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''Not to be confused with the metal band Fear Factory.

Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. It was originally created by Endemol Netherlands and first aired on June 11, 2001.

The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market they changed the name to Fear Factor.

The show pits contestants against each other to complete a series of stunts better and/or quicker than all the other contestants for a grand prize of States dollar|US$" target="_blank" >*50,000. From Seasons One to Five, the contestants were generally three men and three women, all playing 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, all playing for a shared prize of the same amount. The show is hosted by Joe Rogan.

The show was initially a hit for NBC, but as the years passed, the ratings declined. Despite much publicity concerning an improved format and better stunts for Season Six, NBC cancelled the struggling program for the remainder of the season to make room for the sitcom Joey, which was removed from the NBC lineup a few weeks later. The network began airing the remainder of the season on June 13th, with the remaining episodes to be burned throughout the summer. [http://www.nbc.com/Fear_Factor/

Gameshow format

Normal Format: The normal format involves three men and three women, or four teams of two people with a pre-existing relationship, who must complete three stunts in order to win States dollar|US$" target="_blank" >*50,000. If a contestant/team does not attempt a stunt, does not complete a stunt, or does not perform it better or quicker than any of the other contestants/teams, 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 will return for the next stunt to compete for the remaining $25,000. If no one successfully completes the first or the second stunt, then all of the contestants/teams eliminated in the stunt will return to the next stunt to compete for a reduced $25,000.

Only once in the history of Fear Factor has the $50,000 top prize gone unclaimed in an episode. This happened on a Best Friends edition on September 27, 2004, when neither of the remaining teams was 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 of 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.

Other Formats:

Tournament of Champions (Seasons Two and Three) — Seasons Two and Three concluded with a Tournament of Champions featuring the winners of each show in that season and a $100,000 grand prize.

In Season Two, the twenty-four winners were divided into groups of twelve men and twelve women. For the first two stunts, men competed amongst men and women competed amongst women, dividing the group from twelve to six to two. The final four contestants, two men and two women, competed against each other for the grand prize.

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.

Second Chance (Season Four) — Losing contestants from previous seasons come back for a second chance at winning $50,000.

Favorite Winners (Season Five) — Winning contestants from previous seasons who lost in the Tournament of Champions come back for a chance at winning another $50,000.

Couples (Seasons Three, Four, and Five) — Starting in Season Three, four couples competed in three stunts, with the winning team dividing the prize and sending one player to the Tournament of Champions.

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, cars, vacations, credit cards, and a chance to steal a desired prize from another team. In Season Five, it was eight couples competing for the million dollar prize.

Twins (Season Four) — Four pairs of twins competed in three stunts, with the winning team dividing the prize.

Best Friends (Season Five) — Four pairs of best friends 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 receives a bonus prize such as a car or a vacation.

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

Models, Female (Seasons Four and Five) — Played in the normal format with models or entirely female contestants. Season Five had one episode with male and female co-ed models.

Fear Factor Superbowl Halftime Show (Season Two) — Played in the normal format with Playboy Playmates.

Miss USA (Seasons Three, Four, and 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 Season Six of Fear Factor. Endemol USA, the producer of Fear Factor, now had to move these special editions to their new NBC hit show, Deal or No Deal, in which the Miss USA contestants become the briefcase models for the entire episode.

Celebrities, WWF Stars (Seasons Two and Three) — Six famous contestants played for fifty thousand dollars to donate to the charity of their choice.

Reality Stars (Seasons Five and Six) — Contestants from other reality shows, like The Amazing Race, Survivor, American Idol, 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 played for $50,000, and, in Season Six, five teams of two played for $150,000.

First stunt

The first stunt usually involves a body of water and/or a helicopter for dangling purposes. The two men and the two women or the three teams that complete the stunt in the shortest time or go the farthest advance to the next round.

Second stunt

The second stunt usually involves the contestants consuming or getting in contact with something disgusting. It typically entails consuming an unappetizing animal or plant part, lying in a tub full of an unappealing substance, transferring an undesirable item from one tub to another, or searching for an object in a tank full of a foul substance.

Third stunt

The third stunt usually involves heights and/or a car. It typically entails driving a car onto a ramp, traversing a beam, or collecting flags from a platform, at some height.

International versions

The Netherlands was home to the original version of Fear Factor, Now or Neverland, which premiered in 1998 on the Veronica channel.

In the US, "Fear Factor" premiered in 2001 on NBC and is shown on My9.

In the UK, Sky One broadcasted Fear Factor UK The nature of the stunts were similar to the US version, but the contestants were divided into two teams of three, who banked prize money according to their success or failure in the first two stunts. The winner of the third stunt took away the money they had banked (which could be up to £15000) plus a £5000 bonus (£20,000 = approximately US$35,000). The UK host was Ed Sanders, now on Home Edition.

In Australia, the Nine Network broadcasted a version of the show. It was similar to the American version, except that the contestants would initially compete for a place in a final instead of prize money. In the finals, they and other winning contestants would compete for a final $50,000 AUD prize (A$50,000 = approximately US$37,000). The host was Marc Yellin. Only two episodes were aired before the show was withdrawn from schedules.

In Poland, Polsat broadcasted Fear Factor - Nieustraszeni. Three hundred people from all around Poland participated in the first stunt, ninety qualified for the second stunt, and five qualified for the final stunt. One contestant won the $50,000 PLN prize (50,000 zlotys = approximately US$16,000). The host was Roman Polko, a Polish army commander. Only one episode was aired before the show was withdrawn from schedules.

Malaysia's ntv7, which also currently airs the US version of Fear Factor", recently announced the creation of Fear Factor Malaysia''. Out of over a thousand applicants, 78 successful candidates from all over Malaysia were picked to participate in it. Production for the 13-episode show is currently underway, with the launch at Sunway Lagoon Resort on August 27, 2005. The host of the show is Shamser Sidhu. The grand prize is 50,000 MYR (ringgits), about US$13,000.

In Indonesia, the local version, "Fear Factor Indonesia," airs on RCTI. The host of the show is Agatsya Kandau, a popular film actor.The grand prize is 50 juta (50,000,000) rupiahs, about US$5,600, not much by international standards.

In India, Sony Entertainment Television airs "Fear Factor India". The host of the show is Mukul Dev. The grand prize is Rs 1 million (10 lakh rupees, about US$22,000).

In Mexico, the format is the same, except that stunts one and three are swapped, so they do the height/car stunt first, then the gross one, and the water/helicopter stunt last. The grand prize is 150,000 Mexican pesos, about US$15,000. It airs on Televisa and is hosted by Julio Bracho.

In Germany, Fear Factor was hosted by Sonja Zietlow and aired on RTL, but was withdrawn from schedules.

In France, Fear Factor was shown on TF1, but was withdrawn from schedules.

In Greece, Fear Factor is broadcasted on Makedonia TV. As of June of 2006 rumored to be the new host for the show is actor Kostas Sommer.*

In Belgium, the show airs on VTM and is hosted by Walter Grootaers.

In Croatia, the show airs on RTL and is hosted by Antonija Blaće.

Criticism

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 has shot out at Endemol for allowing animals and insects to get injured and even killing insects by eating them alive during the filming 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 which violate the association's guidelines.

"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) *

Lawsuit

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 $2.5 million USD for airing the show, claiming that he felt so disgusted from watching the stunt, his blood pressure rose until he felt dizzy and bumped his head into the doorway. In March 2005, U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells threw out the lawsuit.

Quotes

"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 a contestant is too afraid to complete a stunt, they're eliminated. If they fail a stunt, they're eliminated. But if they succeed, they move one step closer to the grand prize -- $50,000. Six contestants, three stunts, one winner. (In Season Five: Testing their fears, pushing their limits) "Fear Factor"." -- The opening narration said at the beginning of every episode by the show's announcer, Sandy Thomas, until Season Six when it was remobed.

"Hello. I'm Joe Rogan, and this is "Fear Factor". (Occasionally:.....and welcome to this special (name) edition of "Fear Factor") The stunts that you are about to see are all designed and supervised by trained professionals. They are extremely dangerous, and should not be attempted by anyone, anywhere, anytime." -- The disclaimer said at the beginning of every episode by Joe Rogan.

"You six people have been brought here from all over the country for one reason: To stare fear in the eye as you compete for $50,000. To win the money, you're going to have to complete three extreme stunts -- stunts that will not only test you physically, but mentally as well. If you're too afraid to attempt a stunt, you'll be eliminated. If you try a stunt but fail to complete it, you're gone. But, if you do succeed, you will move on to the next round and you'll be that much closer to the cash. Remember, this is a game, so some strategy comes into play. Feel free to mess with each other's minds and play off each other's fears. Gamesmanship is always welcome here. Remember, these are not your friends, these are your opponents." -- Joe Rogan's opening comments to the contestants, shortened in later seasons until they were removed in Season Six.

"We've randomly selected who gets to go first/today's order, and (contestant's name), you are lucky number one." -- said at the beginning of almost every stunt from Season Two onwards. Season One used dog tags chosen randomly. Stunts with only two contestants competing use a coin flip to determine the order; the winner makes the call.

"Congratulations (winner's name), you (Stunt 1), you (Stunt 2), you (Stunt 3). (In Season One: you just won $50,000.) (From Season Two onwards: and you are the "Fear Factor" Champion). Congratulations, and evidently fear is not a factor for you." -- Joe Rogan's closing words to the winning contestant.

References

External links

Game shows | NBC network shows | 2000s TV shows in the United States | Reality television series in the United States | NBC Universal Television shows

Fear Factor | אפקט הפחד

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Fear Factor".

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