Times People Almost Died On Fear Factor

In 2001, NBC raised the stakes of the newly established but already intense world of American reality-competition television with the premiere of "Fear Factor." While shows like CBS's "Survivor" and "Big Brother" stranded contestants in the middle of the wilderness or locked them in a house with strangers, respectively, "Fear Factor," with some of the worst challenges ever, gave real people the chance to win $50,000 by competing in stunts and activities that put them in great peril. Those included elements such as tremendous heights, wild animals, fast and dangerous vehicles, and ingesting the most disgusting substances producers could imagine.

A major and prestigious network like NBC wasn't about to let anybody die on its watch, so the tests and challenges depicted on screen were highly controlled, and there were many strange rules "Fear Factor" contestants had to follow. Thanks in part to these measures, nobody ever died on "Fear Factor," but a few times in the show's history, competitors found themselves in genuine peril. Many could have fallen incredibly ill, become injured or dismembered, or even perished. Here are the times that people could very well have died while shooting an episode of "Fear Factor."

In a 2002 "Fear Factor" segment titled "Cod Stew," contestants were charged with sticking their hands into a vat of dead fish in order to pick out an extra-large deceased cod, dig around in its insides, and procure a chip bearing a number that would determine which disgusting part of a fish they'd have to then eat to complete the stunt. Contestant Nancy Ljubenko inserted her forearm all the way into a cod and found a poker chip indicating she'd have to eat a cod's egg sac. After another competitor found her own chip, Ljubenko piped up, "My hand's on fire."

"Fear Factor" medics treated Ljubenko for a concerning skin issue related to a previously undiagnosed medical condition. "It seems, Nancy, you had a very serious allergic reaction, just putting your hand in the fish," host Joe Rogan explained. The contestant didn't know until that moment that she had such a severe allergy to fish that it would provoke such a strong response. With her arm bandaged, Ljubenko dropped out of the episode. Had she gone through with eating a fish's egg sac, she may have suffered an even more serious allergic reaction.

"Fear Factor" proved so popular in the U.S. that the show's format was franchised to local markets around the world, including a South African iteration that premiered on the e.tv network in January 2006. In the very first episode of "Fear Factor South Africa," a contestant was so brutally punished by a challenge that a great deal of the hair on her head got torn out and she endured a concussion and serious bruising. Lebo Babe and her "Fear Factor" co-contestants were dragged by a four-wheel-drive vehicle at high speeds across sand dunes. She wore protective gear, including padding on her joints and limbs, and made use of a slide board but no helmet — producers thought those could lead to contestants injuring or breaking their necks.

Babe spent a week in a hospital recovering from the injuries she sustained on "Fear Factor." Rhona Pool, head of publicity for e.tv, responded to the South African media outcry over the TV show-caused injuries and blamed Babe. Pool opined that since the whole challenge was about testing how long contestants could endure the dunes drive, the competitor could have let go at any point she was uncomfortable.

The 2002 "Fear Factor" segment "Bull Riding" asked its contestants to stay on the back of an agitated bull for as long as possible. Kristin Vitti had to beat a time of 3.4 seconds to remain in the competition. "I think I'm more nervous, like, to win or not to win, versus falling and getting killed," Vitti said before the stunt to host Joe Rogan. As she prepared, the contestant whose time Vitti had to defeat, Yanaiza Alvarez, ominously laid on the trash talk. "I'm, like, praying to God that she falls," Alvarez said. "She knows she's going to fall anyway. Right, Kristin? Right?"

And then, horrifyingly, Vitti did indeed fall. After clearing Alvarez's time, Vitti held on beyond five seconds, until the bull threw the human right off. After being tossed upward into the air, Vitti fell to the ground and onto her back with violent force. She briefly was unable to move, apart from writhing in pain, as set medics treated her. "I just got the wind knocked out of me," Vitti said after she was able to get back on her feet with some assistance and neck support.

When "Fear Factor" returned to NBC in 2011 after a hiatus of several years, its producers ramped up the stunts. One episode called for contestants to ride on the outside and top of a stunt vehicle as a driver navigated a course. While taping the sequence in August 2011, the driver temporarily couldn't see where he was going, which caused him to lose control of the vehicle and ram into a parked car.

While he was travelling at a speed of less than 20 miles per hour, the contestant wasn't thrown from the vehicle, and she was also outfitted with a safety harness. An ambulance quickly arrived and she was taken to a nearby hospital where she was released after a few hours, having suffered no major injuries. As a precaution, taping on "Fear Factor" ended for the day.

Just a few days after the stunt driver accident, the "Fear Factor" production endured another on-set injury. "Fear Factor" rigorously safety tests its challenges with seasoned stunt professionals. This was the case with a tryout of a stunt set to be featured on the 2011 revival of the series. A safety mechanism didn't function correctly, meaning a stunt performer leapt six stories from a building and landed on the ground. He hit the surface standing up, but the impact, and bracing for it, caused the man to instantly break the ankle bones in both feet. An additional safety device slowed down the descent so it wasn't a free-fall, but it wasn't 100% effective as he still plummeted toward the ground.

Medics jumped into action, and the stunt actor was rushed to a hospital. "Safety is our first priority, and because of that we test these stunts repeatedly with trained stuntmen to ensure our contestants' well-being." a producer told TMZ.

"Fear Factor" is available for rent and purchase on Prime Video.