Remember Fear Factor? You probably do, and it’s possible you’ve spent the past decade or so trying to forget Fear Factor.
NBC’s Joe Rogan-hosted display of gross-out television wasn’t so much a competition as it was a weekly set of tasks seemingly designed to humiliate contestants and disgust viewers. Naturally it was a hit, and ran for 144 episodes across 6 seasons, from 2001-2006, with a special revival in 2011.
MTV is bringing it back with Ludacris as the host, and the reboot is set to premiere May 30th. MTV’s version is apparently going to be a bit different than the old format, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which hopefully means less bobbing for cow eyes in a tank of cow blood, or whatever it was they were doing back then:
The new incarnation will flip the script on its targeted Generation Z audience and instead of gross-out challenges (like eating worms), will be more playful with the hope of providing a cathartic tension release along the way. The newly designed stunts are geared at tapping into visceral fears of today’s anxious youth — such as couch surfing at 300 feet and waterlogging personal cellphones.
Inspired by urban legends, scary movies and online videos from the zeitgeist, contestants will be pushed beyond their comfort zones where their body’s physiological responses will take over.
Yeah, that really clears things up. Maybe some student loan payments can be thrown in too.
MTV is apparently hoping the reboot is a franchise going forward, and Ludacris also sounds excited to be part of the project, if this statement that was definitely not written by a publicist is any indication:
“I am excited to kick off my partnership with MTV, starting with the relaunch of Fear Factor, which will be even more insane and ludicrous than what you remember,” he said. “This will be the first of many great projects together.”
