I hold no brief for PETA
but it is discouraging that a network is trying to boost its ratings by subjecting animals to unnecessary degradation . At least when people degrade themselves on television, it's usually with their own consent.
I also resent the fact that Fear Factor made picking up domestic rats a test of courage, as if they were some type of dangerous wild beast. Even worse, apparently a lot of these ill-informed contestants picked up the baby rats by the tip of the tail. This is painful, and can lead to 'skinning' , in which the skin rips off of the tail, leaving it a bloody mess which has to be amputated to prevent infection. One of my rats accidentally injured her tail, and about half of it had to be amputated. It was traumatic for both of us, and ever since then hearing about people who pick up rats by the tail makes me angry.
Now if we were talking, say, puppies or kittens, it never would have happened....