After endless jokes about flatulence and bodily secretions, the American Pie franchise has finally run out of gas with its latest straight-to-video offering American Pie Presents: Beta House. The film is the sixth entry in the series and the third in a row to bypass theaters and head directly to the small screen.

For many years Erik Stifler (John White) and his friend Cooze (Jake Siegel) have been looking forward to their freshman year at the University of Michigan. Why that particular university? They want to become alumni of the legendary Beta House fraternity.

Erik’s cousin, Dwight (Steve Talley), who is in charge of the fraternity, has over the years been relating the torrid details of Beta House’s wild parties to Eric and Cooze.  But before being accepted into the fraternity, the two pals must complete 50 insane challenges which Dwight and his fellow frat brothers have devised.

The tests are far from ordinary.  For instance, the boys must steal an ostrich and leave the big bird in some unsuspecting victim’s room while he or she is asleep plus marry a member of the same sex, pose naked for a magazine, and so on. But Dwight has a challenge of his own, for a formidable new rival, GEK (Geek) House starts vying for top spot on campus.

The Geek fraternity started out as a social club. Its members are from extraordinary wealthy families. If that isn’t advantage enough, they are all top students. Their futures appear bright, indeed. Even worse, the faculty of the University recently granted them a charter to build a huge mansion for their frat house, and the hottest girls on campus are now gravitating towards the alumni of Geek House because of the geeks’ rosy future.

After numerous misadventures, the two houses face off in a campus ritual, which had been banned on campus years earlier for its total lack of control. The Greek Olympiad!

Much is at stake, for the losers must forfeit their house and charter and leave the university forever.  Even worse, the geeks prove themselves formidable adversaries.

Ashley (Meghan Heffern) hasn’t dated since her ex-boyfriend left for college a year earlier. She broke up with him after learning he had slept with another girl. She now takes an interest in Erik. Soon the two are dating. Unfortunately, Heffern and White evidence little chemistry here. They simply are not believable as a couple. And Talley’s performance appears to be a poor imitation of Sean William Scott’s depiction of the Steven Stifler character in the American Pie forerunners. However, Savage stands out as the sinister and delightfully evil Geek leader Edgar.

Screenwriter Erik Lindsay and director Andrew Waller are too concerned about shocking the audience with unsavory sight gags than in telling a decent story. Furthermore, viewers never learn why Ashley, who doesn’t trust Beta House members, chooses to take up with Erik. American Pie veteran Eugene Levy seems uncomfortable with the dialogue as well as the unlikely situations his character finds himself in while presiding over the Greek Olympiad, and Waller's direction is extremely tedious, making the film seem excruciatingly long.

(Released by Universal Home Video and rated "R" for pervasive strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, language and excessive drinking.)