Yes, "Fear Factor" is mostly remembered and recognized for the gross-out (and often downright hilarious) middle stunt, in which contestants usually have to eat something disgusting, lie in something disgusting, or both, but there is sooooooo much more to it than that. For starters, the first and the third stunts are usually spectacular and exhilarating, worthy of any James Bond movie (and done by real everyday people, as opposed to professional stuntmen). The show is also useful as a panorama of human nature; with around 150 episodes and more than 1000 contestants under its belt, the range of behavior and camaraderie among the players is matched only by the range of different locations (you never know where the next episode will take you). Finally, it's hard - perhaps even impossible - to name a TV show in history with more athletic, brave, strong, competitive women, often taking on - and defeating - men in all sorts of contests; yes, I do claim that "Fear Factor" is a feminist show! It is also an honest and consistent show: you always get what you want from it, it never dips in quality (though, of course, some episodes are more satisfying than others; the average episode is easily a 8/10). If I could point out one negative, it's the unfortunate rule, in some (not all) Season 6 episodes, which states that the contestants with the best time decide who they want to send home, instead of the slowest person or couple being automatically eliminated like it always happened since the first episode. But in the grand scheme of things, that is a small complaint.
"Fear Factor" is hours and hours and hours of fun!
"Fear Factor" is hours and hours and hours of fun!