In the latest sign that there’s no idea in Hollywood quite as good as an idea that someone else had several years before, NBC has decided to revive Fear Factor, the gross-stunts-for-money reality/game show that debuted 10 years ago this month and ran until 2006. The news that the producers were casting again was first reported by Reality Blurred.

NBC reality boss Paul Telgedy told Entertainment Weekly that the idea for the revival came when the brass noticed how well Fear Factor repeats were faring on the cable channel Chiller. The idea of doing specials was run past the show’s producer, Endemol USA, but that was later expanded to become a full-fledged reboot of the series. No word yet on who might host (Joe Rogan handled those duties originally), or if the show will come back at midseason or be held until the summer of 2012.

Telgedy added that while the new version will take advantage of improvements in camera technology, it might not be quite as stomach-turning as the show could sometimes be in the past (the old reliable was forcing contestants to eat various disgusting members of the animal kingdom). It’s possible that Fear Factor 2.0 might follow more in the vein of ABC’s Wipeout, which Matt Kunitz went on to create after executive producing the original Fear Factor. Wipeout has perfected the ability to look dangerous without actually being very dangerous, and is much funnier than Fear Factor ever was.

Tags: fear factor, nbc, wipeout