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Fear Factor Episode 326
Original airdate: May 12, 2003
This was the finale of the Fear Factor Grand Championship.

The Fear Factor "final four" began in darkness at a remote location. Former champs Chad, Todd, Mark and Aaron had already each won new 2004 Mazda RX-8s and defeated 20 other season champs to get to this point. At the edge of a large water tank, Joe revealed their first stunt. Submerged in the icy water was a 50-foot long Plexiglas "hallway" divided into three locked chambers, each containing flags. Once inside the hallway, players would use a key attached to their wrist to move from one chamber to the next while collecting as many flags as possible. Several air pockets were available along the way, but the stunt was based on speed. Every second, every breath would count. The three guys who completed the task the fastest would move that much closer to the $100,000 grand prize. Now, when we say the water was icy, we mean it was so cold that players were given wetsuits to avoid hypothermia. Todd was up first and as a Northern California native he thought he'd be prepared for the shock of cold water.

Todd jumped in and got off to a quick start. After a brief stop for air, he unlocked the first door to enter the second chamber. After gathering more flags, and more air stops, Todd was through the second door and into the final chamber. Making it look easy, Todd surfaced after two minutes with a fist full of flags - 9 total. He admitted that not only was the water freezing, but it was also a bit murky and disorienting. Aaron was pumped to go next and had actually been "storing fat" in anticipation of a cold water stunt. Aaron was slower actually diving down to the "hallway" but once inside he moved quickly. However, he did have to backtrack to the air pocket at one point. He also fumbled with the final lock enough to guarantee Todd a place on day two. Aaron's final time was two-minutes and 16 seconds, and he also retrieved all 9 flags. Chad was up next and his main concern was fitting inside the narrow hallway. Ultimately, size didn't seem to be an issue, but air sure was. Chad backtracked twice to the air pockets and as he desperately struggled with the last lock he dropped a lot of flags. Chad's final time was two minutes and thirty seconds, with only three flags. Mark suited up and was determined to beat Todd's time. In less than a minute, Mark was into the second chamber. After a few quick pit-stops for air, he emerged from the third chamber with all 9 flags and a time of two minutes and 21 seconds. Chad was going home.

Day two was equally dark and creepy as the remaining three players arrived to face their second stunt. Joe described their "relay race" which combined three of the season's most disgusting tasks into one wild event. First, players would down a shot of night crawlers. Then, they would transfer seven pounds of live, squirming worms followed by one pound of live, hissing roaches (using only their mouths of course). Finally, they would each throw 10 rats from a table to a container, once again with their mouths. Todd was up first again - and was very familiar with eating disgusting Fear Factor "food." He downed the shot of worms with minimal gagging. The worm transfer went quickly as well. In less than a minute, Todd was already at the roach transfer. Those seemed harder to get a mouthful of, but Todd stuck to the task. The rat toss was a little more challenging and ate up precious time. Despite Aaron's taunts, Todd completed the relay with a final time of 4 minutes and 50 seconds. Mark was up next and had previously completed a rat toss to win his original Fear Factor episode. Would that give him an edge? Mark downed the worm shot within 5 seconds and quickly started moving the seven pounds of worms. The roaches were tough and soon Mark passed the two-minute mark. The rats, however, were easy for the rat champ. Mark's final time was three minutes and 52 seconds. It was time for Aaron to step up or step off. All he had to do was beat Todd's time to bump Todd out of competition. Todd was sure to return the taunting favor and made gagging noises while Aaron tried to suck down his worm shot. Aaron was neck-and-neck with Todd until the rat transfer. Aaron's aim was off and once he passed Todd's time, he knew he was out. Either Todd or Mark would go home the Grand Champion.

The final night of competition found Mark and Todd wandering down a long, desolate road to meet Joe. Their final stunt involved launching a car off a ramp engulfed in flames and flipping it into an awaiting pile of boxes. Whoever launched their car the furthest would claim the $100,000 prize. A coin toss determined that Todd would go first. He was up and over in no time - with a total distance of 54 feet, 3.5 inches. Mark, who had done a car stunt his first time on Fear Factor, would have a tough challenge. While Todd waited on pins and needles, Mark launched off into space. It looked too close to call. Mark's final distance was 62 feet and 7 inches! Mark had won $100,000 and the title of Fear Factor Grand Champion! Obviously, fear was not a factor for him.