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Ben Wheeler and Blaire Wheeler
Episode 602 Winners

Why did you want to be on Fear Factor?

Ben: Honestly, I never thought that I would be on Fear Factor. I always watched the show and thought, "Hey, I think I could do that." However, I never planned on being on the show. My sister really wanted to do it, and I interviewed just to make her happy. I never thought in a million years that out of all of the people auditioning that we would be two of the "chosen ones." When I found out that we were going to be on there though, I just wanted to do my best and prove to myself that I could compete. I think that we did a pretty darn good job in the end.

Blair: My parents and I have always been big fans of the show, and I would say after every stunt that I could do that too. Well my friend, Kingsley, made me prove it by taking me to the open casting calls for the show. Obviously, we were picked which was a total surprise, and we won which was an even bigger surprise.

What was the toughest stunt and why?

Ben: The toughest stunt to me was the Barbershop. I didn't mind shaving my head. I knew that my head isn't misshaped, so I felt good about that. It was the different factors that went into the decision that made it so difficult. Going into the show Blaire and I said that we would do anything and never quit. When we found out that we were going under the buzzer, I thought that Blaire might hesitate and decide not to do it. The hard part was talking her into it without being to pushy. Another hard thing was that I was to be a groomsman in my friends' wedding after taping, so going through with the stunt involved a great deal of thought. I would never go back and change my decision though. It was totally worth it.

Blair: I have two answers for this one. Physically, the first stunt was the hardest. I was way too short to jump across a five foot hole to the other side. It took a lot more energy for me to do that than it did for anyone else, but my brother came through and did an amazing job that helped put us in the next round. In this next round, where we shaved our heads, I considered it emotionally tough. I could eat anything they put in front of me because that would be bad just in that moment, but shaving my head has been bad for months. I had to learn alot about myself, and my friends were there for me- no matter how ridiculous I looked.

Who annoyed you the most and why?

Ben: Deb really annoyed me from day one. She had this false sense of confidence and talked a lot of junk when she was scared, which was a majority of the time. Cain had his moments, too. The one thing about him was that he did not wear deodorant. He smelled so bad after every stunt, and being cooped up in a trailer with his B.O. and Deb's mouth was almost harder than any stunt. I mean he smelled really funky.

Blair: To tell you the truth we all got along pretty well. Since I was so much younger than the other contestants that made it to the end, they did not give me a hard time; however, when I shaved my head and Debbie was trying to talk Ben out of it which was not going to happen I got a little frustrated. I was sitting in a chair with a horrible haircut, and she was trying to convince my brother, a boy who doesn't care, not to shave his. I thought that was a pointless argument, and as I said earlier it was tough emotionally on me.

How will you spend the cash?

Ben: This is a good question that I have been pondering for a very long time. Initially, I planned on purchasing an extremely nice grill, but I have put that on the back burner for now. I definitely plan on spending some of the cash on a trip to either Africa or New Zealand with my sister and maybe some other friends. As for the rest of the cash, hopefully I can convince myself to save some of it, do something good with some of it, and spend the rest on myself. Who knows?

Blair: When we first won, I had a list of things that I wanted to get. Ben and I would call each other and talk about all the things we wanted to do with it. We mentioned going on a trip together, but now since time has passed I'm really not sure. I know that I will put some of it to a new car, and then I will save the rest for when I graduate in case I can't find a job. Hopefully that won't be the case though.

What was your mom's reaction to your haircut?

Blair: I was in Austin, TX doing an internship over the summer when we filmed, so I did not get to show her in person. I did send a picture on the phone to my other brother, Drew, who then showed it to my mom. We were talking on the phone when she saw it. She just started laughing at me, so I started crying because I didn't understand her reaction. Later after we calmed down, she helped alot by saying that it is only hair and it will grow back as well as all the other sweet things mothers tell their daugthers to comfort them. She was amazing!

Did either of shave your head when you got home or did you let your hair grow out naturally?

Ben: Both Blaire and I shaved our heads immediately following the final stunt. Seeing that I was to board a plane and fly to Mississippi a little more than an hour after winning, I thought that I might attract less attention with a bald head, although as Joe said the patches were "hot." We all talked Blaire into leaving a little tuft of hair on the front of her head. She looked like a unicorn.

Blair: Are you kidding? We had patches all over our heads, so if it grew naturally it would have been a mess. Ben and I went to the store after that stunt and bought clippers so that we could shave it immediately after the show was over. We all got together with the other contestants and had fun with it. Ric, one of the guys on the crew, shaved it for us, and we left a little mohawk in the front of mine which I shaved right when I got back to Austin because it was not me at all.

How much stronger is your brother/sister bond due to your Fear Factor experience?

Ben: Blaire and I have always been very close, but this experience definitely brought us even closer. Blaire is a great competitor and I am very competitive, so we made a good team. Winning just elated both of us, although it took a while to sink in that we had actually won. All that we were thinking about was that our hair looked like we let a wolverine cut it for us. Ever since we aired the show we have talked a lot because we were the only two that knew, therefore whenever we wanted to talk about it, we had to call each other. She is a great girl and I feel privileged to have her as my sister.

Blair: Since we are only two years apart and from a small town, Ben and I have always been close, but I did see things in him that I had not seen before. He totally impressed me with his performance on the first and last stunt because he dominated the competition. And I can't forget he offered me all the $25, 000 for shaving my head- though he did want to negotiate the offer at the end of the day. After it all was done, I never thought I could be so proud of my brother. This experience gives us something to share for the rest of our lives.

What was that final stunt like? Did the blast hurt at all?

Ben: The final stunt was a 100% adrenaline rush. From the time that the stunt was presented, I was ready to get in there and do it. I knew that Blaire had her $25,000 and that I had to kick some butt to get mine. So, I went as fast as I could and didn't look back. That stunt was my favorite, even though the blast did hurt a bit. When we busted through I could not feel that much, but when I hit the water I hit face first. In the process I lost one of my contacts and I busted my nose. It was a rather violent blast, but hearing Joe say, "Fear is not a factor for you," made it all worth it.

Blair: To me the final stunt was so much fun! Ben and I were joking and laughing at how dumb we looked which I think might have helped us. In the stunt, he flew up the ladder and into the container, and eventually I caught up with him. It was like all the episodes I've watched and said "I could do that", but it is harder than it looks on tv. When we were blasted from the container, it felt like we were flying in the air. Then we hit the cold water which brought us back to reality and the chance that we could go home with only $25, 000. But we didn't so that helps make it the best by far!