13: Fear is Real Season Finale Recap
The CW Network's Reality-Horror Series Concludes its First Season
Feb 21, 2009
After a lengthy recap of the entire series, the finale episode of 13: Fear is Real opens with the three survivors lying around until the Mastermind orders them to head outside and board a boat. Requisite spooky night shots of the bayou follow.
They arrive at their final destination. After spending weeks in various abandoned buildings ranging from a school to a slaughterhouse, the remaining three contestants have earned a relaxing stay in a tiny tent. As Nasser so appropriately points out, “You look to the left or you look to the right of you, there’s something with teeth.”
After exploring the surrounding woods, the group stumbles upon an altar covered in trading card-like photos of the eliminated cast members. They’re all here – Cody, Laura, Adam – collect them all!
A very anxious Nasser, who can’t stand waiting around for something to happen, admits that their situation “definitely reminded me of being in a horror movie.” Finally, after all these weeks, the show has accomplished its goal – one of the cast members actually feels like he’s in a horror movie.
Voodoo Doll Crafts Time, Manhunt in the Bayou
The Mastermind orders them to each make a voodoo doll of the contestant who is the biggest threat to them. The show manages to go from horror movie to arts and crafts class in less than two minutes. Ted makes a little Erica doll, Nasser makes a mini Ted, and Erica fashions a replica of Nasser from twigs and rags.
Of course there is no point to this other than to fill time. With ten of the original thirteen cast members already eliminated, there’s not much to catch on camera anymore.
At long last the Mastermind interrupts the group’s slumber and orders them to put on the blindfolds they have come to know and love. They are then led to the woods and told that they will be hunted – by each other. They must locate brand new death boxes and use the contents to take out the other contestants.
It’s an interesting concept that comes off poorly for the viewers since it feels more like watching an Easter egg hunt than a manhunt. Ted just sits on the ground and hopes nobody finds him because he was unable to locate a death box and cannot participate as a hunter. Thankfully, Nasser spots Erica and takes her out of the game, ending this dull competition.
Final Competition of the Season
Things pick up again when the Mastermind tells Ted and Nasser to go to a pet cemetery and dig up the graves. (The graves aren’t real; they’re really filled with bolt cutters, not the remains of Fluffy).
The bolt cutters are to be used to open barrels that contain the key to the Mastermind’s cabin. The one who finds the key and breaks into the Mastermind’s hideout wins the whole shebang, prize money and all.
Ted digs up a miniature coffin containing his set of bolt cutters and uses them to open the barrel and find the key before Nasser even locates a tombstone and starts digging.
Despite proving he was one of the toughest competitors in the game, Nasser gets shut out in the contest that matters most. Some masked henchmen emerge from the woods and allegedly dismember Nasser with chainsaws and hatchets.
Ted, the winner of the first season of 13: Fear is Real, goes to the Mastermind’s cabin to claim his prize money. In a bizarre twist (bizarre in that viewers are supposed to take it seriously), Ted grabs his bag of money and finds that the person sitting in the corner is a dummy.
After Ted removes the dummy’s mask, the Mastermind’s voice fills the cabin and informs him that even though he won the game, he’s going to die like the others. Ted turns around, sees a timer rapidly approaching zero, and flees the cabin before it erupts in an explosion of fire. Ted celebrates and the credits roll one last time.
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