Sunday, February 24, 2008

Taking a Moment for the Truth...

Fox's Moment of Truth has to be the most ridiculous show on television. I know, I shouldn't be surprised. It is a Fox reality show, but even for them... I just can't get my head around this.

Just in case you don't know, here's the setup of the show. Some willing person (who is clearly already a little crazy for auditioning for any reality show with the name Fox tied to it) takes a polygraph before taping. They're then asked the same questions in front of cameras, and to win, they have to tell the truth.

Typical reality show premise: put people in potentially mortifying situations and watch them squirm for entertainment's sake. And the show consistently delivers, question after question. Take this week's episode for example. Ray is a cook, really relaxed, overweight guy, married for 30 years with a bunch of kids and some grandkids. He brings along his wife (of course), 2 of his daughters, and his mom. Good so far. He gets asked 3 pretty easy questions and passes with flying colors. Still fine. But that was just the warm-up.

"Do you ever worry about dying from being overweight?" "Yes," truth.
"Have you ever flirted with a woman at work?" "No," truth.
"Would you cheat on your wife if you knew you wouldn't be caught?" "No," truth.
"Have you ever looked at pornography without your wife's knowledge?" Shocker, he says yes. Shocker number 2, it's the truth.
"Would you donate an organ to save your mother's life?" "Yes, in a heartbeat," truth. His heart is probably not that healthy, but good for him.
"Do you resent your mother for treating your wife badly?" Hesitates, "yes," mother doesn't look surprised, neither does anyone who has heard a woman talk about her mother-in-law. Pointless.

But now things get interesting. "Do you resent your mother for wearing black to your wedding?" Ok, potentially interesting story there. Turns out he does, but it becomes a therapy session ending with an emotional reconciliation between mother and son. Tears are shed, people hug, now back to the game.
"Have you ever fantasized about having sex with a woman other than your wife?" "Yes," true. Not real surprising, but potentially hurtful since he has shown how much he loves his wife.
"Do you ever think your wife deserves someone more attractive than you?" "Yes," sad, but apparently true.

Somewhat emotional questions, but this isn't the most bizarre part. What I don't understand is the audience's reaction to each answer. I guess they're happy that he's being honest, but it just sounds so strange. I can understand cheering for him being faithful to his wife, and even what happened when he and his mom made up, but is it really appropriate for some of the other questions? "Yes I worry about dying from being overweight." Cheers! "Yes I resent my mother for not accepting my wife." Yay! "I don't feel worthy of my wife's affection." Hoorah!

"This show is only successful because Fox put it in the time slot after Idol." Truth.

No comments: