I'll take "Stereotypes in the Media" for $200, Alex

I noticed, as I collapsed on the couch watching a TV marathon, that the Game Show Network (all game shows, all the time) was going to air a marathon celebrating male game show hosts: recognizable names like Bob Barker (The Price is Right) and Alex Trebek (Jeopardy!). I could list more male game show gurus, from the hosts of contemporary contests to obscure 80's programs, but, the fact is, my list would be enormous. So when it came time for me to think of notable female hosts to counter this list, I came up quite empty-handed, only thinking of Meredith Vieira, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's second host, and Anne Robinson of The Weakest Link fame. (Vanna White does not count as a host, since her presence does not further the action of The Wheel of Fortune.) Why the short list? Survey says, "stereotypes!"

Game shows work so well because we find something likable or interesting about the host that we identify with. The more recent Don't Forget the Lyrics show appeals to the masses since the public sees comedian/host Wayne Brady as the trendy, hip, type who would know the lyrics to many popular songs. He's likable. Other male game show hosts, like Trebek, give the impression of having great intelligence, or like Barker, charm. Do women lack these qualities? Certainly not.

But the men who watch game shows don't want to be compromised by the wits or the appeal of a female host. Sure, they're happy when a female host is attractive, like Vieira, or in the case of Robinson, has a "bitchy" persona they can root against. Yet female hosts with the intelligent aurora of Trebek, the charm of Barker, and the hipness of Wayne Brady, although realistic and presumably already existing people, are intimidating and seen as emasculating.

When we watch the twenty-six beautiful ladies on Deal or No Deal strut down the steps, a woman in host Howie Mandel's place, sans sexed-up set, seems radical and new. In an industry where women have only been the seductive presenters of prizes, I fear TV viewers will shun a strong female host, but it's certainly time to take a gamble. Society, buy a vowel, open the case, and use your 50/50 lifeline- it's time to embrace change.