During the third night of my niece's recent visit, somewhere in between "America's Got Talent" and a "Dog Eat Dog" re-run, I immediately found the solution to low voter turnout. Get me Mark Burnett.

There's got to be a way to greenlight a reality show about Nevada's elections. We've got everything but an audience.

There are plenty of characters. Former brain surgeon who might just need a lobotomy. Lounge singer. Wacky gambler. Porn star. Bankrupt businessmen. Recalled councilwoman. Corpse. They're all on the ballot already.

If David Hasselhoff, er, The Hoff, can have a third television career on a Gong Show rip-off, we can surely dredge up some Vegas denizen to lend our show credibility. Charo? The Wayner? Nevada's consultants, Sig and Billy V, are already ready for prime time. And best of all, there's no need for Simon Cowell. You, gentle reader, get to be the judge and say "You're Fired" at the same time.

What could be more telling than a true face-off between the candidates? We already have them scheduled, people just don't seem interested.

Imagine if Friday night's gubernatorial debates, scheduled to air on KLVX-TV, Channel 10 at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., were marketed like a fight to the death.

On the "Dog Eat Dog" we watched, two women faced off by standing on a tiny platform atop a shaky pole erected over a pool of water. Oh yes, and they were in bikinis.

In my house, we all knew instantly that the blonde in the green suit would outlast her competition. This being my degenerate household, a sizable bet was proposed for anyone willing to take the poor sap in the blue. No takers. The producers made it rain. The blue suit went into the drink. My niece cheered.

Imagine how a real face-off between Chris Giunchigliani and Myrna Williams would play out.

Now, it would be hard to get any of our credible candidates into a contest of physical stamina. But the entire election is essentially one giant game of chicken to see who blinks first; how to draw the opponent in and how to still have some money left for the next round. What's not to like?

Imagine the drama of a Democratic primary in which the woman who can win can't survive the general and the man who can win the general can't get out of the primary.

Imagine the drama of the Republican primary when each of the three main candidates is labeled a big spender. It reminds me of the old show "To Tell the Truth." Who's the real big spender?

Some of our candidates have enough of something to make it on the newly-renewed "America's Got Talent." Lorraine Hunt can belt it out with the best of them. Bob Beers is an able guitar player. Someone give Melody Damayo some instrument to blow; I'm sure she's capable.

The show could also embody some of the best elements of other hits. Imagine "Extreme Makeover" in Lonnie Hammargren's back yard, or "MythBusters" on Jerry Airola's campaign for sheriff.

We already have some of those elements in place. The print and television media here do their share of myth busting about candidate mailers and television commercials.

Consultants do their level best to make over candidates. Barbara Lee Woollen has gone from business owner concerned about immigration to smut queen and back to the moral high ground with help from a gay basher.

Throw in the legal challenges for more intrigue. We've got threatened lawsuits from Woollen and the bankrupt Geoffrey VanderPal over their opponents' campaign tactics.

Maybe Bob Stupak could host a candidate poker tournament. If the country can turn poker into a sport and its players into celebrities with agents, book deals and lawsuits, Stupak could get voters interested in exactly how sharp its candidates are.

Is "fiscal conservative" Jim Gibbons a tight player? Would his more liberal wife, Dawn Gibbons, play every hand?

Imagine how many candidates are out there right now "drawing dead." When you watch the World Series of Poker on ESPN, the beauty of the post-taping analysis is that you can see when a candidate gets the check mark meaning he can't lose the hand if he stays in. Sometimes the guy who can't win, make a huge, errant bet. How poignant would it be on television to watch a campaign keep throwing good cash after bad with no hope of coming out ahead?

You may think the stakes are higher in our little contest. After all, we're not giving away a recording contract. But we are giving away a job.

We may as well open it up, film it and show it to the rest of the country. Maybe that way voters will understand the stakes and be able to see what the candidates will really do to win.

And who knows, if it's successful, maybe Nevada's show could be a model for a national version in 2008. We already know we'll be a key locale.

Erin Neff's column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.