Fear Factor, which in its last incarnation (circa winter 2005/06) was pulled from NBC’s schedule due to sagging ratings and to make room for the Friends spin-off Joey, came back with a bang this Monday night.
The stunts-and-gross-outs spectacular averaged 8.6 million total viewers over its two-hour run, while scoring a 3.4 demo rating. That represents gains of 43 and 111 percent over The Sing-Off‘s most recent performance in the time slot, and scored NBC an easy second-place status in both primetime hours.
NBC notes that Fear Factor delivered the network’s best non-Olympics 8 o’clock demo numbers since February 2008 (Deal or No Deal) and its best 9 o’clock rating since the Sept. 2010 debut of The Event.
Elsewhere on the night:
8 pm | A fresh bit of Broke Girls that opened the hour drew 12.46 mil and a 4.1, down 11 percent in the demo (to a series low) from its last 8:30 outing. Placing third behind Fear Factor, the penultimate freshman episode of Terra Nova (7 mil/2.1) dipped a tenth in the demo to match its series low. ABC’s I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (5.3 mil/1.3) was a distant fourth.
9 pm | A truly dopey installment of Two and a Half Men (14.7 mil/4.6) nonetheless led the night in audience and in the demo, dipping 10 percent in the latter; Mike & Molly (12.83 mil/3.9) too was down 7 percent in the demo. ABC’s You Deserve It slipped another 10 percent in the demo to place a distant fourth, trailing even a House repeat.
10 pm | A fresh Five-0 dominated with 11 million total viewers and a 2.8 rating, down just a bit week-to-week. NBC’s Rock Center (4.04 mil/1.1) just barely edged out a Castle repeat for second-place honors.
