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During its original run, Fear Factor pushed the bar for reality TV—and probably broke some FCC regulations as well. For six seasons, it put willing contestants through sometimes awful, sometimes terrifying, always hilarious challenges that called upon the most common fears and dislikes, all with the promise of a cash prize for whoever was the last one standing. As simple a concept as it may seem, it made for some memorable television.
The series went off the air in 2006, but remained heavily broadcast through reruns on a variety of networks. High ratings throughout the next five years prompted some TV execs to rethink their decision to cancel the series, and now, in 2011, Fear Factor is back for its seventh season.
In honor of the season premiere, which is tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC, Complex decided to take a look back at the 10 most outrageous, grossest challenges that have appeared on the series. Consider this fair warning—it can get pretty gross, but hey, suck it up. After all, facing your fears is what the show's all about.
Written by Tanya Ghahremani (@tanyaghahremani)
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10. Meat Locker (Season 5)
This particular challenge struggled to answer an age old question: Which is the superior city, NYC or L.A.? Instead of making a list of pros and cons or throwing good ol’ facts into the debate, though, Fear Factor found some people, including fire fighters, to compete against each other in a battle rivaling even the greatest duels in history.
The stakes? Two customized motorcycles. The challenge? While trapped in a meat locker, dump your head into a tub of lard to search for a wrench and then clear a ridiculous amount of ice away from a screw which then must be unscrewed to retrieve a key that will free you from the locker. If it sounds easy enough to you, let us repeat one thing: Lard. Not even a sweet ride can sweeten that disgusting deal.
Also, the outcome of this challenge isn’t revealed in this particular clip, so if you’re pressed to know who wins, go forth here. NY represent!
9. Tarantula Tunnel (Season 6)
The challenge is terrifying on it’s own—one contestant is stuck in a pit of ice searching for canisters while another is trapped in a tunnel with tarantulas and crickets—but it’s worsened when one of the contestants is so incompetent that he leaves his partner stuck in the tunnel of tarantulas for 17 minutes. His excuse? He was too cold. We’re surprised she didn’t push him in the tarantula tunnel to suffer after she got out. Not only did he deserve it, but also the fear and adrenaline rush certainly would have warmed him up.
8. Elk Penis (Chappelle's Show, Season 2)
OK, this one is a Fear Factor parody, but it still deserves a spot on this list solely because the “elk penis in a light testicle cream sauce” looks real enough—and disgusting enough—and it’s still pretty cringe-worthy when Tyrone (Dave Chappelle) starts chowing down on them like it’s Mom’s casserole or something. Plus, series host Joe Rogan is actually in the sketch, so it's extra legit!
7. Sheep's Eyes (Season 1)
The first season of the series undoubtedly had the grossest challenges, and this one is no exception. In what is merely the seventh episode, contestants are asked to eat three sheep’s eyes. As in, the eyes that once belonged to sheep. Is the money they stand to win even worth all of this?
The most horrifying part isn’t even the challenge itself, though, it’s the fact that the contestants are surrounded by live sheep that are just watching them chow down on the eyes. Judging them. You know they’ve just gotta be plotting their revenge.
6. Pit of Rats (Season 1)
If the one dude who’s actually from NYC can’t do a challenge consisting of rats, you know it’s bad. This challenge, from the very first episode of the series, consists of contestants being strapped down in a pit with rats crawling all over them for four minutes, which doesn’t sound too bad…until you consider that rats bite. A lot.
It doesn’t help that most contestants freak out the second the rats are on them, because remaining calm may have saved them in this situation. You could call the guy from NYC who dropped out a "wimp," but after seeing what the other contestants went through, we’re inclined to use the word "genius" instead.
5. Buffalo Testicles (Season 1)
While the idea of consuming testicles of any kind is sufficiently gag-worthy in and of itself, Fear Factor once again outdid itself by ensuring that the testicles served up to its poor, poor contestants are that of a buffalo. (Who knew those guys were packing so much heat?) Furthermore, the process of eating these bad boys is quite involved, requiring that contestants peel them before consuming them. It makes the whole thing a real dining experience, you know?
4. Cow's Blood (Season 3)
This clip looks more like a scene from The Hulk than it does Fear Factor, but we’re not particularly complaining about that because it makes for good TV. The challenge here is that contestants have to dunk themselves head-first into a tank of cow’s blood to bob for rings hidden at the bottom. There are about 13 of them.
While most of the participants emerge after getting all of the rings out looking somewhat like a simultaneously traumatized and triumphant Carrie at prom, Josh here only gets two and emerges when the time is up breathing scary-heavy and looking somewhat like Carrie at the prom…on steroids.
3. Wormtinis (Season 1)
Now, we love a cocktail as much as the next guy or gal, but it’s pretty easy to tell just by the name of this little concoction that it’s not something anyone’s gonna be selling at some trendy club on the Sunset Strip any time soon. A “wormtini” is literally just a few different worms in a martini glass; contestants are required to eat them all to advance to the next round, a feat easier said than done considering the worms are still writhing around and shit. People will literally do anything for a dollar.
2. African Cave-Dwelling Spiders (Season 4)
There’s a lot you can make a person do for some cash. This is especially true when it comes to adrenaline junkies, who we imagine are the only types of people who would ever consider getting themselves cast for the series.
This woman, for example, eats a African cave-dwelling spider just to get herself to the next round, even though she’s clearly having a mental breakdown on the inside. With the check she could possibly receive at the end of the episode in mind, she bites into the spider and chows down, eventually proceeding despite how horrifying and awful the spiders look. Seriously. These spiders have claws.
1. Horse Rectum (Season 3)
Again, people will do anything for money. Thanks to Fear Factor, we now know that includes eating horse rectum. So, that phrase, “can’t knock the hustle”...can we all agree that this particular situation is one where it’s OK to start knocking it? 'Cause homegirl kind of looks like she’s enjoying it, even commenting at the end, “It tastes like chicken, it’s good.” Gag.
