Almost 10 years ago, we, the television viewers, encountered a phenomenon called "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", which was the first time a million dollar prize was up for grabs on a game show. Regis Philbin became even more iconic in television, and catch phrases such as "Is that your final answer?" and "I'd like to use a lifeline" became prevalent in our pop-culture. They ran the show for about a week, had huge ratings, and then brought back for another week several months later. Than, again with the huge ratings, they brought it back full time as part of the regular lineup. What happened? Ratings dropped. It became a victim of "Same old, same old" syndrome (SOSOS). It was the same thing week in and week out, with very few actually getting the million dollar prize. Since then, it has been reduced to a half-hour syndicated show. Sure, they tried to spruce it up every now and them, with gimmicks such as Celebrity Millionaire and Super Millionaire, but in the end, it turned out to be filler material for smaller cable channels. What happened? Why did it tank so quickly?

Well, to be honest, it's a combination of greed, a desire for instant satisfaction, and generally being impatient. Over all, the blame can be spread around evenly. Viewers demanded more, and the studio gave in. Now, the fad is long over, the bloom is gone, and there is nothing regis can do about it. Unfortunately, "Millionaire" is not the only show to have suffered from SOSOS. Many reality shows have hit rock bottom creatively and people are losing interest. Sure, some do a better job at holding on to their viewers than others, but it is becoming an epidemic. Let us look at a few examples.

Survivor. Again, a huge ratings draw when it first premiered. The premise was interesting and original: strand 16 everyday Americans who have to vote out each other one at a time until only one is left as the "sole survivor". There have been many memorable characters that have come and gone, but the people that do the casting seem to be in a standard rut. There are the "good ol' boys/girls" who try to be honest and maintain their integrity, the rude jerks who seem to offend everyone around them, the hot people who are obvious eye candy, and the schemers who we love to hate plotting their way throughout the game. After a while, you forget who they are weeks after we last see them, because they do not stand out anymore. Therer are a few exceptions, such as Yao-man, Rupert, and Johnny Fairplay, but for the most part it is the same people again and again. Another problem is their location. each season becomes a "which island are they going to be on this time" scenario. Kudos at least to bringing them back to Africa this season in Gabon, and there have been attempts to revamp things casting wise (such as the ethnic groups season a couple years ago), but ultimately, Survivor is as it always has been. The challenges are becoming predictable as well. You will have your food auction, your "eat gross things", obstacle courses, puzzle solvers, relay races, and the final gruelling endurance test with variations on each theme. This does not mean that there are not seasons that exciting, it's just all variations on a theme.

The Amazing Race. Just like Survivor, I like this show. My problem is that they fall into the same SOSOS trap that Survivor has, where there is little that differentiates each season. While I like the idea of travelling the world, the focus is on the contestants, so we don't see as much as we would like. Again, they seem to bring in the same teams season after season. we have the bickering couple, the couple trying to see if they can work things out, at least one parent-child team, the perennial older team, a goofy team, a representative of homosexuality, and the token minority teams. Again, if you have seen one season, you have pretty much seen them all. It is unfortunate that when there are teams that represent what some may consider minorities, they are often edited to champion their respective cause. I have a hard time remembering a team with at least one homosexual where their sexuality wasn't made the focus of that team ("We're gay and we are on the Amazing RACE! We are just as capable as straights!" Well, yeah, you are. We get it. Message received and only the ignorant disagree with it. Can we get back to the Detour now?)

Big Brother. More like "Oh brother". Let's throw a bunch of young, attractive people into a house and have them stomp all over each other to see who is more popular. Every year it is like a warped popularity contest from junior high. At least in Survivor, there is a case for getting rid of a well-liked but lazy tribe-mate and keeping a jerk who gets most of your water, food, and firewood. Again, each season is the same. Sure, they try bringing in older people every now and then, gimmick seasons such as couples or siblings, but again, tis the same song we have heard time and time again, with except this year, we sing it to banjos!

Fear Factor. Here is a show that has thankfully been cancelled, but the concept jumped the shark way to soon. What became a show about trying to face your fears quickly degraded into a situational comedy-like dosage of how grossed out can we get by watching them eat pigs feet and moldy worms. Add to that the most annoying host in reality television who is so "in-your-face" when a contestant loses that you just want to push him into the vat centipedes and leeches. Plus, why are all the contestants looking like they are trying to be models? Where are the "ordinary" Americans? Ugh.

The Apprentice. As of writing this, I am not sure whether this show is done, renewed, or in limbo. That uncertainty probably has more to do with the SOSOS factor than anything else. They try to mix things up each season, pit men vs. women, book smarts vs. street smarts, and change the locale every now and then, but it still boils down to a bunch of young up and comers who want the luxurious life and are trying to get a jump start on their career by being hired by Donald Trump. Hey, it's great at first, but after a while you get tired of seeing these greedy youngsters stabbing each other in the boardroom as the claw their way to the top. It's old. It's almost done. I will give the Apprentice a tip of the hat, however, with their Celebrity season. it was refreshing to see people fight for something other than themselves and give back to important charities. Still, that can get old once you have cycled through the list of willing celebs who want to be on the show.

So now that I have ripped these shows (some of which I actually like) to shreds, can anything be done to save them? Well, some of them look like they will go on forever, as they have developed loyal fan-bases, while others may be on life support. In the end, I do have some suggestions that may revitalize these and other such shows.

1) Less is More. The old saying is true. What gave "Millionaire" such a boost at first was that it was shown after long periods of absences. Unlike a scripted fictional show, absence will make the heart grow fonder for these reality flounders. Having two seasons a year may be a bit much. Even one a season may be too much. Give us some time to miss them so that we will be less willing to miss the new season.

2) Real Reality. I have often found that these types of shows tend to gravitate towards young, 20-something contestants, many of which are easy on the eyes, even when they are covered in muck and mire. I do not have anything against these people, but to be honest, the more popular characters seem to be the ones who are not easily mistaken for pin-up models. I like seeing the average looking people compete in these shows, and it is easier for the average looking audience members to get behind them.

3) The Need for Greed. What is worse than a show where all the contestants are good-looking, fit people? When those good-looking fit people are as greedy as all get out. Very rarely does good, down-to-earth, I'm doing this for something other than money win these kind of shows. I think people are sick of greed (look at the backlash over a bailout package to Wallstreet). Sure, the money is a good motivator, but is there something else that we can use to get good competition? Is money the only ruling force of our universe? I'm not saying get rid of the millionaire-making prizes, just find people who are not solely motivated by the need for greed.

While I do not imagine that my rantings here will influence any change, it would be interesting if someone in TV world actually took some of my comments and tried to do their part in ending SOSOS.

I usually enjoy going to movie theatres. I don't mind if there is a bit of talking, although I will ask the chronic gabbers to stuff it. I will purchase the over priced concessions, understanding that the theatre must make money. I even tolerate waiting in line on an openning day to get a good seat at a popular movie. What really has been getting my goat, lately, is the insidious advertising that has worked its way into the movie experience.

These days, you don't have to be on time for a movie. Last week I went to see Journey to the Centre of the Earth starring Brendan Fraser. The marquee said the show began at 3:30. I took my seat at 3:25, and sat through their power point videos of Hollywood gossip, movie trivia, and advertising. Yes, while you quietly wait for the show to start, you are subjected to an onslaught of ads for government programs, banks, junk food ,etc. There is the odd "Don't pirate this film" testimonial from Bill, the stunt man who is losing tons of money because of the internet. OK, fine. It's annoying, but I can ignore it...if only they played them at a more reasonable volume level. Then, 3:30 hits, and the lights go down, the projector starts, and we see...

More commercials.

I can't believe it. More bloody commercials! Buy this car, eat these chips, wear these clothes, text on this cell phone. It blares at you like a video in a torture session. Ten minutes go by, and the commercials finally end. Then it's the movie trailers for coming films. I actually enjoy these, as they give me things to look forward to. The only thing is that it is another 10 minutes. So, twenty minutes later, the movie finally starts (oh, after the stupid "DOLBY SURROUND THX SUPER DUPER LOAD STEROPHONIC SOUND SYSTEM ad). What I'm saying is that you can be twenty minutes late for a show, and you will have missed nothing of the film itself! So there you have it. In today's greedy corporate dominated world, we can take comfort in the fact that materialism has permitted us to be late for movies. Still, the constant advertising bombardment makes me sick, which is not how I want to feel when I'm munching on $5 popcorn.