Premiering tonight is FOX's The Moment of Truth, a new game show that promises to expose the shocking secrets of various brave men and women. Despite the nature of the show, however, host Mark L. Wahlberg believes it's more than just a venue for a very public humiliation.

“Where this show really lives for me is that it becomes a personal journey,” Wahlberg said in a recent conference call. “Very quickly you start to learn, not just the information on the questions, but all sorts of information about this person, their family, their friends, their life.”

Wahlberg and the rest of America get to know more about the contestants on a personal level because the questions asked on The Moment of Truth are not like those posed on typical question-and-answer game shows. The new series is not about rewarding the contestant with the most wit, intelligence or skill. Rather, it's about giving someone the chance to win $500,000 for simply giving truthful answers to questions like “Do you like your mother-in-law?” “Have you ever stolen anything from work?” and “Have you ever cheated on your spouse?”

There are six levels in the game, with the questions becoming more and more personal as the contestant progresses. Mark L. Wahlberg said that in an effort to be a good host, he often tries to empathize with the contestants, especially when they get to the tough questions.

“I spend most of the time on that stage a little uncomfortable,” he revealed. “If they're nervous, I'm nervous for them."

The contestants are strapped to a polygraph in order to determine if they are being honest or not. If they are caught lying, they're taken out of the game. However, they don't necessarily have to walk away empty-handed from The Moment of Truth, as they have the choice to stop and take home a smaller amount of money at certain points in the game. Despite this, however, Wahlberg said that there are some contestants who really try to brave it all for the sake of winning half-a-million dollars.

“My whole realm of being on the set is really just trying to let them know all of their options and hope that they can get through this process with as much money as they want at a level of comfort that they are comfortable with,” he explained. “There are times when I've even said to them, ‘You've got a lot of money. I really don't want to have to ask this question. Please, don't make me read it.' And they say, ‘Bring it on.'”

Facing the tough questions has other benefits besides large cash prizes. Mark L. Wahlberg said that there are times the contestants are grateful for having found a place to come clean about their deepest darkest secrets and issues.

“Sometimes they come up to you afterwards and go, ‘Thanks for just letting us get this done, get it out in the open, talk it through and be done with this finally.' So it's an interesting dynamic,” he said.

The Moment of Truth premieres tonight at 9pm on FOX.


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: movieweb.com
(Image Courtesy of FOX)