Five years after the last episode aired, NBC has decided to bring back reality pioneer “Fear Factor” after reruns on cable network Chiller produced unexpectedly high ratings.
“The stunt and camera technologies have evolved since then, we’re going to be able to make it even bigger,” NBC’s head of alternative programming Paul Telegdy said. “We’re going to make it more visually arresting.” […]
“In the brave new world of reality TV [in 2001] it was deemed symptomatic of a problem — ‘we want our West Wing, why are you doing this?’” Telegdy said. “Now the ecology has changed, the top shows are reality TV. For consumers, it will be a fond reunion.” [Inside TV]
I often enjoyed “Fear Factor;” it was predictable but entertaining. Every episode: Joe Rogan meets the six contestants, they talk trash to each other, the first challenge is a stunt that requires the (always attractive) contestants to get into swimsuits, the second challenge is the gross-out one where they have to eat monkey vaginas or put garter snakes in their butts, one of the women cries, and then it concludes with an over-the-top stunt. That’s good TV. Well, except for the Joe Rogan part.
