America Faces The Moment of Truth

Here’s an explosive series that was a direct result of the writers’ strike…”The Moment of Truth.” We all saw this coming when our favorite shows went on hiatus. Without clever comedies like “The Office,” smart, political thrillers like “24,” teen dramas like freshmen hit “Gossip Girl” (yeah, I guess “One Tree Hill” swept in to get us through the cold winter months), crappy and home-wrecking game shows were bound to pop up left and right. And to briefly sidetrack regarding the writers’ strike, I certainly find it strange that “The Hills” was off air during the strike, as if it too, was waiting on writers. More than that, I have definitely not forgotten that ABC had to shave off three episodes from an already shortened season of “Lost,” which is on my list of things that are not at all cool or funny. Bullshit.

Either way, venting on the writers’ strike aside, I’ll focus more so on venting about “The Moment of Truth,” a show whose premise is destroying lives. People are forced to answer questions that at best, have the potential ruin relationships with wives, husbands, families, friends, etc…it’s disgusting. Admittedly, yours truly was sucked in earlier in the season, but it got old, and a little pathetic, and eventually I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t want to watch these people parade their sins around in front of America to make money.

Honestly, what happened to game shows that showed people aspiring to their greatest potential? “Jeopardy”? “Camouflage”? “Family Feud”? “Ninja Warrior”? These are game shows that celebrate people’s accomplishments. These are friendly and fair competitions that people take part in. “The Moment of Truth” is not a test of wit, logic, or strength…it’s a hot seat where people admit those things that are better left unsaid. “Have you ever fantasized about having sex with someone other than your wife?” “Do you blame your father for tearing your family apart?” “Have you ever slept with any of your friends exes?” Do you really want to put a price on the answers to these questions?

That said, I randomly watched the season finale, where the host provided updates on the past contestants, most of which seemed to be working out problems with their respective spouses and families, problems that were no doubt non-existent until those things that should be left unsaid were said. One contestant seemed to smooth things over with his wife by putting his winnings towards a set of breast implants for her…nothing says I’m sorry for looking like an ass in front of America like a set of new boobs I guess.

Either way, I can’t put all the blame on the contestants for whoring their secrets out in front of America. They admit to a lot of things that most people are guilty of, the difference being that they are things that you should never admit. Mostly, I blame FOX for putting this show on the air. They’ve created the perfect guilty pleasure, a show that is actually embarrassing to watch. When the host ended the show saying, “We look forward to seeing you next season,” I was really confident for about a second that with the strike over, we would return to quality programming, but sure enough, his statement was followed by clips of season 2…don’t get sucked in. Hope it gets cancelled. Ignore it until it goes away. Help restore America’s moral fiber.

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