How Will MTV’s Fear Factor be Different from The Old One?

Fear Factor was an American game show that started running in 2001 and continued running until 2006 on NBC. As a result, it can be considered one of the earliest examples of a reality TV show, particularly since it was like a lot of reality TV shows in that it was based on something that had proven successful in foreign markets. Regardless, Fear Factor lived up to its name by forcing its contestants to overcome common fears in order to perform the necessary stunts. Common examples of such stunts ranged from jumping from one building to the next to eating live bugs, being immersed in live bugs, and appearing naked to be photographed by a live audience.

Since that time, there has been one attempt to revive the TV show in 2011, which was cancelled in 2012. Now, there is a second attempt to revive Fear Factor with a new host as well as new stunts on a new TV channel, though it remains to be seen whether it will prove to be as successful as the first TV show that started it all in the United States.

Here are some examples of how the new Fear Factor is supposed to be different:

New Channel

This time, Fear Factor isn’t being broadcast on NBC but on MTV. Since MTV is aimed at a younger audience than NBC and most of the other channels out there, it should come as no surprise to learn that the new Fear Factor is aimed at a younger audience as well. In fact, the show-makers have made an explicit statement that the TV show will be both kinder and more light-hearted in nature, so much so that it doesn’t aim to be mean but rather to help people overcome their fears.

New Host

Unsurprisingly, the new Fear Factor has a new host. The first TV show was hosted by Joe Ragan, who has continued to work as an actor, a comedian, a commentator, and a host since that time. In contrast, the new Fear Factor is hosted by rapper and actor Ludacris. So far, Ludacris’s reaction has been a bit stiff, but that is rather understandable because he is just starting out in his new role, meaning that more time is needed to see how he will turn out.

New Stunts

Given the changed nature of the TV show, it stands to reason that there will be new stunts as well. Once again, the show-makers have stated that said stunts will reflect the urban legends, the viral videos, and other scary elements of the modern era while still keeping the TV show’s supposed principle in mind. Unfortunately, the first episode of the new Fear Factor has not lived up to its promise, seeing as how the covered-in-bugs challenge has been a series staple since the start while the immersed-in-a-water-tank-with-few-breathing-holes challenge wasn’t that much more innovative though still pretty terrifying. There was some promise in the second challenge, which saw the contestants being forced to lie in a morgue drawer while either chained up or vacuum-sealed in. As a result, it seems unfair to say that the new Fear Factor is the same as its predecessor, particularly since it has just started out.