NBC.com

FEAR FACTOR
Original Airdate: 9/13/04

by Fearless Frankie

Four new couples put their fears and their relationships to the test when they arrived to compete. All of them wore matching colored shirts, so that the audience wouldn't get them mixed up. (Thanks, couples!) The first stunt involved a submerged limousine escape. It was like a Hollywood Premiere gone horribly, horribly wrong! One member of each team would be in the driver's seat, while the other was locked in the limo's trunk. Once the limo was submerged the driver had to swim to the back seat, retrieve a key, swim through the open sunroof and free his or her partner from the trunk allowing them both to swim to a nearby buoy. The three fastest couples would advance, while the fastest couple would get to choose the next day's stunt order.

John & Andrea, who'd been dating for 4 years and chose light blue as their matching color, went first. Andrea volunteered to get locked in the trunk and shouted encouragement to John as the limo was dunked lower and lower into the water. John was holding his breath for a few good seconds before he got the signal to retrieve the key. Meanwhile, Andrea hadn't even gotten all the way underwater before John leapt out of the sunroof and freed her. Their final time was a mere 31.5 seconds.

Mandie & Brian, in yellow, seemed confident they could complete the stunt in 29 seconds. Joe seemed less confident that the couple, who'd been dating 8 years, would ever get married -- but that's a different discussion. As the limo plunged to the depths of the icy (or at least chilly) water, Brian was quick to retrieve the key, but dropped it before freeing Mandie from the trunk. They swam their little hearts out and came in at 31.2 seconds, narrowly beating John & Andrea's time! Troy & Courtney had a different strategy for their attempt. Despite the fact that beefy Troy was an all-American swimmer, Courtney was going to sit in the driver's seat. The couple, in matching orange tops, felt that Troy was too big to swim his way into the backseat and out the sunroof. Their game plan could be the key to success…or failure. Back on shore, all the other couples were convinced Courtney was going to totally blow it for Courtney & Troy. No faith in girl power! While Troy squirmed like a girl in the trunk, Courtney blazed through the stunt and freed Troy. Their final time was 32.6 seconds, so it didn't seem like having a girl do the "hard part" hurt them too much. However, if Kimberly and Ben finished faster than 32.6 seconds, Courtney & Troy were headed home.

Kim & Ben had only been dating 4 months and look smashing in matching green shirts. Kim got comfy in the trunk, while Ben took a deep breath and hoped for the best. Ben slipped a bit getting out of the sunroof, but recovered quickly. He swam like a champ and reach the buoy in less than 25 seconds. Kim , however, was a slow swimmer, which basically killed their chances of moving on to round two. Their final time was 38.7 seconds. The other couples didn't even wait for them to get out of the water before leaving in celebration.

The next day, the three remaining couples arrived in a dark, dank location. Brian & Mandie were all smiles, because they would be choosing who performed the stunt in what order. Joe revealed a pungent array of live beetles, live roaches and rotten fish parts. The stunt involved tossing the ingredients into a blender and making a tasty Fear Factor smoothie. The couples would split up to devour the concoction in true, sadistic Fear Factor fashion. One person would suck the vile liquid up from a vat and transfer it to a nearby tube that lead directly into his or her partner's mouth. The other team member would then spit the disgusting mixture into a tall cylinder until the two-minute time limit ran out. The good news - yes, there was actually good news - was that no one would be eliminated. The couple that could transfer the most liquid in two minutes would win a 21-day STA Travel vacation around the world. The vacation included $2,000 spending money and destinations in Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe. Brian & Mandie quickly chose Troy & Courtney to go first. Courtney was on vat duty, while Troy was on the receiving end of the slime shake. Courtney didn't seem to take very big mouthfuls and Troy had more than a few gagging moments. At the end of two minutes, they had only filled a small portion of the cylinder. Afterwards, Troy tried to give Courtney a little kiss - but, um, he had major fish breath. Andrea & John were next and decided to have John "give" and Andrea "receive." Despite the other couples' heckling, Andrea & John beat Courtney & Troy's amount by a lot…in fact, the cylinder over-flowed with 7 seconds to spare! They had no problem sharing a victory kiss! Now it was up to Mandie & Brian to overflow the cylinder with liquefied beetles, roaches and fish guts in less than 1:53. Brian didn't seem to be taking big gulps like John did, yet Little Mandie was soon covered in green guts. As the final seconds ticked by, she and Brian gave it a valiant effort. However, Andrea & John's time passed and they still had an inch of empty cylinder space. Andrea & John had won the travel adventure! The Fear Factor adventure, however, was far from over.

Scenic (or seedy depending on how you look at it) downtown Los Angeles set the scene for the final stunt. In freshly cleaned, matching shirts, the couples strolled to meet their $50,000 fates. The final stunt was a doozy! Imagine a car, a convertible in fact, hanging off the side of a towering building. Not hanging, like two wheels on the ground, two wheels over the edge. Hanging like the entire car is pulling a Spiderman and is suspended so that it looks like you're driving down the side of the building! Now imagine that you're handcuffed in that car, staring straight down at the hard distant pavement below. Your fate is in the hands of your beloved mate who must climb down to the car from the roof, free you and return with you to the roof where you will both pull a ripcord sending the car smashing down to earth. Do you have a clear mental picture? Are you terrified? Good! Now you know what the couples were facing. Brian & Mandie were up first for a change. Mandie got handcuffed to the steer wheel while the car was safely resting on the ground. Then she got to enjoy the ride as the car was hoisted up the side of the building, perpendicular to the ground 150 feet below. Brian made it down to Mandie quickly and the two made their way back up to safety. They pulled the rope and the convertible sped into the concrete, bursting into a giant fireball. With a final time of 1:40, Brian & Mandie were in good shape. The car, however, was not.

Courtney & Troy were next and Courtney admitted she was scared. Was she scared of the stunt, or scared of commitment? Joe found out that Troy had proposed to her after yesterday's stunt! Yes, it's true, once again romance had blossomed on the set of Fear Factor and Courtney was sporting the giant diamond ring to prove it. Whatever her fears were, Courtney got strapped in and handcuffed, while Troy made his way to the roof. She was in tears, repeating "I can't do this," as the car made it's slow crawl up the building and into position. When Joe yelled out "Are you quitting?" Courtney sobbed back, "Yes." Back on the ground, Troy, still caught up in the glow of his engagement, gave his bride-to-be a kiss and told her he loved her. He told Joe he already had Courtney, so he was a winner despite losing $50,000. Is this Fear Factor or For Love or Money?

Luckily, John & Andrea weren't so mushy. John was the one who was nervous, while Andrea seemed excited to do the stunt. She jokingly said, "I've always wanted a convertible." But has she always wanted it pointing straight down while handcuffed to the steering wheel? It's doubtful. John copied Brian's "no legs" method to get down the ladder from the roof quickly. He uncuffed Andrea and the two of them scurried to try and beat Brian & Mandie's time. It was a strenuous climb, but they both made it. By the time they pulled the cord to crash the car, they had earned a final time of 2:02. Which meant that Brian & Mandie were the newest Couples Fear Factor champs!