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Fear Factor Episode 324
Original airdate: April 28, 2003

Twelve Fear Factor champs gathered for round one of semi-final competition. The winners from this group would compete against winners from the other semi-finals group. Not only was $100,000 of prize money up for grabs, but something else was at stake. Joe zipped up alongside the reservoir location in a sporty red 2004 Mazda RX-8. Players thought he was just showing off his new car. They soon learned, however, the winners of this semi-final would each receive the new sports car - before it even hit showroom floors! First, as with the other competitions they had all won, they'd have to complete three extreme stunts.

On this day, players would step into Plexiglas box, two at a time. High above the murky reservoir waters, each player would fumble through 20 sets of keys to figure out which key opened a box containing a lever. Once the player pulled lever, sending his or her opponent crashing towards the water below, they would win the round. Summer and Alexis were first. One by one the girls tried the keys, each hoping to dunk the other quickly. Alexis dropped one key - hopefully not the one she needed. Didn't matter, because Summer got lucky with key #6 and sent Alexis hanging. Tamie and Jill were next. Tamie was so fast - Jill never had a chance! On her first key, Tamie tasted victory! Mark and Myles were up first for the guys. The guys were neck and neck for at least six keys, then Mark got lucky and sent Myles soaring. Hyden and Gerald faced off next. Hyden tried to psych Gerald out, but it didn't seem to work. In seconds Hyden had Gerald plummeting out the bottom of the Plexi cage! Mike and Greg rode up to meet their fates next. Joe pointed out that everyone on the left side of the cage had gotten eliminated. Quite an odd Fear Factor phenomenon indeed. Greg hoped he would break the trend. These guys seemed to take forever until finally Mike flipped the latch - and the "left side curse" continued! The final two players, Holli and Aaron, were next. Aaron seemed to be going through keys quickerôand sure enough, he blasted Holli out. She just happened to be standing on - you guessed it - the left side. Bad mojo aside, the playing field had been narrowed from 12 to 6 - and those 6 were that much closer to a new Mazda RX-8.

Day two arrived and players met Joe at what looked like a harmless petting zoo. We all know that looks can be deceiving on Fear Factor! Joe was holding a cute little baby goat, feeding it milk from a bottle. Soon, the players learned of their little snack. They'd be milking goats - with their mouths! The players who got six ounces of goat milk into a glass, then drank the milk, would advance. Michael and Summer faced the dreaded task first. Hands behind their backs, they each started sucking and spitting. Mike was getting gulpfuls into the glass and soon beat Summer in filling it up. Mike quickly chugged down the milk and sent Summer packing. He even drank some of Summer's milk as a final blow to her pride! Aaron's plan was to suck hard and fill the glass. Poor Hyden was lactose intolerant, but determined to give it a shot. While Aaron did mouthfuls, Aaron was transferring eyedropper levels of milk. Aaron easily won the match-up; although he had a sour face as he downed the glass of fresh, warm milk. Tamie - also lactose intolerant - was up against Mark. Mark had a bobbing technique that seemed to be working for him. Meanwhile, Tamie kept up the pace while the goats seemed unphased. Mark soon took the lead and quickly sent Tamie home. The final three were psyched for the car, the cash and whatever Fear Factor had waiting for them on day three.

At a calm looking lake, Joe welcomed Mark, Mike and Aaron. As a helicopter flew over head dangling a long, narrow Plexiglas box, Joe described the final stunt. While handcuffed and locked in the box hovering over 25 feet in the air, each player would have to unlock the handcuffs, then unlock the box by freeing three separate locks from the door, finally dropping into the freezing water below. The two players with the fastest times would advance to the finals. Aaron was up first and very confident. The box was spinning a lot as Aaron worked to free himself from the cuffs. In less than 35 seconds his hands were free. He fumbled a bit with the locks on the box, but wound up in the water with a final time of one minute and nine seconds. Mark had to beat Aaron's time, not only to advance but also to win the car! Once Joe gave the signal, Mark started on the handcuff key. Mark struggled with the cuffs, as precious seconds ticked by. He had trouble with the locks as well - and was in the water in one minute and seventeen seconds. Aaron had won a car! Now, if Mike beat Mark's time, Mike would also win a car and make it to the finals. Mike had the cuffs off in less than 20 seconds. The first lock posed some trouble though. Mike tried one key in all three locks, then went to the second key etcetera. The strategy did not pay off; however, and Mark's time prevailed. Mark won a car and advanced along with Aaron.