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Fear Factor Episode 414 Original airdate: January 26, 2004

The competition for one million dollars was down to five couples. They arrived under cover of darkness to a terrifying funhouse display. It was a carnival gone horribly wrong. Rats frolicked in the popcorn maker. A carousel creaked as it slowly turned. Joe informed the couples that the night's stunt would not be for elimination, but for a reward instead. The winners would receive an STA Travel Card good for a trip to Madrid and Pamplona, Spain. Pamplona, as you may know, is famous for the annual running of the bulls - sure to be a future Fear Factor event. The stunt involved one player sitting atop a dunk tank filled with cow brains, intestines, spleen, liver and (a first) skin. His or her mate would have to hit a release target with a softball to get him or her into the tank. Once inside, the player had to retrieve 5 cow's tails and hand them one-by-one to their partner who then had to drop them in a nearby container using only his or her mouth. The couple completing the dunk task the fastest would win the trip to Spain.

Jim and Melissa were up first. While they prepared, Adam and Meg fought over who would be getting in the tank. Meg was firm in her decision not to go anywhere near the slimy water; however, Adam didn't think she'd be able to throw a softball accurately enough to sink him. Everyone else was gagging from the smell alone. Melissa climbed onto the platform and Jim, who played baseball for 17 years, sunk her on the second try. The first think Melissa pulled out wasn't a tail, but finally she found one. Once they got into a stinky rhythm, the ended with a final time of 1:55.7. Jackson and Monica were next and Monica was refusing to go into the tank despite admitting that she can't throw a baseball. After a minute passed, Jackson was telling her to stop because it was pointless. So Joe took over, determined to get Jackson into that tank. When he ran out of softballs, Joe ran over and hit the target, but Jackson had already grabbed a hold of the top of the cage to avoid taking the disgusting plunge. No Spain trip for Jackson and Monica! Rachael and Todd were up next and seemed actually excited about the gross stunt. Meanwhile, Adam and Meg were still fighting over who would throw and who would dunk. Todd got it on the third or fourth try and Rachael immediately started hunting for cow tail. They ended with a final time of 1:50! They were so excited they shared a kiss, despite the foul surroundings.

Adam and Meg were next, with Meg winning her battle to throw not be dunked. Surprisingly, she dunked Adam in less than ten seconds. They had already won an African Safari, much to the other couples' dismays. And with a final time of 1:48, they had just put themselves in the lead for the trip to Spain. Only Meghan and James stood in their way. James climbed a board the dunk tank, while Meghan prepared to strike (or not strike as it were). She got him on the last try. While the others shouted encouragement, James emerged with cow skin covering him, but no cow tail. With only two tails, the time to beat ticked by. Adam and Meg had won a second trip. Meghan and James had still not won any stunts so far in the entire competition.

The next day, under clear, sunny skies, the couples arrived at a calm lake. Once again, they were thrilled to learn that there would be no elimination, only a reward. The winner of the day's stunt would be able to "steal" one of the previously awarded prizes from another couple! Adam and Meg did NOT like that one bit. The prizes eligible to be stolen included the Jeeps (Adam & Meg), the Safari (Adam & Meg), the Spain trip (Adam & Meg) and the $25,000 Capitol One credit card (Jackson & Monica). Joe asked how Monica would feel if Adam & Meg won the challenge and stole Monica & Jackson's credit card, which led Monica to declare, "I hate Adam." This started a not-so-nice exchange between Monica, Adam and Meg. A million dollars sure makes people touchy. A helicopter flew overhead signaling the start of the next stunt. Jackson and Monica went first and were hoping to steel Adam & Meg's Jeeps. Jackson hung by his ankles from the helicopter. In his hands, he held two rings that were attached to Monica's ankles. As they both hung upside-down, they would fly over a row of poles anchored in the water. Monica would have to grab as many flags from the tops of the poles before Jackson released her into the water. Once in the water, Monica had to swim to a nearby raft, climb aboard and release a final flag. The couple that completed this stunt the fastest would earn the right to steal one of the previously awarded prizes. Monica got two flags, but was hit and miss on the rest. Once they ran out of poles, Jackson released Monica into the water. She initially swam the wrong way, wasting even more time. Finally, she made it to the raft to release the final flag. With only three flags and a 40.6 second swim time, Jackson and Monica weren't thrilled. Could Meghan and James finally step up and win something? Meghan grabbed three flags and also swam the wrong way! Her final swim time would be a tiebreaker, if needed. Her final time was 37.1 seconds, which bumped Jackson & Monica out of the running. So far, everyone was after the Jeep Wranglers and Todd & Rachael were no different. Rachael got four flags, which automatically put them in the lead over Meghan and James. However, Rachael's swim time of 57.7 seconds wasn't that great. Adam & Meg, determined to defend their prizes, were next. Meg plunged into the water with only three flags, which meant her and Adam's Jeeps were still up for grabs! If Jim & Melissa beat Rachael & Todd's flags/time, the prize was theirs for the choosing. Melissa nabbed four flags, so it was all up to her swim time. Her final time wasn't announced until she and Jim were back ashore with the others. Melissa had beat Rachael's time by over 20 seconds! Not surprisingly, She and Jim chose to steal Adam & Meg's Jeep Wranglers.