13: Fear is Real Episode Four Recap: Fort Fear
CW Network's Horror-Reality Series Down to Eight Contestants
Four weeks into this season’s new reality-horror series 13: Fear is Real, the show’s novelty has worn thin. The challenges seem more dangerous than frightening, and even the contestants appear bored at this point in the game.
As the fourth episode of 13: Fear is Real (titled "Fort Fear") begins, the nine survivors sit around arguing about the identity of the person who holds the death box. Many assume it is Erica after the events of last week, when Steffinie was eliminated by the elusive killer.
Erica has plenty to say about this assumption, and she shares her feelings later during a shrieking tirade brought on by salesman/accuser Rodney.
Reality-Horror Gets a New Set
Before Erica’s annoying outburst, however, the gang is informed by the figureless host of the show, the Mastermind, that they must say goodbye to their quaint Jason Voorhees-inspired cabin and move to a new location. The Mastermind’s oh-so-evil voice directs them to a map that will lead to their new shelter. The whole horror-movie vibe is lost for a moment when the camera zooms in on the skillfully crafted map, complete with pretty little trees, that appears drawn in crayon or colored pencil.
The map leads the cast to an abandoned military fort, where they are immediately presented with their next challenge – wander around the creepy, unlit fort and find the keys to seven boxes in the armory.
The Mastermind, via tape recorder, informs them that the keys will be hidden in places they won’t want to look. These include a pot filled with bloody organs, in a pile of wriggling maggots, and… under a bale of straw? Really? One of these things is not like the other.
One by one the contestants get their keys and run past the conspicuously out-of-place alligator guarding the boxes in the armory. One can only hope that a trained alligator handler is also in the room, off camera, lest the agitated reptile lose his temper completely.
Execution Ceremony, One More Cast Member Killed Off
Kelly and Erica lose this contest and face execution at the end of the show. Unfortunately, the end doesn’t come soon enough. Cast members are so bored and not scared that they pair up and play horseshoes in the courtyard. Heck, Cody even organizes an impromptu ghost hunt (after all, ghost hunting is his field of expertise) and for a few moments viewers are treated to several of the guys sitting silently in a room waiting for an apparition to materialize. Thrilling? Hardly.
When the time finally comes for the execution ceremony, Kelly and Erica head out and are greeted with the all-too-familiar blindfold, just like in past weeks. Then they’re tied to stakes like witches in 17th century Salem and told to escape their shackles before some very real fire reaches them and burns them alive.
While this hardly looks safe, one can only assume that the necessary precautions were taken to ensure that neither young lady would really wind up scorched and disfigured like Freddy Krueger.
In the end, Erica proves to be the worthier opponent and frees herself, thus securing her place in next week’s episode where her fellow cast members will undoubtedly accuse her of holding the death box yet again.
Kelly, on the other hand, still can’t figure out her simple five-letter word lock and (allegedly) burns to death off screen, eliminating her from the game.
13: Fear is Real now airs Fridays at 9/8c on The CW.
13: Fear is Real contestant Kelly
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