With the return of Fear Factor, fans are once again immersed in the terrifying challenges, and fear psychologist Dr. Zach Sikora told PopCulture.com why.
Dr. Zach serves as a consultant on Fox’s Fear Factor: House of Fear.
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He initially started with the casting process, later getting his own social series, Fear Facts, where he analyzes the physical and psychological responses that drive contestants’ actions and decision-making as they take on their fears. Dr. Zach shared some of his analysis with PopCulture, revealing why people are so into Fear Factor, where certain fears come from, and what to expect from this week’s Fear Facts. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
PopCulture: Fear Factor itself has been around for 25 years total. What do you think it is about the show that has people both so excited and so terrified of it?
Dr. Zach Sikora: I’m 42, so I can remember watching the first iteration of it. So I’m one of those people. And so I can remember those original episodes. And you’re right. There seems to be some commonality that I think everyone taps into watching the show, and I think that has to do with fear. I mean, fear is a core emotion that we all experience. And so I think when we’re watching people facing fears, challenging their fears, there’s a piece of us where we can identify with that, and I just think there’s a piece of us as humans that like to watch people do crazy things. And so that’s entertaining in and of itself. I also think there’s a part of people that get empowered by watching people face their fears, or at least I hope that’s a piece of it as well.
PC: What’s been your favorite part about really digging into the physical and psychological aspect of the show?
Sikora: Getting to dive deep into the challenges has been really awesome. In understanding how the specific challenges and the specific tasks that the contestants have to overcome, how that impacts their physical and psychological functioning in the moment, because the producers of the show, the creators of the show, have really gotten creative with the challenges this year. So it’s interesting to see how all aspects of fear are being tapped into in these challenges.
PC: This week’s episode of Fear Factor: House of Fear really centers on the fear of snakes and rats. How would you say these kinds of fears form?
Sikora: So there are some fears that are just kind of hardwired into us. We come out with being fearful of certain situations and animals, reptiles, and things of that nature are one of those hardwired fears because if you think about it, I mean, those animals can actually be dangerous and actually be threatening. So to a certain extent, almost everyone is going to have some level of fear with a situation like that. However, some people have experiences in their lives that, with snakes or with rodents or with animals that might have been somewhat traumatic or fear-based, will amplify that hardwired fear even more.
PC: Going off of that, what kind of analysis can we expect from this week’s Fear Facts?
Sikora: I think what you’re gonna see is something that we’ve seen in the past, and that’s contestants pushing themselves to the limits. I think people who are somewhat squeamish when it comes to snakes and reptiles and things of that nature are going to be squeamish watching this week’s episode. But I think, like all the episodes, you’re gonna see people really being put into very difficult situations and overcoming the mental and physical anguish that comes from each one of these challenges.
PC: Since you started working on the show, has there been anything that’s really surprised you about Fear Factor, including the way that contestants react to certain challenges?
Sikora: I think it has been pretty interesting to see the pain element of the show and how contestants are facing that. In my clinical work, I don’t get to see that very often. I’m working with people who have mostly irrational fears that are interfering with their daily functioning, and it’s interesting to see people pushing themselves to the physical limits while also trying to manage their being pushed to their psychological limit at the same time. And so I think the combination of those two things has been really cool and interesting to see.
PC: What kind of analysis can fans expect with these remaining Fear Facts episodes as Season 1 of Fear Factor: House of Fear continues?
Sikora: I think you’re gonna see continued creativity when it comes to the challenges. You’re gonna see people continue to push themselves to the psychological and physical limits. I think you can also expect the social psychological aspect of the show to become more and more important.
New episodes of Fear Factor: House of Fear air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. New installments of Fear Facts drop on Fridays at 12 p.m. ET across Fear Factor’s social media pages.
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