The BEST Episodes of Fear Factor
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Jan 18, 2020
Network: MTV
"Imagine a world where your greatest fears become reality." In each pulse-racing "Fear Factor" episode, contestants recruited across the country battle in extreme stunts. These stunts are designed to challenge the contestants both physically and mentally. If a player is too afraid to complete or fail a stunt, the player is eliminated. If they succeed, they are one step closer to the grand prize: $50,000.
#1 - Bobbing in Blood; Tomato Hornworms; Skunk Tunnel (Gross-Out Edition)
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired Feb 3, 2003
This was a special all-gross episode. Stunt #1: Bobbing in Blood Contestants would have to bob for plastic rings in a vat containing over 50 gallons of cow blood. The two men and the two women to retrieve the most rings in 2 minutes would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Tomato Hornworms Contestants would use a blowgun to shoot two darts at a display of tomatoes numbered 0, 3, 4, and 5. The total of the two numbers they hit would be the number of tomato horn worms they would have to eat. They would have 30 seconds per worm. Contestants who finished their tomato horn worms within the time limit would advance to the finals. Stunt #3: Skunk Tunnel Contestants would have to crawl through a pitch-black drainage system containing roadkill skunks. The first pipe led to a wet and slimy culvert connected to several other pipes, but only one pipe besides the entry pipe did not have a dead end. The contestant to bag 3 dead skunks and reach the end
10.00 #2 - Boat to Boat; Worm Wine; Matrix Truck Straddle
Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired Dec 1, 2003
Stunt #1: Boat to Boat As two ultra boats sped down a lake, contestants would have to leap back and forth between the boats and transfer flags from the second boat to the first boat. The two men and the two women to transfer all 6 flags the fastest would advance to the next round, the others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Worm Wine Contestants would have to use their bare feet to stomp on night crawlers in a large vat. When enough worm juice drained in to a glass at the bottom of the vat, they would have to drink the juice. The three contestants to complete this stunt the fastest would advance to the finals. The slowest person would be eliminated. Stunt #3: Matrix Truck Straddle As two semi trucks drove down the road side by side at 40 miles per hour, contestants would have to walk between the two trucks using the one-and-a-half inch ledges on the sides of the trucks. They would have to transfer up to 12 flags from the side of one truck to the side of the other truck. The c
10.00 #3 - Couples Fear Factor II (7)
Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired Feb 14, 2005
This was the final episode in a 7-part series featuring eight couples competing for various cash and prizes, and a grand prize of 1 Million Dollars. Stunt #1 (Bullfrog coffin) The women would be locked in a bamboo cage by two locks in a pit of bullfrogs. The men would have to run across a swamp and retrieve a key from a pit of scorpions, then run back across the swamp and use the key to unlock the first lock. They would then have to run back across the swamp, retrieve the second key from a pit of live rats using only their mouths, run back, and unlock the second lock. Once the woman was free, they would both have to run across the swamp and both of them would have to drink a glass of blended bullfrog and swamp water. The couple to complete this stunt the fastest would win two Jeep Liberty 4X4s. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. The Final Stunt (Helicopter climb and car jump) Wearing flame retarded suits, couples would start out on the back of a speedboat as it raced ac
10.00 #4 - Teams #2
Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired Jan 24, 2006
This episode featured four co-ed pairs competing as teams. Stunt #1 (Helicopter platform transfer) Both team members would have to leap back and forth between two platforms hanging from helicopters, each person transferring up to 10 flags from one platform to the other and then jumping in the water below. The three teams get highest flag total would advance to the next round. The team with the least flags would be eliminated. Stunt #2 (Fear Factor Barber Shop) One team member would be seated in a barber chair and their partner would spin them. When the chair stopped, they would have to get whichever haircut their head was pointing to. The options were Mohawk, bald spot, patches, the taco, sideways Mohawk, and bald. Teams would advance to the finals if both members got their designated haircuts. Stunt #3 (Exploding container) As a crane lifted a large container to 200 feet in the air, both team members would have to climb rope ladders hanging from the container. Once they reached the container, they would both have to scale a narrow ledge on the side, collect two Allen wrenches, and climb another ladder to the top. Once on top, they would have to use the wrenches to unscrew hatches and climb down into the container. When they were both inside, they would have to touch two pieces of a livewire together in order to blow themselves out of the container and into the water below. The team to complete this stunt the fastest would be the Fear Factor Champions. Home Invasion Stunt (Stink beetle transfer) Competing in this week’s Home Invasion would be the Kutz family of Memphis, Tennessee. Two family members would have to take turns using their mouths to transfer stink beetles from one bowl to another. If they could transfer all the stink beetles in one minute, they would win a $5,000 Capital One Credit Card.
10.00 #5 - BK Viewers' Choice Episode
Season 6 - Episode 16 - Aired Aug 1, 2006
10.00 #6 - Reality Stars Fear Factor (1)
Season 6 - Episode 10 - Aired Jun 13, 2006
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#7 - Drowning Closet; Ostrich Egg; Merry-Go-Round
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired Dec 2, 2002
Stunt #1: Drowning Closet Contestants would be locked inside a Plexiglas cell as it filled with water. They would have to find which of four keys unlocked the two locks at the top of the cell and open the hatch to escape. The two men and the two women to complete this stunt the fastest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Ostrich Egg Contestants would have 20 minutes to consume a three-pound raw ostrich egg. Everyone who drank their egg in the time limit would advance to the finals. Stunt #3: Merry-Go-Round Contestants would have to walk a narrow balance beam structure as it spun over 100 feet high. Extending out from the center were four limbs. They would have to take flags from the center and clip them on flagpoles at the end of each of the limbs. After clipping all four flags, they would have to return to the center to stop the clock. The contestant to complete this stunt the fastest would be the Fear Factor Champion.
9.00 #8 - Couples Fear Factor II (5)
Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired Jan 31, 2005
This episode was part 5 of 7 in a series featuring eight couples competing for various cash and prizes, and a grand prize of 1 Million Dollars. Stunt #1 (Truck jump and helicopter drop) Both members of each couple would be standing on the back of a flatbed truck as it drove along a pier. They would have to jump off the truck into the water, swim to separate buoys, and grab trapeze bars hanging from helicopters. The helicopters would lift them out of the water and fly them to another set of buoys. Upon reaching the second set of buoys, they would have to drop back into the water, collect a flag attached to their respective buoys, swim to a platform, and clip the flags on a flagpole. The time would stop once both partners clipped their flag. The couple with the fastest time would win two Sony Sports Network Walkman Players along with $20,000. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. Stunt #2 (Electric maze) Partners would be handcuffed together and would have to navigate throu
9.00 #9 - MTV Star Battle
Season 9 - Episode 13 - Aired Jul 24, 2018
MTV stars Terrence J, Romeo Miller and celebs from "The Challenge" compete to overcome their fears.
9.00 #10 - Snake Bite
Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired Jan 2, 2012
The four new teams of couples assemble: Joel and Andrea, "party people" who met in Vegas; DJ and Brooklyn, a careful 19-year-old number cruncher and an 18-year-old risk taker; Todd and Carole, a married couple out to prove that 50 is a badge of honor; and Roberto and Tanya, a determined power couple. Their first challenge involves getting catapulted off a building onto a rope net, where they must gather 10 flags a piece as quickly as possible while being rained on the entire time. The team with the worst time is eliminated.
8.98 #11 - Psycho Fear Factor (2)
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired Jan 10, 2006
This episode was part 2 of 3 in a series featuring six couples staying at the Bates Motel from the movie Psycho and competing on the set where the movie was filmed for a grand prize of $250,000. Stunt #3 (Psycho Shower Rescue) The women would be handcuffed to the showerhead in one of the Bates Motel rooms as blood rained down on them. Outside, the men would have to unscrew an axe from the bottom of an ice chest filled with disgusting slop and use the axe to chop down the door to the room. They would then have to find a key which would be hidden in a vase, a potted plant, a lamp, or a nightstand. Once they had had the key, they would have to chop down the bathroom door and use the key to free their partner from the handcuffs. The couple to complete this stunt fastest would have two options: They could accept a pair of customized bikes from Metropolitan Choppers or be exempt from the next stunt. They would have to give the prize they didn’t choose to another couple. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. Stunt #4 (Street luge flag snag) The men would be lying on a sled being pulled behind a hearse as a semi truck followed behind. The women would be on the back of the hearse and would have to turn a crank to unwind the cable attached to the sled, getting the men closer to the truck. The men would then have to reach up and grab a flag on a pole jutting from the front of the truck. Once they had the flag, the women would have to tow them back in, take the flag, climb over the hearse, and clip the flag to a flagpole on the hood. The couple with the slowest time would be eliminated. Back at the Bates Motel, the remaining couples would be receiving an unpleasant surprise… Home Invasion Stunt (Eat banana slugs) Competing in this Home Invasion would be the Easton family of Queens, New York. Three family members would have one minute to eat four banana slugs between them. If they could do this in the time limit, they would win a $5,000 Ca
8.67 #12 - Tall Crappaccino
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired Dec 19, 2011
Couples face stunts that include being catapulted off a building towards a cargo net and transferring snakes off their partners with their mouths.
8.55 #13 - Helicopter Flag Snag; Slugs; Build-A-Bridge
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired Nov 11, 2002
Stunt #1: Helicopter Flag Snag Contestants would have to hang from a helicopter skit and drop into the water below as the helicopter flew over a buoy. Once in the water, they would have to retrieve a flag from underneath the buoy, swim with it to a platform, and clip it on a flagpole. Helicopter would stay overhead the entire time to create rotor wash. The two men and the two women to complete this stunt the fastest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Slugs Contestants would have to eat 10 live slugs and drink a shot of cow bile. All contestants to do this in the 4-minute time limit would advance to the finals. Stunt #3: Build-A-Bridge Contestants would have to make their way from the rooftop of one building to the other. Strung between the rooftops were two cables. The contestants would get across by hanging wooden slats between the cables and stepping on them. They would only have three wooden slats, so they would have to pick the
8.50 #14 - Ferris Wheel; Fear Factor Pizza; Water Platform
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired Jan 27, 2003
This episode had a snow theme to go along with NBC's Blizzard Monday. Stunt #1: Ferris Wheel Contestants would have to run on top of a narrow wheel as is spun high above the ground. The two men and the two women who stayed on the wheel the longest before falling would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Fear Factor Pizza Contestants would have to eat a slice of pizza consisting of bile-based crust, coagulated blood sauce, and stinky cheese. They would toss pizza pans into labeled buckets to determine whether their pizza would be topped with red worms, fish eyeballs, or both. Everyone who ate their slice of Fear Factor Pizza in within 10 minutes would advance to the finals. Stunt #3: Water Platform Contestants would be chained to a platform and submerged in a tank of cold water. Once submerged, they would have to free themselves by finding which of three keys unlocked the two locks and swim to the surface. The contestant to do this the fastes
8.33 #15 - Four Stunt Episode #2
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired Nov 4, 2003
Stunt #1 (Submerged bus) Contestants would have to swim into a submerged bus, rescue up to four crash test dummies, and place them in a raft outside the bus. The two men and the two women to retrieve the most dummies the fastest before quitting would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2 (Cow parts & rotten milk) Contestants would have to use their faces to search a counter covered with dirty dishes for Madagascar hissing cockroaches. After using their mouths to retrieve five roaches and spit them into a box, they would have to drink a glass of lard & blended cow parts and a glass of rotten Fear Factor milk. The contestant to complete this stunt the fastest would win a seven day all-inclusive trip to Brazil where they would stay at Super Clubs' resort Breezes Costa Do Sauipe. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. Stunt #3 (Cow brain search) As cow spinal fluid rained down on a counter covered with cow brains, contestants would have to use th
8.33 #16 - Broken Hearts & Blood Baths
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired Dec 12, 2011
Four teams of executives face stunts that include escaping from a submerged car and climbing on top of a moving bus.
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#17 - Ultimate Fear Workout
Season 8 - Episode 11 - Aired Aug 15, 2017
Fitness freaks face the ultimate workout. Included: roaches; a vending machine of crazy snacks; and a car crash.
8.26 #18 - Spiderman; Coffin; Water Cage (Celebrity Edition)
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired Mar 11, 2002
This episode featured six celebrity contestants competing for charity. The winner would receive $50,000 for their charity, and the others would receive $10,000 for their charities. Stunt #1: Spiderman Contestants would have to scale the outside of a building 36 stories high using hand holds and the one-inch window sill. They would have to transfer flags from one open window to the other. The two men and the two women to transfer the most flags the fastest in three minutes would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Coffin Contestants would have to lie in a Plexiglas coffin with their legs covered with thousands night crawlers, their midsections covered with 100 snakes, and their heads covered with 3,000 Madagascar hissing cockroaches. The three contestants to remove 10 white snakes from the coffin the fastest would advance to the finals Stunt #3: Water Cage Contestants would be locked in a steel cage and submerged underwater. When a red light cam
8.22 #19 - Halloween Episode #2
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired Oct 25, 2004
This was a special Halloween episode. Stunt #1 (Electric beam) Contestants would have to run across a metal balance beam as an overhead generator zapped them with two-million volts of electricity. They would have to transfer metal bolts from one barrel on one end of the beam to another barrel on the other end of the beam. The four contestants who could transfer the most bolts in the one minute time limit would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2 (Witches brew) Contestants would use a crossbow to shoot flaming arrows at a scarecrow hanging from the ceiling. The number of shots each contestant took to ignite the scarecrow would represent the number of scoops of Fear Factor witch's brew (consisting of dead tarantulas, scorpions, and bug guts) they would have eat. Any contestants who finished their bowl of witch's brew would advance to the next round. Stunt #3 (Bug tumbler) Contestants would be covered in corn syrup and strapped into a Plexiglas t
8.20 #20 - Vertical Gauntlet; Rat Hat; Semi Truck Beam Walk
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired Mar 4, 2002
Stunt #1: Vertical Gauntlet Contestants would have to cross 12-inch wide support beams between two 14-story buildings, climbing rope ladders to get from one beam to the next. On each beam, with the exception of the first, they would have to navigate an obstacle. The second beam had a truss that they would have to crawl underneath, the third beam had a see-saw that they would have to get across, the fourth beam had a punching bag that they would have to get around, and the fifth and highest beam had road cones on it. The whole time they were doing the stunt, water would be raining down on them. The two men and the two women to reach the end and release a flag the fastest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Rat Hat Contestants would each have to stick their head in a Plexiglas box with rats. While they had their heads in the box, they would have to use their hands to reach into a cage containing 24 rats and put the white rats and the black rat
8.17 #21 - The Old College Try
Season 8 - Episode 12 - Aired Aug 22, 2017
Ludacris takes teams of college students and schools them on fear. They must face hundreds of rats, a shocking maze, and a sinking car to win the 50k and prove that they are top of the class.
8.17 #22 - Boat Jump; Swimming with the Fishes; Flag Snag
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired Jan 21, 2002
Stunt #1: Boat Jump As two ultra boats raced down a lake at 40 miles per hour, contestants would have to jump the gap between them that was approximately 7 feet wide and land on the second boat. Contestants who jumped from boat to boat successfully would advance to the next round. Stunt #2: Swimming with the Fishes Contestants would have three minutes to swim around in a tank containing 10 tons of dead squid, retrieve 5-pound weights, and hang them on a hook overhead. The contestant to retrieve the least weights would be eliminated. Stunt #3: Flag Snag Contestants would have to shimmy out to the end of horizontal pole jutting from a rooftop 20 stories high. They would have to grab a flag, bring it back to the rooftop, clip the flag on a pole, and raise it. The contestant to complete this stunt the fastest would win the $50,000.
8.13 #23 - Summer Vacation From Hell
Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired Mar 14, 2018
Ludacris sends four teams of students on a summer vacation from hell.
8.11 #24 - The Challenge vs. Shredders
Season 8 - Episode 13 - Aired Sep 19, 2017
MTV's Shredders and the Challenge square off to see which one comes out ahead. They've survived their own shows, but now must survive striking snakes, electric eels and trip to the "Fear Factor" Fro Yo shop.
8.10 #25 - Favorite Winners
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired Sep 6, 2004
In this episode, six former winners returned to try and win the $50,000 a second time. Stunt #1 (Semi truck bike plank) Players would start out on top of a semi truck driving down a highway, walk to the middle of a balance beam jutting off the back, release a flag, and return to the starting point. The player would then have to get on a bike and ride it across the beam to the trailer of a second truck. The player to complete this stunt the fastest would $10,000. No one would eliminated in this stunt. Stunt #2 (Tomato horn worm juice) Two at a time, players would have to chew up mouthfuls of tomato horn worms and spit the juice into graduated cylinders. Once the cylinders were filled to a predetermined point, the players would have to drink the juice. This would be a head-to-head race. The winner of each race would advance to the next round and the loser would be eliminated. Stunt #3 (See-saw beam) Players would have to cross from one platform to the other over 100 feet in t
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