Student

Game shows were dwindling down and were a thing of the past, but recently they have been making a sharp comeback. Television entertainment is now being focused on game shows such as “Twenty-One,” “Greed,” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” I for one am obsessed with these new shows on television. They bring the fun back into television and makes people want to win. In the pages following, many facts, reactions from the public and comparison’s to other game shows will be discussed as they relate to the recent popularity of the game shows. As a result of the increase in game shows, there is a greater quality that is brought back into television for the audience. New values and creativity have been sparked by the demand for these game shows.
Regis Philbin, host of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” has started this game show craze off with a bang. The first five airings of his show averaged nearly 29 million viewers (Bauder, “ABC’s Game Show”). In January, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” averaged an extra 5 million viewers than it did in November (Bauder, “ABC’s Game Show”). In fact, this craze sure doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Host Regis Philbin knows how well it is doing because he is looking at getting a raise, at least two times the amount he is making now. Philbin is currently accepting a $100,000 paycheck for each episode of “Millionaire” that airs, which is currently three times a week. He wants to double his income so he will shortly be looking at around $20 million a season. His income is already up in the same range as movie stars Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, and Jim Carrey (Sikles). Host Philbin is able to make such a big salary because the game shows do not cost much to produce. They are much cheaper to produce than sitcoms and dramas (Consoli). Since these shows have become so popular, television stations would be crazy not to produce them. “Millionaire” was the first game show that led to all of the major networks creating their own version of an