MTV reviving Fear Factor stunt competition series in May

Be very afraid. MTV says it is reviving the stunt competition series Fear Factor for a new generation.

Rapper and actor Ludacris, seen in the upcoming The Fate of the Furious, will host the new 12-episode series, which premieres May 30, MTV announced Wednesday.

The new Fear Factor promises to "hit on youth tension points" with challenges like "Roach-ella," "Trap Queen" and personal cellphone rescues at heights of more than 30 metres.

On each episode, contestants will pair up into four teams — whether siblings, roommates or best friends — to compete for $50,000 US in cash.

"MTV is about celebrating youth culture, and with the reinvented Fear Factor, we are putting the power in our audience's hands to face and overcome their biggest fears," MTV, VH1 and Logo president Chris McCarthy told The Hollywood Reporter.

The network is promising that contestants will confront their fears, be pushed beyond their comfort zones and take action against some of their biggest stressors on the show. However, the revival seem to be steering away from the more extreme, controversial and gross-out challenges of the earlier incarnation.

"MTV's intention with the show is to empower people to overcome their fears. We're not looking to be mean-spirited," McCarthy told THR.

Based on a Dutch TV format, Fear Factor originally aired on NBC from 2001-06 and was hosted by Joe Rogan. He returned to host a one-season revival in 2011.

The Fear Factor revival is the latest in a recent wave of reality TV reboots, set to join revamped versions of Celebrity Family Feud and Match Game, as well the upcoming new versions of Battle of the Network Stars, Love Connection and The Gong Show.