"Fear Factor" Revival Review

Set Design- 10

Gameplay- 10

Show Flow- 9

Potential Viewers Ratings- 9

Play-Along Factor-1

Host- 9

Overall Rating- 8.0/10

The other two teams watching the father/son team
eat five scorpions to set the time to beat in this stunt.
Courtesy NBC.

Premise- Four teams of two contestants compete in a series of three extreme, physically and psychologically challenging stunts. Round by round, the team who performs the worst in each stunt is eliminated from the game. A team can also be eliminated if they are either too afraid to perform the stunt, choose not to finish the stunt, or perform an illegal action within the stunt to get them disqualified. The team who survives all three stunts, including the final stunt in the fastest time, wins the game and $50,000.

And now for the review……

A contestant frantically unlocking a box to complete
the stunt. Courtesy NBC.

Fear Factor picked up where they left off five years ago by having their contestants compete in extreme events and stomach-churning stunts. The only difference between this season and the past seasons is that the stunts are more physically and mentally challenging. The Fear Factor revival takes the stunts to extreme limits, such as contestants diving in cow blood and searching for cow hearts, and escaping from a submerged car. Even Joe Rogan was surprised at the stunts NBC approved for the show. I’m glad that show kept the team format. It keeps the show more interesting and gives it that extra edge with the various personalities of the four different teams. I also like that the show didn’t do a complete overhaul and change everything for the sake of change and ruin the show, as we have seen with the 2003 Shop ‘Til You Drop revival and the 2001 Card Sharks revival. Keeping Joe Rogan as the host was also a good move by the producers. He loves the show as much as the contestants do and it shows in his enthusiasm in his voice, as well as cheering them on in each event.

A team preparing to dive in the ocean as a part of the
final stunt in this episode. Courtesy NBC.

I’ve also noticed that the revived is pushing for more theme shows, like the family edition and the “exes” edition episodes shown on the first two episodes. Once again, this gives the show that extra edge to gain more viewers on a weekly basis. The only problem that I have with the show is the producers need to do a better job screening the contestants better. They need to focus on the contestants’ physical abilities while they are having them take the qualifying tests to get on the show, more importantly the swimming portion. Having two people almost drown on one episode is just not good television and not fun to watch.

Overall, Fear Factor is still the same great show it was during the early 2000s and the little changes the show made in the stunts were for the best. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more episodes this winter. 

Watch Fear Factor Monday Nights at 9:00pm on NBC!!!

**All screenshots have been taken from the actual episodes of Fear Factor. No ownership is implied.**