Television is one of the greatest inventions in the history of the world. It gives you the opportunity to watch sports, news, and your favorite shows with just the click of one little button. Even though it is a great form of entertainment it can probably be considered as one of the contributing factors of the obesity epidemic this country is facing because people have relied too heavily on their remote controls and less on their exercise routines. However, this column isn’t about the negative aspects of television. Rather it’s about television in all its glory.

While I was in college I didn’t have time to watch television because I had to dedicate my time to studying, playing basketball, eating, and sleeping. Now that I am out of school, I have been able to rediscover the great invention that we call the television. It’s nice to be able to watch my favorite shows such as CSI, Sportscenter, and anything on the Food Network (I am learning how to cook, after all). Since I have time to actually watch I have also discovered some new shows such as Law and Order: SVU and the Biggest Loser and my new favorites, American Gladiators and Deal or No Deal.

American Gladiators, a show that pits everyday citizens against body building men and women in games that test their strength and endurance, has always been a favorite show of mine from the late 80s and early 90s when the competitors looked like stick creatures and big hair was in style. The classic is back and it is new and improved with new Gladiators, new hosts, and new games, not to mention competitors that are much stronger. The Gladiators seem to be much larger too. I think they have been using Barry Bonds workout regimen of performance enhancing drugs. The best and most exciting feature of the show is watching the competitors go up against the Gladiators and lose. It wouldn’t be so funny if the competitors didn’t think they could win.

The other show that I have started watching for some reason is Deal or No Deal. It is a game show where people try to win a million dollars by picking cases. After they pick so many cases the banker makes them an offer for which they can sell the case they picked at the beginning of the show to be their case or reject the offer and keep picking cases until they get a deal they want. It has taught me one thing. People are crazy and they don’t use their brain when it comes to making decisions about large amounts of money. One trend that I have noticed is the contestant gets a big offer at the beginning of the show gets greedy because they want the million dollars, and end up leaving with far less than the first offer they received. They are all convinced that their case holds the million dollars and I don’t think that has ever happened since I have been watching the show. The show’s host Howie Mandel is currently on a million dollar mission because he wants someone to win a million dollars. Personally, I don’t think that will ever happen and I don’t know why I watch it because those people frustrate me. I guess they will have to frustrate me until one of them wins the million because that’s how long I will probably be watching. Isn’t television great?