'Fear Factor' Season 8: 'Ludacris Element' Gives Revived Game Show Its Own New Spin
MTV has just brought the breakthrough series stunt/dare game show, "Fear Factor," for an eighth season with a new set of stunts that will more closely be catered to the contestants' greatest fears.
"Fear Factor" has reportedly premiered to a record high rating of 0.83 among adults 18–34. According to Deadline, this is the network's highest-rated series premiere in two years in the key demo, drawing in 936,000 total viewers in Live+Same Day.
The eighth season of the series produced by Endemol Shine North America will feature stunts inspired by urban, legends, popular scary movies, and viral videos from today's cultural era. Contestants from various walks of life will be forced to face their fears and push themselves to their very limits in the face of the biggest stressors for a chance to win $50,000 along with "Fear Factor" bragging rights.
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NBC first aired the series from 2001 to 2006, reviving it in 2011 only to cancel it again the following year. Five years later, MTV has picked the series up as a part of their efforts to double down on reality series, music, and live programming under the new regime led by president Christ McCarthy.
In an interview with TV Guide, new "Fear Factor" host Ludacris shared that MTV's revival is changing up the game by doing a more in-depth research on the contestants to try and figure out what their true worst fears are. The challenges would then be catered to the contestants' biggest fears. The "Ludacris Element" has also given him leeway to be more personable with the audience.
When asked if he would be giving the show his own spin, the actor-recording artist said that he's really just bringing his personality to the table.
"I think once people see it, they'll realize that everyone brings something unique to it," Ludacris added. "In terms of me just being a host, obviously I love to laugh, so I'm not trying to laugh at some of these people, but sometimes it happens. I'm encouraging them but also adding funny elements too," he went on to say.
"Fear Factor" season 8 airs every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on MTV.
