From identifying exotic animal species to naming obscure 19th-century authors, game-show contestants historically have been challenged by tough questions.

But the tide is turning.

The newest crop of game shows has become much easier. What is the official language of Mexico? What is a right triangle? A heptagon has how many sides?

People get these wrong. Seriously.

Networks are riding game shows like "Deal or No Deal" and "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" to the bank, making money off contestants' greed and their lack of knowledge.

It doesn't take a whole lot of brainpower to randomly select a shiny briefcase. "Deal or No Deal" insists its contestants need "no brawn, no brains, just luck."

It used to be that only the smartest of the smart made it to game shows, thanks to such programs as "Jeopardy!" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." The shows paraded smarts.

Charles Coletta, an instructor in the department of pop culture at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, says today's game shows are a stark contrast to those that premiered in the 1950s.

"Those (in the '50s) were incredibly difficult, even for today's standards," Coletta says. "The whole premise with the producers was these shows were going to highlight intellectualism. They've really gotten away from that."

The latest incarnation is ABC's "National Bingo Night."

Yep. Bingo. As in "O-no."

"It must make the average viewer feel smarter," Coletta says of the remedial game shows. "It's sort of more to make you feel good. I'm smarter than that person. You're not really an intellectual."

Viree McElroy, a hard-core bingo player from Casa Grande, Ariz., thinks "National Bingo Night," which started at 9 p.m. Fridays beginning May 18, will be a hit. McElroy, 51, plays four days a week. She says she'll definitely play along with the new game show when it premieres.

"Believe me, the big screen would be mine," she says.

So where have all the brainiacs gone? Are television executives underestimating our intelligence? Or are we getting dumber?

ESPN reporter Kenny Mayne says technology might be making us all a little less intelligent.

"I think we're getting generally dumber, because people just sit and stare at computers all day," he says. "They don't make anything. They just go to YouTube and instant-message each other and steal music as opposed to reading a book."

Mayne served as host of his network's "2-Minute Drill," a challenging, fast-paced sports trivia game show that began in 2000. He remembers laughing hysterically backstage as contestants easily spewed sports minutia.

"I always marveled," he says.

Game shows aren't really game shows anymore, Mayne said. They're more about the drama, the zany contestant and the comedian who anchors the show.

"It's profitable. They're working and copycatting and trying to make as much money as possible," Mayne says. "It almost becomes Jerry Springer on prime time."

Despite the wealth of game shows that fill the schedule on major networks, they aren't really pulling down the ratings compared with other top-20 prime-time shows. But compared with those of yesteryear, game shows are making a big wave.

The Regis Philbin-hosted "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" set the tone. The show owned the top three rankings in the ratings for its three nights on TV in 2000, according to Nielsen Media Research. It marked the first time in at least 11 years that a game show cracked the top 20.

In 2006, "Deal or No Deal" was the lone game show in the top 20, according to Nielsen Media Research data.