NBC.com

Fear Factor Episode 431 Original Airdate: May 17, 2004

The special season finale made fear a family affair by bringing together four child and parent teams to compete for the $50,000. For their first stunt, each team member would get a turn to traverse a swaying beam, poised above the water, and grab flags along the way. The parent would try to grab the five yellow flags while the child would try to snag the five, lower orange flags. The three teams that released the most flags the quickest would move on. The other team would be eliminated.

Mychale and her son Kaden, a 6th grader, went first. Because of the fierce wind, Mychale moved slowly. She released her first three flags, but then skipped the final two. Kaden also moved slowly and managed to get four flags before falling. So, the team finished with seven flags in 4:56.5. Meanwhile, Raymond and Christian proved themselves to be quite the hecklers with non-stop taunts! Next up was David and his 5th grader, Madison. David missed his first flag and had a hard time keeping his balance. He managed to release two flags, but then fell. So, it would be up to Madison to make up the difference. Madison put on an incredible performance. She was rock-steady in spite of the wind and waited patiently to grab each flag as it whipped around. Madison was so determined that she got all five of her flags and spent nearly one half hour up on the swaying beam. The team finished with seven flags in 33:23.0. By the end of the stunt, everyone cheered for Madison. Even Christian wound up shouting enouragement instead of discouragement. And Joe told her that what she did was the most impressive thing he had ever seen in the four years of Fear Factor. But would it be good enough?

Because Madison had persevered for so long, the sun had set. This meant that the winds had died down, making the stunt easier (but colder) for the last two teams. Plus, the crew brought in lights to illuminate the suspended beam, which seemed to make things scarier. Raymond and his son Christian, also a 5th grader, were next. Raymond moved slowly, but got four flags. Christian moved well and got five flags. So, they ended with nine flags in 9:09.9 and automatically advanced. Afterwards, Raymond said he'd rather eat 4 gallons of worms than do that stunt again! Finally, it was Wendy and Sadie's turn. With no real wind, Wendy managed to get all five flags. But Sadie had a tougher time. After getting her first flag, Sadie was stalled by fear and uncertainty. But her mom encouraged her and Sadie not only got the one additional flag they needed to move on, but she kept going and got all five of her flags. That meant their team had the best score with ten flags total. That also meant David and Madison were eliminated. Joe told Madison she had nothing to be ashamed of and that she was the best player they ever had on the show.

The next day, the remaining three families cheered when they learned that there would be no elimination. Instead, the teams would compete for a brand-new 2004 Mazda6 and two mountain bikes. In the stunt, the child would be locked in a Plexiglas box filled with over 10,000 Madagascar hissing cockroaches. The parent would have to transfer cockroaches by mouth to a scale. When enough roaches were on the scale, a door would open and reveal a set of keys. The parent would give the keys to the child, who would then have to find the correct key to unlock themselves. The team that did this the fastest would win the car and the bikes. Raymond and Christian went first. Christian was locked into the box and Joe poured trashcans full of hissing roaches all over him. Raymond moved quickly and transferred more than enough roaches to free the keys, but Christian struggled to find the right key. He finally did and they finished with a time of 2:15.4. Mychale and Kaden worked well together. She kept telling her son to "find the happy place" to avoid thinking about the hissing, biting roaches. Together they got a time of 1:36.4, knocking Raymond and Christian out of the running for the prizes. Wendy and Sadie went last. Wendy gave her freak-out-prone daughter a pep talk before a ton of roaches were dumped in her lap. Wendy transferred the roaches and got the keys to Sadie fast, but Sadie wound up running out of time while struggling with the lock. So Mychale and Kaden won the new car and mountain bikes!

For their final stunt, the three teams met Joe at the docks. Each child would hang from a trapeze-type bar and slide down a zipline into the water and then swim to a barge. On the barge, he or she would get into the seat of a launching device. Meanwhile, the parent would jump from a speeding ultra-boat, swim to the barge and pull a lever to launch the child thirty feet into the water. (How cool is that?) Upon landing, the child would swim to a platform and release a flag. The team that did this the fastest would win $50,000 and bragging rights at all family functions for the rest of their lives. Raymond and Christian went first. Raymond said that this stunt was made for them. And Christian said that he grew up around water. Despite dad's slow swimming, the guys did well and finished with a time of 2:59.4. Wendy and Sadie also felt prepared for the stunt. Wendy had been a lifeguard and Sadie liked to wakeboard and swim. They made a valiant effort, but the two couldn't beat the guys' time and were eliminated. It was up to Mychale and Kaden. Mychale got off to a bad start when she mistimed her jump from the boat, putting herself further away from the barge. She had to swim hard to make up for the error. She arrived at the barge out of breath and pulled the lever to launch her son into the air. Kaden flew into the water and also swam hard. He got to the platform and released the flag. Even with the initial mistake, Mychale and Kaden earned a time of 2:28, beating Raymond and Christian's time and making Mychale and Kaden the Family Fear Factor Champions!