The Moment of Truth

October 13, 2008

          It was my first time last week to watch the show The Moment of Truth. It was a Fox game show, which from the name itself, brings out the truth from the contestant—painful or not. The questions get harder as the show goes on and becomes very, very personal. From watching just one episode, I can say that this show can ruin oh so many lives. The show uses a lie detector, which I think cannot be disputed. The willing “victim” sits in the stage where the host asks him or her a series of questions. I think you can win as much as $500,000 by answering all the questions without lying. The episode I watched reached the $200,000 level (at this point, his husband already looked angry and betrayed), but after revealing hard truth in front of her family (ie, parents, sister, husband), she was deemed by the all-knowing lie detector as lying when asked, “Do you think you’re a good person?” She said “yes,” and from what I gathered from the previous questions, she hardly is. Hey, I am allowed to be judgmental! Heck, she joined that show! She confessed in public, in front of her husband (emphasis here), that she thought that she should have been married to somebody else on her wedding day, that she sometimes remove her wedding ring to appear single, and that she had sexual relations other that with her husband, among other things. Well?

          Apparently, this is not the first show which had the “truth” mechanics. A Colombian game show started it all, and some 20 countries adapted it. It was earning big bucks but had to be cancelled when a contestant admitted negotiating with a gun-for-hire to kill, guess who, her husband. Fortunately of unfortunately for her, the husband was able to run away.

          I find it amazing how much the entertainment industry and the people have evolved. We are now at the masochistic/sadistic level!

          It gets me to thinking: If there was a show such as that here in the Philippines, who would you want to be its contestant? Hmmm… I know!