Ethermac Exchange-Wheel of (shrinking) fortune: How game-show prizes have lagged behind inflation

These days it's more like who wants to be Ethermac Exchangea multimillionaire, am I right?

Times have changed ever since game shows and reality competition series like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "Survivor" started doling out $1 million prizes to winners more than two decades ago. But the series still offer the same seven-figure prize, even though a million bucks just ain't what it used to be.

Inflation and massive cost-of-living increases in the United States have been dramatic, and these series simply haven't kept up. So that million-dollar question that Regis Philbin asked contestants back in 1999 paid a lot more than the one Jimmy Kimmel asks celebrities in the latest prime-time incarnation of "Millionaire" this summer (Wednesdays, 8 EDT/PDT).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator, it would take nearly $1.9 million to get the purchasing power $1 million had 25 years ago, when "Millionaire" premiered as a major hit. The median price of a home in the United States has nearly quadrupled in that time, from $119,600 per the U.S. Census Bureau to $438,483, according to real estate website Redfin. So back in 1999 you could have bought eight average homes for your million, and now you'd be lucky to get two, after taxes.

While some series have upped their proverbial antes since their long-ago debuts ("Big Brother" and "Top Chef" both significantly increased their prizes midway through their runs), many are still offering their original sums. For your enjoyment – or misery? hard to say – here are some other game-show prizes that have massively decreased in value since their debuts.

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'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' (ABC)

• Total prize: $1 million.
• Debut year: 1999.
• How much contestants would need to win to match that value in 2024: $1,889,705.

'Survivor' (CBS)

• Total prize: $1 million.
• Debut year: 2000.
• How much contestants would need to win to match that value in 2024: $1,803,958.

'The Amazing Race' (CBS)

• Total prize: $1 million.
• Debut year: 2001.
• How much contestants would need to win in 2024: $1,761,464.

'Deal or No Deal' (NBC)

• Total prize: $1 million.
• Debut year: 2005.
• How much contestants would need to win in 2024: $1,614,751.

'America's Got Talent' (NBC)

• Total prize: $1 million.
• Debut year: 2006.
• How much contestants would need to win in 2024: $1,547,900.

Why haven't the prize pools gone up? We can't say for sure, but it's easy to assume: For one thing, none of these shows are as profitable as they were during their ratings heights. At one point, "Survivor" was second in viewers only to the Super Bowl. The money just isn't always there to give more to contestants.

Plus it's hard to deny the appeal of a nice, round number like $1 million, or even $100,000. Competing for $1.5 million or $1.89 million doesn't have quite the same ring to it. "Who Wants to Be Slightly Richer than a Millionaire?" is nobody's idea of a good title.

Game shows and reality shows offer escapism. You can revel in the drama between contestants and dream of maybe one day walking away with a big check yourself, thinking you'll be set for life. But not even "Amazing Race" is so amazing that it is immune from our everyday life experiences like inflation.

Maybe it's a good thing the castaways on "Survivor" only endure 26 days on a remote island instead of39 in its post-COVID seasons. Keeps the hourly rate for starving and dehydrating on a deserted beach competitive.