"Fear Factor" Readies for Comeback 5 Years After Cancellation
by Chris Harnick
posted Jun 2nd 2011


It's been five years since "Fear Factor" was canceled by NBC, but now, according to Reality Blurred , the show is readying for its big and scary return.

A message on the show's casting website reads: "The original hit TV series is back and ready to challenge teams of two to compete for up to $50,000."





Entertainment Weekly confirmed the revival news.

Paul Telegdy, head of alternative programming at NBC, said the series is doing well in reruns on NBC's sister network Chiller.

He told EW, "No one has come close to doing what they've done on that show. You go back and they've stood the test of time. It always had this incredible spectacle to it. The stunt and camera technologies have evolved since then, we're going to be able to make it even bigger. We're going to make it more visually arresting."






"Fear Factor" originally aired from June 2001 until September 2006 with comedian Joe Rogan as host.

In case you forgot, "Fear Factor" is a reality competition show that puts ordinary people (and sometimes celebrities) in situations where they must overcome fears and do stunts, from eating bugs to escaping from a sunken car.

The show is looking for teams of two -- you can be siblings, couples, roommates, whatever, just two people -- to compete in the greater Los Angeles area.


No return date has been given.

http://www.aoltv.com/2011/06/02/fear-factor-readies-returns-nbc/

"Fear Factor" is Back, But When? And What's New? Producer Matt Kunitz Gives Details
by Maggie Furlong
posted Jun 2nd 2011


Today's news that "Fear Factor" will return to NBC after five years off the air came as a bit of a surprise -- guess the new higher-ups at the network were fans back in the day.

But there was very little information out there to report on, other than the fact that NBC and production company Endemol USA were ready to start doing casting calls.

We had a lot of questions: What will the show look like now? Are there new challenges in store? Will host Joe Rogan return? And when will this new season premiere?

So we turned to executive producer Matt Kunitz to get the scoop.







What made you guys decide to go back to "Fear Factor"?

It's something that when it went off the air, we always felt that we still had a lot of energy left. I think sometimes when shows kind of get to the end, you kind of feel like, you know what, we've been there, we've done that.

But when we got into our sixth season, we felt like we really just started to get our pace. We'd brought in a new stunt coordinator, Pat Romano, who came from feature films, and so the work that we were doing was the best stuff we'd ever done.

So for us to be able to come back now and start it all again, with all the knowledge we have from those six seasons ... and what's really phenomenal is how far the stunt world has come in the last six years, technologically. Back then, if we dropped somebody, we'd drop them 8 feet to a line. Now we have the technology to drop them at full speed in freefall, and then stop them inches from hitting the concrete.

It's things like that that excite us, because we know we can make it bigger and badder than it ever was before. And this was one of the baddest shows out there. For us to be able to take it to the next level is really exciting.











And this marks your return to working with NBC. I'm assuming the new brass is excited about the show?

Yeah, they're excited -- the new people are excited, but there's still a lot of people from the old regime that were there back in the day. The people in the online division, standards and practices, scheduling ... a lot of those people are still there.

And market and promo ... this is like a dream come true for a promo department! So it's great to get a chance to work with the new regime, but also to work with old friends there.

And speaking of old friends, we're bringing back most of the creative staff from the firs go-round. My partner on this is David Hurwitz, who was with me every step of the way on "Fear Factor". He ate, breathed, slept "Fear Factor" for six years, so it's exciting.

In the original article you guys put out, there was something about it being a lesser version -- I don't think that could be any further from the truth. Our mandate from the network is we can't bring it back unless this is going to be a better and bigger version.











So the creative team will be back, but who will be hosting? Will Joe Rogan return?

You know, we just literally made the announcement of the show today, so that conversation hasn't been had yet with the network.

We love Joe, and Joe was a huge part of the show, but we're not ready to ... we just haven't had the time to even sit down with the new brass and talk about that yet.











Is he something you would fight for? Or are you OK revamping that aspect of the show as well?

I think Joe's an incredibly important part of the show. I think Joe is somebody that ... he was there from day one.

When there's the nostalgia of "Fear Factor", they think of Joe. He's definitely somebody that I would love to work with again.











Is there a target premiere date you're looking at?

All I know right now is that they're talking fall. So we're preparing for fall episodes, and we'll be ready.







Wow.

Yeah, the biggest thing for us is the development of a stunt takes months and months. There's so much research and development that goes into any stunt we do. You can't just say, "Oh we're gonna hang someone from a helicopter and drop them on top of a train and then the train is gonna go through a wall of fire."

The amount of time, energy and money and resources that goes into that stunt ... you have to be planning those three months in advance. That's what makes this show particularly difficult, and I think that's why people were not able to easily copy it.

I think I can honestly say there has not been another stunt show on television that's come even close to what we do on "Fear Factor".











You've been working on "Wipeout" -- has its success made you want to go more family-friendly with "Fear Factor" 2.0, or do you think it'll skew grosser and more headline-grabbing?

It's interesting because the reason Scott Larsen and I created "Wipeout" was because we realized that "Fear Factor" was an incredibly popular show with families. It's really rare.

If you look at the TV landscape, there are very few shows -- you can count them on one hand -- that kids and parents actually want to watch together. It's "American Idol" and "Wipeout" -- what else is there?

So yes, this is a family show. It will be crazy, it will be gross. The thing I always said about "Fear Factor" then, and it's gonna be the same now, is that yes, it's crazy stunts, yes it's gross, but there's no violence, there's no cursing, there's no nudity, so it is a good, safe show for the kids to watch, too.











I always loved the celebrity episodes -- I mean, Todd Bridges and G. Gordon Liddy onscreen together? Epic.

Wow ... you really were a fan! That was one of the first conversations we had with the network, was if we come back we should do a celebrity episode.

We're in discussions on what that would be, and how we would do that, but that's definitely something that you can look forward to.






Who would you hand-pick today who you would love for a celeb episode?

I would love to have the Kardashian family on a celebrity episode. The whole family though -- it's gotta be the whole family. I think that would be fun.

They're very relatable, and because that family is multi-generational, that would be fun to see that, too.











Besides your own shows, what reality shows do you think are doing it right these days?

Clearly "American Idol" has figured out something, right? You can't complain about "Idol" -- it's amazing the longevity of that show and their ability in the tenth season to come back stronger than the season before, so props to "American Idol".

I started watching "The Voice", I enjoy "The Voice". I think it's really hard to do a new music show and be fresh and different ...






You've definitely tried it! "The One" on ABC didn't work out so good ...

[Laughs] Exactly! Boy you do your research.





It's my job. Do you think you had bad timing with your take, and maybe "The Voice" is just right show, right time?

But if someone said to me a year ago, "Do you want to do another music show?" I would've said, "No way! [Laughs] I'm not going up against "Idol" with a music show!"

So to see "The Voice" do well, to me it was a surprise, and good for them. I'm a huge fan of reality shows doing well, because when reality shows do well, it's good for the business.











So you have high hopes for your new show, "101 Ways to Leave a Game Show"?

Oh absolutely. You know, the thing about "101 Ways" is, to me, it's another big family show, but it's different.

It's pretty unique in the sense that it is a traditional game show, so we have questions and answers, but if you get one question wrong, we have 101 ways to spectacularly eliminate you from the game show.

I haven't seen anything like it ... it's the perfect kind of summer show.











I always liked Whammies. You know, no whammies, no whammies, stop?

Yeah, I would say that times a thousand. I'm at the set now and literally I'm standing on top of a 300-foot cliff where, if you get the question wrong, you're going to be blown off the cliff with a fire hose.

And that's only one of 101 ways. Every single episode, every single elimination is completely different.











What's your biggest fear?

Hmmm ... I'm not afraid of heights. I discovered that on "Fear Factor" when I would test stunts once in a while. I would say it's probably anything to do with water and drowning.

When we do some of these water stunts, even on "101" ... you get the question wrong, and we have them all standing on the edge of a dock, and each of them has a 200-pound anchor sitting next to them. Whoever gets the question wrong, the host kicks the anchor, the anchor goes into the ocean and pulls them under ... that would freak me out! I don't care that I know of course there's safety mechanisms and underwater divers that are gonna release me ... none of that matters to me.

Just the thought of being pulled underwater freaks me out. [Laughs]

http://www.aoltv.com/2011/06/02/fear-factor-interview-matt-kunitz/

This is the best TV news I've heard in a long time! Thanks a million for posting the information!!!

Exclusive: Joe Rogan to Return as "Fear Factor" Host
Jun 29, 2011
by Michael Schneider


Joe Rogan has officially signed on to return as the host of NBC's "Fear Factor" revival.



Rogan, who hosted the show's original run from 2001 to 2006, will be on hand when production begins at the end of July.

"It doesn't seem real," Rogan tells TV Guide Magazine. "It seems like some sort of bizarro dream world. But I'm looking forward to it. The idea of sitting at home and watching someone else host it would have driven me crazy."







NBC has ordered eight episodes of the reborn "Fear Factor", which producers say could be ready to air as soon as September.

Rogan says the show will essentially remain the same, but adapted to modern media times. The new "Fear Factor" will be shot in high definition, for example, while the original wasn't.



And while the first "Fear Factor" pre-dated most social networking, Kunitz plans to make social media a big part of the revival.

"The stunt world has evolved significantly in the last seven years, since we taped the last show," says executive producer Matt Kunitz.

"Technically stunts now are so much better at what we can do — much bigger falls, much faster falls. Bigger explosions, faster car stunts, bigger flips. We want to take it to the next level."







The new iteration of "Fear Factor" will continue to focus on pairs of contestants, such as significant others or brothers and sisters.

"When you have pairs, there's so much more at stake. You're relying on your partner to get through this stunt. There's a lot of screaming back and forth and better energy," Kunitz says. "So we're sticking with that."



Kunitz also says that one of the eight episodes could be a celebrity edition.

"We're in discussions right now," he says.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Joe-Rogan-Fear-Factor-1034757.aspx

I'm happy to hear that Joe Rogan will return as the host of Fear Factor!!! Thanks for posting the information!

WHY??????????


:tv:

Check Out the New "Fear Factor" Trailer (VIDEO)
by Catherine Lawson
posted Oct 21st 2011


If you've been champing at the bit waiting to see the new "Fear Factor", wait no more: The new trailer's just been unveiled. And we think the rebooted, HD version of the show looks awesome.

As host Joe Rogan -- who doesn't seem to have aged one bit since the show last aired -- says, "'Fear Factor' is back. And it's crazier than ever."



The new show has all the classic stuff that fans love, but in bigger doses: Choppers, flames, people falling off things and onto things, coughing, screaming, crying, laughing, buxom girls in string bikinis, explosions, car crashes, gross eating challenges and lots of insects.


"Fear Factor" is set to return on Monday, December 12th.

http://www.aoltv.com/2011/10/21/new-fear-factor-trailer-video/