each. The stunts have remained basically the same, with the "gross" one in between the two physical ones.

NBC pulled a two hour, five team, five stunt episode entitled "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My!" which featured a stunt where teams spun a wheel to determine whether they would have to shave their heads and eyebrows, get tattooed, or be tear gassed. This episode was scheduled to air January 23, 2012 and was replaced by a GOP debate.

The sixth episode, entitled "Hee Haw! Hee Haw!" and featuring a stunt where contestants drink the urine and semen of a donkey, was originally scheduled to air January 30, 2012. Hesitant about airing the stunt, NBC eventually pulled the episode after pictures of the stunt appeared online. Video footage of the stunt appeared online after the episode aired on Danish TV in June 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fear Factor' Donkey Semen Stunt Finally Airs ... On Danish TV|url=http://www.tmz.com/category/fear-factor-donkey-semen/|publisher=TMZ|accessdate=30 June 2012}}</ref>

The replacement episode for "Hee Haw! Hee Haw!," entitled "The Bees Are So Angry," was two hours instead of the usual one, and included 5 teams, 5 stunts, and a $100,000 prize instead of the usual 4 teams, 3 stunts, and $50,000 prize. ''[[The Voice (U.S. TV series)|The Voice]]'' replaced the series' slot on Monday nights.

NBC rescheduled the 2-hour "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My!" episode, which aired in two parts over the nights of July 9 and July 16. The first part ended with the "To Be Continued" subtitle followed by a preview for the second part. As of July 2012, ''Fear Factor'' is officially cancelled.

===US Nielsen ratings===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
Line 152: Line 143:
! Rating
! Rating
! Share
! Share
! [[Nielsen ratings|Rating/Share]]<br />(18-49)
! [[Nielsen ratings|Rating/Share]]<br />(18–49)
! Viewers<br />(millions)
! Viewers<br />(millions)
! Rank<br />(Timeslot)
! Rank<br />(Timeslot)
! Rank<br />(Night)
! Rank<br />(Night)
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''1'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''1'''
| "Scorpion Tales"
| "Scorpion Tales"
| December 12, 2011
| December 12, 2011
! 5.0<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/12/tv-ratings-fear-factor-makes-a-solid-return-to-nbc-cbs-comedies-rule-monday.html |title=TV ratings: 'Fear Factor' makes a solid return to NBC, CBS comedies rule Monday - From Inside the Box - Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date=2011-12-13 |accessdate=2012-01-04}}</ref>
! 5.0<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/12/tv-ratings-fear-factor-makes-a-solid-return-to-nbc-cbs-comedies-rule-monday.html |title=TV ratings: 'Fear Factor' makes a solid return to NBC, CBS comedies rule Monday From Inside the Box Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date=December 13, 2011 |access-date=January 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107195028/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/12/tv-ratings-fear-factor-makes-a-solid-return-to-nbc-cbs-comedies-rule-monday.html |archive-date=January 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! 8
! 8
! 3.3/9<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/13/monday-final-ratings-2-broke-girls-two-and-a-half-men-mike-molly-fear-factor-adjusted-up/113635/ |title=Monday Final Ratings: ’2 Broke Girls, ‘Two And A Half Men, ‘Mike & Molly’ & ‘Fear Factor’ Adjusted Up - Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=2011-12-13 |accessdate=2012-01-04}}</ref>
! 3.3/9<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/13/monday-final-ratings-2-broke-girls-two-and-a-half-men-mike-molly-fear-factor-adjusted-up/113635/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107172323/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/13/monday-final-ratings-2-broke-girls-two-and-a-half-men-mike-molly-fear-factor-adjusted-up/113635/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 7, 2012 |title=Monday Final Ratings: '2 Broke Girls,' 'Two And A Half Men,' 'Mike & Molly' & 'Fear Factor' Adjusted Up Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=December 13, 2011 |access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref>
! 8.78
! 8.78
! #2
! #2
! #5
! #5
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''2'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''2'''
| "Broken Hearts and Blood Baths"
| "Broken Hearts and Blood Baths"
| December 12, 2011
| December 12, 2011
Line 177: Line 168:
! #4
! #4
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''3'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''3'''
| "Tall Crappaccino"
| "Tall Crappaccino"
| December 19, 2011
| December 19, 2011
! 3.5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/12/tv-ratings-cbs-beats-terra-nova-finale-on-a-slow-monday.html |title=TV ratings: CBS beats 'Terra Nova' finale on a slow Monday - From Inside the Box - Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date=2011-12-20 |accessdate=2012-01-04}}</ref>
! 3.5<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/12/tv-ratings-cbs-beats-terra-nova-finale-on-a-slow-monday.html |title=TV ratings: CBS beats 'Terra Nova' finale on a slow Monday From Inside the Box Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date=December 20, 2011 |access-date=January 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107160220/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/12/tv-ratings-cbs-beats-terra-nova-finale-on-a-slow-monday.html |archive-date=January 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! 5
! 5
! 2.5/6<ref>{{cite web|author=Daily Preliminary Broadcast Cable Finals Broadcast Finals |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/20/monday-final-ratings-fear-factor-adjusted-up-you-deserve-it-a-chipmunk-christmas-adjusted-down/114223/ |title=Monday Final Ratings: ‘Fear Factor’ Adjusted Up; ‘You Deserve It, ‘A Chipmunk Christmas’ Adjusted Down - Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=2011-12-20 |accessdate=2012-01-04}}</ref>
! 2.5/6<ref>{{cite web|author=Daily Preliminary Broadcast Cable Finals Broadcast Finals |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/20/monday-final-ratings-fear-factor-adjusted-up-you-deserve-it-a-chipmunk-christmas-adjusted-down/114223/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225213755/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/20/monday-final-ratings-fear-factor-adjusted-up-you-deserve-it-a-chipmunk-christmas-adjusted-down/114223/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 25, 2011 |title=Monday Final Ratings: 'Fear Factor' Adjusted Up; 'You Deserve It,' 'A Chipmunk Christmas' Adjusted Down Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=December 20, 2011 |access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref>
! 6.37
! 6.37
! #1
! #1
! #5
! #5
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''4'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''4'''
| "Snake Bite"
| "Snake Bite"
| January 2, 2012
| January 2, 2012
! 3.2<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/01/tv-ratings-bachelor-premiere-falls-as-cbs-and-the-bcs-lead-monday.html |title=TV ratings: 'Bachelor' premiere falls as CBS (and the BCS) lead Monday - From Inside the Box - Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-05}}</ref>
! 3.2<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/01/tv-ratings-bachelor-premiere-falls-as-cbs-and-the-bcs-lead-monday.html |title=TV ratings: 'Bachelor' premiere falls as CBS (and the BCS) lead Monday From Inside the Box Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |access-date=January 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104224508/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/01/tv-ratings-bachelor-premiere-falls-as-cbs-and-the-bcs-lead-monday.html |archive-date=January 4, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! 5
! 5
! 2.4/5<ref>{{cite web|author=Daily Preliminary Broadcast Cable Finals Broadcast Finals |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/04/monday-final-ratings-2-broke-girls-2-5-men-adjusted-up-celebrity-wife-swap-rock-center-adjusted-down/115232/ |title=Monday Final Ratings: ’2 Broke Girls, ’2.5 Men’ Adjusted Up; ‘Celebrity Wife Swap, ‘Rock Center’ Adjusted Down - Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=2012-01-01 |accessdate=2012-01-05}}</ref>
! 2.4/5<ref>{{cite web|author=Daily Preliminary Broadcast Cable Finals Broadcast Finals |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/04/monday-final-ratings-2-broke-girls-2-5-men-adjusted-up-celebrity-wife-swap-rock-center-adjusted-down/115232/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108174330/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/04/monday-final-ratings-2-broke-girls-2-5-men-adjusted-up-celebrity-wife-swap-rock-center-adjusted-down/115232/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 8, 2012 |title=Monday Final Ratings: '2 Broke Girls,' '2.5 Men' Adjusted Up; 'Celebrity Wife Swap,' 'Rock Center' Adjusted Down Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=January 1, 2012 |access-date=January 5, 2012}}</ref>
! 6.01
! 6.01
! #2
! #2
! #7
! #7
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''5'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''5'''
| "Roach Coach"
| "Roach Coach"
| January 9, 2012
| January 9, 2012
! 3.1<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/01/tv-ratings-castle-tops-a-quiet-monday-on-broadcast-bcs-title-game-will-lead-night.html |title=TV ratings: 'Castle' tops a quiet Monday on broadcast, BCS title game will lead night - From Inside the Box - Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date=2012-01-10 |accessdate=2012-01-28}}</ref>
! 3.1<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/01/tv-ratings-castle-tops-a-quiet-monday-on-broadcast-bcs-title-game-will-lead-night.html |title=TV ratings: 'Castle' tops a quiet Monday on broadcast, BCS title game will lead night From Inside the Box Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date=January 10, 2012 |access-date=January 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118120517/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/01/tv-ratings-castle-tops-a-quiet-monday-on-broadcast-bcs-title-game-will-lead-night.html |archive-date=January 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! 5
! 5
! 2.3/5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/10/monday-final-ratings-fear-factor-adjusted-up-rock-center-with-brian-williams-adjusted-down/116089/ |title=Monday Final Ratings: ‘Fear Factor’ Adjusted Up; ‘Rock Center with Brian Williams’ Adjusted Down - Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=2012-01-10 |accessdate=2012-01-28}}</ref>
! 2.3/5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/10/monday-final-ratings-fear-factor-adjusted-up-rock-center-with-brian-williams-adjusted-down/116089/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113195146/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/10/monday-final-ratings-fear-factor-adjusted-up-rock-center-with-brian-williams-adjusted-down/116089/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 13, 2012 |title=Monday Final Ratings: 'Fear Factor' Adjusted Up; 'Rock Center with Brian Williams' Adjusted Down Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=January 10, 2012 |access-date=January 28, 2012}}</ref>
! 5.53
! 5.53
! #2
! #2
! #5
! #5
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''6'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''6'''
| "The Bees Are So Angry"
| "The Bees Are So Angry"
| February 12, 2012
| February 12, 2012
! 2.3<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/02/tv-ratings-grammy-awards-score-second-biggest-audience-ever.html |title=TV ratings: Grammy Awards score second-biggest audience ever - From Inside the Box - Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date=2012-02-13 |accessdate=2012-03-04}}</ref>
! 2.3<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/02/tv-ratings-grammy-awards-score-second-biggest-audience-ever.html |title=TV ratings: Grammy Awards score second-biggest audience ever From Inside the Box Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date=February 13, 2012 |access-date=March 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220200909/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/02/tv-ratings-grammy-awards-score-second-biggest-audience-ever.html |archive-date=February 20, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! 4
! 4
! 1.5/3<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/14/sunday-final-ratings-napoleon-dynamite-american-dad-adjusted-up-60-minutes-adjusted-down-grammy-awards-finals/119822/ |title=Sunday Final Ratings: ‘Napoleon Dynamite, ‘American Dad’ Adjusted Up; ’60 Minutes’ Adjusted Down + ‘Grammy Awards’ Finals - Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=2012-02-14 |accessdate=2012-03-04}}</ref>
! 1.5/3<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/14/sunday-final-ratings-napoleon-dynamite-american-dad-adjusted-up-60-minutes-adjusted-down-grammy-awards-finals/119822/ |title=Sunday Final Ratings: 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 'American Dad' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down + 'Grammy Awards' Finals Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date=February 14, 2012 |access-date=March 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218090709/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/14/sunday-final-ratings-napoleon-dynamite-american-dad-adjusted-up-60-minutes-adjusted-down-grammy-awards-finals/119822/ |archive-date=February 18, 2012 }}</ref>
! 3.73
! 3.73
! #3
! #3
! #11
! #11
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''7'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''7'''
| "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My! (Part 1)"
| "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My! (Part 1)"
| July 9, 2012
| July 9, 2012
! 2.5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/07/tv-ratings-the-bachelorette-rises-monday-while-fox-cooks-up-a-demo-win.html |title=TV ratings: ‘The Bachelorette’ rises Monday while FOX cooks up a demo win - Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date= |accessdate=2012-10-21}}</ref>
! 2.5<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/07/tv-ratings-the-bachelorette-rises-monday-while-fox-cooks-up-a-demo-win.html |title=TV ratings: 'The Bachelorette' rises Monday while FOX cooks up a demo win Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |access-date=October 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018004347/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/07/tv-ratings-the-bachelorette-rises-monday-while-fox-cooks-up-a-demo-win.html |archive-date=October 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! 4
! 4
! 1.4/4<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/07/10/monday-final-ratings-hells-kitchen-masterchef-fear-factor-adjusted-up-the-glass-house-adjusted-down/140924/|title=Monday Final Ratings: 'Hell's Kitchen', 'MasterChef', 'Fear Factor' Adjusted Up; 'The Glass House' Adjusted Down|publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com|accessdate=2012-07-10}}</ref>
! 1.4/4<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/07/10/monday-final-ratings-hells-kitchen-masterchef-fear-factor-adjusted-up-the-glass-house-adjusted-down/140924/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712132237/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/07/10/monday-final-ratings-hells-kitchen-masterchef-fear-factor-adjusted-up-the-glass-house-adjusted-down/140924/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 12, 2012|title=Monday Final Ratings: 'Hell's Kitchen', 'MasterChef', 'Fear Factor' Adjusted Up; 'The Glass House' Adjusted Down|publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com|access-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref>
! 4.01
! 4.01
! #3
! #3
! #4
! #4
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''8'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''8'''
| "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My! (Part 2)"
| "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My! (Part 2)"
| July 16, 2012
| July 16, 2012
! 2.4<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/07/tv-ratings-hells-kitchen-and-masterchef-top-the-bachelorette-in-18-49-monday.html |title=TV ratings: ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘Masterchef’ top ‘The Bachelorette’ in 18-49 Monday - Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |date= |accessdate=2012-10-21}}</ref>
! 2.4<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/07/tv-ratings-hells-kitchen-and-masterchef-top-the-bachelorette-in-18-49-monday.html |title=TV ratings: 'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Masterchef' top 'The Bachelorette' in 18-49 Monday Zap2it |publisher=Blog.zap2it.com |access-date=October 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018160621/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/07/tv-ratings-hells-kitchen-and-masterchef-top-the-bachelorette-in-18-49-monday.html |archive-date=October 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! 4
! 4
! 1.5/5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/07/17/monday-final-ratings-american-ninja-warrior-adjusted-up-the-glass-house-adjusted-down/141793/ |title=Monday Final Ratings: ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Adjusted Up; ‘The Glass House’ Adjusted Down - Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |date= |accessdate=2012-10-21}}</ref>
! 1.5/5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/07/17/monday-final-ratings-american-ninja-warrior-adjusted-up-the-glass-house-adjusted-down/141793/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719223456/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/07/17/monday-final-ratings-american-ninja-warrior-adjusted-up-the-glass-house-adjusted-down/141793/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |title=Monday Final Ratings: 'American Ninja Warrior' Adjusted Up; 'The Glass House' Adjusted Down Ratings &#124; TVbytheNumbers |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com |access-date=October 21, 2012}}</ref>
! 4.21
! 4.21
! #3
! #3
! #5
! #5
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center"| '''9'''
| style="text-align:center" | '''9'''
| "Hee Haw! Hee Haw!"
| "Hee Haw! Hee Haw!"
| Unaired in the U.S. due to content concerns.
| Unaired in the U.S. due to content concerns.<ref name="heehaw"/>
!
!
!
!
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!
!
!
!
|}</onlyinclude>

==International versions==
{| class=wikitable font-size:90%
|-
! Country !! Name !! Host !! Channel !! Broadcast !! Jackpot
|-
| '''{{Flag|Albania}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
|
| [[Vizion +|Vizion Plus]]
|
|
|-
| '''{{flagicon|Arab League}} [[Arab World]]'''
| '''Fear Factor عامل الخوف'''
| Najla Badr
| [[Middle East Broadcasting Center|MBC1]]
| February 13, 2004
| 50.000 [[Saudi Riyal|SR]]
|-
| '''{{flag|Australia}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| Marc Yellin
| [[Nine Network]], [[Fox8|FOX8]]
| 2002
| A$50.000
|-
| '''{{flag|Belgium}} [[Netherlands|Dutch]]'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| Walter Grootaers
| [[vtm|VTM]]
| 2005
|
|-
| '''{{flag|Brazil}}'''
| '''[[Hipertensão]]'''
| Zeca Camargo<small> (2002)</small><br>{{nowrap|[[Glenda Kozlowski]]}}<br><small>(2010–present)</small>
| [[Rede Globo|Globo]]
| April 14, 2002
| R$500,000
|-
| '''{{flag|Bulgaria}}'''
| '''СТРАХ'''
| Atanas Michailov
| [[Nova Television (Bulgaria)|Nova TV]]
| March 1, 2009
| 15.000 лв
|-
| '''{{flag|Canada}}''' (French Canadian)
| '''Facteur de Risques'''
| [[Benoit Gagnon]], [[Josée Lavigueur]]
| [[TVA (Canada)|TVA]]
| September 21, 2004
| CAN$30,000
|-
| '''{{flag|Chile}}'''
| '''[[Fear Factor Chile]]'''
| [[Tonka Tomicic]]
| [[Canal 13 (Chile)|Canal 13]]
| November 13, 2010
| CL$3.000.000
|-
| '''{{flag|Colombia}}'''
| '''Frente al miedo'''
| Juan Pablo Llano
| [[Caracol TV]]
| 2005
|
|-
| '''{{flag|Croatia}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| Antonija Blaće
| [[RTL Televizija|RTL]]
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2|'''{{flag|Czech Republic}}'''
| '''Faktor strachu'''
| [[Joe Rogan]]
| [[Prima Cool]]
|
|
|-
| '''Poslední kapka'''
|
|
| 2012–2013
| CZK10 000 000
|-
| '''{{flag|Denmark}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| [[Biker-Jens]]
| [[TV3 Denmark|TV3]]
| 2003
|
|-
| '''{{flag|Dominican Republic}}'''
|'''Enfrentando al Miedo'''
| Irving Alverti
| [[Telesistema 11]]
| December 12,2006
| RD$ 20.000.000
|-
| '''{{flag|Egypt}}'''
| '''Fear Factor Extreme أرض الخوف'''
| Sally Chahin
| [[AlHayat TV]]
| April 2009
| US$50,000
|-
| '''{{flag|Finland}}'''
| '''Pelkokerroin'''
| Aleksi Valavuori
| [[Nelonen]]
| September 13, 2008
| €10.000
|-
| '''{{flag|France}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| Denis Brogniart
| [[TF1]]
|
| 10 000 €
|-
| '''{{flag|Germany}}'''
| '''Fear Factor '''
| [[Sonja Zietlow]]
| [[RTLTelevision|RTL]]
| 2004
|
|-
| '''{{flag|Greece}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| [[Kostas Sommer]]
| [[ANT1]]
| June 2006
|
|-
| '''{{flag|Hungary}}'''
| '''A Rettegés Foka'''
| [[Kovalcsik Ildikó]]
| [[RTL Klub]]
| 2005
|
|-
| rowspan=2|'''{{flag|India}}'''
| '''[[Fear Factor India]]'''
| Mukul Dev
| [[SET Asia]]
|
|
|-
| '''[[Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi]]'''
| [[Akshay Kumar]]<br><small>(2008–2009; 2011–present)</small><br>[[Priyanka Chopra]]<small> (2010)</small>
| [[Colors (TV channel)|Colors]]
| July 21, 2008
|
|-
| '''{{flag|Indonesia}}'''
| '''Fear Factor Indonesia'''
| Agastya Kandau
| [[RCTI]]
|c. 2003
| Rp.50.000.000
|-
| '''{{Flag|Italy}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| [[Paolo Ruffini]]
| [[GXT]]
| 2005
|
|-
| rowspan=2|'''{{flag| Malaysia}}'''
| '''Fear Factor Malaysia'''
| Shamser Sidhu
| [[ntv7]]
| August 27, 2005
| RM10.000
|-
| '''Fear Factor Selebriti Malaysia'''
| [[Aaron Aziz]]<ref>{{cite news|last=FERIDE HIKMET|first=ATAK|title='Fear Factor Selebriti Malaysia' Elak Perkara Tidak Senonoh|url=http://mstar.com.my/hiburan/cerita.asp?file=/2012/9/29/mstar_hiburan/20120928175254&sec=mstar_hiburan|accessdate=5 December 2012|newspaper=mStar Online|date=29 September 2012}}</ref>
| [[Astro Ria]] and [[Mustika HD|Astro Mustika HD]]
| December 29, 2012
|
|-
| '''{{flag| Mexico}}'''
| '''Fear Factor: Factor Miedo'''
| Julio Bracho (2002-2004)
“El Rasta“ (2004-2005, 2010)
| [[Televisa]]
| 2004, Fear Factor Vip 2010
| MX$150.000
|-
| '''{{flag|Netherlands}}'''
| '''Now or Neverland'''<br />'''Fear Factor'''
| Fabienne de Vries
| [[Veronica (television channel)|Veronica]]
| 1998
| fl 20 000<br />€ 8 000
|-
| '''{{flag|New Zealand}}'''
|'''Fear Factor'''
| Joe Rogan
| TV2
| 2008
| $50,000
|-
| '''{{flag|Norway}}'''
|'''Fear Factor'''
|Joe Rogan
| [[Viasat 4]]
| 2007–present
|
|-
| '''{{flag|Philippines}}'''
| '''[[Pinoy Fear Factor]]'''
| [[Ryan Agoncillo]]
| [[ABS-CBN]]
| November 10, 2008 – February 20, 2009
| P2.000.000
|-
| '''{{flag|Poland}}'''
| '''[[Fear Factor - Nieustraszeni]]'''
| [[Roman Polko]]
| [[Polsat]]
|
| 50.000zł
|-
| '''{{flag|Portugal}}'''
| '''Fear Factor - Desafio Total'''
| Leonor Poeiras<br />José Carlos Araújo
| [[Televisão Independente]]
| 2004
|
|-
| '''{{Flag|Romania}}'''
| '''Pariu cu Frica - Fear Factor'''
|
| [[Sport.ro]]
| April 6, 2008
|
|-
| '''{{Flag|Russia}}'''
| '''[[:ru:Фактор страха (телепередача)|Фактор страха]]'''
| [[:ru:Набутов, Кирилл Викторович|Cyrill Nabutov]]
| [[NTV (Russia)|NTV]]
| 2004–2005
| 100.000 RUR
|-
| '''{{Flag|South Africa}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| Colin Moss <br>Thapelo Mokoena <br>Lungile Radu
| [[M-Net]]<br />E.tv
|2002<br>2006-2007
| R300,000
|-
| '''{{Flag|Spain}}'''
| '''Factor Miedo'''
| Alonso Caparros
| [[Antena 3 (Spain)|Antena 3]]
| 2005
|
|-
| '''{{Flag|Sweden}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| Paolo Roberto
| [[TV4 (Sweden)|TV4]]
|
|
|-
| '''{{Flag|Turkey}}'''
| '''Fear Factor Türkiye'''<br />'''Fear Factor Extreme'''<br />'''Fear Factor Extreme 2'''<br />'''Fear Factor Aksiyon'''
| [[Acun Ilıcalı]]<br />[[Asuman Krause]]<br />[[Asuman Krause]]<br />[[Asuman Krause]]
| [[Show TV]]<br />[[Star TV (Turkey)|Star TV]]<br />[[Star TV (Turkey)|Star TV]]<br />[[Fox Turkey]]
| 2006<br />2009<br />2010<br />2013
| TL 100.000
|-
| '''{{Flag|United Kingdom}}'''
| '''[[Fear Factor (UK game show)|Fear Factor]]'''
| [[Ed Sanders (television carpenter)|Ed Sanders]]
| [[Sky One]]
| Series 1: 3 September 2002 – 26 November 2002<br />Series 2: 18 September 2003 – 11 December 2003<br />Celebrity Series: 18 July 2004 – 22 August 2004
| £20,000
|-
| '''{{Flag|United States}}'''
| '''Fear Factor'''
| [[Joe Rogan]]
| [[NBC]]
| June 11, 2001 – September 12, 2006; December 12, 2011 – July 16, 2012
| US$50,000
|}
|}


===MTV reboot (2017–2018)===
==Criticism==
In April 2017, [[MTV]] announced that it would be reviving ''Fear Factor'' a second time for a 12-episode season. The first season of MTV's ''Fear Factor'' premiered on May 30, 2017, and concluded on August 22, 2017. Just prior to the first-season finale, it was announced that MTV had renewed the series for a second season consisting of 20 episodes.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Littleton|first1=Cynthia|title=MTV Orders Second Season of 'Fear Factor' (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/fear-factor-mtv-second-season-ludacris-1202535284/|website=Variety|date=22 August 2017|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref> The first half of Season 2, subtitled ''Season From Hell,'' began airing on February 25, 2018;<ref>{{cite web|title=SCARE UP SUNDAYS WHEN "FEAR FACTOR" RETURNS WITH LUDACRIS|url=http://www.mtvpress.com/press-releases/2018/01/29/scare-up-sundays-when-fear-factor-returns-with-ludacris|website=MTV Press|access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref> the second half, subtitled ''Celebrity Fear Factor,'' premiered on July 17, 2018.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 26, 2018|title=MTV's "Fear Factor" Returns with Celebrity Episodes - Tuesday, July 17|url=http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2018/06/26/mtvs-fear-factor-returns-with-celebrity-episodes-tuesday-july-17-781115/20180626mtv01/|access-date=March 14, 2012|website=The Futon Critic}}</ref> The MTV revival was hosted by [[Ludacris]] and continued to use the format of four teams competing for a $50,000 prize. The stunts drew inspiration from elements of pop culture, such as horror movies, urban legends and viral videos.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Goldberg|first1=Lesley|title='Fear Factor,' Hosted by Ludacris, Revived at MTV (Exclusive)|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fear-factor-hosted-by-ludacris-revived-at-mtv-991523|website=Hollywood Reporter|date=12 April 2017|access-date=April 20, 2017}}</ref>
''Fear Factor'' has received criticism from the general public mainly because of the show's second stunt, which intends to [[disgust]] its viewers. More seriously, the [[American Humane Association]] expressed concerns for allowing various animals to get injured, and even killing insects by eating them alive during the videotaping of the show. The association also revealed that professional [[animal training|animal trainers]] have refused to work on the show because the producers of ''Fear Factor'' have demanded stunts which violate the association's guidelines.


==Show format==
<blockquote>American Humane believes that shows like ''Fear Factor'' are on a slippery slope of animal mistreatment and provide poor examples of animal treatment and humane ethics. As we work diligently to expand voluntary compliance with animal safety guidelines, organisations like Endemol who blatantly demonstrate complete disregard for animal welfare, or even that of their human contestants — are producing unacceptable programming. Karen Rosa (Communications Manager of AHA Film and TV Unit)<ref>[http://www.nspca.co.za/Media-Miscellaneous-2.htm]{{Dead link|date=October 2009}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=October 2009}}
{{Overly detailed|section|date=November 2022}}
</blockquote>
{{More citations needed|section|date=November 2022}}
In January 2005, an episode featuring a stunt involving blended [[rat]]s aired in its normal [[prime time]] slot. Austin Aitken, a part-time [[paralegal]] from [[Cleveland, Ohio]], sued [[NBC]] for $2.5 million [[United States dollar|USD]] for airing the show, claiming that he felt so disgusted from watching the stunt, his [[blood pressure]] rose until he felt dizzy and lightheaded and subsequently vomited. He claimed that his disorientation was so severe that he ran into a doorway and seriously injured himself. In March 2005, U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells threw out the lawsuit on the grounds of [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment protection]].<ref>Joe Milicia, [http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1104759364675 Viewer Sues NBC Over 'Fear Factor' Rat-Eating Episode] Accessed March 3, 2008 {{Dead link|date=October 2009}}</ref>

===Original format (2001–2012)===
The show begins with an introduction from the narrator and this is one most commonly used:

{{cquote|Imagine a world where your greatest fears become reality. Welcome to ''Fear Factor.'' Each show, six contestants from around the country battle each other in three extreme stunts. These stunts are designed to challenge the contestants both physically and mentally. If the contestant is too afraid to complete a stunt, they're eliminated. If they fail a stunt, they're eliminated. But if they succeed, they will be one step closer to the grand prize, $50,000. Six contestants, three stunts, one winner. ''Fear Factor''.}}

Before the contestants are introduced (and at the half-way point of a two-hour special), Rogan presents a verbal disclaimer. The wording has changed with certain versions, but this is one most commonly used:

{{cquote|I'm Joe Rogan and this is ''Fear Factor.'' The stunts you're about to see were all designed and supervised by trained professionals. They are extremely dangerous and should not be attempted by anyone, anywhere, anytime.}}

The normal format involves three men and three women—or four teams of two people with a pre-existing relationship—who have to complete three professional stunts to win [[United States dollar|US$]]50,000. Rogan noted that the stunts not only test any contestants/teams physically, but mentally as well. Any contestants or teams who were too scared to attempt a stunt, failed to complete a stunt or underperformed a stunt were eliminated from the competition. If only one contestant or team successfully completed the first or the second stunt, they automatically win $25,000 and the other contestants eliminated in the stunt along with the winner of the stunt return for the next stunt to compete for the remaining $25,000. If no one successfully completed the first or the second stunt, then all of the contestants and teams eliminated in the stunt would return to the next stunt to compete for a reduced $25,000. This rule did not apply for non-elimination stunts; in those cases, the prize would be carried over to the next stunt. The only exception to this was in season one, where if one person completed the stunt, the contestant won $10,000 and the $50,000 grand prize was not reduced. There were no instances during the first season where all contestants failed a stunt, so it was never revealed how this would have been handled (however Rogan did state 'as usual' in an early episode of the second season, when nobody completed the second stunt—even though it was the first time it had happened—that the prize would be reduced by 50%). In the final episode of season one, it was implied by Rogan during the second stunt that involved eating various [[pig]] parts that if only one person won the stunt (after only one contestant, Martin Beech, successfully completed the previous stunt), then that person would get the $50,000 prize without the need to complete the final stunt. Only once in the history of ''Fear Factor'' did the $50,000 prize go unclaimed in an episode; On September 27, 2004, a "Best Friends" edition, none of the remaining teams were able to complete the final stunt. In the stunt, one member of each team had to drive a ramp car, while the other member had to drive a sports car. The one driving the sports car had to drive it onto the truck bed via the ramp car. If the sports car fell off of the truck bed at any time, the team was automatically eliminated. Had it been successfully completed, the team who did this the fastest would have won. However, the last remaining contestants walked away with two [[Mazda]] vehicles for winning a previous stunt (see [[Fear Factor#Second stunt|Second stunt]]). After the acquisition of [[Universal Studios, Inc.|Universal Studios]] of [[Vivendi]] by [[NBC]]'s parent company [[General Electric]] in 2004, contestants could win vacations in order to promote the theme park division of [[NBCUniversal]] at [[Universal Orlando]] or win trips to Universal Studios in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]].

The order of the stunts on a typical episode of ''Fear Factor'' is as follows:


'''First stunt:''' The first stunt is designed to physically test each of the contestants or teams (for example, jumping from one building to the next or hanging from a helicopter and collecting flags on a ladder). Usually, the two men and the two women or the three teams, that gave the best performance (such as the fastest time, farthest distance or number of flags collected in under a certain time) will move on to the second stunt. The others are eliminated. In the sixth season, a sometimes-used rule was that the best-performing team won the ability to eliminate the team of their choice, meaning that teams who failed to complete the stunt or had the worst performance could still advance to the next round if the winning team did not choose to eliminate them.
''Fear Factor'' was also criticized by major U.S. electrical utilities for an episode that required contestants to climb through a simulated electrical substation with "electrified wires" replete with simulated sparks and electrical sounds added in post-processing. The [[Edison Electric Institute]] issued a warning regarding the episode, fearing that viewers might attempt to climb through a real substation with potentially fatal results.<ref>[http://emol.org/tv/fearfactor/ 'Shocking' Television Stunt Spurs ComEd Warning about Electrical Safety]</ref>


'''Second stunt:''' The second stunt is meant to mentally challenge the contestants or teams. The three most common types of stunts in the second round are eating stunts, animal stunts and retrieval or transfer stunts. Eating stunts entail ingesting vile animal parts, live bugs or a blended concoction of multiple items; animal stunts entail immersing one's head or entire body in animals considered to be disgusting or intimidating (such as rats, spiders, snakes or worms); retrieval or transfer stunts involve retrieving items or gross objects (often by mouth) hidden in disgusting substances (for example, blood or lard) or live animals. On rare occasions, the 'mental' challenge would be of a completely different nature, and not be an objectively gross stunt (such as eating undesirable animal parts). Rather, it would be a test of pain endurance, for instance walking barefoot on broken glass or ingesting habanero peppers. Even less often still, the second stunt would be a test of the contestants' tolerance of (sometimes long-term) public humiliation, such as parading nude down a catwalk in front of an audience of photographers, getting a tattoo, or, in one episode of season 6, receiving a humiliating hair cut, such as a mohawk or "taco" style. At the time of broadcast, many fans commented that the latter stunt was amongst the most unreasonable stunts in the show's history.
An episode originally scheduled for January 30, 2012, featuring contestants drinking [[donkey]] [[semen]] and [[urine]], was rejected by NBC, which instead aired a rerun.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sacks |first=Ethan |title=Fear Factor’ donkey semen stunt pulled by NBC parent company Comcast: report |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/fear-factor-donkey-semen-stunt-pulled-nbc-parent-company-comcast-article-1.1014016 |accessdate=January 30, 2012 |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=January 30, 2012}}</ref> On January 31, 2012, two of the contestants, twin sisters Claire and Brynne Odioso, appeared on ''[[The Cowhead Show]]'' on Tampa Bay radio station [[WHPT]] to talk about their experiences in that episode; however, according to [[TMZ.com]], producers of ''Fear Factor'' warned the Odioso sisters not to continue any discussion of the program, as doing so would put them in breach of their confidentiality agreements.<ref>[http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/8412112/tv-contestants-threatened-twins-threatened-with-lawsuit-donkey-stunt Nine Network Australia: "Twins threatened with lawsuit after donkey stunt", February 1, 2012.]</ref> As of July 13, 2012, ''Fear Factor'' has been cancelled.


With the exception of retrieval or transfer stunts, contestants are usually not eliminated after this stunt unless they fail to complete it or vomit before finishing. In the case of teams, one team may be eliminated for having the worst performance. In later episodes, a common (but not always used) rule was that no one would be eliminated after the second stunt; instead, the contestant or team that performed the best would receive a prize, such as a vehicle or a prize package similar in value. More often than not, the contestant or team with the best performance had the privilege of choosing the order that the contestants or teams had to go in to perform the next stunt [for the following day]. Extremely rarely during the show's original run, Rogan would participate in the second stunt, most often as a way of encouraging contestants to take part. However, during a stunt involving tear gas in the third season, the wind changed direction and tear gas blew in the direction of Rogan, the camera crew and the other contestants that were not taking part at that particular moment. On another occasion during the first series, though it was not aired, Rogan ate three sheep eyes exactly like the contestants had to, as it was the first 'gross' stunt to be taped in the series' run and he did not feel it fair that the contestants should go at it alone, while he sat cheering them on.
==Spin-off products==

''Fear Factor'' has also resulted in various spin-off products:
'''Third stunt:''' The third and final stunt is usually something from an extreme type of stunt seen in an [[action film]]. Like the first stunt, it usually involves heights, water, vehicles, or some combination of the three. In order to avoid ties, this stunt is always competitive. The player or team with the best performance this round wins the grand prize, usually $50,000 and has the privilege of being informed by Rogan that "evidently, fear is not a factor for you." Naturally, on the one occasion that the $50,000 prize went unclaimed (the season 5 Best Friends episode), Rogan instead informed the contestants that "evidently, fear ''is'' a factor for you." However, Rogan would also do this when nobody completed one of the earlier stunts, even when the stunt in question was not an elimination round.

====Special formats====
=====Four-Stunt Show=====
This was typically a 90-minute episode featuring four stunts instead of three. The first such episode aired in season 3 and was notable for a stunt involving [[body piercing]]. In seasons 4–6, at least one of the four stunts was a non-elimination stunt in which contestants competed for a prize. The four-stunt format was sometimes used in conjunction with themed episodes, such as Family Fear Factor, Twins Fear Factor and Thanksgiving Fear Factor. In season 5, six contestants from other reality shows competed in a two-hour, four-stunt episode for $50,000.

=====Extended competitions=====
Some ''Fear Factor'' competitions consisted of five or more stunts and featured an increased grand prize. These competitions were always presented as multi-part episodes or single two-hour episodes. The first such competitions were the Tournaments of Champions in seasons 2 and 3 (see below). Season 4 included a two-hour season premiere in which 12 contestants competed in six stunts for a grand prize of $1,000,000; and a two-part, six-stunt Las Vegas episode where the winner would have a chance to win up to $100,000 based on his or her performance in the final stunt (they would then have to bet half their winnings on a hand of blackjack). Season 6 featured two three-episode, six-stunt competitions ("Psycho Fear Factor" and "Reality Stars Fear Factor"). Season 7 included two five-stunt competitions in which five teams competed for a grand prize of $100,000; the first aired as a single two-hour episode, and the second aired in two parts.

'''Tournament of Champions:''' Seasons 2–3 concluded with a Tournament of Champions featuring the winners of each episode of those respective seasons and a $100,000 grand prize. In season two, the 13 non-celebrity winners were divided into groups of eight men and five women. For the first four stunts, men competed amongst men and women competed amongst women in two stunts each. The men had to release a flag from a locked box while hanging suspended in the air and eat three different items from a table. The women had to collect flags while on top of an aircraft and retrieve three poles from a tank with [[alligator]]s. The stunts narrowed the contestants down from eight men and five women to two men and two women who will, in the end, compete against each other for the grand prize by using a key to activate a horn while riding on a speeding truck. In season three, the 24 winners were divided into two groups of 12, each containing seven men and five women. In the first semifinal episode, the group was cut from 12 to six to three to two finalists. In the second semifinal episode, the group was cut from 12 to six in the first stunt, then the men competed amongst the men and the women competed amongst the women in the second stunt and then the final four contestants, two men and two women, were cut to two finalists. Each finalist won a 2004 [[Mazda RX-8]] and a chance at the $100,000. In the finals, the four finalists competed in three stunts. Each stunt eliminated one contestant and the final stunt determined the winner.

'''Couples Fear Factor:''' Seasons 4–5 both included ''Couples Fear Factor'' competitions that played out over seven episodes and featured a grand prize of $1,000,000. Nine couples competed in 17 stunts in season 4 and eight couples competed in 14 stunts in season 5. In season 4, each episode contained two or three stunts, with at least one stunt being a non-elimination stunt. In season 5, each episode featured two stunts; the first was always a non-elimination stunt and the second usually eliminated the team with the worst performance. In contrast to the regular format, only one team was eliminated in each elimination stunt; if multiple teams failed the stunt, then the teams that succeeded would vote on which failing team to eliminate. Almost every stunt offered a prize (e.g., [[Automobile|cars]], vacations, pre-loaded [[credit card]]s, a chance to steal a desired prize from another team) or a $10,000 incentive to the team with the best performance. ''Couples Fear Factor'' episodes had certain stylistic differences from the regular format, including a different opening sequence and onscreen interviews with the contestants (regular episodes usually presented interviews in voiceover format only).

'''Psycho Fear Factor:''' A three-episode series in which six couples competed in six stunts for various cash and prizes, including a grand prize of $250,000. The stunts were centered around the Bates Motel on the set of the original ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' horror movie from [[Paramount Pictures]]. Unlike other ''Fear Factor'' episodes, contestants were required to sleep in the filthy Bates Motel between stunts and were subjected to Fear Factor pranks and mini-challenges while in the motel.

'''Reality Stars Fear Factor:''' A three-episode series in which five teams of Reality TV stars competed in six stunts for various cash and prizes, including a grand prize of $150,000. Featured the teams were [[Jonny Fairplay]] and Twila Tanner from ''[[Survivor (American TV series)|Survivor]],'' Jonathan Baker and [[Victoria Fuller (model)|Victoria Fuller]] from ''[[The Amazing Race (American TV series)|The Amazing Race]],'' Craig Williams and Tana Goertz from ''[[The Apprentice (American TV series)|The Apprentice]],'' [[The Miz]] and [[Trishelle Cannatella]] from ''[[The Real World (TV series)|The Real World]]'' and [[Anthony Fedorov]] and [[Carmen Rasmusen]] from ''[[American Idol]].'' The series was won by The Miz and Cannatella.

=====Other formats=====
'''Celebrity special''' (seasons two, three and six):
In seasons 2–3, episodes with celebrity contestants were played in the normal format, except that contestants were playing for charity. The winning contestant's charity would receive $50,000 and other contestants' charities would receive a lesser amount ($10,000 or $25,000). In season 6, eight celebrity contestants paired up into teams of two for the first two stunts but competed individually in the final stunt. [[Stephen Baldwin]], [[Kevin Richardson (musician)|Kevin Richardson]] and [[Alan Thicke]] are among the celebrities who have competed on ''Fear Factor.''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/alan-thickes-greatest-36659/|title=Alan Thicke's Greatest Fear|work=Lauren Kane|publisher=[[TV Guide]]|date=2002}} Retrieved December 2016</ref> Season 2 included an episode featuring six WWF/E stars; it was won by [[Matt Hardy]].

'''All-Gross Show''' (seasons 3–6):
All three stunts on this show followed the format of the second (gross) stunt as described above. The first such episode involved [[Apple bobbing|bobbing]] for objects in a vat containing 50 gallons of cow [[blood]]. In seasons 4–5, the all-gross format was used for Halloween-themed episodes. In season six, a "Farm Fear Factor" episode featured all gross stunts.

'''Mixed Team and Individual Stunts''' (seasons two, five and six):
In most episodes, contestants competed individually or in teams of two for the entire competition. However, there were three episodes in which contestants paired up into teams for the first and/or second stunt but competed individually in the final stunt. The first instance of this was a season 2 episode in which three pairs of [[twins]] competed as teams in the first stunt and competed individually in the other two stunts. In season 5's "New York vs. L.A." episode, the first stunt narrowed a pool of eight contestants down to four (one man and one woman from each city); contestants from the same city then teamed up in the second stunt and all contestants competed as individuals in the final stunt. A season 6 celebrity episode had contestants competing as teams in the first two stunts and individually in the final stunt. In the latter episode, contestants were allowed to attempt the stunts alone if their partner quit before the stunt started.

'''Holiday specials''' (seasons 3–5):
Over the course of the series, Fear Factor produced three Christmas episodes, two Halloween episodes and a Thanksgiving episode. The Christmas episodes featured Christmas-themed stunts but were otherwise played in the normal format. The Halloween episodes followed the all-gross format and the Thanksgiving episode followed the four-stunt format.

'''Las Vegas Show''' (seasons 3–5):
Stunts took place at various [[hotel]]s and [[casino]]s in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]]. The show's winner was required to bet at least half of their winnings on one hand of [[Blackjack]], with the chance to continue gambling if successful.

'''Special Contestants''' (seasons 2–7):
Some episodes featured a specific type of contestant (notably models, all-female, twins, military members, reality television stars, freaks and geeks, young and old, returning contestants) or teams with a specific type of relationship (e.g., couples, newlyweds, siblings, best friends, parent/child teams, exes). Many of these episodes were played in the regular format, although some used a four-stunt or extended competition format.

'''Fear Factor [[Super Bowl]] Halftime Show''' (season 2):
Played in the normal format with ''[[Playboy]]'' Playmates. The first stunt aired as counter programming to the Super Bowl halftime show and ended right before the third quarter of the game started. The remaining two stunts were shown immediately after the game as counter programming to the Super Bowl lead-out show.

'''Miss USA''' (seasons 3–5):
Played in the normal format with [[Miss USA]] contestants, with the winning contestant keeping $25,000 and giving $25,000 to a charity of their choice. There was no Miss USA edition in the sixth season of ''Fear Factor,'' as [[NBC]] produced a Miss USA edition of ''[[Deal or No Deal (American game show)|Deal or No Deal]]'' instead; the Miss USA contestants were the briefcase models for the entire episode. The next time that Miss USA delegates would be involved in a game show was in 2010 on ''[[Minute to Win It]].'' The Miss USA edition was not present in the show's final two seasons, as the current format had four teams of two people.

'''Blind Date''' (season 6):
Four single men were introduced to four single women and either the women (in the first episode) or the men (in the second episode) got to choose their partner among the available contestants of the opposite sex. The game was then played in the regular format, with the winning team dividing the prize.

'''Sleep Deprivation''' (season 4):
Five co-ed pairs of contestants competed as teams in the normal format, with one exception: contestants had to stay awake for the 48-hour duration of the competition. If a contestant fell asleep at any time before the final stunt was completed, his or her team would be eliminated. This was the only episode in the entire series (original or revived) in which contestants could be eliminated in the downtime between stunts.

'''Million Dollar Heist:''' (season 6): Played in the regular teams format, but instead of competing for the normal $50,000 prize, teams would race head-to-head to "steal" up to $1,000,000 worth of gold from an armored truck submerged in water for their final stunt. The team that "stole" the most money's worth of gold within the time limit would win the combined amount of money collected by both teams.


'''Home Invasion:''' This short segment was included at the end of each episode in season six. It involved Rogan going to different homes across America and challenging a family to compete in a stunt. Each stunt usually involved the contestants under a time limit (usually one minute) ingesting or bobbing in something foul or undesirable. If successful, the family would win up to $5,000 in the form of pre-loaded credit cards from [[Capital One]].
* A game called ''[[Fear Factor: Unleashed]]'' was by [[Hip Interactive]] for the [[Game Boy Advance]].<ref>[http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r22392.htm Fear Factor Unleashed Review - Game Boy Advance<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

* A ''Fear Factor'' board game was published by Master Pieces.<ref>[http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/19606 Fear Factor Game | BoardGameGeek<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===MTV format (2017–2018)===
MTV's ''Fear Factor'' revival continued to use the format of four teams of two people competing in three challenges for a $50,000 grand prize, as in the last two seasons of the NBC series. As the show started, Ludacris gives a verbal disclaimer. The wording has changed with certain versions, but this is one commonly used:

{{cquote|The challenges you are about to see were designed and tested by trained professionals. They are extremely ludicrous and should never be attempted by anyone, anywhere, or at anytime. This is MTV's ''Fear Factor.''}}

However, the order of the stunts, as well as some of the rules, differ from the original format. Each episode in first season of the MTV version had three named rounds: Beat the Beast, Face Your Fear and The Final Fear.

'''Beat the Beast:''' This stunt challenges the contestants to conquer their fear of something creepy (usually live creatures considered gross or intimidating) and generally follows the same format as animal stunts from the second stunt of the original version. The team with the best performance in this round wins a "FearVantage", which is an advantage in the next round (such as picking the order).

'''Face Your Fear:''' This is a challenge tailored to a common fear shared by all of the contestants on a particular episode. The nature of this stunt varies widely depending on the fears of the contestants.

'''The Final Fear:''' This is an extreme physical stunt that follows the same format as the first and third stunts from the original version of the show. The team with the best performance wins the $50,000 grand prize.

The second season abandoned categorized rounds and FearVantages but continued to follow the general format of the first two rounds consisting of gross stunts and/or small-scale physical stunts, followed by an extreme physical stunt in the final round.

==Controversy==
''Fear Factor'' has received criticism from the general public mainly because of the show's second stunt, which intends to [[disgust]] its viewers. The [[American Humane Association]] expressed concerns for allowing various animals to get injured and even killing insects by eating them alive during the videotaping of the show. The association also revealed that professional [[animal training|animal trainers]] have refused to work on the show because the producers of ''Fear Factor'' have demanded stunts that violate the association's guidelines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nspca.co.za/Media-Miscellaneous-2.htm |title=National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051110045923/http://www.nspca.co.za/Media-Miscellaneous-2.htm |archive-date=November 10, 2005 }}</ref> In January 2005, an episode featuring a stunt involving blended [[rat]]s aired in its normal [[prime time]] slot. Austin Aitken, a part-time [[paralegal]] from [[Cleveland]], sued [[NBC]] for [[United States dollar|US$]]2.5 million for airing the show, claiming that he felt so disgusted from watching the stunt, his [[blood pressure]] rose to the point he felt dizzy and lightheaded and subsequently vomited. His disorientation was so severe that he ran into a doorway and seriously injured himself. Two months later, U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells threw out the lawsuit on the grounds of [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment protection]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Joe Milicia |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1104759364675 |title=Viewer Sues NBC Over 'Fear Factor' Rat-Eating Episode |access-date=March 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815131635/http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1104759364675 |archive-date=August 15, 2012 }}</ref> ''Fear Factor'' was also criticized by major U.S. electrical utilities for an episode that required contestants to climb through a simulated [[electrical substation]] with "electrified wires" complete with simulated sparks and electrical sounds added in post-processing. The [[Edison Electric Institute]] issued a warning regarding the episode, fearing that viewers might attempt to climb through a real substation with potentially fatal results.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emol.org/tv/fearfactor/|title=Fear Factor|website=emol.org}}</ref> An episode originally scheduled for January 30, 2012, featuring contestants drinking [[donkey]] [[semen]] and [[urine]] was rejected by NBC, which instead aired a rerun.<ref name="heehaw">{{cite news|last=Sacks|first=Ethan|title='Fear Factor' donkey semen stunt pulled by NBC parent company Comcast: report|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/fear-factor-donkey-semen-stunt-pulled-nbc-parent-company-comcast-article-1.1014016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201203523/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/fear-factor-donkey-semen-stunt-pulled-nbc-parent-company-comcast-article-1.1014016|archive-date=2012-02-01|url-status=dead|newspaper=New York Daily News |date=January 30, 2012}}</ref> On January 31, 2012, two of the contestants, twin sisters Claire and Brynne Odioso, appeared on ''The Cowhead Show'' on Tampa Bay radio station [[WHPT]] to talk about their experiences in that episode; however, according to [[TMZ|TMZ.com]], producers of ''Fear Factor'' warned the Odioso sisters not to continue any discussion of the program, as doing so would put them in breach of their confidentiality agreements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/8412112/tv-contestants-threatened-twins-threatened-with-lawsuit-donkey-stunt |title=Nine Network Australia: "Twins threatened with lawsuit after donkey stunt", February 1, 2012. |access-date=February 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202041234/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/8412112/tv-contestants-threatened-twins-threatened-with-lawsuit-donkey-stunt |archive-date=February 2, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Spin-off products and theme park attraction==
''Fear Factor'' has also resulted in various spin-off products:
* A game called ''[[Fear Factor: Unleashed]]'' was published by Hip Interactive for the [[Game Boy Advance]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r22392.htm |title=Fear Factor Unleashed Review – Game Boy Advance<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=May 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317170111/http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r22392.htm |archive-date=March 17, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* A ''Fear Factor'' board game was published by Master Pieces.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19606/fear-factor-game|title=Fear Factor Game|website=BoardGameGeek}}</ref>
* There were several books based on ''Fear Factor'', such as ''The Fear Factor Cookbook'' and ''Fear Factor Mad Libs''.
* There were several books based on ''Fear Factor'', such as ''The Fear Factor Cookbook'' and ''Fear Factor Mad Libs''.
* Brand New Candy, LLC. made several novelty candies based on ''Fear Factor'', including eyeballs.
* Brand New Candy made several novelty candies based on ''Fear Factor'', including eyeballs.
* The theme park stunt show attraction [[Fear Factor Live]] opened in [[Universal Studios Florida#World Expo|World Expo]] at [[Universal Studios Florida]] in [[Orlando, Florida]], and in [[Universal Studios Hollywood#Upper Lot|Upper Lot]] at [[Universal Studios Hollywood]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], California, in the Spring of 2005. The Hollywood attraction has since been replaced by [[Creature from the Black Lagoon: The Musical]]. The Orlando attraction later closed in March 2020 due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and did not return to the park following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.
* A [[Hindi]] reality show called ''[[Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi]]'' (English: ''The Players of Danger'') based on Fear Factor was introduced in India. Its host was [[Bollywood]] superstar [[Akshay Kumar]].
* Eight champions from ''Fear Factor'' participated in a special edition of ''[[Weakest Link (American game show)|Weakest Link]]'' that originally aired August 13, 2001. The episode was noteworthy in that only $22,500 was won; this stood as the lowest score on the NBC version of the show.
* A theme park show called ''[[Fear Factor Live]]'' opened at [[Universal Studios Florida]] and [[Universal Studios Hollywood]] in the Spring of 2005. The Hollywood attraction has since been replaced by ''[[Creature from the Black Lagoon: The Musical]]''.
* A [[free ad-supported streaming television]] channel on various fast services sharing the same title as the show that only shows reruns of previously aired episodes from the original and revival NBC series.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldbart |first=Max |date=2022-09-16 |title=Banijay Rights Launches First General Entertainment FAST Channel |url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/banjay-rights-dedicated-fast-channel-first-horizons-1235119599/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Deadline}}</ref>
* Eight champions from ''Fear Factor'' participated in a special edition of ''[[Weakest Link (U.S. game show)|The Weakest Link]]'' in which only $22,500 was won; this stood as the lowest score on the NBC US version of the show.

==See also==
* [[List of television shows set in Las Vegas]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Reflist|2}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.nbc.com/fear-factor/ Fear Factor] on [[NBC]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010913000421/http://www.nbc.com/Fear_Factor/home.shtml Fear Factor] on [[NBC]]
* [http://www.fearfactorcasting.com/ Fear Factor Casting] on [[NBC]] - 2011 Announcement of Revival
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111219033259/http://www.nbc.com/fear-factor/ Fear Factor (2011 version)] on [[NBC]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170527034508/https://www.mtv.com/shows/fear-factor Fear Factor (2017 version)] on [[MTV]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110607013114/http://www.fearfactorcasting.com/ Fear Factor Casting] on [[NBC]] – 2011 Announcement of Revival
* {{IMDb title|0278191}}
* {{IMDb title|0278191}}
* {{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2004-01-16-fear-factor_x.htm|title=Fear Factor not afraid of the doctor|date=January 16, 2004<!-- 11:42 AM
* {{tv.com show|fear-factor|Fear Factor}}
-->|access-date=October 9, 2009|work=USA Today|first1=John|last1=Morgan}} (article on the sanitary factors and health risks of the show) <!-- TODO: work into article as a section and reference -->
* {{Cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2004-01-16-fear-factor_x.htm|title=Fear Factor not afraid of the doctor|date=2004-01-16<!-- 11:42 AM

-->|accessdate=2009-10-09|work=USA Today|first1=John|last1=Morgan}} (article on the sanitary factors and health risks of the show) <!-- TODO: work into article as a section and reference -->
{{MTVNetwork Shows}}
{{Banijay Group}}


[[Category:Fear Factor| ]]
[[Category:Fear Factor]]
[[Category:2000s American television series]]
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[[Category:2010s American television series]]
[[Category:2010s American game shows]]
[[Category:2011 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:2011 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:2012 American television series endings]]
[[Category:2012 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American game shows]]
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[[Category:American television series based on non-American television series]]
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[[Category:Animal cruelty incidents]]
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[[Category:American television series revived after cancellation]]
[[Category:Television series revived after cancellation]]
[[Category:MTV original programming]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in television]]
[[Category:Television controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:Television series by Evolution Film & Tape]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in California]]
[[Category:Television shows shot in the Las Vegas Valley]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in New York City]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in Florida]]

Latest revision as of 02:04, 23 December 2024

Fear Factor
Fear Factor seasons 1–4 title card
GenreStunt/dare game show
Presented by
Theme music composerRuss Landau
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasonsOriginal series: 6
Revived series: 1
MTV series: 2
Total: 9
No. of episodesOriginal series: 142 (excl. specials with highlights)
Revived series: 9
MTV series: 33
Total: 184 (excl. specials with highlights) (list of episodes)
Production
Running time42 minutes
Production companiesPulse Creative
Evolution Media
(2001)
(season 1)
Endemol USA
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJune 11, 2001 (2001-06-11) –
September 12, 2006 (2006-09-12)
ReleaseDecember 12, 2011 (2011-12-12) –
July 16, 2012 (2012-07-16)
NetworkMTV
ReleaseMay 30, 2017 (2017-05-30) –
August 21, 2018 (2018-08-21)

Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled Now or Neverland.

For the first five seasons, the contestants consisted regularly of three men and three women pitted against each other in a variety of three stunts for a grand prize, usually $50,000. In the sixth season, the show's format was modified to feature four competing teams of two people who have a pre-existing relationship with one another.

Fear Factor was cancelled by NBC in 2006 after six seasons (142 episodes excluding specials with highlights); NBC would briefly revive the series for a nine-episode run in 2011. In 2017, MTV revived the series with rapper and actor Ludacris assuming the host role; this incarnation ran two seasons (thirty-three episodes) before being cancelled in 2018. The show has since spawned many spin-offs, creating its own media franchise.

Series overview

[edit]
SeriesSeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
NBC Series19June 11, 2001 (2001-06-11)September 5, 2001 (2001-09-05)
219November 27, 2001 (2001-11-27)May 20, 2002 (2002-05-20)
327September 23, 2002 (2002-09-23)May 12, 2003 (2003-05-12)
434September 22, 2003 (2003-09-22)May 17, 2004 (2004-05-17)
531August 30, 2004 (2004-08-30)May 23, 2005 (2005-05-23)
622December 6, 2005 (2005-12-06)September 12, 2006 (2006-09-12)
79December 12, 2011 (2011-12-12)July 16, 2012 (2012-07-16)
Specials5August 6, 2001 (2001-08-06)May 19, 2003 (2003-05-19)
MTV Series113May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)September 19, 2017 (2017-09-19)
22010February 25, 2018 (2018-02-25)March 28, 2018 (2018-03-28)
10July 17, 2018 (2018-07-17)August 21, 2018 (2018-08-21)

History

[edit]

Original series (2001–2006)

[edit]

As NBC's answer to the CBS television series Survivor, the show was initially a hit for the network in the summer of 2001 and built strong ratings and popularity in the following seasons. Joe Rogan, then known for his role on the sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999) and as a commentator for Ultimate Fighting Championship, was hired as the host. According to a 2015 interview with Art Bell, Rogan expected Fear Factor to be cancelled after a few episodes due to objections to some of the content and further stated that he took the job mainly to obtain observations and anecdotes for his stand-up comedy career.[1] The series had a runaway success during the first few seasons, but after the series' fourth season (2003–2004), the popularity and ratings began to decline. By the time the series was in its sixth season, the ratings were in steep decline as a result of content concerns and a growing loss of viewer interest, coupled with the series facing tough competition with other TV shows in the same time slot. As a result, the series was only averaging a 2.6 in the ratings.[2][3] Later that year, Fear Factor faced tough competition with the TV ratings champion, Fox's talent series American Idol on Tuesday nights and the ratings declined even further and continued to trend further downward during this period. Despite much publicity concerning an improved format and better stunts for season six, the series' ratings continued to drop and consequently, NBC put the struggling program on hiatus for the remainder of the season to make room for the sitcom Joey, the Friends spin-off that was itself removed from the NBC lineup a few weeks later. After a continuous and steep drop in the series' ratings, it was officially cancelled by NBC in May 2006 after six seasons (Joey was cancelled in April) and the network began airing the remainder of the season on June 13, 2006, with the remaining episodes to be aired throughout the summer, with its last episode airing on September 12, 2006. Over its six seasons, Fear Factor earned NBC a reported $600 million in advertising revenue. Currently only the first season has been released on DVD; in early 2009 a box set release containing the entire series on DVD was planned. The project was put on hold for an unknown reason in March 2010. On June 5, 2010, it was announced that the project was cancelled because of the low sales of the first season DVD.

Syndication

[edit]

In 2004, Fear Factor became the first network reality show to be syndicated. In the fall of that year, NBCUniversal Television Distribution put it into barter syndication and it aired on Fox, The WB and UPN affiliates and on the cable channel FX. However, as of fall 2006, Fear Factor had left local syndication due to lack of sales of NBCUniversal and was not renewed for another season next fall since NBC canceled Fear Factor after six seasons due to low ratings. In addition to FX, reruns of Fear Factor have aired in syndication on Chiller, MTV2 and TBD, with TBD airing a Fear Factor marathon the weekend of May 15–16, 2021. The series also has a YouTube channel, where previously unaired footage is shown.

Revived series (2011–2012)

[edit]

With Chiller airing reruns of Fear Factor every Sunday night, the ratings led to Comcast informing Entertainment Weekly in a May 31, 2011 report that Fear Factor would be revived for a seventh season. Eight episodes were ordered, including two two-hour episodes and Rogan returning to hosting duties.[4][5] The revival was shot in high-definition and owing to concerns over the then-ongoing NFL Lockout and the loss of NBC Sunday Night Football episodes, TV Guide reported in early July the show could be ready as early as September as lockout replacement programming[6] (NBC eventually lost one episode, the season premiere Hall of Fame Game, because of the lockout that ended in late July). The series revival began airing on December 12, 2011;[7] the two premiere episodes were viewed by 8.7 million and 8.5 million viewers, respectively.[8] This makes the premiere the highest rated non-sports programming to air on NBC at 8:00 p.m. since February 2008. Following Rogan's verbal disclaimer, the narrator gives a statement and this is one most commonly used:

It all began 10 years ago at the dawn of reality television. Audiences had never seen anything like it. Now, the legend begins all over again. It's bigger, better and more intense than ever before. Welcome back to Fear Factor.

The revival featured four teams of two people with a preexisting relationship per episode, rather than the original versions' six people (three males and three females). The first five seasons had typically used the three male, three female grouping, but the sixth and final pre-revival season always utilized four teams of two people each. The stunts remained basically the same, with the "gross" one in between the two physical ones. NBC pulled a two-hour, five team, five stunt episode entitled "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My!" which featured a stunt where teams spun a wheel to determine whether they would have to shave their heads and eyebrows, get tattooed or be tear gassed. This episode was scheduled to air in two parts on January 23 and 30, 2012, but it was postponed after Part 1 was replaced by a GOP debate. Another episode, entitled "Hee Haw! Hee Haw!" and featuring a stunt where contestants drink the urine and semen of a donkey, was then scheduled to air January 30, 2012. Hesitant about airing the stunt, NBC eventually pulled the episode after pictures of the stunt appeared online. Video footage of the stunt appeared online after the episode aired on Danish TV in June 2012[9] and Fear Factor eventually posted short clips of all three stunts on their YouTube channel in July 2014.[10][11][12] The sixth episode, entitled "The Bees Are So Angry", was two hours instead of the usual one and included five teams, five stunts and a $100,000 prize instead of the usual four teams, three stunts and $50,000 prize. Following this episode, The Voice replaced the series' slot on Monday nights. On May 13, 2012, NBC announced that Fear Factor was officially cancelled.[13] NBC rescheduled the two hour "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My!" episode, which aired in two parts over the nights of July 9 and 16. The first part ended with the "To Be Continued" subtitle followed by a preview for the second part.

US Nielsen ratings

[edit]
Order Episode Airdate Rating Share Rating/Share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
Rank
(Timeslot)
Rank
(Night)
1 "Scorpion Tales" December 12, 2011 5.0[14] 8 3.3/9[15] 8.78 #2 #5
2 "Broken Hearts and Blood Baths" December 12, 2011 4.6 7 3.5/8 8.52 #2 #4
3 "Tall Crappaccino" December 19, 2011 3.5[16] 5 2.5/6[17] 6.37 #1 #5
4 "Snake Bite" January 2, 2012 3.2[18] 5 2.4/5[19] 6.01 #2 #7
5 "Roach Coach" January 9, 2012 3.1[20] 5 2.3/5[21] 5.53 #2 #5
6 "The Bees Are So Angry" February 12, 2012 2.3[22] 4 1.5/3[23] 3.73 #3 #11
7 "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My! (Part 1)" July 9, 2012 2.5[24] 4 1.4/4[25] 4.01 #3 #4
8 "Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My! (Part 2)" July 16, 2012 2.4[26] 4 1.5/5[27] 4.21 #3 #5
9 "Hee Haw! Hee Haw!" Unaired in the U.S. due to content concerns.[28]

MTV reboot (2017–2018)

[edit]

In April 2017, MTV announced that it would be reviving Fear Factor a second time for a 12-episode season. The first season of MTV's Fear Factor premiered on May 30, 2017, and concluded on August 22, 2017. Just prior to the first-season finale, it was announced that MTV had renewed the series for a second season consisting of 20 episodes.[29] The first half of Season 2, subtitled Season From Hell, began airing on February 25, 2018;[30] the second half, subtitled Celebrity Fear Factor, premiered on July 17, 2018.[31] The MTV revival was hosted by Ludacris and continued to use the format of four teams competing for a $50,000 prize. The stunts drew inspiration from elements of pop culture, such as horror movies, urban legends and viral videos.[32]

Show format

[edit]

Original format (2001–2012)

[edit]

The show begins with an introduction from the narrator and this is one most commonly used:

Imagine a world where your greatest fears become reality. Welcome to Fear Factor. Each show, six contestants from around the country battle each other in three extreme stunts. These stunts are designed to challenge the contestants both physically and mentally. If the contestant is too afraid to complete a stunt, they're eliminated. If they fail a stunt, they're eliminated. But if they succeed, they will be one step closer to the grand prize, $50,000. Six contestants, three stunts, one winner. Fear Factor.

Before the contestants are introduced (and at the half-way point of a two-hour special), Rogan presents a verbal disclaimer. The wording has changed with certain versions, but this is one most commonly used:

I'm Joe Rogan and this is Fear Factor. The stunts you're about to see were all designed and supervised by trained professionals. They are extremely dangerous and should not be attempted by anyone, anywhere, anytime.

The normal format involves three men and three women—or four teams of two people with a pre-existing relationship—who have to complete three professional stunts to win US$50,000. Rogan noted that the stunts not only test any contestants/teams physically, but mentally as well. Any contestants or teams who were too scared to attempt a stunt, failed to complete a stunt or underperformed a stunt were eliminated from the competition. If only one contestant or team successfully completed the first or the second stunt, they automatically win $25,000 and the other contestants eliminated in the stunt along with the winner of the stunt return for the next stunt to compete for the remaining $25,000. If no one successfully completed the first or the second stunt, then all of the contestants and teams eliminated in the stunt would return to the next stunt to compete for a reduced $25,000. This rule did not apply for non-elimination stunts; in those cases, the prize would be carried over to the next stunt. The only exception to this was in season one, where if one person completed the stunt, the contestant won $10,000 and the $50,000 grand prize was not reduced. There were no instances during the first season where all contestants failed a stunt, so it was never revealed how this would have been handled (however Rogan did state 'as usual' in an early episode of the second season, when nobody completed the second stunt—even though it was the first time it had happened—that the prize would be reduced by 50%). In the final episode of season one, it was implied by Rogan during the second stunt that involved eating various pig parts that if only one person won the stunt (after only one contestant, Martin Beech, successfully completed the previous stunt), then that person would get the $50,000 prize without the need to complete the final stunt. Only once in the history of Fear Factor did the $50,000 prize go unclaimed in an episode; On September 27, 2004, a "Best Friends" edition, none of the remaining teams were able to complete the final stunt. In the stunt, one member of each team had to drive a ramp car, while the other member had to drive a sports car. The one driving the sports car had to drive it onto the truck bed via the ramp car. If the sports car fell off of the truck bed at any time, the team was automatically eliminated. Had it been successfully completed, the team who did this the fastest would have won. However, the last remaining contestants walked away with two Mazda vehicles for winning a previous stunt (see Second stunt). After the acquisition of Universal Studios of Vivendi by NBC's parent company General Electric in 2004, contestants could win vacations in order to promote the theme park division of NBCUniversal at Universal Orlando or win trips to Universal Studios in Hollywood.

The order of the stunts on a typical episode of Fear Factor is as follows:

First stunt: The first stunt is designed to physically test each of the contestants or teams (for example, jumping from one building to the next or hanging from a helicopter and collecting flags on a ladder). Usually, the two men and the two women or the three teams, that gave the best performance (such as the fastest time, farthest distance or number of flags collected in under a certain time) will move on to the second stunt. The others are eliminated. In the sixth season, a sometimes-used rule was that the best-performing team won the ability to eliminate the team of their choice, meaning that teams who failed to complete the stunt or had the worst performance could still advance to the next round if the winning team did not choose to eliminate them.

Second stunt: The second stunt is meant to mentally challenge the contestants or teams. The three most common types of stunts in the second round are eating stunts, animal stunts and retrieval or transfer stunts. Eating stunts entail ingesting vile animal parts, live bugs or a blended concoction of multiple items; animal stunts entail immersing one's head or entire body in animals considered to be disgusting or intimidating (such as rats, spiders, snakes or worms); retrieval or transfer stunts involve retrieving items or gross objects (often by mouth) hidden in disgusting substances (for example, blood or lard) or live animals. On rare occasions, the 'mental' challenge would be of a completely different nature, and not be an objectively gross stunt (such as eating undesirable animal parts). Rather, it would be a test of pain endurance, for instance walking barefoot on broken glass or ingesting habanero peppers. Even less often still, the second stunt would be a test of the contestants' tolerance of (sometimes long-term) public humiliation, such as parading nude down a catwalk in front of an audience of photographers, getting a tattoo, or, in one episode of season 6, receiving a humiliating hair cut, such as a mohawk or "taco" style. At the time of broadcast, many fans commented that the latter stunt was amongst the most unreasonable stunts in the show's history.

With the exception of retrieval or transfer stunts, contestants are usually not eliminated after this stunt unless they fail to complete it or vomit before finishing. In the case of teams, one team may be eliminated for having the worst performance. In later episodes, a common (but not always used) rule was that no one would be eliminated after the second stunt; instead, the contestant or team that performed the best would receive a prize, such as a vehicle or a prize package similar in value. More often than not, the contestant or team with the best performance had the privilege of choosing the order that the contestants or teams had to go in to perform the next stunt [for the following day]. Extremely rarely during the show's original run, Rogan would participate in the second stunt, most often as a way of encouraging contestants to take part. However, during a stunt involving tear gas in the third season, the wind changed direction and tear gas blew in the direction of Rogan, the camera crew and the other contestants that were not taking part at that particular moment. On another occasion during the first series, though it was not aired, Rogan ate three sheep eyes exactly like the contestants had to, as it was the first 'gross' stunt to be taped in the series' run and he did not feel it fair that the contestants should go at it alone, while he sat cheering them on.

Third stunt: The third and final stunt is usually something from an extreme type of stunt seen in an action film. Like the first stunt, it usually involves heights, water, vehicles, or some combination of the three. In order to avoid ties, this stunt is always competitive. The player or team with the best performance this round wins the grand prize, usually $50,000 and has the privilege of being informed by Rogan that "evidently, fear is not a factor for you." Naturally, on the one occasion that the $50,000 prize went unclaimed (the season 5 Best Friends episode), Rogan instead informed the contestants that "evidently, fear is a factor for you." However, Rogan would also do this when nobody completed one of the earlier stunts, even when the stunt in question was not an elimination round.

Special formats

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Four-Stunt Show
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This was typically a 90-minute episode featuring four stunts instead of three. The first such episode aired in season 3 and was notable for a stunt involving body piercing. In seasons 4–6, at least one of the four stunts was a non-elimination stunt in which contestants competed for a prize. The four-stunt format was sometimes used in conjunction with themed episodes, such as Family Fear Factor, Twins Fear Factor and Thanksgiving Fear Factor. In season 5, six contestants from other reality shows competed in a two-hour, four-stunt episode for $50,000.

Extended competitions
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Some Fear Factor competitions consisted of five or more stunts and featured an increased grand prize. These competitions were always presented as multi-part episodes or single two-hour episodes. The first such competitions were the Tournaments of Champions in seasons 2 and 3 (see below). Season 4 included a two-hour season premiere in which 12 contestants competed in six stunts for a grand prize of $1,000,000; and a two-part, six-stunt Las Vegas episode where the winner would have a chance to win up to $100,000 based on his or her performance in the final stunt (they would then have to bet half their winnings on a hand of blackjack). Season 6 featured two three-episode, six-stunt competitions ("Psycho Fear Factor" and "Reality Stars Fear Factor"). Season 7 included two five-stunt competitions in which five teams competed for a grand prize of $100,000; the first aired as a single two-hour episode, and the second aired in two parts.

Tournament of Champions: Seasons 2–3 concluded with a Tournament of Champions featuring the winners of each episode of those respective seasons and a $100,000 grand prize. In season two, the 13 non-celebrity winners were divided into groups of eight men and five women. For the first four stunts, men competed amongst men and women competed amongst women in two stunts each. The men had to release a flag from a locked box while hanging suspended in the air and eat three different items from a table. The women had to collect flags while on top of an aircraft and retrieve three poles from a tank with alligators. The stunts narrowed the contestants down from eight men and five women to two men and two women who will, in the end, compete against each other for the grand prize by using a key to activate a horn while riding on a speeding truck. In season three, the 24 winners were divided into two groups of 12, each containing seven men and five women. In the first semifinal episode, the group was cut from 12 to six to three to two finalists. In the second semifinal episode, the group was cut from 12 to six in the first stunt, then the men competed amongst the men and the women competed amongst the women in the second stunt and then the final four contestants, two men and two women, were cut to two finalists. Each finalist won a 2004 Mazda RX-8 and a chance at the $100,000. In the finals, the four finalists competed in three stunts. Each stunt eliminated one contestant and the final stunt determined the winner.

Couples Fear Factor: Seasons 4–5 both included Couples Fear Factor competitions that played out over seven episodes and featured a grand prize of $1,000,000. Nine couples competed in 17 stunts in season 4 and eight couples competed in 14 stunts in season 5. In season 4, each episode contained two or three stunts, with at least one stunt being a non-elimination stunt. In season 5, each episode featured two stunts; the first was always a non-elimination stunt and the second usually eliminated the team with the worst performance. In contrast to the regular format, only one team was eliminated in each elimination stunt; if multiple teams failed the stunt, then the teams that succeeded would vote on which failing team to eliminate. Almost every stunt offered a prize (e.g., cars, vacations, pre-loaded credit cards, a chance to steal a desired prize from another team) or a $10,000 incentive to the team with the best performance. Couples Fear Factor episodes had certain stylistic differences from the regular format, including a different opening sequence and onscreen interviews with the contestants (regular episodes usually presented interviews in voiceover format only).

Psycho Fear Factor: A three-episode series in which six couples competed in six stunts for various cash and prizes, including a grand prize of $250,000. The stunts were centered around the Bates Motel on the set of the original Psycho horror movie from Paramount Pictures. Unlike other Fear Factor episodes, contestants were required to sleep in the filthy Bates Motel between stunts and were subjected to Fear Factor pranks and mini-challenges while in the motel.

Reality Stars Fear Factor: A three-episode series in which five teams of Reality TV stars competed in six stunts for various cash and prizes, including a grand prize of $150,000. Featured the teams were Jonny Fairplay and Twila Tanner from Survivor, Jonathan Baker and Victoria Fuller from The Amazing Race, Craig Williams and Tana Goertz from The Apprentice, The Miz and Trishelle Cannatella from The Real World and Anthony Fedorov and Carmen Rasmusen from American Idol. The series was won by The Miz and Cannatella.

Other formats
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Celebrity special (seasons two, three and six): In seasons 2–3, episodes with celebrity contestants were played in the normal format, except that contestants were playing for charity. The winning contestant's charity would receive $50,000 and other contestants' charities would receive a lesser amount ($10,000 or $25,000). In season 6, eight celebrity contestants paired up into teams of two for the first two stunts but competed individually in the final stunt. Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Richardson and Alan Thicke are among the celebrities who have competed on Fear Factor.[33] Season 2 included an episode featuring six WWF/E stars; it was won by Matt Hardy.

All-Gross Show (seasons 3–6): All three stunts on this show followed the format of the second (gross) stunt as described above. The first such episode involved bobbing for objects in a vat containing 50 gallons of cow blood. In seasons 4–5, the all-gross format was used for Halloween-themed episodes. In season six, a "Farm Fear Factor" episode featured all gross stunts.

Mixed Team and Individual Stunts (seasons two, five and six): In most episodes, contestants competed individually or in teams of two for the entire competition. However, there were three episodes in which contestants paired up into teams for the first and/or second stunt but competed individually in the final stunt. The first instance of this was a season 2 episode in which three pairs of twins competed as teams in the first stunt and competed individually in the other two stunts. In season 5's "New York vs. L.A." episode, the first stunt narrowed a pool of eight contestants down to four (one man and one woman from each city); contestants from the same city then teamed up in the second stunt and all contestants competed as individuals in the final stunt. A season 6 celebrity episode had contestants competing as teams in the first two stunts and individually in the final stunt. In the latter episode, contestants were allowed to attempt the stunts alone if their partner quit before the stunt started.

Holiday specials (seasons 3–5): Over the course of the series, Fear Factor produced three Christmas episodes, two Halloween episodes and a Thanksgiving episode. The Christmas episodes featured Christmas-themed stunts but were otherwise played in the normal format. The Halloween episodes followed the all-gross format and the Thanksgiving episode followed the four-stunt format.

Las Vegas Show (seasons 3–5): Stunts took place at various hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. The show's winner was required to bet at least half of their winnings on one hand of Blackjack, with the chance to continue gambling if successful.

Special Contestants (seasons 2–7): Some episodes featured a specific type of contestant (notably models, all-female, twins, military members, reality television stars, freaks and geeks, young and old, returning contestants) or teams with a specific type of relationship (e.g., couples, newlyweds, siblings, best friends, parent/child teams, exes). Many of these episodes were played in the regular format, although some used a four-stunt or extended competition format.

Fear Factor Super Bowl Halftime Show (season 2): Played in the normal format with Playboy Playmates. The first stunt aired as counter programming to the Super Bowl halftime show and ended right before the third quarter of the game started. The remaining two stunts were shown immediately after the game as counter programming to the Super Bowl lead-out show.

Miss USA (seasons 3–5): Played in the normal format with Miss USA contestants, with the winning contestant keeping $25,000 and giving $25,000 to a charity of their choice. There was no Miss USA edition in the sixth season of Fear Factor, as NBC produced a Miss USA edition of Deal or No Deal instead; the Miss USA contestants were the briefcase models for the entire episode. The next time that Miss USA delegates would be involved in a game show was in 2010 on Minute to Win It. The Miss USA edition was not present in the show's final two seasons, as the current format had four teams of two people.

Blind Date (season 6): Four single men were introduced to four single women and either the women (in the first episode) or the men (in the second episode) got to choose their partner among the available contestants of the opposite sex. The game was then played in the regular format, with the winning team dividing the prize.

Sleep Deprivation (season 4): Five co-ed pairs of contestants competed as teams in the normal format, with one exception: contestants had to stay awake for the 48-hour duration of the competition. If a contestant fell asleep at any time before the final stunt was completed, his or her team would be eliminated. This was the only episode in the entire series (original or revived) in which contestants could be eliminated in the downtime between stunts.

Million Dollar Heist: (season 6): Played in the regular teams format, but instead of competing for the normal $50,000 prize, teams would race head-to-head to "steal" up to $1,000,000 worth of gold from an armored truck submerged in water for their final stunt. The team that "stole" the most money's worth of gold within the time limit would win the combined amount of money collected by both teams.

Home Invasion: This short segment was included at the end of each episode in season six. It involved Rogan going to different homes across America and challenging a family to compete in a stunt. Each stunt usually involved the contestants under a time limit (usually one minute) ingesting or bobbing in something foul or undesirable. If successful, the family would win up to $5,000 in the form of pre-loaded credit cards from Capital One.

MTV format (2017–2018)

[edit]

MTV's Fear Factor revival continued to use the format of four teams of two people competing in three challenges for a $50,000 grand prize, as in the last two seasons of the NBC series. As the show started, Ludacris gives a verbal disclaimer. The wording has changed with certain versions, but this is one commonly used:

The challenges you are about to see were designed and tested by trained professionals. They are extremely ludicrous and should never be attempted by anyone, anywhere, or at anytime. This is MTV's Fear Factor.

However, the order of the stunts, as well as some of the rules, differ from the original format. Each episode in first season of the MTV version had three named rounds: Beat the Beast, Face Your Fear and The Final Fear.

Beat the Beast: This stunt challenges the contestants to conquer their fear of something creepy (usually live creatures considered gross or intimidating) and generally follows the same format as animal stunts from the second stunt of the original version. The team with the best performance in this round wins a "FearVantage", which is an advantage in the next round (such as picking the order).

Face Your Fear: This is a challenge tailored to a common fear shared by all of the contestants on a particular episode. The nature of this stunt varies widely depending on the fears of the contestants.

The Final Fear: This is an extreme physical stunt that follows the same format as the first and third stunts from the original version of the show. The team with the best performance wins the $50,000 grand prize.

The second season abandoned categorized rounds and FearVantages but continued to follow the general format of the first two rounds consisting of gross stunts and/or small-scale physical stunts, followed by an extreme physical stunt in the final round.

Controversy

[edit]

Fear Factor has received criticism from the general public mainly because of the show's second stunt, which intends to disgust its viewers. The American Humane Association expressed concerns for allowing various animals to get injured and even killing insects by eating them alive during the videotaping of the show. The association also revealed that professional animal trainers have refused to work on the show because the producers of Fear Factor have demanded stunts that violate the association's guidelines.[34] In January 2005, an episode featuring a stunt involving blended rats aired in its normal prime time slot. Austin Aitken, a part-time paralegal from Cleveland, sued NBC for US$2.5 million for airing the show, claiming that he felt so disgusted from watching the stunt, his blood pressure rose to the point he felt dizzy and lightheaded and subsequently vomited. His disorientation was so severe that he ran into a doorway and seriously injured himself. Two months later, U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells threw out the lawsuit on the grounds of First Amendment protection.[35] Fear Factor was also criticized by major U.S. electrical utilities for an episode that required contestants to climb through a simulated electrical substation with "electrified wires" complete with simulated sparks and electrical sounds added in post-processing. The Edison Electric Institute issued a warning regarding the episode, fearing that viewers might attempt to climb through a real substation with potentially fatal results.[36] An episode originally scheduled for January 30, 2012, featuring contestants drinking donkey semen and urine was rejected by NBC, which instead aired a rerun.[28] On January 31, 2012, two of the contestants, twin sisters Claire and Brynne Odioso, appeared on The Cowhead Show on Tampa Bay radio station WHPT to talk about their experiences in that episode; however, according to TMZ.com, producers of Fear Factor warned the Odioso sisters not to continue any discussion of the program, as doing so would put them in breach of their confidentiality agreements.[37]

Spin-off products and theme park attraction

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Fear Factor has also resulted in various spin-off products:

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
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