The Strangest Rules Fear Factor Contestants Had To Follow
Fear Factor was a game show that really tried to push the boundaries of what we’ll accept on our TV screens. It definitely had some wild stunts that would strike fear in just about any person good-looking enough to get on the show, but what we all really remember about it was the nasty stuff host Joe Rogan forced people to cram down their gullets in round 2.
Game shows that involve certain risks require the contestants to follow certain rules in order for the whole thing to be pulled off successfully. Naturally, those on Fear Factor had to sign non-disclosure agreements so they wouldn’t spill the beans (or horse rectum, tomato worms, or — like that one episode too gross to even air — “donkey juice”) when they got home. They also had to sign liability waivers, so NBC wouldn’t get sued. And, of course, puking meant instant disqualification.
A show this daring, however, is bound to have some unique and even outrageous rules that contestants wouldn’t be held to by any other TV program. Let’s take a look at some of the strangest rules that contestants had to follow in order get their 15 minutes of fame on Fear Factor.
Simply being forced to eat some wild animal’s pickled private parts isn’t enough for American TV audiences, so Fear Factor contestants had to be okay with also being mocked while doing it.
Must be okay with taunting, torture, nudity, tear gas, and… really?
Fear Factor host Joe Rogan is a comedian, after all, and so it was only natural that he would get some wisecracks in as the wannabe models and actors debased themselves for the chance of winning a veteran teacher’s annual salary in one afternoon. According to The Things, they also had to be okay with possibly being stripped naked, and some challenges even involved physical torture, such as electrocution and getting tear-gassed.
Contestants on the 2017 MTV reboot of Fear Factor had to comply with something we tend to take for granted about television. We all assume that if a TV show wants you to come to L.A. for filming, the studio foots the bill, but MTV was trying to revive the show as cheaply as possible. It forced the contestants to pay their own way out to the City of Angels. Good luck trying to pay your airfare with a pocket full of maggots if you don’t win.
Perhaps the weirdest rule by far was the prohibition of running for public office for at least a year after a contestant’s episode aired. We can see the obvious benefit to society of not having a Fear Factor contestant for president, and would advocate that the rule be extended beyond one year, but as to why the show would care about it, we’re simply stumped.
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