'Truth' or dare? Players land on hot seat
January 23, 2008
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
In Colombia last year, contestants on a game show answered personal questions while hooked up to a lie detector. One was asked if she had ever put a hit on her husband. Amazingly, she said yes. She won a jackpot of riches. Then the show was canceled due to bad taste.
Tonight, Fox imports that show and calls it "The Moment of Truth." If a contestant gives honest answers to 21 questions in a row, she pockets a half-million bucks.
Questions on the hot seat:
• Have you ever thought your boyfriend is gay?
• Have you ever touched a co-worker inappropriately in your current job?
• Is there a part of your husband's body that repulses you?
This is the most nutso idea for a game show in a while. Will it be fun TV? Don't ask me. Fox didn't provide any episodes for critics for review. That's not a good sign.
Also, polygraphs are infamously imperfect.
The creators of the show answered reporters' questions last week, and the most oddball admission came from executive producer Howard Schultz. He exclaimed publicly that his wife may not be the best lover.
You see, Schultz and his wife were sitting in the control room during a taping of "The Moment of Truth" when onstage the question was asked: "Is your spouse the best lover you ever had?"
"I suddenly turned to her," Schultz says, "I went, 'Well, are you? Are we? Am I?'
"I don't ever think she did answer the question. I told her I love making love to my wife. There's that one person that I dated a long time ago, before her, that is that golden box moment that I wrestle with."
Yikes.
Attention, husbands and wives: That's the kind of awkward nightmare you could face if you watch "The Moment of Truth."
Contestants have already felt repercussions, Schultz says. A 21-year-old emergency medical tech confessed he had not been faithful to his girlfriend. She dumped him.
You have to wonder what kind of people go on a show to be quizzed, "Do you think you'll still be married to your husband in five years?"
"There's a certain amount of narcissism," says Schultz, who produced the plastic-surgery version of "Extreme Makeover."
At least one boundary exists: No questions pertain to "minor children where a minor can be affected in any way," Schultz says.
And he swears he's not trying to break families apart.
"I'm not here to destroy people. That's not the goal," Schultz says.
Well, it wasn't the goal of the Columbian version of "The Moment of Truth" to confront an attempted killer, but that happened, too.
delfman@suntimes.com
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
In Colombia last year, contestants on a game show answered personal questions while hooked up to a lie detector. One was asked if she had ever put a hit on her husband. Amazingly, she said yes. She won a jackpot of riches. Then the show was canceled due to bad taste.
Tonight, Fox imports that show and calls it "The Moment of Truth." If a contestant gives honest answers to 21 questions in a row, she pockets a half-million bucks.
Questions on the hot seat:
• Have you ever thought your boyfriend is gay?
• Have you ever touched a co-worker inappropriately in your current job?
• Is there a part of your husband's body that repulses you?
This is the most nutso idea for a game show in a while. Will it be fun TV? Don't ask me. Fox didn't provide any episodes for critics for review. That's not a good sign.
Also, polygraphs are infamously imperfect.
The creators of the show answered reporters' questions last week, and the most oddball admission came from executive producer Howard Schultz. He exclaimed publicly that his wife may not be the best lover.
You see, Schultz and his wife were sitting in the control room during a taping of "The Moment of Truth" when onstage the question was asked: "Is your spouse the best lover you ever had?"
"I suddenly turned to her," Schultz says, "I went, 'Well, are you? Are we? Am I?'
"I don't ever think she did answer the question. I told her I love making love to my wife. There's that one person that I dated a long time ago, before her, that is that golden box moment that I wrestle with."
Yikes.
Attention, husbands and wives: That's the kind of awkward nightmare you could face if you watch "The Moment of Truth."
Contestants have already felt repercussions, Schultz says. A 21-year-old emergency medical tech confessed he had not been faithful to his girlfriend. She dumped him.
You have to wonder what kind of people go on a show to be quizzed, "Do you think you'll still be married to your husband in five years?"
"There's a certain amount of narcissism," says Schultz, who produced the plastic-surgery version of "Extreme Makeover."
At least one boundary exists: No questions pertain to "minor children where a minor can be affected in any way," Schultz says.
And he swears he's not trying to break families apart.
"I'm not here to destroy people. That's not the goal," Schultz says.
Well, it wasn't the goal of the Columbian version of "The Moment of Truth" to confront an attempted killer, but that happened, too.
delfman@suntimes.com
Comments