EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Knoxville is hosting another hit.
Fox has renewed Fear Factor: House of Fear, its new take on the classic competition series, for a second season.
It comes less than a month after [SPOILER ALERT] Ethan Macmillan, a 20-year-old emergency dispatcher from Toronto won a $200,000 prize after successfully jumping between speeding semi-trucks having navigated a water tank with alligator gar.
The network said that the show’s debut episode delivered 16.5M multiplatform viewers, calling it the number one broadcast debut and top new unscripted series of the season in the 18-49 demo.
It is a twist on the John De Mol-created Dutch format Now or Neverland and features a group of strangers who live together under one roof while facing stunts, challenges, and a twisted game of social strategy where trust is fleeting—and fear is a weapon.
Shot in Vancouver, Canada, the series premiered on January 11 and featured 10 episodes. It will now return for a sophomore run, likely next year.
The series is produced by Endemol Shine North America and exec produced by Kevin Lee, Anthony Carbone, and Lindsay Tuggle and Endemol Shine North America’s Sharon Levy, Michael Heyerman and Sean Loughlin.
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Jackass star Knoxville joked at the London TV Screenings in February, where Banijay was hunting international format deals, that he loved hosting the show “because I’m a monster and enjoyed seeing people in the throes of terror”.
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch even touted its success alongside scripted series such as Memory of a Killer and Best Medicine.
“Fear Factor: House of Fear instantly established itself as a signature unscripted series for Fox, and our audience can’t get enough of how it takes them – and our contestants — to the absolute edge with every episode,” said Michael Thorn, President of Fox Television Network. “Johnny Knoxville’s fearless, unpredictable energy makes him the perfect ringmaster, as he and our friends at Endemol have redefined this iconic format and elevated it into something fresh, addictive, highly competitive, and cringe-inducing in all the best ways. And believe it or not, they’re already plotting new ways to raise the shock-and-awe quotient for season two.”
“Bringing an icon like Fear Factor back to life required a host who could match its legacy, and Johnny Knoxville has been the ultimate catalyst for this evolution. He didn’t just host Fear Factor: House of Fear; he became the heart of it,” added Sharon Levy, Chief Executive Officer of Endemol Shine North America. “Earning the title of the most-streamed unscripted series this season is a massive win for ESNA and our incredible partners at Fox and shows the Fear format is as strong as ever. For season two, we’re already plotting how to push the social strategy and physical stunts to even more visceral, stomach-turning heights. We are just getting started.”
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