The Moment of Truth (2008– ) User Reviews

I change my mind. it's too predictable and dramatic

[The_Light_Triton · 4/10 · 7 February 2008]

Gameshows that spawned before 1990 seem to be better than the modern day gameshow. they seem to be family friendly and not so scary, with limited sex-related things.

The moment of truth is like a supermodel. Dramatic, predictable, plus they take too many breaks from their work.

OK, so the whole idea in The moment of truth is that the contestant must answer 21 questions. the further the player gets into the game, the more personal the questions get (this is where sexuality comes into play) The oohing and laughing are all staged, evidently. because some of the less personal questions still get a heavy ooh from the audience.

It's best you stay clear of this one and watch Deal or no deal, or Are you smarter than a 5th grader?, because those 2 are a true success.

Good premise, however.....

[TOMNEL · 6/10 · 30 January 2008]

"The Moment of Truth" is a very engaging and entertaining game show, but it is extremely overdone with annoying drama. After contestants are asked a difficult question, not only does the contestant wait to answer, but the camera goes to an overhead view, and the computer voice that answers true or false stalls for several seconds. When some questions are asked, a big orchestral piece is played and it goes to commercial. Those stupid techniques make this very entertaining show much worse than it could be. It's an enjoyable to see people answering truthfully to hard questions (though the easier ones are funner), but if the melodrama was cut out, this would be a much higher rated show.

My rating: ** 1/2 out of ****. 30 mins. TVPG

Like that little girl in the poem

[brimfin · 4/10 · 2 June 2012]

"There was a little girl and she had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. And when she good, she was very, very good; but when she was bad, she was horrid!"

This show reminded me of that little girl in the poem. Its premise was simple: keep telling the truth, no matter how embarrassing the questions, and you can win big bucks. It started out well, actually. The earliest contestants didn't have to reveal any earth-shattering information. And some of the answers actually seemed cathartic. One man told his son that he had not gambled away his college fund (as his mother had always claimed.) His answer was declared correct, and a father/son hug ensued. Another man admitted he belonged to the Hair Club for Men. He seemed relieved and happier that now everyone knew. And finally, there was Ray – the zenith for the series. He was a jovial, lovable blue collar worker. His only bad revelations were that he had looked at dirty magazines and occasionally fantasized about other women. But when asked if he would cheat on his wife if he knew she'd never find out, his answer was an emphatic and truthful "No!" Another question revealed the fact that he was hurt when his wife's parents refused to attend their wedding, but even that admission seemed to have a healing effect on both him and his wife. Ray left with 100 grand, and smiles on everyone's faces.

And then came the blonde. Mercifully, I don't remember her name. But if Ray was the zenith of the show, she was its nadir. She admitted to all kind of things – not wearing her wedding ring so people wouldn't know she was married, cheating on her husband, and secretly feeling she should have married her first boyfriend instead. Even though she'd passed one plateau of prize money after revealing all that, she foolishly kept on playing, only to be tripped up on the question, "Do you think you're a good person?" She answered yes, but apparently really thought otherwise. It was miserable to watch.

After that, the healing moments we'd witnessed in earlier shows never seemed to happen again. A poor sweet wife lost all her prize money when she said her husband was the best lover she ever had and it was declared as false. Her husband tried to comfort her but she left in tears. Another man admitted that he falsified documents at his job, leaving him open to possible criminal prosecution. One more contestant brought a ray of hope when he told his wife he had not dated any of her sisters prior to dating her. She was delighted with the news, and he smiled and added, "I told you so." But then the last question was "Have you ever cheated on your wife?" and he admitted that he had. He did win $100,000, but his wife was clearly devastated.

I never saw the show again after that. It only ran for a couple more episodes. MOMENT OF TRUTH – it had its moments, but the truth was it did more harm than good.

Terrible

[Aimless_Small_Potatoes · 2/10 · 23 January 2008]

I was interested in seeing this show just to see what kind of questions and answers they'd have. I'm so incredibly annoyed with it I will definitely not watch it again.

The annoying host, Mark Walberg (not Marky Mark but the guy who hosted Temptation Island) asks a question. The person in the chair literally sits there and contemplates their answer for 30 seconds. This is a long time when you're sitting there in silence. Plus - these people have already been asked the questions so they know what their answer is. They are obviously told to wait for a suspense effect.

Then, they say Yes or No...and we wait again for the computerized voice to say True or False. In one hour there were only two contestants. The first got through I think 13 questions? The second got through 6 so far (there are 4 minutes left so I assume only one more will be asked).

The audience is annoying too, I think they have little signs above them telling them to "oooohhh" or whistle or clap.

OK, the question that was just asked was if the guy padded his underwear to look bigger. This is ridiculous.

Depressing Awkward Jerry Springer Style Game Show

[rochelle-rochelle · 1/10 · 26 February 2008]

This is the worst game show ever created. The contestants are asked questions that they had been previously asked under a polygraph machine - which aren't that reliable as you know. Then the game show host, who acts judgmental and arrogant, asks the questions and sets the contestant and family/friends up by asking a simple question relating to the game show question first and then leads into the game show question.

Then, they have dramatic lights and music and a LOT, I mean a LOT of pauses and dead silence. They go to commercial break and then they repeat the last three minutes of the show from before the break and then there's another fake dramatic pause of the contestant THINKING about their answer.

WHAT IS THERE TO THINK ABOUT??? YOU KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS ARE COMING UP. THEY'VE BEEN ASKED OF YOU BEFORE!!!!!! They reveal things about the contestant that can break families and relationships apart and the game show host is such a dork and is so judgmental during the entire game show. He even says "some things are better left unsaid" - um, if you think that way, then WHY are you hosting and supporting a show where things ARE said? This show will be canceled and lives will be ruined in the process. And the sad thing is that after they've revealed HORRIBLE things about these people (affairs, stealing, cheating, lying, drug use, etc.) some don't even win any money so they did it all for nothing.

The same idiots that go on the Jerry Springer show go on this show. It's the same exact thing. People reveal things to their loved ones that they didn't know and that ruin their relationship and trust. It's not an uplifting game show. It's not a game show that I would EVER be on.

Almost makes Jerry Springer seem tame

[Brownsbros3 · 8/10 · 29 March 2008]

This show is the very definition of delightfully trash TV. It is amazing how horrible some people really are. I think I'm low, but then I watch this show, and see that there are people much worse than myself. Mark Walberg does a good job of hosting the show. He has a surprisingly calm influence over what should not be a calm situation. My only complaint is the pacing. The first segment is good. They usually get at least five questions in before the break. However, as each segment progresses, the number of questions that get asked will drop off considerably. Sometimes, they will only ask just one question. While I like Mark, I do wish they would cut back on the endless amount of chatter in between questions, and the nonstop promos for what's coming up later. They make it impossible for one person to answer all 21 questions in a one hour time span.

This Show Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boring

[D_Burke · 3/10 · 28 January 2008]

I have to give it to the makers of this show: they had a pretty good idea. However, once I watched the first episode, they really lost me. They lost me so much, as a matter of fact, that I wished even further that the currently striking writers (as of the date this article is written) would make a deal already. As great as the premise is, and as intriguing as it is in a Phil Donahue sort of way, it's not really a great show.

For one, you don't really feel an emotional connection to the contestant. Because of this, at least I didn't feel any sort of remorse when either the contestant revealed the awful truth, or when he lost the money he would have made.

The show would be a bit more exciting furthermore if the contestant was hooked up to a polygraph test as he or she was being questioned. Of course, polygraphs measure stress, so the results may not be accurate, but it would make for some far more interesting TV. It just seems as though the HAL-like female voice saying, "That answer is (extra long pause) true" is not only not thrilling, but it also feels like a huge waste of time. During this long pause where nothing was said and faces were examined, I felt like turning my TV off and reading a book.

This reality/game show is not as intriguing as "Deal or No Deal" or even "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". It's also about as disposable as the paltry "Hit Me Baby 1 More Time", with a host that's equally as dull. Unless this show gets a serious makeover, not even its placement after "American Idol" can save its fate.

The Truth is Refreshing

[fleur-11 · 10/10 · 12 February 2008]

I got sick of all the people complaining about how "boring" this show is, so I decided to comment myself. The Moment of Truth is a funny and exciting new reality series. Especially compared to all the other crap that's on *cough* American Idol, Survivor *cough* I love watching the contestants sweat when they get to a tough question, and their faces when they get caught in a lie. It also shows how much people are willing to do for money. Yeah, they might make it to $500,000 (which is going to get taxed down to crap) but at what cost? It's also a great opportunity for the nosy people of American to stick their nose in other peoples lives and business, and find out all their dirty little secrets. And if we didn't like stuff like that, Desperate Housewives never would have made it. The only bad parts of the show are the frequent commercial breaks and silly dramatic pauses. However, the hilarity of it all more than makes up for it.

The Moment of Truth is a great guilty pleasure.

Was a hugely popular show

[JurijFedorov · 6/10 · 23 March 2024]

Yet another show using a lie detector. They were extremely popular in USA and were used to convict people. Still used as a tool to solve whole crime cases and to this day if someone accused of a crime is offered a lie detector and refuses to take it or fails it the police, media, and public in USA will fully believe the person is guilty. There is no upside to taking them and there are plenty of cases where double-agents fooled such tests anyhow as you can't know why people are lying or why they are not believing their own stories or are maybe just too nervous.

This show is real enough. They need to take a lie detector first then answer questions in the studio to win money and if they fail a single question they lose all their money. It's simple and real. If you are about to get a divorce you can try to win $500K while you are revealing all the dirty secrets to the world causing a divorce. Which happens in the most notorious episode where a wife fails at the end by answering wrong on "do you believe you are a good person?" And hence the show reveals what it is. There are so many vague questions based on emotions that many people who fail don't know why they failed and truly believe they answered correctly. I just think the show fakes the answers to these questions to not give away $500K more than a single time during all the seasons. It shows how they manipulate the answers to never lose. Many people are ready to reveal all their dirty secrets, but you can't guess random emotional lie detector stats. Hence showing why the lie detector is bunk as you can't prove or disprove such statements.

Booooorrrrrriiiinnnnnnnngg....

[ultiman · 1/10 · 30 January 2008]

This show is absolutely horrendous. From the commercials it looked like a very good idea for a show where the contestant would be taking a lie detector test WHILE ON THE SHOW IN THE HOTSEAT. Not so.. It appears the contestants took a polygraph test BEFORE sitting in the hot seat, and the whole point of the show is just for the contestants to relay the same answers they gave while taking the test-- only this time it's with a 45-second pause.

The host asks the contestant a general question before asking each TRUE/FALSE question, and it ALWAYS gives away what the actual TRUE/FALSE question will be. Way to ruin the show...

FOX claims that the show had 30Million viewers and is the most anticipated show of 2008.. BOGUS. Maybe that's just because it follows immediately after American Idol without even a commercial break between the two shows? So even if the entire American Idol audience tuned into "The Moment of Truth" for one second they can claim they had 30Million viewers.

THIS. SHOW. STINKS.

Shocking beyond belief and factually real not faked

[mhenri-14120 · 10/10 · 21 March 2022]

Never have I seen a r.v.show with such suspense,it was beyond riveting and some episodes may be harmful to peoples psyche. The host and producers at moments are vile ,and exceed decency it seems EXCEPT THESE CONTESTANTS CHOSE THEIR PATH FOR MONEY , AND MERELY HAD TO TELL THE TRUTH...BEST SHOW OF ITS KIND EVER,BY FAR. Only an imbicile would not consider this show to be uniquely entertaining you want to learn how people have their innermost secrets uncovered. Brilliant show !

The absolute worst game show ever

[Eventuallyequalsalways · 1/10 · 27 May 2008]

I have watched a lot of game shows over the years, and this has to be the worst of the bunch. The host is boring; the premise panders to the lowest tastes in American citizens, possibly even lower than the audience for Jerry Springer, if a show can go that low. The show uses the technique which so many game shows use today.....they telegraph the answers coming up in the commercials, presumably so you won't, God forbid, change channels. Frequently the answers being telegraphed are wrong, so they can say "Gotcha" and make you sit through the endless pauses which I'm sure the producers learned in film school would ensure "drama." This program is relentlessly boring, and if it were possible to give it a zero on the rating scale, I would do so. You would think the geniuses who conceive these horrible shows would take a look at the true action and drama on game shows which have withstood the test of time. Look at "Jeopardy" which makes the contestants face 61 questions in 30 minutes, and which never give a contestant a multiple-choice question. And, Jeopardy is a clean show, you will never have to explain to your 9-year-old why the man/woman is so upset over the questions asked. This program was conceived and panders to our base natures of greed, corruption and venality, it will not last, it will join the scrap heap of past failed ventures, and the sooner, the better.

Idiotic

[btzarevski · 1/10 · 9 November 2010]

OK, firstly I would like to say that I believe this is faked and staged; ask yourself, would you go on a show, reveal your deepest secrets, ruin your family all for supposedly having a chance to win a sum of money which, let's face it, the middle class people they have on the show don't necessarily need in order to resort to desperate measures. No.

Why I know it is staged is because the contestants are asked and answer the questions before the show...ergo they know exactly what to answer in order to win the money! Furthermore, if they lie, it will be revealed that they are lying so their loved ones will still find out the truth!! The questions are staged, the answers are staged and the winners are staged. If the loved ones will find out the truth whether you tell the truth or lie, you won't lie and so win the money; everybody would be a winner! The other part of the show that grates my cheese is the audience and 'suspense'. Long, emphasized, unnecessary pauses while the contestants contemplate answers to questions they have already heard and answered combined with fake gasps and jeers from the idiotic studio audience all makes for a very annoying, irritating TV show! Don't waste your time with this 'reality' show!

An Interesting Idea, But It's Destroyed With Too Much Drama (SPOILERS)

[I_Am_The_Taylrus · 3/10 · 29 January 2008]

SPOILERS

After all of the controversy and anticipation surrounding this game-show, I felt that I needed to watch this. It is definitely an interesting idea, but it is so long-winded and boring that I just could not enjoy it. There are several nice elements about the show, like the setting and some of the questions, but there are a lot of things pulling this show back, like the dramatic pauses before the contestant gives his of her answer, and the annoying voice that tells you if it a lie or the truth.

Okay, here is the premise of this game-show. A contestant is asked very personal questions while being strapped to a lie detector. The contestant then must tell the truth. If they do, they win money. However, if they are lying, they lose all of their money that they had won. If the contestant answers all of the questions truthfully, they win the grand prize of five hundred thousand dollars.

Overall, I thought that this was going to be a passable show, but I was heavily disappointed. There are only some good things about the Moment of Truth, but it is mostly just a boring train-wreck of a show. I doubt that I am going to watch the Moment of Truth again. Anyway, this is a terrible show that should not be viewed.

3/10

BEST SHOW..BRING IT BACK!

[cszarek · 10/10 · 28 April 2024]

This TV show did not get the high ratings it did for being boring. I will say I have been binge-watching this and remember watching it when it first aired. It definitely is less tedious(commercials, long pauses for answers) if you binge-watch it. I have no idea why they canceled it after 2 seasons. The only reason I could think of is because of the controversial episode that did not air or the commercials/pauses. It truly is frustrating when you are watching the show back then and have to sit through all the commercials. There were only about seven questions that were asked each show because of that.