The World of Bohemedude

"Truth or Dare" Grows Up!

Fox's new realtiy/game show Moment of Truth  premiered last night after American Idol. The premise of the show is simple. The commentator asks a contestant a number of questions, and the contestant simply must answer each truthfully. As he or she answers questions honestly, the potential for winning big bucks grows greater, with the ultimate prize being half a million dollars. So, are you ready to sign up? $500,000 in prize money just for telling the truth seems like a great deal, right? There is a catch of course.

Prior to going on the show, contestants are asked a multitude of questions while undergoing a lie detector test. The results are gathered but not revealled to the contestants. On the show, the contestants are asked a sampling of the same questions, and if they tell the truth(as recorded by the lie detector)  they progress up the prize pyramid. Once the contestant answers a question dishonestly, he or she is disqualified and loses all prize money. And, of course, a contestant can stop playing at anytime and go home with whatever prize has already been won. Fair enough, you say? Well... it's still not quite as simple as it sounds.

The questions asked are pretty personal. And, contestants answer them while their spouses, best friends, and other family members watch. Imagine answering questions like: Have you ever done anything that would cause your spouse to no longer be able to trust you?" or "Do you have a bank account that your spouse does not know about?" or "Have you ever used the Internet to flirt?" And imagine giving your answers while your significant other is sitting across from you.

I must admit, I found the show to be wildly fascinating and unnerving all at the same time. The production elements of the show work to increase the suspense and anxiety of the contestant, the audience, and especially the "significant other," who is understandably hanging on every word that the contestant speaks. Pregnant pauses punctuate the time between the contestants answer and the verdict of some unseen, almost Godlike judge who determines if the response was True or False. The show's host plays up the difficulty of each question and subtley torments the contestant and his or her companions. The entire show gives new meaning to the concept of "hot seat."

I was definitely captivated by the show, watching with an almost voyeuristic fascination. I found the concept of the show to be rather interesting, and I found myself thinking about it even today. In fact, my coworkers and I even talked about the show a bit. The more I think about it, the more I find myself completely ethralled by the entire premise. First, I am dumbfounded by the fact that anyone would willingly subject oneself to what amounts to much more than public scrutiny. Second, I cannot imagine under what circumstances I would want my partner to go on public television and be so completely honest.

At one point in last night's show, the best friend of a young woman whose husband was in the hot seat asked her if hearing the answer to one of the more difficult questions was worth $10,000. The contestant had just confessed that he had held off on having children with his wife because he wasn't absolutely certain she would be his partner for life. The man's wife was visibly shaken by his candid responses to the questions, but she answered her friend by telling her that she was curious. I can't help but wonder if her curiosity was of the variety that killed the cat.

How much honesty is too much? Is anyone absolutely totally and completely honest? I mean, really... We have to face the facts and the bottom line is that none of us is capable of complete honesty, nor is our world designed for us to be completely honest with one another. We all tell "little white lies" to save the feelings of others or to cover our own asses.   "No, those jeans do not make you look fat....  You are certainly better looking than anyone else I've ever dated... I didn't inhale." Little fibs aside, we all have our secrets as well.  We don't divulge every single detail of the past, and in most cases, we shouldn't.  We keep certain things to ourselves because common sense tells us that baring our souls isn't always wise. We all make errors in judgment that would cost us dearly if the wrong person or persons were to find out, so we simply vow to take certain infractions with us to our graves. On the flipside of the same issue, I think there are also certain things we would really not want to know.

As I discussed Moment of Truth and its premise with my friends today, I was struck by my own discomfort with the concept of the show. I cannot begin to imagine how the lives of the contestants and the people they love will be altered by participation in this show. When you stop to consider how our lives shift and change from day to day or moment to moment, the notion of being able to answer such questions with complete honesty is daunting. In my own life, I know that my contentment with my job, my relationship, and my friendships waxes and wanes. I know that I find myself oscillating between moments of elation and fulfillment and those of heartache and disillusionment. Like everyone, I wrestle with demons of doubt from time to time. I may have given into temptation when I should not have. Those shortcomings are things I keep to myself. There is a fine line between an honest confession and casting one's burdens onto someone else. Sometimes our brutal honesty eases our guilt while casting a dark and destructive shadow on the hearts of those whose lives are forever changed by our selfish honesty. I wonder how many of those stories will be told on "Moment of Truth"