Fear Factor
| Fear Factor | |
|---|---|
Fear Factor seasons 1–4 title card | |
| Genre | Stunt/dare game show |
| Directed by | Randall Einhorn Mark Perez J. Rupert Thompson |
| Presented by | |
| Narrated by | Sandy Thomas |
| Theme music composer | Russ Landau |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | Original series: 6 Revived series: 1 MTV series: 2 Fox series: 1 Total: 10 |
| No. of episodes | Original series: 142 (excl. specials with highlights) Revived series: 9 MTV series: 33 Total: 184 (excl. specials with highlights) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Douglas Ross Matt Kunitz John de Mol David A. Hurwitz |
| Producers | Rich Brown Perry Brandt Brian A. Veskosky Larry Struber Mikey Glazer Shye Sutherland Scott Larsen Kevin Wehrenberg Rebecca Shumsky Tom Herschko |
| Editors | Dave Basinski Michael Berkowitz Rod Chew James K. Anthony Eric Beetner George Copanas Anthony Carbone Julius Ramsey Paul Wiesepape |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production companies | Pulse Creative Evolution Media (2001) (season 1) Endemol USA |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | June 11, 2001 – September 12, 2006 |
| Release | December 12, 2011 – July 16, 2012 |
| Network | MTV |
| Release | May 30, 2017 – August 21, 2018 |
| Network | Fox |
Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled Now or Neverland.
For the first five seasons, the contestants consisted regularly of three men and three women pitted against each other in a variety of three stunts for a grand prize, usually $50,000. In the sixth season, the show's format was modified to feature four competing teams of two people who have a pre-existing relationship with one another.
Fear Factor was cancelled by NBC in 2006 after six seasons (142 episodes excluding specials with highlights); NBC would briefly revive the series for a nine-episode run in 2011. In 2017, MTV revived the series with rapper and actor Ludacris assuming the host role; this incarnation ran two seasons (thirty-three episodes) before being cancelled in 2018. The show has since spawned many spin-offs, creating its own media franchise.
On May 12, 2025, it was announced that Fear Factor would be revived by Fox, titled Fear Factor: The Next Chapter. The revival is expected to premiere in spring 2026.