Rules and participants
For the first time in the Russian version of the Fear Factor project, the participants were divided into 32 pairs. In each of the eight editions, four different duos will compete for a large cash prize that will go to charity. Maxim Rybakov, Executive Vice President of Production at CTC Media, said:
“Large-scale missions and shows to test yourself will always find a place in STS prime. In that sense, “Fear Factor” logically takes the flag from the same popular world formats “Fort Boyard” and “Complete Blackout” that have stood the test of time. At the same time, our “Fear Factor” will be different from anything the Russian audience has seen because the dual format is much more dramatic.”
STS press service
According to Yulia Sumacheva, Executive Producer of the White Media show production company, work on the project mechanics took twice as long due to the dual format:
“All tests are double, both participants are equally involved in them and cannot let each other down. They are in unusual circumstances for them and need to be a real team to deal with some very serious and extreme trials. At the same time, each couple has their own dramaturgy. I’m sure the audience will be interested to see how they distribute the roles among themselves and how they deal with their phobias.
Joined by friendship, family ties or joint projects, the participants include comedians Dmitry Krasilov (Pukhlyash) and Elena Borshcheva, bloggers Maria Pogrebnyak and Milana Tyulpanova, comedians Ivan Pyshnenko and Dmitry Kozhoma, tiktokers Anna Ishchuk and Dmitry Larionov (DIMASBLOG). They foretold their fears in the poll where the organizers chose the competitions.
STS press service
“They say the worst thing is a man and a wild beast,” Borshcheva said. “Actually, I’m a terrible coward and afraid of everything. That’s why I’m here. The fear of drinking blood is definitely something I have. Maybe I’ll beat him here.”
Two months before participating in the extreme show, Anya Ishchuk and Dima Larionov became parents. According to the girl, she almost recovered after giving birth, and for the first time the child stayed with her grandparents for a long time.
“Here it is necessary to overcome fears and give birth – everyone is giving birth,” said Ischuk. – For some reason today my stomach hurts, I love my body. Yes, it’s stressful for the body, but recovery is almost over.”
Struggle and positive attitude were demonstrated by Maria Pogrebnyak and Milana Tyulpanova. The girls explained that they were not afraid of trials, since their essence was not known in advance, and then promised to “take care of the situation.”
As Sumacheva explains, a large number of bloggers among Fear Factor participants are due to the similarity of their young audience with STS viewers: “We are happy that we were able to attract new faces to television and bring new viewers to the channel. fans. I am sure that subscribers will definitely support our heroes on the air.”
Place
Altay was not chosen as a shooting location by chance. According to Sumacheva, the production team considered different locations and regions, but decided on Altai due to its diverse landscape and stunning scenery.
“Altai is one of the most beautiful places in our country, which is incredibly popular all year round,” said Sumacheva. “There are completely different landscapes, dangerous terrain and incredibly beautiful places at the same time. These are absolutely cinematic landscapes: forests, mountains, steppes, stormy rivers, lakes.”
As the producer stated, such large-scale projects had never been shot in Altay before “The Fear Factor”: “Therefore, we are pioneers in this regard. But being the first was never easy and we faced many difficulties while preparing the project. But the support of the head of the Altai Republic Oleg Leonidovich Khorokhordin and the consistency of the actions of his team became for us a decisive argument in favor of this region.
tests
The film crew has already completed the work of such episodes as “Picnic”, “Mousetrap”, “Clear Bottom”, “Target”, “Ugly Basketball” and “Blind Trust”. Some competitions are borrowed from previous seasons of the series, which has been broadcast on Russian television for about 20 years.
According to the main stuntman of the project, all stunts are complex and dangerous, but they are prepared by professionals, so nothing bad will happen if the safety rules are followed.
“Basic requirement: to fuse elements – carabiners, ropes, vests, etc. – touching is strictly prohibited. The life of the participant depends on it, ”the expert emphasized.
As part of the “Target” competition, one of the participants in the pair is lifted to a height, tied to a cable and lowered at high speed to a special steel rope. Their job is to hit a ground target with a paintball, while the second member of the duo stands downstairs yelling when to fire a bullet. In the final, the “active” participant flies into the narrow gate of the old sawmill.
STS press service
“The main rule in this competition is that you have to press your hands against yourself after you hit the target, because the opening is very narrow,” explained the main stuntman. – That is, if a person loosens, then he is guaranteed to be seriously injured in both hands. There are iron gates, so cheating is very dangerous.”
The rules of “Ugly Basketball” are simple – one of the participants in the pair must throw the ball into the basketball basket within a certain time. In the event of a miss, his colleague drinks a cocktail of Madagascar cockroaches, maggots, zophobes and grasshoppers mixed in a blender.
STS press service
One of the most extreme competitions is the Blind Trust. It is held on a square iron structure suspended above a cliff 47 meters high. The building is divided by a wall on both sides of which the participants stand. They do not see each other and maintain contact with a rope. One participant holds the rope tightly for insurance, while the second needs to reach four flags along a narrow metal beam and unscrew them. Flags hang at different distances from the platform – to get to them you have to pull the rope and lean over the cliff. To shorten time and get ahead, the second member of the pair can jump off the iron structure and break one or more flags. When the test is passed, participants expect a free fall in fuse.
leader
Throughout the show, the participants are led by the popular actor and director Alexei Chadov. According to Rybakov, the artist is ideal for the role of Fear Factor host because he often performs stunts on his own and has experience participating in extreme projects. Chadov stated that he accepted the producers’ offer without much thought.
STS press service
“When I was a kid, I used to dream of being a stuntman before going to the theater studio,” the artist said. — My cinema dream come true — I do my own stunts.
And this show is all about stuntmen. So all of these appeal to me, I love action, stunt movies. That’s why it’s a pleasure for me to take part in such a show.”
According to Chadov, he tried to pass one of the most terrible tests in the project – a free fall from a cliff:
“Honestly, I’ve already fought myself. But I am a spiritually earthly person. Earth and water are my elements, but the sky is not entirely mine. I was expecting more internal struggle for fear of heights when they hung me from 43 meters but it didn’t happen. I have a lot of text – maybe it’s somehow keeping me focused.
STS press service
The Altai Territory is familiar to the actor firsthand: he traveled to the places where Vasily Shukshin and the German Titov lived, was in Barnaul with the films “Moth Games” and “War”, but the trip to the Altai Republic was the first for them. actor – he dreamed of being here in the mountains for the last 20 years, so I planned my weekend to cover the republic as much as possible and have time to enjoy the local nature.
“I spend every weekend on this,” Chadov said. – I have already visited the Oroktoy bridge, yesterday we were in the blue lakes – the so-called “eyes” of Katun. In general, we go, we look, we rest. I’m an avid quad rider, so we ride “fours”, climb mountains and incredible landscapes open up before us. I’m glad that the filming took place here – although I have been to almost all parts of Russia, I have never been to Altai. A few spots remained where I was not – with this trip we close Altai, Kamchatka remains.
He also voiced his longstanding opinion – his own extreme show about travel.
The “Fear Factor” show – coming soon on STS and more.tv.
Source: Gazeta
Brandon Hall is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a cultural aficionado who writes about the latest news and developments in the world of art, literature, music, and more. With a passion for the arts and a deep understanding of cultural trends, Brandon provides engaging and thought-provoking articles that keep his readers informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the cultural world.