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Fear Factor is an American television game show (sometimes incorrectly called a reality game show) created by NBC and first aired on June 11, 2001.
The show pits contestants (usually three men and three women) against each
other to complete a series of stunts better and/or quicker than all the other
contestants. The show is hosted by Joe Rogan. Its logo is yellow and black-based; the word "fear", in a handwritten script, is black on yellow while the word
"factor", in a typewritten script, is yellow on black.
Gameshow format
The regular format involves three men and three women who must complete three stunts in order to win $50,000 USD. If a contestant fails to complete a stunt or does not perform
it better or quicker than other contestants, they are eliminated from the competition. Before the third stunt, if only one
contestant remains, they automatically win $25,000 and the other contestants who were eliminated in the stunt, will return for
the next stunt to compete for the remaining $25,000.
Other formats have included:
Couples — Four couples compete in three stunts like normal, with the winning team dividing the $50,000 prize and
sending either one player to the Tournament.
Season Four had nine couples competing over seven weeks and 17 stunts for a jackpot of $1 million. Along the way, they
competed for various prizes ($10,000), cars, trips, and one chance to steal a desired prize from another team. Along the way,
couples were eliminated and two teams competed in the 17th stunt for the $1,000,000.
Twins — Three teams of identical twins compete on day one, the team with the poorest performance was eliminated,
and the four twins played for themselves from then on, only one single person would win the $50,000. In season four, four teams
of twins competed in the same format as the couples show.
Models, all-female — Played just like the regular shows.
Parents and children — Four teams compete, with the second stunt being played for a bonus prize such as a trip or
car, the winners on day three divide the cash prize.
Celebrities — Special episodes with the celebrity contestants donating the money won from competing the stunts to
a charity of their choice.
Tournament of Champions — Seasons two and three concluded with a Tournament featuring the winnners of each show.
In season two, men competed amongst men and women amongst women until two of each made it to the third stunt, with the winner
collecting $100,000.
Season three divided the 24 winners into two semi-final groups of 12 each. The semi-final was structured just like a normal
show: with the group being cut from 12 to six, then to three, and finally two. The two people who got through the third stunt won
a Mazda RX-8 and a chance at the $100,000 in the third week. Each of the three
last stunts eliminated one contestant, and the final stunt determined the winner.
$1 Million Episode — Twelve contestants competed in six stunts at the start of the fourth season. The one player
who survived all six won a $1 million annuity.
First stunt
The first stunt is a physical stunt which usually involves with a body of water and/or a helicopter for dangling purposes, where the contestant who manages to complete the stunt in the shortest time
possible and failing to do so would mean instant elimination regardless of the performance of the other contestants. Because of
the three men/three women format, the men and the women would pit against contestants of their own gender so that at least one
man and one woman would be eliminated in the first stunt.
Second stunt
The second stunt are more popularly known as gross-out stunts and involves the contentants consuming or getting in contact
with what something normal people feel to be unappetising or downright disgusting. Eating stunts typically entails consuming some
unappealing animal parts (e.g. horse scrotum,
fish eyeballs or rooster testicles) or insects such as cockroaches and worms. Other less frequently featured stunts include eating durians, a tropical fruit. Non-eating gross-out stunts would sometimes involve in transfering the undesirable items
from one place to another only by using the mouth, though at times a bonus would be given to the contestants if they can eat some
insects. Apart from that, some of the second stunts would need one to dive into a place with neck-high foul smelling water to
retrieve items in the shortest time possible.
Third stunt
The third stunt usually involves stunts more common with action or movie stunts. In the series, some of the contestants had to
drive an all-terrain vehicle off a cliff, a car into a house,
move from the top floor of one building to the other, retrive an item off a pole from the top of a building, and other stunts
that mainly involves automobiles or height.
The winner of the final stunt is congratulated by Joe and is crowned Fear Factor champion with the eight parting words
"Evidently fear is not a factor for you.".
International versions
In the UK, Sky One broadcast a version of Fear Factor with British
contestants. The nature of the stunts is similar to the US version, but instead of individual contestants, Fear Factor UK
is contested by two teams of three, who bank prize money according to their success or failure in the first two stunts. The UK
host is Ed Sanders.
In early 2002 an Australian version briefly ran on the Nine Network. It was also similar to the American version, however instead of having contestants compete
for prize money each episode, the winning contestant would instead compete for a place in a final, where they and other winning
contestants would compete for a final $50,000 AUD prize.
Only two episodes were aired before the show was withdrawn from schedules.
Lawsuit
In January 2005, Austin Aitken, a part-time paralegal from Cleveland, sued NBC for $2.5 million USD for airing the show, claiming that he felt so disgusted
from watching an episode, his blood pressure rised until he felt dizzy
and bumped his head into the doorway. In March 2005, U.S. District Judge Lesley
Wells threw out the lawsuit.
References
External links
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