The WORST episodes of Fear Factor
Every episode of Fear Factor ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Fear Factor!
"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 - Family Beam Walk; Family of Roaches; Kid-A-Pult
Season 4 - Episode 34 - Aired 5/17/2004
This season finale episode featured four parent/child pairs competing at teams. Stunt #1: Family Beam Walk Both family members would have to walk across a balance beam over 100 feet high. There would be five yellow flags and five orange flags hanging from ropes. The parent would have to go first and release the yellow flags, and then the child would have to go and release the orange flags. The three teams with the highest flag totals in the fastest time would advance to the next round. The slowest team would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Family of Roaches The children would be locked in a box of Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Their parents would have to use their mouths to transfer roaches from the box to a counter-balance scale to lift up a door and release set of three keys. The parent would have to give the keys to their child and the child would have to find the correct key to unlock the box and escape. The team to complete this stunt the fastest would win a 2004 Mazda 6 Spo
#2 - Once Bitten, Twice Trapped
Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/13/2017
Ludacris challenges teams of roommates to get covered with Amazon creatures and conquer a mental mousetrap game. But in order to win $50,000 they must face being dragged to the bottom of a deep water tank.
#3 - Party Games
Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/6/2017
Ludacris puts together ultimate fear party games for teams of couples, who must bob for snakes, play "Fear Pong" and drive blindfolded to win the cash prize of $50,000.
#4 - Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas, Oh My! -- Part 2
Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/16/2012
Part two of a special two-part Fear Factor, with a special prize of $100,000 at stake.
#5 - Ex Factor
Season 6 - Episode 21 - Aired 9/6/2006
In this ex-couples episode, the women must lean off a balance beam atop a moving boat and grab hanging flags while their ex-boyfriends support them with a rope. Teams are then strapped vertically spinning wheel with their heads trapped inside plexiglas boxes, and they must collect scorpions from the ground and put them into the boxes. In the final stunt, teammates must back cars down ramps on the ends of flatbed truck trailers and drive up onto the opposite trailer from which they started. A family is challenged to eat Madagascar hissing cockroaches in this week's Home Invasion.
#6 - Fire Fear Factor
Season 6 - Episode 15 - Aired 7/25/2006
Teams of best friends must climb a cargo net beneath a helicopter while their opponents spray them with fire hoses; drink blended habanero peppers; and slide down a flaming water slide before swimming under an ice platform. Firefighters are challenged to eat balut eggs in this week's Home Invasion.
#7 - Newlyweds at Universal Studios Orlando
Season 5 - Episode 31 - Aired 5/23/2005
This season finale episode featured four newlywed couples competing at Universal Studios Orlando. Stunt #1 (Rope snap and helicopter rope climb) Partners would be standing on opposite sides of a Plexiglas wall over a lagoon and be holding onto a rope. They would have move up and down to move the rope over a file on top of the wall in order to break the rope in half. They would then have drop into the water and swim to a pair of jet skis which would drag them to a helicopter. At the helicopter, they would both have to climb up ropes with 5 flags attached and release as many flags as possible before falling into the water. The three couples to get the most flags the fastest would advance to the next round. The other couple would be eliminated. Stunt #2 (Fear Factor Wedding Toast) Couples would have to dig their faces into a wedding cake filled with red worms, super worms, silk worms, beetles, and alligator eyeballs. They would both have to get mouthfuls of bugs and eyeballs and
#8 - Submerged Car Rotisserie; FF Sushi Bar; Wall Sweeper
Season 5 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/25/2005
Stunt #1 (Water car rotisserie) Contestants would be chained into the front seat of a car as it spun in and out of the water. When the spinning started, they would have to grab a key, unlock two locks to free themselves, release a flag from the back seat, exit the car, and swim to a buoy. The two men and the two women to complete this stunt fastest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2 (Fear Factor Sushi Bar) Contestants would have to choose two numbered plaques with disgusting sushi dishes written in Japanese on them. Sushi dishes on the menu were the maggot and Madagascar hissing cockroach roll; the maggot and rotten squid gut roll; the red worm, super worm, maggot, and earthworm roll; tarantula sushi; the stink bug, beetle, maggot, and fish sauce roll; and blended fish sauce, squid gut, and squid ink sake. Everyone who ate both their sushi dishes within 10 minutes would advance to the finals. Stunt #3 (Rooftop plank)
#9 - Tarzan Semi to Semi; Fear Factor Donut Shop; Falling Beam Maze
Season 5 - Episode 26 - Aired 3/28/2005
Stunt #1 (Water car rotisserie) Contestants would be chained into the front seat of a car as it spun in and out of the water. When the spinning started, they would have to grab a key, unlock two locks to free themselves, release a flag from the back seat, exit the car, and swim to a buoy. The two men and the two women to complete this stunt fastest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2 (Fear Factor Sushi Bar) Contestants would have to choose two numbered plaques with disgusting sushi dishes written in Japanese on them. Sushi dishes on the menu were the maggot and Madagascar hissing cockroach roll; the maggot and rotten squid gut roll; the red worm, super worm, maggot, and earthworm roll; tarantula sushi; the stink bug, beetle, maggot, and fish sauce roll; and blended fish sauce, squid gut, and squid ink sake. Everyone who ate both their sushi dishes within 10 minutes would advance to the finals. Stunt #3 (Rooftop plank) Contestants would
#10 - Fear Factor Twins #3
Season 5 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/7/2005
This four-stunt episode featured four sets of twins competing as teams. Stunt #1 (Helicopter to speedboat) One twin would be hanging by a harness from a helicopter while their partner would be inside the helicopter. As the helicopter flew over a buoy, the person in the helicopter would have to pull a rip cord and drop their twin into the water. When the helicopter flew over a second buoy, the second twin would also have to jump out. Both twins would have to retrieve a flag from their respective buoys and swim to an ultra boat. Once they were both on board, the boat would speed past a floating platform. Both twins would have to jump off, swim to the platform, and attach their flags. The time would stop when the second flag was attached. The pair of twins to complete this stunt the fastest would win a $20,000 Capital One credit card. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. Stunt #2 (Cattle trench) Twins would be racing back and forth while attached to a pulley system, so on
#11 - Couples Fear Factor II (6)
Season 5 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/7/2005
This episode was part 6 of 7 in a series featuring eight couples competing for various cash and prizes, and a grand prize of 1 Million Dollars. Stunt #1 (Gross gorge) Couples would have to eat from Plexiglas containers containing 6 pounds, 8 ounces of disgusting food items. Among these items were octopus, lamb brain, pig snout, pig tongue, cod egg sac, cow eyeballs, sea cucumber, pig uterus, intestines, squid, scorpions, tarantulas, Madagascar hissing cockroaches, nightcrawlers, red worms, super worms, tomato horn worms, stink beetles, and other assorted bugs and animal innards. The couple that could eat the most weight in the 20 minute time limit would win a two-week trip to Belize where they would stay six days in the rain forest at Ian Anderson's Caves Branch and six days sailing the Caribbean in a luxury yacht from Mooring Signature Vacations. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. Stunt #2 (Train lean & grab) Couples would have to cross 12-inch wide balance beams on top
#12 - Couples Fear Factor II (3)
Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/17/2005
This episode was part 3 of 7 in a series featuring eight couples competing for various cash and prizes, and a grand prize of 1 Million Dollars. Stunt #1 (Blind driver) Going two at a time, couples would race to drive a car up a ramp and onto the bed of a moving flatbed semi. The driver of the car would be blindfolded, and their partner would be in the passenger seat giving directions. The couple that could get their car onto the truck bed and run over a flag the fastest would win a seven-day all inclusive trip for two to the Grand Lido Negril Resort and Spa in Jamaica. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. Stunt #2 (Double tunnel flush) The men would be sitting in a dumpster with their hands handcuffed to the outside of a Plexiglas trough with their heads stuck inside the trough. As the trough was repeatedly flushed with raw sewage, the women would have to climb up into the trough and open a combination lock to release the handcuff key. They would then have to unlock their
#13 - Couples Fear Factor II (2)
Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/10/2005
This episode was part 2 of 7 in a series featuring eight couples competing for various cash and prizes, and a grand prize of 1 Million Dollars. Stunt #1 (Cow stomach toss) Going two at a time, the men would be standing on the shore of a swamp tossing cow stomachs to their girlfriends standing on floating platforms in the middle of the swamp. The women would have to catch the cow stomachs and put them into a bucket. Once all fifteen stomachs had been transfered, the women would have to swim to shore and touch a trough to stop the clock. The couple to complete this stunt in the fastest time would win $20,000 and a trip to Los Angeles to see the world premiere of the movie "Elektra". The winners would also get to impose a penalty on the couple of their choice in the next stunt. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. The couple with the second slowest time in the previous stunt was not allowed to participate in this stunt. Stunt #2 (Double eat & yank) Couples would be harnesse
#14 - Best Friends #2
Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/29/2004
This episode featured four pairs of best friends competing as teams. Stunt #1 (Underwater obstacle course) Both team members would be standing on a platform over a pool One team member would have to grab a strobe light, jump into a vertical tube and swim to the bottom, swim a horizontal underwater tunnel, and clip the strobe light inside the tunnel. They would then have to return to the surface though a hole in the platform, grab another strobe light, hand it to their partner, and their partner would repeat the process. The team that clipped the most strobe lights in the tunnel in the fastest time before quitting would win two 2005 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab Laramies. No one would be eliminated in this stunt. Stunt #2 (Blind leech wall) One team member would be blindfolded while the other would be on the opposite side of a glass wall. The blindfolded team member would have to dunk their head into a tank full of leeches and get a mouthful. Their partner would then verbally guide th
#15 - Jet Ski to Float Plane; Eel Helmet; Donkey Kong
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/20/2004
Stunt #1: Jet Ski to Float Plane Contestants would start off on the pontoon below a flying seaplane over a thousand feet in the air. They would have to shimmy across a pole to the other pontoon, release a flag, then return to the first pontoon and release a second flag. The two men and the two women to complete this stunt the fastest (or release the first flag the fastest before falling) would advance to the next round, the others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Eel Helmet Contestants would have to stick their heads in a large fishbowl-helmet occupied by moray eels with a narrow tube to breathe through. The contestants would have to unscrew eight bolts in order to cause the front plate to pop off the helmet and drain the water. The three players to complete this stunt the fastest would advance to the next round, the slowest player would be eliminated. Stunt #3: Donkey Kong Contestants would have to ride an elevator platform to six different balance beams at different levels an
#16 - The Shoredown
Season 9 - Episode 20 - Aired 8/21/2018
It's a battle of the MTV coasts when Jersey Shore housemates Pauly D, Ronnie, Nicole and Deena face off against Floribama Shore's Nilsa, Jeremiah, Kirk and Aimee.
#17 - Underwater Tumbler; Bug Body Bag; Dual Heli Wall
Season 4 - Episode 33 - Aired 5/10/2004
This was an all-female episode. Stunt #1: Underwater Tumbler The ladies would be locked inside a tumbler which would be lowered underwater. They would have to swim to the other end of the tumbler, unlatch 10 latches, slide a door open, and swim to a buoy. The four ladies to reach the buoy the fastest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Bug Body Bag The ladies would be chained up in a body bag full of crickets, red worms, super worms, stink beetles, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches. They would be shut inside a pitch black morgue drawer. They would have to find out which of three keys unlocked the padlock to their chains, unzip the bag, and push themselves out of the drawer. The three ladies to complete this stunt the fastest would advance to the finals. The slowest contestant would be eliminated. Stunt #3: Dual Heli Wall The ladies would be lifted off a dock and would have the crawl across a horizontal rope hanging underneath a helic
#18 - Dual Heli Beam Walk; Fly Shake; Hop the Train
Season 4 - Episode 32 - Aired 5/3/2004
This special Second Chance episode featured six past Fear Factor contestants who had gone home losers. Stunt #1: Dual Heli Beam Walk Contestants would have to go back and forth across a beam hanging between two helicopters. They would have to transfer up to 6 flags from one side to the other before falling into the water below. The two men and the two women to transfer the most flags the fastest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Fly Shake Contestants would have to suck blended maggots from a bowl and spit them down a large straw into a glass filled with flies. After filling the glass, they would have to drink the blended maggots and flies. The three contestants to do this fastest would advance to the next round. The slowest contestant would be eliminated. Stunt #3: Hop the Train Contestants would have to race a car toward a railroad crossing, hit a pipe ramp, and flip the car over a moving train. The contestant to jump the car the g
#19 - Bound in Chains; Get the Gator; Heli Rope Transfer
Season 4 - Episode 31 - Aired 4/26/2004
The was a special female models episode. Stunt #1: Bound in Chains The ladies would be chained into a weighted vest and dropped underwater. They would have to undo three sets of clasps to get out of the vest and swim to the surface. The four ladies to break the surface the fastest would advance to the next round. The other two would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Get the Gator The ladies would have to make their way through an obstacle course in a swamp to find three keys. There would be a key on each obstacle. They would have to make their way over 6 buoys, jump over a boat, climb a tree, and drop back into the water. They would then have to swim to the shore and find out which of the three keys unlocked a tunnel. After unlocking the tunnel, they would have to crawl inside and pull an 8-foot long, 400 pound alligator out by its tail. The three ladies to complete this stunt the fastest would advance the final round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #3: Heli Rope Transfer
#20 - Team Transfer; Hagfish Transfer; Cable Stand
Season 4 - Episode 30 - Aired 4/19/2004
This episode featured five pairs competing as teams. This episode also had an unusual twist: Contestants were not allowed to sleep for the 48-hour duration of the competition. If anyone fell asleep, their team would be eliminated. Stunt #1: Team Transfer The men would be hung by their ankles from a trolley line that would take them back and forth between two platforms on the roofs of buildings over 100 feet in the air. The women would have to transfer flags from one platform to other by clipping the flags on to their belt loops and grabbing the men's arms to ride back and forth between platforms. The four teams to transfer the most flags in 5 minutes would advance to the next round. The team with the least amount of flags would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Hagfish Transfer The women would be sitting in the top of a double-decker Plexiglas box and the men would be in the bottom. The women would be covered in slimy hagfish which would also fall through to the bottom where the men w
#21 - Tunnel Flag Snag; Potato Bug Bazooka; Tractor Car Roll
Season 4 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/5/2004
Stunt #1: Tunnel Flag Snag While balancing on the back of a tanker truck as it drove through a traffic tunnel and ran over speed bumps, contestants would have to grab flags hanging from the ceiling. The two men and the two women to collect the most flags would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Potato Bug Bazooka Contestants would use a bazooka to fire a potato at a target with numbers ranging from 1 to 3. The number they hit would represent the number of live potato bugs they would have to eat. Everyone who ate all their potato bugs would advance to the final round. Stunt #3: Tractor Car Roll Contestants would be seated in a car on the edge of a steep hill. As four large bulldozers advanced toward the car, they would have to find which of 6 keys started the car and drive it across a finish line. The contestant to cross the finish line the fastest, or get the furthest before a bulldozer sent their car flipping down the hill would win the $5
#22 - Extreme Building Plunge; Bug Windshield; Rotating Beam to Platform
Season 4 - Episode 27 - Aired 3/22/2004
Stunt #1: Extreme Building Plunge Contestants would be harnessed and dropped down the face of a 65-story building. As they plunged toward the ground, contestants would have to grab flags sticking out from the side of the building. The two men and the two women to collect the most flags would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Bug Windshield Contestants would have to jump up onto a junkyard car's hood and use their mouths to remove globs of red worms, super worms, crickets, grasshoppers, and stink beetles splattered on the windshield. They would then have to run over to a scale and spit the bugs on to the scale. The three contestants to transfer the most weight in bugs in two minutes would advance to the final round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #3: Rotating Beam to Platform Contestants would start out over a harbor on a rotating balance beam surrounded by a square frame with a platform on each side. There were two flags on the each
#23 - Twirling Misery; Eat Live Snails; Car Jump out of Back of Semi
Season 4 - Episode 26 - Aired 3/15/2004
Stunt #1: Twirling Misery Contestants would be inside a Plexiglas box over 100 feet in the air. They would have up to two minutes to wedge themselves into the box before the bottom dropped out. Once the bottom dropped out, the box would spin around and cold water would rain from the top. The two men and the two women who could stay wedged inside the box the longest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2: Eat Live Snails Contestants would have to eat 12 live snails. The man and the woman who could eat their snails the fastest would advance to the final round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #3: Car Jump out of Back of Semi Contestants would be seated in a car inside the back of a moving semi truck. When the truck rolled over a starting line, a green light would flash. When this happened, they would have to find which of three keys started the car, and crash it though the back door of the trailer to the pavement below. The contestan
#24 - All Female Episode #3
Season 4 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/1/2004
Stunt #1 (Water-tube escape) The ladies would be trapped inside a plastic box and lowered into the water. With an air pocket at the top, they would have to swim to the bottom of the box, turn two wheels to drop the bottom out of the box, escape, and swim to the surface. The four ladies to do this the fastest would advance to the next round. The others would be eliminated. Stunt #2 (Box of Reptiles) Going two a time, the ladies would be seated in a Plexiglas box of boas, pythons, and geckos. While in the box, they would have to use metal rods to transfer magnetic disks from slots in the bottom of the box to slots in the top of the box. They lady in each race to transfer 5 magnets first would advance to the finals. The loser of each race would be eliminated. Stunt #3 (Wind tunnel) The ladies would have to walk through a Plexiglas wind tunnel and collect flags as a fan blew wind and water through the tunnel at 100 miles per hour. As time went on, the tunnel would tilt steeper
#25 - Four Stunt Episode #4
Season 4 - Episode 23 - Aired 2/23/2004
The show brings another four stunt show, this time featuring a contestant who is trying to get the love of his life back from going on the show. Stunt #1 (Helicopter pole crawl) Contestants would have to shimmy out on a pole jutting from the front of a helicopter. They would have to release two flags, collect the third from the end, bring it back to the beginning, clip it, and drop into the water below. 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 (Fear Factor fondue party) Contestants would have to bob in a pot of stinky cheese fondue for chunks of rotten cheese. After retrieving 5 chunks of cheese, they would have to eat 5 giant horse grasshoppers. The three contestants to complete this stunt the fastest would advance to the next round. The slowest person would be eliminated. Stunt #3 (Eel Hang) Contestants would be hung upside down over a tank of moray eels. They would have to