I CANNOT tell a lie: Fox’s new lie-detector show was a slow- paced bore.
In “The Moment of Truth,” hosted by Mark L. Walberg, contestants are asked embarrassing questions in the presence of loved ones.
They’ve already been asked the same questions while hooked up to a polygraph machine, so the “machine” knows if their subsequent answers are true or false.
If they answer all the questions truthfully, they’ll win up to $500,000. The scenario is: They might win the money, but lose the loved ones in the process.
Last night, it actually seemed impossible to win any money, but very easy to lose the loved ones. Or so it seemed.
Contestant No. 1, a former football player and personal trainer, wound up with no prize money after he answered this question falsely: “As a personal trainer, have you touched a female client more than what’s required of you?”
He said no and the answer was false, leaving him to repair the damage with his pretty wife, who sat on stage nearby. Unfortunately, though, the aftermath of his lie was not explored at all on the show – a missed opportunity, since viewers had to be curious about how the story would turn out.
Perhaps there wasn’t time, since this had to be the slowest game show on record, especially when it came time to declare each answer true or false.
“That answer is [l-o-o-o-o-ng pause] true,” said a monotone female voice that seemed computer-generated.
The pauses, which grew longer as the hour wore on, were probably designed to generate suspense. Instead, they produced yawns.
The evening’s second contestant seemed tailor-made for this show. He was a gregarious guy named George who had no problem admitting he wore a toupee and once stuffed the front of his pants to impress women.
His questions included this one: “Have you ever gone through a co-worker’s personal belongings without their knowledge?”
That’s an easy one: Doesn’t everybody?
“The Moment of Truth”
Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Fox