Game Show NewsNet

Episode 4.4 - September 20

We have a first here, gang - the FIRST regular episode of Fear Factor! Can't you not feel the excitement? Well, maybe you can, but regardless, here are the 6 people, who may find this episode quite shocking.

Nicole Fajardo does yoga and is not intimidated by ANYONE. Would she intimidated by...
Carlos Smith, a man who wouldn't mind having his ass lit on fire and being shot out of a cannon?
Stephanie Prochaska is a girlie girl, but is also all about winning.
All three of them could probably kick Lucious Dunham's butt, but he is there for the money, not for the popularity.
Tiffany Amador is doing it for her kids to have bragging rights.
Barry Shanebrook is doing this for his... wait, he has no kids. He, like Lucious, is here for the 50 G's.

CHALLENGE 1: We'll see rather quickly who is in for the money as they see their first stunt flying by. The stunt takes place on a bi-plane, and on each side of the plane is a flag. By traversing a pole, you have to take off both flags. The 2 men and the women who are the quickest get to dangle on to the next stunt.

Carlos, who has climbed the Andes mountains, is ready to go. He does get both flags off of the plane, but it seems like his 1:05.4 is rather slow. Carlos was afraid that he'd be blown off of the plane - and he is hoping that it's not his time that gets blown away.

Barry is lucky in the stock trades - but not lucky in the Football season. He will be taking a trip to Vegas with his winnings, as Joe shakes his head. The only shaking will be Carlos, as he shakes in his booties while Barry completes it in 44 seconds.

Lucious wants to pay for a wedding - so he needs the money. With a time of 1:23.7, the only way he'll be getting that money is by going with Barry to Vegas. Any last words for Lucious? "God always answers your prayers - sometimes, the answer is no."

It's time for the women to go, and Tiffany the mommy will start. It takes her a minute just to get to the bar, which lets Joe quip, 'She's not setting the bar very high.' After 2:30 of struggling, she gives up and quits. I don't think this is how she wants the kiddies to see her.

All the women have to do now is to complete the stunt. Nicole does a hand-stand, in the hopes that she will be all over the stunt. She is, as her gymnast skills get it done for her in 26.9 seconds. Stephanie, though she doesn't have to beat it, will try to. She doesn't come close to beating her time and she only gets one flag, but one flag is more than what Tiffany did, so Stephanie advances.

CHALLENGE 2: All of the contestants are done flying Fear Factor Air - now they get to try Fear Factor Submarine. Each of the contestants will be sitting in a helmet full of water. All they have to do is to unscrew 8 balls to free themselves from the helmet. Simple right? Well, something is in the helmet with them. That something is...

MORAY EELS!

Fortunately, they are not electric - and the person with the fastest time gets to pick the order for the final stunt. Unfortunately for the contestants, the person who is the slowest is EELiminated. Yuk yuk yuk.

Barry goes first, and although he gets it done, he takes his time and gets it done in 1:17.1. Carlos is next, and he gets it done in.... 1:14.7. That gets him into the finals, while Barry is still on the outside looking in.

It's time for the women to try to beat Barry's time. Stephanie goes first, and like Nicole on the first stunt, she is blazing. She gets it done with a 1:05.5 score, and it looks really bad for Barry, because powerhouse Nicole is up last. Both Carlos and Stephanie are trying to help, because they want Barry to leave - but Barry isn't going anywhere. Nicole's time is... 1:18.5. Stephanie is happy to be the last one standing, but she has to face Barry as they leave Nicole in the helmet sitting in the tank with the eels. That's not very nice.

Barry feels like he got a second chance and Carlos couldn't believe that he's in the finals - but it's Stephanie who gets to set up the order as we get to the final stunt. Barry has decided that since Nicole was going to wear a

CHALLENGE 3: He could be a rich ass, as they go into the final stunt - the objective is to jump from a center beam (with flags decorating it) and place one flag on 6 dangling beams as the center beam is moving up and down. Think Frogger, but with the logs moving vertically instead of horizontally.

Carlos is going first, and in a ridiculously bad piece of strategy, he is going to the center beams and waiting for the moving beam to move up and down. That wastes a lot of time, but it's academic, because as he was jumping, he lost his breath and fell while trying to get a jump. He only gets three flags, and barring disaster, Carlos has jumped himself out of the money.

Barry is up next. Does he take advantage of the second chance? He does so as he beats Carlos, but a couple of missed jumping opportunities gives him a 4:47 completion.

Stephanie does have to complete the stunt - but if she does, she's a lock to win, because 4:47 is pretty bad. Her strategy is to get the top ones first and then work her way to the bottom. Barry's strategy is to see Stephanie fall off. The strategy goes to Stephanie, as she gets 5 flags in under 2 minutes. "Barry, this is another bet that you're going to lose," says Joe. And indeed he does, because she completes it in 2:40 and wins the $50,000. Maybe Barry should be taking Stephanie to Vegas. You know what they say about lady luck...