"Fear Factor" was an attempt by NBC to compete with the successful series, "Survivor". The program was very popular for the network in the summer of 2001. It had strong ratings for the next couple of years, but in later years, the ratings were not as good. In 2006, "Fear Factor" was being shown at the same time as TV ratings champion, the Fox talent series "American Idol" on Tuesday nights. It did not get good ratings during this time. During the sixth season, NBC decided to not show the program for the rest of the year to make room for the sitcom "Joey". That series was only shown for a few weeks. NBC canceled "Fear Factor" in May of 2006. The network began showing the remaining episodes of the sixth season on June 13, 2006. These episodes were shown throughout the summer. In 2004, "Fear Factor" became the first network reality show to be syndicated. Over its six seasons, "Fear Factor" earned NBC a reported $600 million from selling advertising during the program.