Ep 16. For the Love of Fear

For the Love of Fear is the sixteenth episode of the second season of Fear Factor, which aired on NBC on December 3, 2002. The show is hosted by Joe Rogan and features six contestants who compete in a variety of extreme challenges to win a prize of $50,000.

In this episode, the six contestants include a former Miss California, a pro-wrestling trainer, a gymnastics coach, a construction worker, a mother of two, and a personal trainer. They start off with a stunt called "Roach Helmet," where they have to put their heads inside a helmet filled with cockroaches and solve a puzzle in under two minutes. The contestants are visibly grossed out and struggle to concentrate as the cockroaches crawl all over their heads and faces.

Next up is "Rat Race," where the contestants are strapped to a board and lowered into a pit filled with rats. They have to retrieve as many flags as they can within three minutes while the rats crawl all over them. The rats are especially aggressive in this challenge, and several of the contestants scream and struggle to break free from the board.

The third stunt is called "Farm to Table," where the contestants have to eat a variety of farm animal parts, including cow brain, pig intestines, and raw goat testicles. They have to eat the entire plate in under three minutes, and several of the contestants struggle to keep the food down. One contestant in particular, the mother of two, is visibly repulsed and struggles to swallow the food.

The fourth stunt is "Coffin Drop," where the contestants are strapped to the underside of a coffin and then dropped in a pool of water. They have to escape the coffin and swim to the surface as quickly as possible. This challenge proves difficult for some of the contestants who have a fear of drowning or claustrophobia.

The penultimate stunt is "Helicopter TNT," where the contestants are strapped to the bottom of a helicopter and flown over a quarry. They have to grab a bag of TNT and drop it onto a target on the ground below. The turbulence of the helicopter proves challenging for some of the contestants, and one of them even drops the bag of TNT onto a different target by accident.

The final stunt is "Water Torture," where the contestants are strapped to a board and lowered into a tank of water. They have to hold their breath for as long as possible, and the contestant who holds their breath the longest wins the episode. This challenge proves especially difficult for one of the contestants, who struggles with fear and anxiety.

Overall, For the Love of Fear is a thrilling episode of Fear Factor with a variety of extreme challenges that test the contestants' physical and mental strength. The challenges are all unique and challenging, and the contestants' reactions to them are both entertaining and suspenseful. Fans of the show will not be disappointed by this episode.