★★★★★ 0/5

First Review: The Moment of Truth

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Answer truthfully now…

Is watching American game show contestants winning American money somehow just a tad irrelevant? TRUE.

Is this an exploitative, vicious format underlined by spite? TRUE.

Are these people complete morons for participating in this in the first place? TRUE.

Are there car-crash moments in this that you just can’t look away from? TRUE.

Do you feel dirty for watching it? TRUE.

Do you end up spending the whole time thinking ‘what has television sunk to?’ TRUE.

Do you wish it would just go away and bring back entertainment? TRUE.

Is this the slowest, dullest format you’ve since since you don’t remember when? TRUE.

Isn’t this, like most new game shows these days, just a variation of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? TRUE

Didn’t they do this a whole lot better in 1956 with To Tell The Truth anyway? TRUE.

Is this likely to draw a big audience in its first outing? TRUE.

Is it likely to sink just as fast? TRUE.

Is the promised Australian version therefore unlikely to ever see the light of day? TRUE.

Is this gonna make life really, really hard for Power of Ten? TRUE.

Aren’t lie detectors just a crock anyway? TRUE.

Would you recommend this show to your friends? FALSE.

Sorry, you lose….

Moment of Truth premieres 7:30pm Tuesday on Nine.

7 Responses

  1. Neil you’ve completely taken what I’ve said out of context in an absurdly ignorant way. I did not say “well it grabbed a massive audience, so it must be some what good”, I said I’m willing to give this one a shot. Its been pulling humongous figures in the US, think 15 million+, so it might just have something compelling and interesting about it.. Keywords being “just might” have something compelling and interesting about it. Not once did I say it was a “good” show, I merely stated there could possibly be something entertaining in it if its pulling such large figures. There’s your first statement down the toilet.

    And I know it had 23 million at first then dropped to 8 million, hence the average viewer rating of 15 million. That’s 5th grade Maths.

    Additionally, you’re wrong about Moment of Truth being on for 3 years. Its only had 6 episodes so far and only debuted 2 months ago. And not every show airing after Idol rates strongly, several shows have been pulled rather weak numbers after such a strong lead-in.

    And FYI, 2.5 men is a hilarious show. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean others view it as a “shocker”. I find close to all the shows on Seven and Nine to be not to my taste, but the truth is they all appeal to different markets and some people will find enjoyment in them whilst others don’t. What do you find amusing? 30 Rock and Scrubs? or the millions of reality and lifestyle shows on Seven and Nine? It varies from person to person.

    And for the record, I just came from watching this show and I thought it was awful. It was absurdly dragged out, from the long pauses to the random questioning of the contestant’s family/friends to pretty much everything on the show. It probably would be more suited to a half-hour time slot. Everything Dave said in his review was spot on, except I didn’t feel dirty from watching it, “bored” would be a more appropriate word. It really is just a Millionare remake, except instead of answering trivia they answer extremely confronting questions regarding their job, their relationships and their habits. Half the time the questions were juvenile sex-jokes like “Have you ever padded your underwear” and “Have you ever thought about sex in church”, the other half of the time it was just as Dave described it. Spiteful, vicious and exploitative.

    Yes, it will probably flop, especially up against The Biggest Loser and It Takes Two. Yes, an Aussie version is extremely unlikely unless they tone in down majorly in terms of content. However, it will probably continue to do well in the US. All of FOX’s game shows like this, Idol and Don’t Forget the Lyrics are rating stronger than most of their scripted series, unless there’s some huge scandal surrounding it e.g. the contestants are revealed to be actors like Dree said, it’ll probably be around for another 2-5 years. Unlike Niel, I waited until I had seen an episode before I passed judgment upon it, just like I said I would in my earlier comment. And again, I did not say it was good. Try reading closer next time.

  2. I used to think Two and A Half men was a shocker, then I actually watched a few episodes, and I find myself laughing out loud a few times each episode.
    Dont judge a book… err dont judge a TV show by its commercials.
    And Neil, this is Australia, not America, if you like there TV and compare it too ours and read it about it so much, why dont you marry it? 🙂

  3. For those who say “well it grabbed a massive audience, so it must be some what good”, here’s 2 points:

    1: Two and a Half Men gets 12mil a week,yet it is still a shocker
    2: MOT airs right after American Idol, America’s highest rating show, as it has been for the past 3years…every show airing after Idol increases in audience numbers

    just look at the numbers once it screened in another timeslot…ratings dropped from 14M to 8M…thats from a premiere of 23M…it’s a short-lived hype that will quickly die

    Nine suceeds in killing two shows with one stone in screening this (Power of 10 & this show)

  4. I thought Monster House wasn’t all that bad a show. I’m willing to give this one a shot. Its been pulling humongous figures in the US, think 15 million+, so it might just have something compelling and interesting about it. Oh, and if anyone feels dirty for watching any TV show at all, they should try taking a shower. Or going to church. I actually don’t quite understand that “dirty” statement. Why would anyone feel dirty by watching a TV show? Anyway, I’ll wait to cast judgements on this after I watch an episode (or part of one if I find it as awful as this review states)

  5. I think they’ve probably already decided not to do an Australian version and that’s why we’re getting this next week. I agree that it will have some initial interest but ultmately flop.

  6. Well.. it really just confirms something we already knew about a lot of Americans and that is they will do anything to appear on TV.
    Yeah I agree its pretty shameful but if some fool is going to put themselves on TV and air all there dirty laundry showing themselves as shallow morons? I’ll watch.
    I saw it last night and it is hard to not get emotional “involved” in the show, but in the end it just made me think “Hey least my life aint as screwed up as theirs”
    The money was a bit full on but it was the icing on the cake.

    I wouldnt be surprised if a few seasons down the line we learn that the whole thing was a fake, the lie detector was really just a director making decisions based on audience reactions and that all the participants were just actors.
    It wouldnt be the first time its happaned.

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