Wacky challenges
Reality shows such as "Big Brother" thrive on making their contestants compete in wacky-looking competitions. It's easy to think that those shows have the monopoly on made-for-TV random sporting events.

But is the average reality show challenge any stranger than rhythmic gymnastics? Or synchronized swimming? Or jumping off a 10-meter platform into a little pool of water without making a splash?

All of the "field" events in track and field could translate easily into the framework of a reality TV show. After watching the athletes use a fiberglass pole to jump higher than most houses, don't be surprised to see the pole vault brought to the next season of "Survivor" in some form. And don't think that the "Big Brother" folks won't consider adding some swordplay to the house after catching the fencing competition in Beijing

High stakes
There's no million-dollar prize on the line for most Olympians. The stakes are much, much higher than that.

The vast majority of these athletes have toiled for years in obscurity, training until they drop  and putting the rest of their lives on hold to compete in sports that most people don't really care about. They do it to get to the Olympic Games, which, for most sports, is the Super Bowl, World Series, and "American Idol" finale all rolled into one.

Years of effort can be undone in just a few seconds. A false start, a slip on the balance beam, a tweaked hamstring, or just a bad day, and that's it. If that happens, there's no tomorrow — it's four more years until they get another chance.

You think getting kicked out of the "Big Brother" house is bad? Try having a lifetime of hard work undone by an untimely migraine.

The host: What's a reality show without a sharp-dressed host to sum it all up at the end of the day?

The Olympics are second to none in the hosting department. Emmy-nominated Ryan Seacrest of "Idol" and Jeff Probst of "Survivor" may be flying high now, but they can all stand to sit at the feet of the great Bob Costas and learn. Nobody on television sums it up better.

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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