Game Show NewsNet

Best Friends - September 27

Are we going to have 2 straight regular Fear Factors?????..... No. But we do have best friends, and they will play instead. Let's meet the friends that will be buddying up for the $50,000...

Sonja Flannerty (Phoenix, AZ, Writer) says that with age comes experience. Pamela Kirchgassner (Las Vegas, NV, Bartender) said that she gave birth without any painkillers - just so that she could feel everything. OUCH!

Damon Martin (Bronx, NY, Student), and Aaron Teel (Greenville, NC, Engineer) aren't there for to make friends. They are just there for the money. They have each other's back. Blah, blah, blah...

The blonde team of Christina Martin (New Orleans, LA, Jeweler) and Amy Haight (New Orleans, LA, Student) want to be not taken seriously - because they are blondes and are representing the blonde barbie dolls. They want to shock the world! We'll see how successful THAT venture is later on...

Zach Santini (NY, Dancer) and Justin Shafran (NY, Clothing Designer) know each other like the back of each other's hands. They say they will provide the comedic relief - and they will get the wage of $50,000 for their efforts.

CHALLENGE 1: We'll find out very quickly how well the bonds of friendship work as one of the friends is locked up in a box underwater. The person in the box has the give the person outside of the box rods, and the person outside of the box will create a handle which will let the person in the box out. When they get out, the team has to swim to the Fear Factor banner. The fastest team will decide the order for the next stunt. The slowest team to complete the stunt will get to squabble outside.

Zack and Justin go first - and they say that the blondes are bubble heads. Christina and Amy counter by saying that they will be quick - and fast. Well, they are playing the roles of the blondes, aren't they? The guys are playing the roles of the timesetters, as they set up a good time of 1:30.7.

We'll see very quickly how the bubbleheads do - because they are up next. Damon says that they are hot - but they are going home. The women actually get the first rod quicker than the guys - but the women are swimming the wrong way and that could be costly. What's even costlier - the women drop the second rod which causes them to finish the stunt in 4:12.4, which is enough time for everyone else to get peroxide jobs.

It would be tough for Damon and Aaron to get a peroxide make over - they are both bald. They may as well dye the top of their heads blonde, because they guys are panicking in the water. It takes Damon 3 minutes to get the first rod and the blonde babes will survive their mistake. They start arguing with each other, and that takes even more time. They finally do it, as even the contestants are rooting them on. The final time? 7:28.2. Joe tells the blondes that they have gotten a gift from the Fear Factor Gods, and he starts trashing the baldies for not backing up their talk.

Sonja and Pamela aren't taking anything for granted, as they talk strategy. They figure out how to get the rods over without taking a breath, and he asks Zach and Justin how much it would suck for them if the old women beat their time. The women don't beat their time - and Sonja commits the dumbass move of the episode as she turns the rod the wrong way. That doesn't fit in the hole, and it takes them 6 minutes to figure this out. That's 1 minute more than they had, because as Sonja opens the door to the cage, time runs out. The baldies now will advance, as Joe now give them the gift of the Fear Factor Gods as well. He asks them if they are glad that they didn't quit, while all that Sonja and Pamela could do is walk away in disgust. Joe - "Well, this has turned out to be an interesting day." Indeed, it has.

CHALLENGE 2: Could the second stunt make it even more interesting? It sure could, as a Mazda Miata and a Mazda Sports Sedan is on the line. In order to win the cars, the couples have to transfer 5 pig tongues that are in vats of animal lard and 5 pig tongues that are in fish oil. How do they do this? Using their mouths, of course, and the fastest team wins the cars.

Zach and Justin, for whatever stupid reason, decide to go first, since they want to set up the time. Joe asked them if it's the first time that they have ever kissed, and they say no. Too.... much.... information. They get it done in 3:15.3, and while the guys think it's a good time, I am not too convinced.

They allow Aaron and Damon to go up next, and they have some redeeming to do. They are actually quicker on the animal lard, and they skate under the time with a 3:04.7. That could be a winner...

...but the blondes, who have already beaten the baldies on the first stunt, have to go. The girls also go for the animal lard first, and they are flying. The get the first 5 in under a minute and cruise to the 2:36 win. They also can go into cruise control in their new cars, and their plan of no one taking them seriously seems to be working well.

CHALLENGE 3: Speaking of cars, the final stunt involves a whole bunch of cars. One person will be driving a car up a car ramp to a flat bed - which is driven by the other friend. The team that does this the quickest will grab the 50 G's.

Justin and Zach once again go first, and they are convinced that the 17 years of experience will be the factor. I am thinking that experience in driving in NYC would be more of an advantage, and... it isn't. Justin's car falls off the truck and the guys are out. They are asked for advice, and they said that they would rather not have anyone win than them help out as they leave. Well, that's NYC for you.

Joe warns the baldies that if they don't get the car on the flatbed truck, then all the girls have to do it to complete the stunt. Damon actually has a great angle, but his partner can't drive and they go over as well.

All the girls have to do is to complete the stunt, and they can drive home with the $50,000 in the trunk of the car. Amy, however, a few days ago, fell asleep at the wheel and caused a 12 car pile-up. Uh-oh. The fears are realized as Christina drives the car, the flatbed truck turns and Christina drives right off the flatbed. The winner of the $50,000 is... the driver of the flatbed truck! No, only kidding. No one wins the $50,000 as Joe says, "Apparently, fear was a factor for everybody!"

No one thought of the winning strategy, which was to get on the track car, stop there, and THEN drive it on the truck when it wasn't turning. And for not thinking, the result is that for the first time ever, no one wins any money. There is no shut-out, though, as the blondes still get the Mazdas. They should be good to cruise around California - until they run out of gas, anyways.