Many people bump the center channel level up a couple of dB above the level of the rest of their speakers for just this reason. Usually, movies are mixed pretty well, but some TV shows are now mixing dialog lower and letting actors talk "under their breathe" for a feeling of "realism". Of course, reality shows have uneven audio sometimes due to their somewhat unpredictable miking needs. Some audio engineer are caught up in the "make everything louder than everything else" style of mixing, leaving vocals and narration lower in the mix.
Try raising the center 2dB at your receiver, and it'll likely help voices rise a bit above the din.
Of course, initial accounts are that the VP180 wouldn't be a mistake, either!
