MovieChat Forums > Fear Factor (2001) Discussion > Too much editing/tweaking (NO ONE EVER p...

Too much editing/tweaking (NO ONE EVER puked)????


I've now officially watched all seasons and I could barely get through the later ones. Mostly because the participants were all pretty boy/girl models and actors. It just became very FAKE and obviously scripted/acted out, unlike the first couple of seasons with ordinary looking people, with maybe 1 or 2 good looking people per show, who actually were there to do crazy stuff and win the money, rather than gain exposure from the show so they can make it big in Hollywood.

Anyways, as for my thread title. I started noticing the editing on the show was so obvious. In later seasons I believe that a lot of the stunts were not done by the actual participants, but rather by stunt doubles (unlike the earlier episodes where the stunts were MUCH LESS risky). Later seasons would have the camera close in on the participants pretty face and then zoom out and do a wide shot from far away of that same participant (never zooming on their face) doing the stunt and then zooming back in on their face.

Another thing that REALLY bothered me were the gross out stunts were obviously edited to the max. We NEVER EVER saw ANYONE puke on camera. Why is that? SUCH BS. There were so many examples where it was obvious that the person was going to puke but then there was a cut and it looks like minutes had passed by and the glass of whatever they were drinking was almost finished and they NEVER puked. BS. MANY probably puked off camera. It almost became an ongoing gag where they were about to puke and miraculously NEVER did. Sorry, in real life, many of them would have puked.

Also, the editing with the gross out stunts was obvious. An example was when they would have to eat things. In early seasons we actually saw the REAL looking people putting the things into their mouth, but in later seasons we RARELY did. We saw the gross thing on the table, but rarely if ever saw it go from their hand into their mouth. The camera would do it's thing. It would focus on the snail on the glass table (one of the episodes). Then we would see the participant quickly grab at what looked like thin air and put something in their mouth (they never even had anything in their hand) and then we would see them pretend to chew (pretend to gag, but never puke).

I am sure when they started hiring models/actors, etc, they had clauses in their contracts where they wouldn't have to actually perform these stunts and they would smartly edit the show where it would like they did. It became an action show with stunt performers, body doubles and smart camera tricks and edits that made it look real, but it really wasn't real.

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I think youre right on all counts, however the eating theory I'm not sure about. What gets me is how they could safely eat that *beep* w/o fear of getting poisoned, poked or some heinous parasite. Puking is one thing, landing in the hospital is another. The other issue I have is with the underwater stunts. No way is there a collection of people who can all swim like frogs underwater. Even these stunts were designed to be impossible for the average person, but they sure looked heroic on TV. Sure a few people bailed early but most could hold their breath for minutes, in ice water, going deep and clearly seeing locks, flags etc. Not likely. Dumb show except for the ( . Y . ) Glad it's off the air, altho Fear.net carries reruns.

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In one of the newer epsiodes (Joe had noticably less hair), a contestant puked on screen after exiting a gas chamber.

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"The sun is shining...but the ice is slippery."

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