Do you know what’s even sadder than watching Vh1’s “Rock of Love” or “I Love New York?” It’s those viewers who tune in every night to watch the trendiest game shows on prime time television such as, “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” or even better, “Moment of Truth.” I don’t really understand our country’s motives in producing these kinds of atrocities, as they only prove that our society has become completely shallow, and that the IQ of a normal American adult is less than a 10-year-old child (damn).

Perhaps the reason for the IQ discrepancy is due simply to the fact that people are watching the TV show instead of doing anything productive or remotely mind-stimulating. This may also be the answer to the obesity problem in our country; we’d much rather watch complete strangers competing to lose weight on “Biggest Loser,” or laugh as ostracized actors struggle to balance themselves on the largest possible scale ever created on “Celebrity Fit Club.”

Another issue that rests uneasily on my mind is the amount of money people are contending for on these new shows. It seems as though the bigger of an idiot or more complete of an ass you are, the more you will ultimately gain. This proves to be another example of America striving for mediocrity and generating citizens with a lack of discretion. The fact that people will go so far as to ruin their marriages and the lives of their families on network television should probably stir up a little more questioning in the minds of viewers.

Perhaps the Europeans really aren’t so out of line when they call us rude pigs … they might be on to something.

Maybe I’m just irritated that the eminent game shows of our youth have been absolutely man-handled by people like Drew Carey, or that “What Would You Do” has been totally done away with (remember the pie-coaster?). We need to either bring back Bob Barker and Mark Summers, or leave these American classics to rest forever.

This past Saturday night, as I watched “Wheel of Fortune” followed by “Jeopardy,” (my personal favorite) I experienced a little sentimentality. Both of these classic shows have survived with the support of its viewers (probably because Vanna still looks hot and Trebek has retained his wit). So what about the shows that shaped our childhood years and the individuals we are today?

After much thought, I’ve come up with a theory: After all of Nickelodeon’s shows went off the air, kids became less intelligent and fatter. With shows like “Legends of the Hidden Temple” and “Global Guts” that incorporated strategy with physical endurance, America’s youth learned to be smarter and stronger to compete for amazing, non-monetary prizes. My theory has not yet been proven, but I’m sure with the support of others who share my quandary, TV has the prospect of becoming classy once again.