Fear Factor was an iconic show that originally aired from 2001 to 2006. The game itself ventured into new territory, challenging contestants to face fears that some didn't even realize they had.
In 2011, NBC announced that Fear Factor would be returning along with original host Joe Rogan. Not only is Rogan back, but almost all of the original crew is back. The show premieres on December 12th 2011, and is being referred to as Fear Factor 2.0. Just prior to the premiere, NBC held a conference call with Rogan, offering the media a small taste of what's to come.
During the call, Rogan teased that the show is "definitely much bigger and much more exciting and grander than the original." Of course a lot of this has to do with the improvements in technology, allowing bigger and more dangerous stunts to be pulled off - the advances in safety equipment have made this possible. To illustrate this point, Rogan said, "(W)e do an A, B, C format where the A stunt is a physical stunt, the B stunt is a gross stunt and then the C stunt is a huge physical stunt. Well in the old show the C stunts of the old show are not as big as the A stunts of the new show. The A stunts of the new show are crazier, bigger, more just bananas than the C stunts of the old show, than the grand finale stunts."
Viewers this season can look forward to two 2-hour specials and six regular hour-long shows. Fear Factor has evolved of course, and the great thing here is that, if the viewer numbers are solid, we can look forward to even more seasons. Rogan even hinted that, should there be another season, there might be a tie-in with the UFC, in which UFC personalities will play Fear Factor for charity. When asked if there would be a celebrity episode this season, however, he said no. The reason? "The real problem with that is of course the problem that we always have with celebrity Fear Factor - getting actual celebrities, you know? I mean it’s like you wind up with like the Snookis of the world and that becomes tricky."
One thing that stood out was that Rogan really understands that, while the show itself can be considered ground-breaking for its style and content, it's not to be taken all that seriously. He described it as "fast food television," and added, "it’s not Masterpiece Theater. It’s not, you know, any sort of award-winning, beautifully produced drama that’s going to sort of open your eyes to the potential of humanity. No, it’s a wild crazy game show where people eat disgusting shit." It's interesting to note that initially some of the producers didn't want Rogan to host. With his laid back attitude, they were afraid that Fear Factor wouldn't be taken seriously enough. Fortunately they realized that the show didn't need to be a dark drama and welcomed Joe Rogan on board. It's hard to imagine what it would have been like had they gone in a more serious direction!
Fear Factor 2.0 promises bigger and better stunts, more disgusting food, and, according to Rogan, some very savvy contestants. He says that, when the show first began, people didn't know what to expect from it. Now they're more aware of the challenges they will face and are ready to take them on. And speaking of disgusting food, Rogan was asked what the worst thing contestants were asked to eat this season was, and his answer was very mysterious: "The grossest one is this season for sure without a doubt. But we can’t talk about it because NBC has not decided yet whether or not it’s going to air. So unfortunately I can’t tell you what’s up." He added that the concern is that, while a truly disgusting stunt might bring in ratings, the network is concerned that it's so offensice that people might never tune in again. "I would never have asked people to do this," he said.
While Fear Factor has always been about crazy stunts and pushing limits, at its heart it is a game show in which contestants compete to win cash. Don't miss this new season of the show which, after a lengthy hiatus, promises to deliver even more of what we've been missing since 2006.
