Honestly speaking

Wednesday, 10 pm

Rating

What8217;s it about?

Sometimes when asked a difficult personal question, a little lie doesn8217;t hurt. Unless you8217;re on the game show The Moment of Truth, and you are caught by a lie detector. The challenge is simple 8211; answer 21 increasingly personal questions honestly, as determined by a polygraph, and win up to 500,000. Prior to playing, participants are strapped to a lie detector and asked a series of questions by a polygraph expert, who records their answers. Questions range from simple ones like Will you feed a dog instead of a homeless man to more difficult ones like Were you in love with your ex boyfriend on your wedding day and have you had sexual relations after marriage? At any time, between the polygraph and the televised game, participants can change their answers or walk away from the competition.

Who8217;s in it?

Host Mark L Walberg is the hard taskmaster on the show. He administers the questions already answered by contestants previous to the show8217;s taping. The prize to be won is 500,000, but what we all want to know is if it will be worth it?

What8217;s hot?

The first season of the game show was very successful, but the second season that is currently being aired on TV has lived up to the potential of its relationship-destroying promise. The contestant on last week8217;s episode, Lauren, decided to answer every question. Does she steal from work? Yes. Was she in love with someone else on her wedding day? Yes. Has she ever cheated on her husband? Yes! At this point, she8217;d accrued 100,000. But then, in what will likely be remembered as one of the all-time greatest moments in reality-show history, she lost everything on a throwaway question turns out she doesn8217;t actually believe that she8217;s a good person, thus rendering her marriage-ruining confessions totally pointless. It is this uncertainty and shock value that is the highlight of the show.

What8217;s not?

This is the only game show where participants know both the questions and the answers before they begin to play, which takes away the realness from the show. The show also has too much melodrama in it, with camera panning overhead before the right answer is announced. The female8217;s voice making the True or False announcement with long pauses is especially annoying. The touchier questions on the show are especially revealing because participants reveal their answers in front of spouses, relatives and friends, hanging on every word and you really feel for the participants.

Should you be watching it?

For the Indian audience, this is a complete culture shock. But for those who dare to watch it are going to enjoy an hour-long package of entertainment.