FOX Renew/Cancel (Reality Update): House of Fear Should Have No Fear

 

Photo Credit: Fox

Below are the February 22nd Fox renew/cancel predictions for reality programming in the 2025-2026 television season. The table embedded includes the Adults 18-49 ratings average of each program.

Fear Factor: House of Fear: Recently, Fox has been spreading the wealth by gifting NFL lead-ins to multiple non-animated offerings. Fear Factor: House of Fear was perhaps the luckiest beneficiary, debuting with a 1.6 rating thanks to that assistance. But the true test came when House of Fear moved to its actual home on Wednesday nights. There, it posted a 0.26 rating, retaining more than three-fourths of its lead-in. Since then, it has lost some steam, but its latest installment came with a promising uptick (0.21, +0.02). Fox clearly has confidence in this revival, as they first aired it after an NFL playoffs game and then gave it a slot behind The Masked Singer. There also appears to be genuine interest for the series on Hulu, so House of Fear begins as a likely renewal. 


The Masked Singer: If the football-inflated premiere rating was taken out of House of Fear's average, The Masked Singer would be the top-rated reality program on Fox. While it is no longer the ratings phenomenon it was in its early years, the series remains reliable and consistent. It begins as a certain renewal. 

99 to Beat: 99 to Beat finished its season with a solid 0.26 rating, and it is currently scheduled to air repeats on Saturday nights until late April. The signs remain positive, so it is a likely renewal.


The Floor: Earlier this month, Fox renewed The Floor for multiple seasons. This was a correct prediction for The TV Ratings Guide, as it was previously listed as a certain renewal. 

Next Level Chef: Next Level Chef scored a multi-season renewal in 2025, so it will be returning next season. 

Next Level Baker: Next Level Baker is the lowest-rated reality series on a network that is potentially set to expand its scripted presence. Being tied to the Ramsay brand could boost its chances, but Fox has stronger options. Baker is likely to be canceled. 

The TV Ratings Guide	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30
Mon	Extracted		Memory of a Killer
Tues	Best Medicine		Doc
Wed	The Masked Singer		Fear Factor: House of Fear
Thurs	Next Level Chef		Animal Control	Going Dutch
Fri	Fox College Hoops
Sun	Family Guy	Universal Basic Guys	American Dad!	Family Guy

Renewed

Certain Renew

Likely Renew

Likely Cancel

Certain Cancel

Canceled

FOX Renew/Cancel Week 1: Doc Has More Patients Than Before + 2024-25 Recap

Photo Credit: FOX

Below are the September 28th Fox renew/cancel predictions for the 2025-26 television season. The table embedded includes the Adults 18-49 ratings average of each program. The "Y2Y (year-to-year) Change" column compares a show's current average to its average from the previous season. Due to the changing nature of broadcast television, reality programming will be included in the chart.

Doc: Fox gave last season's breakout drama an NFL lead-in for its second season premiere, boosting it to a 0.79 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. While this number is not a good representation of the show's true strength, the fact that Fox gave it this opportunity means that the series is still a priority. Since then, a repeat of the premiere episode built on the return of Murder in a Small Town, which is a fairly promising sign. Doc has a strong streaming presence and respectable live ratings on a network with little scripted depth, so it begins as a Certain Renewal. 

99 to Beat: New game show 99 to Beat also got some football help on premiere night, debuting with a 0.76 Adults 18-49 rating. Afterward, an encore of the pilot posted a 0.20 rating. This series is in good shape for the time being. It starts with the Likely Renewal distinction. 

The Floor: Rob Lowe game show The Floor had a disappointing start to the season, returning with a new series low (0.25) in the key demo. However, this is still a decent rating for Fox, and the year-to-year trend above is only as harsh as it is because last season's average included a Super Bowl-inflated installment. This rating puts it above everything that wasn't inflated by football, so it is highly unlikely that it is in danger. The Floor is a Certain Renewal. 

Celebrity Weakest Link: Celebrity Weakest Link posted a 0.21 rating for its premiere, building noticeably from its Name That Tune lead-in. In week two, it dipped to a 0.20 and tied its lead-in. Fox will gladly take these numbers. It is a Likely Renewal. 

Name That Tune: Name That Tune started the season with a tepid 0.18 rating but then grew to a 0.20. It is doing about the same as it was in summer 2024, so there is no reason to believe that Fox will do away with it. Tune starts a Likely Renewal. 

Murder in a Small Town: Sophomore drama Murder in a Small Town returned with a 0.15 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. The good news for Murder is that this was not a new series low, and its Hulu performance shows that there is reasonable interest in it outside of broadcast. The fate of this series is largely in the hands of Global, the Canadian network that airs Murder. This is definitely the shakiest Likely Renewal in the chart, but it starts in the green nonetheless. 

2024-25 Recap

Of the 16 shows listed, 2 were renewed before an official prediction could be made, and 2 have not been officially renewed or canceled. The Great North wrapped up its season on September 14th, but its fate remains up in the air. Likewise, Accused has not been directly canceled, despite being left off the fall schedule. Among the other 12, there were a total of 11 correct predictions, giving The TV Ratings Guide a 92% accuracy score for this column. 

The TV Ratings Guide	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30
Mon	Name That Tune		Celebrity Weakest Link
Tues	Murder in a Small Town		Doc
Wed	The Floor		99 To Beat
Thurs	Hell's Kitchen		Special Forces: World's Toughest Test
Fri	College Football
Sun	The Simpsons	Universal Basic Guys	Krapopolis	Bob's Burgers

Renewed

Certain Renew

Likely Renew

Likely Cancel

Certain Cancel

Canceled

Name That Tune Ratings (Revival Season 1, Winter 2021)

	A18-49 L+SD	A18-49 L+3	A18-49 L+7	M18-49	W18-49
1	0.72
2	0.70			0.5	0.9
3	0.63
4	0.59
5	0.48
6	0.52
7
8
9
10
Avg	0.61			0.50	0.90

	A18-34	M18-34	W18-34	A25-54	M25-54	W25-54
1	0.42			1.02
2	0.48	0.3	0.6	0.95	0.7	1.2
3	0.43			0.86
4	0.33			0.81
5	0.31			0.70
6	0.27			0.76
7
8
9
10
Avg	0.37	0.30	0.60	0.85	0.70	1.20

	Viewers L+SD	Viewers L+3	Viewers L+7	HH	Age
1	3.058
2	3.011			1.8	56.5
3	2.710
4	2.665
5	2.344
6	2.428
7
8
9
10
Avg	2.703			1.80	56.50