Monday, January 06, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Shooting Stars: `Fear' becomes a factor at south end of Strip

Joe Rogan

There's definitely "Fear" in the air.

And, perhaps, a bit of loathing -- at least in the hearts of six "Fear Factor" contestants currently in the throes of Glitter City competition.

Production continues through Wednesday on the NBC's reality series' first on-location episode, with the action shifting to the south end of the Strip following a scheduled Sunday stunt at the Fremont Street Experience.

The "Fear Factor" visit began Saturday, with host Joe Rogan making a pilgrimage to the Strip's "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign.

And the show's six contestants -- Cory LaForme of Forest Park, Ill., Thomas Fahrbach of Haveniks, Kan., Gillian Waters of Altadena, Calif., Charisse Rivers of Key Largo, Fla., Greg Peters of Riverside, Calif., and Janelle Perry of Newport Beach, Calif. -- taped the show's opening walk-up at Mandalay Bay.

Today's action reverts to Mandalay Bay, where the competitors will endure one of the show's trademark gross-out stunts in the hotel's presidential suite. There, contestants will create their own buffet, so to speak, by spinning a special slot machine to determine exactly how much of a stomach-churning substance they must try to choke down.

On Tuesday, the "Fear Factor" crew will rig and rehearse a slip-sliding-away stunt on the Luxor's sleek 36-story pyramid, to be staged Wednesday night.

"It's a very visible stunt," according to Matt Kunitz, "Fear Factor's" executive producer. "It'll be easy for people to come out and watch" the stunt crew -- and the contestants -- negotiate the pyramid's 39-degree slope.

Following that outdoor exertion, the winner of the $50,000 "Fear Factor" showdown will report to the Luxor casino about midnight, where the show's climactic exercise in fear will take place: a mandatory blackjack bet of $25,000.

An "Access Hollywood" crew of 20 (another NBC-produced show) will chronicle the "Fear Factor" doings for a 30-minute "making-of" special, to be broadcast in prime-time, Kunitz reports.

"Fear Factor" usually spends three days to shoot an hourlong episode.

For this extended, on-location show, however, the show's producers extended it to five.

"It's more difficult because we have to move the entire crew," Kunitz says of the location trek.

But at least Las Vegas represents "an easy jaunt" from the show's Southern California base. Besides, "Vegas really fits in with our show," he adds, noting it's "promotable, sexy and fun."

The show's 90-minute Vegas venture is scheduled to air March 31.

Magician Dirk Arthur, meanwhile, shares the spotlight with his feline co-stars -- big feline co-stars -- in an upcoming Animal Planet documentary tentatively titled "The Cat Whisperer."

This week marks the second of three visits for the hourlong MPH Entertainment production, which first filmed Arthur and his cats in early November. (In addition to its lengthy list of documentaries, MPH also made a big-screen breakthrough last year with the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding.")

This week's "Cat Whisperer" shoot began Sunday, featuring Arthur and his cats -- black leopards and tigers of the white and orange striped and snow-white variety -- at home.

Today's schedule calls for a mountain excursion, while Tuesday's and Wednesday's schedule revolves around the Silverton, where Arthur has headlined for about six months. (Prior to that, Arthur performed in Bally's "Jubilee!" for more than seven years.)

Arthur's "Jubilee!" stint first attracted MPH's attention, according to writer-director Jim Melio, who cited Arthur's "unique way of training that's incredibly humane" as a primary draw.

Beyond that training, however, Arthur expresses surprise that the documentarians were "very interested in the Las Vegas entertainment aspect. I thought it was only the animals."

But "shows about Las Vegas are of great interest to a nationwide audience" for Discovery and its affiliated cable networks (including Animal Planet and the Learning and Travel channels), says Melio, whose company also produced a four-hour Las Vegas documentary for A&E.

"It's this amazing fantasy land that not everyone can get to -- despite 35 million visitors a year," he says of Las Vegas. "And it's always changing. People want to see what's new, what's happening, the latest."

The hourlong Animal Planet special returns in February to shoot some of the illusions he performs at the Silverton.

Elsewhere on location this week, Pro-Vision International visits today and Tuesday, following Japanese actress Yoshino Kimura as she visits "O," "Mystere" and meets Cirque du Soleil performers.

Kimura will be out on the town with stage veteran Reva Rice, whose Las Vegas credits include "Starlight Express" at the Las Vegas Hilton and the touring production of "Fosse" at the Aladdin Theatre.

Kimura is currently in New York, training to play a role in the Japanese production of the musical "Me and My Girl," and wanted to visit Las Vegas, according to Hank Chung, Pro-Vision production manager.

The show will air in March on Japan's Asahi network, Chung reports.

Japan's Fuji network, meanwhile, is scheduled to wrap up a six-day shoot this week for a 90-minute travel special focusing on behind-the-scenes looks at leading Las Vegas attractions, according to production coordinator Jun Nagashima.

Scheduled locations range from the Fremont Street Experience to the Strip.

And Photo Gal Enterprises returns to shoot still photos featuring the Chevrolet Monte Carlo today and Tuesday, according to production coordinator Mitch Marmorstein.

Michigan-based photographer Carol Gould will focus on the 2003 Monte Carlo at the Fremont Street Experience; the photos will be featured on a car show handout. (Jennifer Arnone of the Campbell-Eward advertising agency, also based in Michigan, serves as art director for the project.)

"We all love it so much," Marmorstein says of working on location in Las Vegas. "Everyone makes it so easy."