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TV Preview
'Moment of Truth,' hour of poor taste
By Diego Vasquez
Jan 23, 2008 - 1:10:27 AM

With the writers’ strike forcing many scripted shows into reruns, there are a number of new shows premiering at midseason.

This is one in a series of Media Life previews of those programs.


Name of show
“The Moment of Truth”
 
Timeslot
Fox, Wednesday 9 p.m.
 
Plot synopsis
The latest in its line of questionable-taste reality shows that also includes “Who’s Your Daddy” and “Joe Millionaire,” Fox’s “The Moment of Truth” is a game that challenges contestants to answer 21 increasingly personal questions for a chance at winning $500,000.
 
Before the episodes are taped, contestants are hooked to a polygraph machine--a lie detector--and asked 50 to 75 questions, like “Have you ever made a sexy video and uploaded to the internet?,” “Would you cheat on your spouse if you knew you wouldn’t get caught?,” and “Have you ever touched a female co-worker inappropriately?”
 
The contestants are told 21 of those questions will be asked again on the air but are not told which ones nor how they fared on the polygraph.

They’re free to change their answers the day of the show’s taping, but to win the money the players must tell the truth in front of the camera. The polygraph results serve as a guide.
 
“Moment of Truth” is hosted by former “Joe” and “Temptation Island” host Mark Walberg.
 
Outlook
Fox’s new game show has the jewel of all timeslots, the Wednesday 9 p.m. period directly following mega-hit “American Idol.”
 
While tonight’s premiere will no doubt get a good amount of sampling from the post-“Idol” audience, its long-term success in the timeslot is no guarantee.

“House” remains the only show to turn into a hit after airing behind “Idol.” Fox has missed with a number of comedy and reality shows in this slot, including “Life on a Stick,” “The Loop” and “Unan1mous.” "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" has performed decently but tailed off quite a bit after moving away from "Idol."

“Moment” airs against solid competition, too.

Tonight it faces originals of CBS’s hit “Criminal Minds” and ABC’s “Supernanny,” along with a repeat of NBC’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” Next week ABC will air a repeat of “Lost” to prepare viewers for the highly anticipated upcoming season premiere of that show.

The buzz
To call “The Moment of Truth” train-wreck TV would be a severe understatement. The show first made news in the U.S. when the Colombian version was pulled off the air last year after a female contestant admitted to hiring a hitman to off her husband.
 
She won $25,000.
 
Buyers here agree the American version should draw significant sampling initially, and note that its timeslot competition is different enough for it to succeed.
 
“CBS has a Wednesday night lineup that skews older, and it has a solid following, but it’s not the audience that would watch something like ‘Moment of Truth,’” says Karen McCallum, media director at Esparza Advertising in Albuquerque, N.M. “Same with NBC.”
 
She says that a solid start, even one boosted by heavy post-“Idol” sampling, will be critical for the show. She believes it could then benefit as the writers’ strike continues and original fare on other networks dwindles.
 
What critics are saying
“You can have all the controversy of a year's worth of ‘TMZ,’ but without spectacle, viewers won't stick around. It's a challenge I'm not sure ‘The Moment of Truth’ can overcome. The show won’t even be able to play the controversy card for more than another week or two, because on Feb. 18, NBC will debut ‘The Baby Borrowers,’ an unscripted series that will let five unwed couples, ages 18 to 20, ‘raise’ honest-to-God infants. I know, it sounds like I'm making it up. Go ahead, Google it. I'll wait.” – Christopher Lawrence, Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
“Here’s truth for you. Fox knows precisely how low it’s aiming with ‘The Moment of Truth.’ The network’s promotional material proclaims that the show represents ‘the end of civilization as we know it.’ They said it, folks, I didn’t.” – Mark Dawidziak, Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
“Sounds a lot like truth or dare. It may get boring in 10 minutes, or it may turn out to be watchable, in that unseemly, let's-watch-the-neighbors-fight sort of way. But, it’s not going to be cataclysmic, because, who cares?.” – Rick Kushman, Sacramento Bee