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Fear Factor: The First Season
R1 - America - Universal Pictures Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak/Stevie McCleary (26th October 2006). |
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The Film
 "Fear Factor" is not highbrow entertainment. It is, however, perversely entertaining. It comes from the 'gross-out' style of reality TV, featuring pretty much the same formula every week: Three guys take on three girls in a series of stunts, one of which usually involving eating something unusual, and at the end one person gets told that 'fear is not a factor for you.' That and $50,000. Rinse, lather, repeat. This DVD set contains all nine episodes from their first season back in 2001. The episodes have nice handy titles for convenience sake (I'm torn over which is my favourite. "Truck Jump, Worm Coffin, Catapult" or "Wrecking Ball, Testicles, Baby Rescue". Tough call.) Nice and easy, so you can jump to whichever challenge you've decided to subject your household to. The basic setup involves guys versus girls-despite the fact that some of these tasks end up more suited to one gender. There are three rounds with one from each gender getting eliminated each time, bringing it to one on one for the final round. One can make a pretty good argument over whether this show really tests anybody's fears or whether it is mainly about revulsion. Some stunts seem to have been created because the series creators thought to themselves, "hey, y'know what I've never seen anyone do…?" But hey, that's part of the fun. The show basically preys on the urge we have to watch the proverbial car wreck. We like seeing people we don't know in dangerous situations and we know its okay to watch because it's on TV. And in this case, "Fear Factor" does it better than most. Part of it is the elaborate stunts-that 'holy sh*t' factor-and part is the host Joe Rogan. Whether you like him or hate him he holds the show (and sometimes the contestants) together very well. And the people that apply for this show….they are worth the price of admission alone. Most play nice with their competitors, despite having $50, 000 on the line. But some decide to play it nasty. They harp on about being better than their opponents, citing their many achievements and superior gender power. Wonderfully, these people usually get their comeuppance. Of course, you'd probably have to be a fan of reality TV in order to consider watching this in the first place, but it is one of the few shows that have that crossover appeal due to its attention-grabbing nature. It has a strong concept that was original in its time and lasted for five years. It does get laborious though, usually after the first few people have had their go at each task. This does make it repetitive and that is probably its biggest pitfall, meaning that the show really only works in small doses. It seems that the ultimate challenge on "Fear Factor" would be to watch the whole season in one sitting (Especially when you come to the eating challenges, which seem to be less about 'fear' and more about the viewer finding bile in their throat when watching.) Personally though, this is nothing compared to the annoyance when people back out of a challenge without even trying. I find this terribly frustrating. Maybe it's just that human need to see other people do what we will probably never have to. Whatever it is that makes us create and then watch shows like this, it seems we just can't seem to stop watching the car crash. More an extreme game show than reality TV, at the end of the day (for what it is) "Fear Factor" brings the goodness and washes it down with boiled buffalo testicles. Good stuff. This First Season of "Fear Factor" includes all 9 episodes on two discs, below is a description of each episode: Episode 1: "Horse Drag, Rat Pit, Slippery-Car Crawl" It's ropes, rodents and relentless rain as contestants face the challenges of being dragged behind two stampeding horses, lying in a pit with 400 squealing rats and climbing out of a car suspended 150 feet! Episode 2: "Truck Jump, Worm Coffin, Catapult" Get ready to take a flying leap as contestants jump a 7-foot gap between two semis traveling 40 m.p.h., learn to eat their worms and like it too, and catapult into the air while taking aim at a target with a paintball gun. Episode 3: "Jet Ski Leap, Beetle Bowl,, Rope Crawl" The reaches new highs and lows as contestants board a helicopter from a moving jet ski, swallow live beetles, and crawl on their bellies across a tightrope suspended 60 feet in the air. Episode 4: "Net Jump, Wormtinis, Tunnel Crawl" Contestants are going down quickly when they jump from a 110 foot tower, swallow a special creature cocktail, and crawl through a pitch-black drainage system. Episode 5: "Dog Attack, Snake Pit, Beam Walk" It's dogs and boa constrictors and balance beams, oh my! Contestants attempt to make their way past nasty snarling attack dogs, a slithery snake pit, and a treacherous beam raised 100 feet high. Episode 6: "Sub Dive, Cricket Crunch, Speed Drop" There's plenty of gasping going on when contestants are asked to dive into chilly 55-degree water, chow down on some live crickets, and dangle from their ankles 130 feet in the air! Episode 7: "Hotel Jump, Sheep's Eyes, Water Tank" It's a bunch of eye-popping stunts when contestants must swing from a trapeze (12 floors up!), choke down three slimy sheep eyeballs, and hold their breath upside-down in a tank of water. Episode 8: "Wrecking Ball, Testicles, baby Rescue" The competition gets off with a bang when contestants smash through a wooden wall, confront a yucky meal of two boiled buffalo testicles, and attempt to rescue a fake baby from a car submerged underwater. Episode 9: "Trapeze, Pig Feast, Traverse" Balance and aim are out to the test when contestants jump from a telephone pole to a far-off trapeze, find a horrific piggy surprise in a fortune cookie, and climb across the trailer of a truck speeding down the highway at 45 m.p.h.!
Video
Presented in the show's original broadcast ratio of 1.33:1 full screen this transfer is slightly better than broadcast. The show was shot in digital format and the resulting image is ultra sharp and clean for the most part, again this depends on the cameras used, the smaller mounted cameras emit a fuzzier image as do the night vision cameras. But the quality of the image is not the fault of a dodgy transfer but rather the equipment used. Otherwise colors are well balanced and skin tones are accurate.
Audio
A single audio track is included for these episodes, an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track which is most likely the original sound mix for the show, the dialogue is clear and the sound is about all you can ask for in a reality game show, it's audible and I also found that at times the music was way too intense often overbearing the action happening onscreen. Otherwise it's a suitable track that does the job. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
Universal have released this Season One set of "Fear Factor" with only a single extra, a "Preview of Season Two" which is basically a best-of episode running 44 minutes 4 seconds of highlights from the best moments of the second season.
Packaging
This 2-disc set is packaged in two amaray cases housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
This film has been reviewed by Stevie McCleary. The DVD specifications and extras have been reviewed by Downunder. Copyright (c) 2006 Noor Razzak/Stevie McCleary.
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