"Fear Factor Live" opened at Universal Orlando in 2005, by which time the television show it was based on was already getting plenty of bad press itself. A year later, the TV show was canceled, but the in-park game show miraculously lasted longer than many popular attractions, outliving even "Kongfrontation" and "Jaws: The Ride."
"Fear Factor Live" is one of the last remnants of a trend in park shows to feature guests as the primary performers. Similar shows were once common in studio-focused parks. Disney World's Hollywood Studios saw park guests singing on stage in the "American Idol Experience" and the "Monster Sound Show."
Universal Studios Florida saw plenty of its attractions within this genre, including "Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen" and its predecessor, the "Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre." One of the best-known attractions of the genre was the much-beloved but rarely crowded "Earthquake," which involved multiple pre-shows where park guests partook in on-stage performances.
But "Fear Factor Live" took the idea to a new level by subjecting guests to previously unimaginable challenges. It allowed park guests to volunteer to be subjected to hazing-like challenges that include having live animals such as spiders or scorpions crawl over their face, grabbing beanbags out of a tank full of live eels, and seeing who can hang onto a bar suspended two-and-a-half stories into the air the longest, while being blasted by industrial-strength fans.
Just like the reality show it is based on, "Fear Factor Live" has received attention for how it treats animals. In one challenge, live bugs are killed via a blender. The insect "milkshakes," which also include a "mystery meat," are then chugged by guests.
The gross-out tactics used throughout the show have made it a lightning rod, with most guests either loving or hating it. It regularly played to dismally small crowds, and on slower days was known to struggle to find contestants for the insane challenges.
For years, rumors of its demise have filled message boards and fan websites. The Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter films was previously strongly rumored for the space. Within Diagon Alley, a gate blocks a direct path towards the Fear Factor Live stadium. But like the Super Nintendo World that was replaced with Kids Zone, the Ministry of Magic-themed land now looks to have been expanded and moved to Universal Orlando’s upcoming Epic Universe theme park.
A new wave of rumors again points to "Fear Factor Live"'s demise. Multiple sites are now reporting that the show will not return when other shows reopen.
For now, the stadium is being used as one of Universal Studios Florida’s U-Rest areas, where guests can remove their face coverings.
The stadium is also used each fall to host one of the Halloween Horror Nights live shows. During this time of year, the regular "Fear Factor Live" shows stop to allow for the significant HHN stage alterations.
For now, there are no indications of what might replace the gross-out crowd-displeasing show, but Universal apparently has no issue with leaving an empty stadium mostly unused. At Islands of Adventure, for example, the Toon Lagoon stadium hasn’t been regularly used since the Mat Hoffman's "Aggro Circus" closed, and that was eight years ago.
Universal has yet to officially confirm that "Fear Factor Live" isn't returning, but considering it's less popular than a blender full of bugs, it's probably gone for good.
This article first appeared at our sister publication Orlando Weekly.
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This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2020.