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‘Moment of Truth’ serves guilty pleasure

Fox’s latest reality game show, “The Moment of Truth,” is perhaps the perfect example of a guilty pleasure.

The simple joy of the show comes from watching a former altar boy answer questions like “Have you ever had a sexual fantasy during mass?” or an admitted addict answer “Have you ever gambled away one of your son’s college funds?”

Courtesy Photo — Fox. Mark Wahlberg hosts Fox’s new, polygraph-driven game show, “The Moment of Truth.” The show’s contestants must answer 21 increasingly personal, difficult questions truthfully to win up to $500,000.

Contestants reveal embarrassing and harmful secrets on national television — all for money. The show’s contestants are asked 50 questions about themselves, their opinions and their habits while strapped to a lie detector. Twenty-one of those questions are asked of them again on the show. The more questions they answer truthfully, the more money they get. The larger the amount of money on the line, the more personal the questions become.

Even better — or worse — the show brings on three of each contestant’s relations to stand by while they answer their questions. Things get really funny and awkward when a contestant is asked if she thinks her mother, sitting mere feet away, has a weight problem. Some people may sympathize with these contestants — they are only trying to get rich, right? True, but after a couple questions reveal them to be on the sleazy side, you start hoping for something that’ll really make them sweat.

A lot of the questions are geared toward relationships. A player whose girlfriend was present was asked if he found her boring (he did), if he used his lack of money as an excuse for not proposing to her (he did) and if he flirted with others via text-messaging (he did). The show is less about rooting for the contestant and more about watching jerks get what’s coming to them.

Because lying sends contestants home with nothing, regardless of whether the contestant lies and gets booted or tells the truth and goes on, he is bound to insult someone. Win or lose, contestants go home with ruined friendships and strained relationships. And the best part? We, the audience, will be howling at the downcast facial expressions of the utterly deserving.

The biggest flaw of the show lies in its previews. Occasionally they will show the same person being asked multiple questions, which tends to ruin any present suspense. However, the show isn’t about suspense; it’s about watching morally bankrupt people tell the world just how slimy they really are.

This show is definitely a little disturbing. But for anyone who watches the first four or so episodes of “American Idol” to see how much of a fool people will make of themselves just to get two seconds on TV, or for anyone who enjoyed watching people eat pig guts on “Fear Factor” or for all of us who need to feel better about ourselves after a rough day, this show is just for us.
“The Moment of Truth” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.