Good news for purveyors of barely edible animal parts: NBC has picked up "Fear Factor" for an additional season.

The network has extended the life of the stunt-and-grossout competition series through 2004-05, with an option for two more seasons beyond that. NBC's syndication unit, NBC Enterprises, has also bought up off-network rights and will sell "Fear Factor" in syndication.

"As 'Fear Factor' nears its 100th episode next season, its ratings [among adults 18-49] are still growing, something no other reality show can claim at that stage of its life," NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker says. "This lone hour of reality on our schedule has revitalized our Monday night and jump starts our entire week."

"Fear Factor" drew an average of about 13 million viewers a week for NBC last season. More importantly for the network, it performed well among adults 18-49, the demographic group NBC most fervently chases.

Because each episode is self-contained, it's also one of the few unscripted shows that can do well in repeats. Reruns of the show have pulled stronger ratings this summer than several first-run reality shows, including "American Juniors" and "Cupid."