The Bottom Line
- Mark L. Wahlberg is an engaging and empathetic host.
- The concept is fresh and unlike any other show currently airing
- There are "warm and fuzzy" moments between contestants and their loved ones
- Dramatic pauses are often manufactured
- There's a 'peeping Tom' quality in watching contestants reveal secrets about themselves
- Contestants are unlikely to push themselves to win the half-million dollar grand prize
Description
- Contestants win money by answering increasingly personal questions while being hooked up to a polygraph machine.
- The first six questions net a prize of $10,000. Five more questions earn $25,000. This continues to a top prize of $500,000.
- Players are asked up to 75 questions prior to the taping of the show. 21 of those questions are asked during the game.
- Contestants can quit and walk away with all money earned so far, but if they choose to hear a question they have to answer.
- If the polygraph registers an answer as "false," the contestant is finished and walks away with nothing.
Guide Review - 'The Moment of Truth'
The Moment of Truth is part game show, part True Confessions. It's riveting to watch as contestants answer very personal questions about themselves, obviously embarrassed or uncomfortable, and yet continue to push themselves to answer more to win a bigger purse.
Adding to the discomfort is the presence of family members, spouses, close friends, and employers, who all sit on a couch nearby. As the contestant faces more personal questions and gives more revealing answers, the loved ones on the sofa react first with laughter, which quickly turns to shock and sometimes disappointment.
From a production perspective, the show is slick and almost feels automated. Brightly colored lights flash green when an answer is true, and red for false. Contestant bios are read in the same fembot-style voice as the polygraph results (and, coincidentally, the same voice that FOX used during the short-lived reality show Unan1mous). The music is dramatic as contestants walk out and host Mark Wahlberg says, "Welcome to your moment of truth."
Wahlberg himself, though, brings a badly-needed touch of warmth to the game show. He warms the contestants up before each question, talking to them about their backgrounds and giving hints as to which question is coming up. He seems genuinely invested in each contestant, warning them that more intimate questions are coming up, and even involving the friends and family members in attendance.
Overall, The Moment of Truth has the potential to become very, very popular. It's one of those shows that viewers become hooked on, but are too embarrassed to admit it to anyone. As long as the contestants and the questions stay fresh, I predict that this show will be around for some time to come.
