Fear Factor
'Fear' Strikes NBC in December LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Just when you thought it was safe ... NBC's longest-running unscripted series, "Fear Factor," will return to the schedule in December. The series, which NBC held back from its fall launch, will take over the 8 p.m. ET Tuesday spot from "The Biggest Loser," which has its finale the final week of November. "'Fear Factor' has virtually become a trademark series," says Curt Sharp, vice president for alternative programming for NBC. "It brings a loyal audience and should mesh well on Tuesdays at 8 after the success of ... 'The Biggest Loser' earlier this season." The Tuesday timeslot is a change from the show's long-time Monday home. NBC has plugged "Surface" in the 8 p.m. Monday spot this season and had moderate success, although that show's ratings among adults 18-49 (which NBC uses to gauge success) haven't reached "Fear Factor's" average of 4.2 last season. The new season, "Fear Factor's" sixth, will feature a new team designing the show's stunts. The crew's credits include "Kill Bill Vol. 2," "Minority Report" and "The Matrix Revolutions," and executive producer says the new episodes "have exceeded our own expectations." A multi-episode arc this season will feature several teams of reality-TV stars -- from such shows as "Survivor," "American Idol" and "The Real World" -- and an episode filmed at the "Psycho" house and Bates Motel sets at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. The show will also incorporate a "Home Invasion" segment, in which host Joe Rogan travels to viewers' homes and challenges them to complete a stunt, with a $5,000 prize at stake. When it announced its 2005-06 schedule last spring, NBC held back "Fear Factor" and "Scrubs" as replacements for later in the season. "Scrubs" is in production on its fifth season, but the network hasn't given it a home yet.Source: zap2it.com
'Fear' Strikes NBC in December LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Just when you thought it was safe ... NBC's longest-running unscripted series, "Fear Factor," will return to the schedule in December. The series, which NBC held back from its fall launch, will take over the 8 p.m. ET Tuesday spot from "The Biggest Loser," which has its finale the final week of November. "'Fear Factor' has virtually become a trademark series," says Curt Sharp, vice president for alternative programming for NBC. "It brings a loyal audience and should mesh well on Tuesdays at 8 after the success of ... 'The Biggest Loser' earlier this season." The Tuesday timeslot is a change from the show's long-time Monday home. NBC has plugged "Surface" in the 8 p.m. Monday spot this season and had moderate success, although that show's ratings among adults 18-49 (which NBC uses to gauge success) haven't reached "Fear Factor's" average of 4.2 last season. The new season, "Fear Factor's" sixth, will feature a new team designing the show's stunts. The crew's credits include "Kill Bill Vol. 2," "Minority Report" and "The Matrix Revolutions," and executive producer says the new episodes "have exceeded our own expectations." A multi-episode arc this season will feature several teams of reality-TV stars -- from such shows as "Survivor," "American Idol" and "The Real World" -- and an episode filmed at the "Psycho" house and Bates Motel sets at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. The show will also incorporate a "Home Invasion" segment, in which host Joe Rogan travels to viewers' homes and challenges them to complete a stunt, with a $5,000 prize at stake. When it announced its 2005-06 schedule last spring, NBC held back "Fear Factor" and "Scrubs" as replacements for later in the season. "Scrubs" is in production on its fifth season, but the network hasn't given it a home yet.
Joe told the teams that they would be competing for $150,000 over the next several weeks. For the first stunt, each team had to take one lap around the track; then it would turn into an old-fashioned demolition derby with a winning prize of an eight-day African safari in Kenya.
With adrenaline pumping, the teams got in the cars, gunned their engines, and raced for all they were worth! When the initial lap was through, Jonathan and Victoria aimed for and knocked out a special flag that earned them a $5,000 bonus.
Twila and Jonny were the first team smashed out of the derby, while the others kept crashing into each other. Metal and glass smashed and broke all over the track. Trishelle and Mike were next to go, with Jonathan and Victoria following, leaving it to the American Idol and Apprentice teams to duke it out on the track. When the last engine idled, the Idols arose victorious.
As smoke and flame rose into the sky, Joe asked the Idols if they wanted to take the Kenya trip or take a pass for the next stunt - which was to climb through mud, wells, and rivers to collect three skulls, one of which was guarded by an alligator. After hearing all that, Carmen and Anthony decided to keep the trip and give the free pass to Craig and Tana.
Twila and Jonny were first at bat. Twila climbed into the well and quickly found the first skull in the filthy water. Next, Jonny traversed a muddy river to get the second skull. Finally, the team took a boat to a small tunnel. After abandoning the boat, they swam into the tunnel where a large alligator guarded the final skull. Luckily for Twila, the alligator was facing the other way in the tight space, making it easy for her to get the skull with all her limbs intact. Their final time was 15 minutes and 22 seconds.
Carmen and Anthony went second and finished way ahead of the Survivors' time: 10 minutes and five seconds.
The Amazing Racers were next, but the only thing they were good at was yelling at each other. Throughout the challenge, Jonathan hammered away at his wife. When she reached the alligator, she froze and backed out without getting the skull. Back on shore, Jonny Fairplay took advantage of her vulnerability and taunted her without mercy. Having had enough, Victoria lunged at Jonny, punching him in the stomach with all she had. Joe screamed at her for assaulting Jonny, and Jonathan went after Joe for yelling at his wife. The Miz was forced to break it up before it became a full-fledged fight... better than cable television, people!
Trishelle and Mike completed the stunt next and destroyed everyone else's times. Being the winners gave them the chance to pick the order for the following day’s stunt - part two of Reality Stars Fear Factor!
For the Capital One Home Invasion Challenge, Joe snuck up on the Siecienski family of Connecticut. He made their dad dip his head into a vat of lard where he had to grab pig's feet and spit them into a bucket. He got all five and won $5,000 for his family!
With only four teams left, the competition started heating up. The teams met on the beach where Twila expressed how upset she was with Jonny because he'd been up partying all night. But with Fairplay, it's all about the strategy and he claimed that barely being able to stand was exactly the edge he needed.
The first stunt: Ride on a Jet Ski, put a fire out on a boat, get on a helicopter, put a dummy in a rescue sled, swim with the dummy to shore and put it in the back of an ambulance. The winners would get $10,000 and a pair of Jet Skis. Better yet, no one was to be eliminated.
Trishelle and Mike got to choose the order, and they sent Tana and Craig out first. The Apprentice couple started out fast and accurate... except for the fact that they were exhausted. The helicopter brought them to the drop zone, and they got the dummy to shore and in the ambulance in just over seven minutes.
Anthony and Carmen went next and started out really strong. It didn't hurt that the young Idols were in much better shape than the Apprentices. They got to shore in six minutes with their final time coming in at seven minutes and 27 seconds.
Trishelle and Mike decided they were tired of waiting so they elected to go next. Mike got exhausted very quickly from swimming to the boat and the other contestants started licking their chops in anticipation of him passing out halfway. They were disappointed. Trishelle and Mike made it to shore in less than six minutes, finishing almost a full minute ahead of the Apprentices.
Anthony gave Trishelle a massage back on the beach, making everyone wonder if an inter-reality star coupling would come to fruition before the competition was over. Trishelle thought they could use the rumors to their advantage.
Jonny and Twila were up last but they both knew that Jonny wasn't going to beat anyone's time. They decided not to compete and conceded the Jet Skis to Trishelle and Mike. Twila was upset because she's a fierce competitor, and she made Jonny promise not to party that night.
For the next stunt, Jonny and Twila were fully refreshed and ready to compete. Of course he'd broken his deal with Twila and gone boozin' out on the town the previous evening.
In true Fear Factor fashion, the next stunt involved an airtight box full of worms. The women were to be put inside and dumped under water and trapped there until the men dove into the water, cut through the wires, and released the box to get the girls out.
Twila got into the airtight tank. Thousands of worms were poured over her head and she was lowered under water. Jonny swam into the depths and started cutting wires to let her out, but his days of drinking and smoking appeared to be taking their toll on the Survivor. As the time added up, Jonny continued to struggle. He finally finished with a time of eight minutes and five seconds.
Carmon and Anthony went second and Anthony whipped the Survivor's time at one minute and 16 seconds. It appeared that the fate of Jonny and Twila was just about sealed. Anthony gave Trishelle his towel to keep her warm, and Joe asked Anthony if he had a crush on her. He said "yes," but Trishelle didn't think she could date an Idol, which, considering her history, is really, really surprising.
Tana and Craig went next and Craig rescued Tana even faster than Anthony with a time of one minute and seven seconds! Jonny and Twila stood by, waiting for the inevitable.
Mike and Trishelle were the last to go and "The Miz" impressed even more with a phenomenal time of 38 seconds! Jonny and Twila were eliminated.
For the Capital One Home Invasion, Joe made a surprise visit to the Frederick family. The Fredericks had to transfer five emperor scorpions into a bucket using their teeth. Then, they had to drink a frosty emperor scorpion milk shake. But it was worth it for a prize of $5,000!
Welcome to the finale of Reality Stars Fear Factor! The three final couples - the Idols, the Real World-ers, and the Apprentices - stepped into a dark warehouse to discover the stunts that awaited them in the final chapter of the game.
The girls would be chained to a sled and led into a tunnel filled with thousands of spiders. The women then would have to retrieve a key using only their mouths. Next, the men had to jump into ice to get another key, which led to a third key for the women to get. The worst was saved for last: Jonny Fairplay was Joe's co-host. However, there was some good news: No one would be eliminated and the winners would get a lifetime TiVo membership and $20,000 in cash.
Carmen and Anthony went first with Joe razzing the young Idol for his crush on Trishelle. Anthony wheeled Carmen into the spider pit where she quickly retrieved the first key. As the spiders crawled all over her face, Anthony searched the ice for the second key. He couldn't find it and he had to be pulled out of the tank to avoid the risk of hypothermia.
Trishelle and Mike were next. Mike found the second key quickly and the third one soon after, rescuing Trishelle from the spider lair in seven minutes and 57 seconds. The only downside to Mike's performance? His fear of spiders slowed down the process of unlocking Trishelle from the sled.
Craig and Tana were finally up at bat. Craig incorporated Mike's strategy, getting the cans out of the ice quickly. With Tana rescued, their final time came in at five minutes and 26 seconds. Mike and Trishelle were pissed because they won using Mike's strategy.
For the final stunt, the teams had to climb on top of two cars suspended by cranes high above the ground. Then they had to transfer balls from one car to the other. After 90 seconds the cars would release and crash to the ground. Whichever team transferred the most balls would win the $150,000.
Craig and Tana chose the Real World team to go first. The cars separated in the air faster than expected, and Mike could not get the balls close enough to Trishelle for her to catch. The cars came crashing down with them only having caught three balls.
The Idols went second. Anthony started flinging balls but they only got two!
Craig and Tana went last, feeling the $150,000 in their grasp. They start throwing the balls but they only got one, making Mike and Trishelle the winners of Reality Stars Fear Factor!
For the Capital One Home Invasion, Joe snuck in on a couple of families, telling them they had to transfer rotten fish and cheese into bowls. The family that transferred the most would receive an additional $3,000.
Four families gathered at Universal Orlando Resort to face the theme park "Fear Factor style." For the first stunt, a parent would be riding in a helicopter hovering 200 feet above Citywalk Lagoon. A child would be attached to a zipline on a 100-foot-tall tower. The parent had to jump from the helicopter to the water to pull a lever that would send the child sliding 1,000 feet down the line. Then, the parent had to swim across the lagoon, grab a flag, unclasp their child from the harness, and swim together back to a platform to stop the clock. The slowest family would be eliminated.
To help the families along the way, Joe brought in Shaquille O’Neil and his family for a little old-fashioned moral support. Kelly and Nicole Lowe from Hendersonville, North Carolina then got to go first. Shaq gave the countdown and the stunt began with mom Kelly plunging into the water to send daughter Nicole flying down the zipline. A snag in the line cost them time, but they managed to finish in 2:31.
Next up was Carvena and her daughter Aeriel from Dallas, Texas, who were convinced that they could beat the boys. Carvena struggled to climb onto the platform after her swim, costing them precious seconds and bringing their final time to 2:47. A confident Collin and his father Kevin from Geneseo, Illinois were next to take a swing at the stunt. Kevin's speed as a swimmer really paid off, bringing him and his son in with a final time of 2:02. Steel and dad Dan from Groveland, Florida were last but not least with a final time of 2:01, making them the fastest family and sending Aeriel and Carvena home.
Joe announced the next "very special" stunt to the three remaining teams. The parents would be riding on a stationary bike that would sent jolts of electricity through their bodies while the kids would have to collect rotten fish flung at them by the front bike tire. The team that did the best would win $20,000 and a copy of the Fear Factor video game.
Kevin and Collin were up first. Kevin started pedaling, which sent fish flying at his son in a torrent of blood, slime, and goo. When weighed, Collin was carrying around 173 pounds worth of fish. Up next... Kelly and Nicole were convinced that they were about to win, but they barely managed to catch any fish. When Nicole expressed that she was "extremely disappointed" with her mom, Kelly burst out crying for "letting her daughter down."
Dan and Steel were next at bat. After a hug and a prayer for the strength to peddle quickly and win the $20,000 prize, Dan got his legs working and Steel got catching with a final weigh-in of 114 pounds, making Kevin and Collin the winners of this stunt.
Next up... the teams would be suspended between two 200-foot towers. On "go," the parent had to stand on a beam and swing their child out to collect flags. Once the child collected all the flags, the parent had to jump off the beam to stop the clock. The winner would get to choose their final competitor; the team left out would be eliminated.
Steel and Dan went first, but dad had trouble getting his son close enough to the flags to grab them. After getting the hang of it, they brought in a final time of 6:43. Kelly and Nicole were up next, and making things even more interesting was Kelly's fear of heights. Nicole immediately spun Kelly out of her reach, making it impossible for her to grab the flags. After several unsuccessful attempts to recover, Nicole had to concede. Her daughter wasn't too happy with her about this. In fact, she was downright taciturn.
Last up were Kevin and Collin who quickly got the hang of the stunt, coming in with the Steel "y" Dan beating time of 2:26. It was no surprise when Kevin and Collin picked Nicole and Kelly to face off against in the finals, which meant that Steel and Dan were going home.
Another day, another stunt. Collin thought that he could use Nicole having a crush on him to his advantage... maybe he wasn't wrong. After all, Nicole did refer to him as being "kind of cute," and that's no faint praise. For the final stunt, the parents were to drive a van with their child harnessed to the roof as they navigated an obstacle course and tried to grab six flags. The winner would win the $50,000 grand prize!
Collin and Kevin were up first. With sludge falling, lard spilling, obstacles crashing, hoses spraying, and foam foaming, father and son brought the stunt home with a time of 2:20. How did mother and daughter do? With the course reset, Kelly drove the van like a woman possessed, which didn't make it easy for Nicole to balance. But when they got their act together, they made up some time, which was offset when they passed up a flag.
With too many mistakes behind them, a flat tire, and other assorted problems, Kelly and Nicole went past their competitors' time, making Collin and Kevin the Family Fear Factor Champions!
On this special edition of Fear Factor, the Armed Forces – Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines – went head to head. Joe met the teams out on an aircraft carrier – the USS Hornet. It's nice to know that all the teams served in Iraq.
The first stunt: The teams were launched into a cargo net hanging from a helicopter. They had to grab ten flags each and the fastest to do it would be the winner.
The Marines went first and were launched onto the net. Sara got all 10 flags, but Jeremy lagged behind. He had five flags left but couldn't take it anymore. He quit and dropped into the water. The other teams salivated over the prospect of winning. Gervy and Marcelle from the Navy went second. They were the only two officers in the group and thought that they would do the Navy proud. They launched onto the net and only had to get 16 flags to advance. They got all 20 and jumped off at the same time, clocking a time of one minute and 27 seconds.
The Air Force was up next and Mathew and Angelique thought they could exploit the mistakes that the Navy team had made. Team Air Force launched and worked fast, getting to the top immediately and dropping flags. With time winding down, they got all 20 flags in one minute and 25 seconds, edging out the Navy by two seconds! Army went last and they were very confident that they could beat the best time. Jim and Kelly launched, with Jim finishing first and then he and Kelly dropping off. They finished in one minute and 38 seconds. Air Force won!
The Air Force team got to decide who went home and they picked the Marines, saying it was only fair because the Marines grabbed the least amount of flags.
For the next stunt, Joe brought the three remaining teams to another part of the aircraft carrier – the hull. The stunt: They would have to lower a cargo net and move boxes to their marks. They would then have to remove the items – surrounded by snakes – from the boxes. Inside the other crates were canteens filled with rotten, bug-filled food that the contestants would have to eat. The winning team would each win $20,000 from Ameriquest to apply towards a home mortgage.
Team Air Force was up first. They got the boxes onto their spots quickly and tried not to get bitten by the snakes. Mathew and Angie unbolted the other boxes, with swamp water, leaches and other nasty goodies. They tried to eat it all, but struggled to keep it down. They finished everything in five minutes and four seconds. Jim and Kelly from Team Army went second. They worked fast and opened up the food boxes in record time. They swallowed large mouthfuls of the food and it was all they could do to keep it down. They started to gag, but finished in four minutes and 56 seconds – guaranteeing them a spot in the finals.
Team Navy went last and they were very confident that they could eat the food the fastest. Gervy swallowed the leaches easily and started chowing down on everything else. Team Navy also gagged, but Gervy took down the rest of the food and finished in four minutes and 35 seconds – winning the $20,000 and a spot in the finals. Matt and Angie were sent home.
The final came down to the Navy vs. the Army – a classic rivalry came to a head! Joe brought them back to the aircraft carrier and Joe showed them their final stunt: They would have to fly in on a helicopter and then run to a rolling truck, climb on top and remove grenades before the truck rolled off the edge.
Army lost a coin toss and had to go first. Kelly and Jim flew out of the helicopter and ran to the truck. They got on quickly and started packing grenades onto their bodies. The truck flew off the side and they were able to grab seven grenades. Unfortunately, one was broken off, so they only got credit for six.
Navy went next and knew what they have to do to win. They dropped down and got on the truck quickly. They'd grabbed as many as they could when the truck barreled off the edge. They wound up getting nine grenades and crushing Team Army! The Navy won everything!
The teams arrived at a beachhead and all had sheer determination in their eyes. Joe immediately brought them their first stunt: The contestants would ride on a fire boat and get flags off a cargo net dragged by a helicopter, all while being doused by water cannons. The good news: No one would be eliminated this round, and the prize would be XM radios and $20,000.
Terrance and Robert went first while Becky and Carly manned the water cannons. Terrance and Robert - two best friends - referred to the competition as "little girls and children," and wanted America to bathe in their greatness. Becky and Carly had never blasted anyone with a water hose but they had physical stamina from playing soccer and shooting guns. They were ready to knock Terrance and Robert off the cargo net.
Robert and Terrance hit the cargo net and were relatively undeterred by the cannons, until Robert was knocked off with a bunch of flags still attached. Terrance got a lot of flags, though, and Becky and Carla celebrated their accomplishment. 13 flags to beat. Robert and Terrance turned the tide and manned the cannons against the girls. The girls hung tough and got ALL 20 flags, destroying the boys. The key for the other two teams was to beat the Becky and Carla's time.
Jacqui and Vanessa were up next, and they tried to devise a strategy for beating Becky and Carly's time. Romi and Erik thought they had the competition in the bag - but they didn’t realize the girls' strategy was to shoot them below the belt with the water cannons. Jacqui and Vanessa climbed the cargo net first and immediately got blasted with the water. They seemed fairly undeterred, however, as the flags start dropping one by one. They got all 20 and beat Becky and Carly's time.
Romi and Erik had to beat the Jacqui and Vanessa's time of one minute and 38 seconds. They moved quickly and the girls' cannon fire was way off target. With one flag to go, Erik fell! The girls win!
Day two (actually night) found the contestants in an industrial area. As fire exploded all around them, Joe told the teams that one of them would be eliminated tonight. The three teams who tossed the most flares into exploding barrels would win - but in order to receive the flares, they would have to drink shots of habanero salsa.
Vanessa and Jacqui went first and downed the super-spicy shots. They got two down and then their eyes started to water, but they got their third and final shots in. Next they had to toss the flares into the barrels. They got four out of six flares into the barrels, setting the bar for the other teams.
Terrance and Robert went next while Jacqui and Vanessa doubled over in extreme pain from the habanero shots. Robert and Terrance plowed through their shots quickly and their eyes started to tear up. They tossed their flares but Terrance started wobbling from the habanero. To add insult to injury, they went 0-5 with the flare toss.
Erik and Romi realized they only had to get one flare in the barrel to not be eliminated, but they did all three shots anyway. Romi even enjoyed the shots - that is, until he threw up during the flare toss. They did get a flare in and were guaranteed a spot in the finals, although the girls were still in the lead.
Carly and Becky explained to Joe that they were NOT fans of spicy food. They downed their shots and say they felt like they were on fire. They barely got them all down. They immediately get a flare in and eliminated Terrance and Robert. They missed the next one, which meant that Jacqui and Vanessa got to pick the order for the next day's stunt.
Okay, the final stunt was too complicated to explain in detail. The Cliff notes version: Flaming slide, swimming under ice, find valves, flaming slide number two, more valves and finish.
The girls picked Romi and Erik to go first. They were taking a long time to find the valves and they finished in over four minutes. Becky and Carly were picked to go second and they finished in four minutes and 18 seconds. Romi and Erik were still alive. Jacqui and Vanessa were last and were ready to take it home.
Jacqui and Vanessa struggled under the water and couldn't find their way out of the ice. They ended up taking way too much time and Romi and Eric walked home with no fear in their veins!
The Capital One Home Challenge! Joe challenged an all-volunteer fire department to eat undeveloped duck embryos. They got them all down and won $5,000 from Capital One.
For the first time on Fear Factor, the viewers chose the contestants, but not the stunts. And it was all sponsored by Burger King!
The teams were brought out to an old wooden cabin and Joe showed them the stunt: They would be launched over the cabin into piles of mud and would have to find a piece of metal that would ring a dinner bell. Whoever did it the fastest would be the winner. Matt and Jacki went first and Matt flew over the cabin into the mud. He found the saw to cut Jacki and launched her over the cabin. She flew over and took a LONG time to find the case with the metal in it. She finally got it and they finished in four minutes and 59 seconds. The other teams were salivating at the prospects of beating their time.
Brooke and Zach, who have been a couple for two years, were up next. Matt found the saw quickly and launched Brooke over. Brooke found the case in just over a minute and they finished in one minute and 23 seconds - crushing Matt and Jacki.
Sami and Carvel went third and she was excited to get started. Carvel found the saw and launched Sami. She struggled and couldn't find the case. One minute, two minutes, three minutes - the time piled on. Four minutes, five minutes, six minutes, seven minutes. She finally found the case and rang the bell in seven minutes and 47 seconds.
Last to go were Todd and Jeanette. Todd is Jeanette's sister's ex-boyfriend - got that? They switched it up and Jeanette flew first, looking for the saw. She had a hard time at first but then found it in just over a minute. Todd flew over and finally found the case in over four minutes. They finished the stunt in four minutes and 23 seconds. Sami and Carvel finished last and were eliminated.
The next stunt: Joe brought them to a junkyard where they would have to retrieve hubcaps and drop them in a pickup truck. The catch: They would have to avoid junkyard dogs while doing it.
Zach and Brooke picked the order and had Todd and Jeanette go first. They geared up with solid padding and rushed off. The dog grabbed Todd's leg but he got the hubcap in just 40 seconds. They got the second cap in, but on the third they weren't able to make it. They called the dogs off and their total was two caps in three minutes and 44 seconds.
Zach and Brooke elected to go second and made Jacki and Matt go last. They raced through the first cap but then Zach had to drag Brooke to get it into the truck. She nearly passed out on the ground but recovered, only to fall again on the second cap, forcing them to call the dogs off. They only had one last chance but couldn't get the third cap either. Their time: one cap in five minutes and eight seconds - not good enough. Matt and Jacki only had to get the first cap in less than one minute and eight seconds to advance to the last round. They did it in 23 seconds! Zach and Brooke were sent packing.
The final stunt: Joe brought the teams to the desert. They would have to climb up on a bus and the women hang underneath. The men would release the women, who would have to find a handle and detonate the bus. The teams went head to head.
The men worked quickly to release the women. The girls dropped fast but Todd had the jump on Matt. He released Jeanette before Matt even made it to the ground. Matt and Jacki finally got it and start digging for the detonator alongside Todd and Jeanette.
Todd and Jeanette found the handle and blew up the bus. They won!
The Capital One Home Invasion! Joe challenged the Harmon family of Portland to down a super-sized "maggot milkshake." Mom and Dad managed to finish the whole glass for a $5000 Capital One Reward!