Grind it into sausage

Any cheap game show that can snag 18-49 ratings somewhere in the not-so-terrible twos will get ground through a zillion runs. Wipeout is no exception to this remorseless rule. We've had summer Wipeout and winter Wipeout and now spring Wipeout will arrive St. Paddy's Day.

It's only a four-episode run, but about.com's Carrie Grosvenor is still a little concerned. She writes:

What I worry about now though is scheduling abuse. We all saw what happened with other game shows we love - networks enjoy a ratings boost, decide they need MORE MORE MORE! and overdo it, and then people stop watching because the show is on all the time and getting stale.

Guess what. Carrie's right. And I'm not just saying that to get a few extra votes in her Readers' Choice poll. (Though if you want to vote for this blog...hint, hint...shameless begging.) Networks always grind hit game shows with brutal overuse because they're so cheap and easy to produce.

Then the ratings tank and the networks move onto the next quick-and-dirty date. Sounds like my long-ago love life as a single.