[VIDEO] ‘Fear Factor: House of Fear’ EPs Reveal Secrets Behind Fox Reboot, Why Johnny Knoxville Cried (Twice)

Fear Factor: House of Fear executive producers Michael Heyerman and Kevin Lee reveal what they think is the worst thing they put their contestants through and how they test these challenges (which could be its own television series).

Fear Factor has had many iterations through the years, but it’s never been known for its character arcs. Enter Michael Heyerman and Kevin Lee and their team of executive producers on FOX’s Fear Factor: House of Fear.

“Baked into the format of the rebrand was basically always a house element of the show,” said Heyerman, “and that’s just because arcing it and allowing for character development, allowing to meet the people that we’re putting into these wild challenges and hear more about their fears and what motivates them for coming on the show. We wanted to be able to get a better sense of who they are and see what they’re like in the house and what they’re like with their other competitors.”

However, there are a few things that haven’t changed: creepy crawlers, heights, and maybe even unlocking new fears for everyone, like the Evil Pie during the Pain Auction.

“We really try to kind of lead with [the fears of the contestants],” said Lee. “What would be a great challenge to test that fear? And so it’s really kind of personal cast, fear-based origins, and then we just develop from there. The sources are from everywhere in the world right now, you know, because we have the internet and we have access to so much stuff, but it really comes down to what’s going to scare those 12 people the most and how can we build a challenge that’s going to test that fear?”

I had a great conversation with the two EPs about how they test their challenges, why host Johnny Knoxville cried (twice!), and what they think the worst challenge was for contestants to go through. Watch or listen below!