Gawker: moment of truth

Bad 'Moment Of Truth' Lady: "The Heart Wants What It Wants"

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:26:01 EDT

Remember Lauren Cleri, the original terrible "Moment of Truth" contestant who sold out her husband and her marriage on live TV, only to walk away with no money at all? Well FOX has helpfully put a brand new update interview with her on YouTube. Seems she's having some relationship troubles now! Her husband is hurting. She's hurting. Everybody's hurting! But you know what? This experience has helped make her the strong woman that she is today. What hasn't gotten stronger, though: her sense of judgment, for doing this updated interview in the first place. The full video is after the jump.

We Are All Complicit In 'Moment Of Truth'

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:03:19 EDT

So, anybody catch last night's episode of Fox's show, "You're A Dirty Whore, Aren't You?" Okay, I see here the formal title is "Moment of Truth." Last night, a blonde, curly-haired hostess/ model from New York hit the trifecta by insulting her mother, insulting her friend, and proving herself to be a dirty, bad girl. Whoa, Fox was just as outraged as you were! Why is it so hard to find clean-living people for these reality shows? In perfect form, the guest proved that both her current and former boyfriend are smug assholes (simply by allowing them to show their faces), and then proceeded to confidently continue to sell her honor past the point of no return. And how much money did she walk away with in exchange? The highlight clip is below. This show makes my soul feel weird.

Investigative Team Digs Up Motivation For Being TV Jerk

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:11:25 EST

The New York Post this morning puts a total of four reporters on the trail of Lauren Cleri, the bad woman who ruined her husband's life on national television this week by revealing her cheating heart on the Fox show "Moment of Truth." She wasn't that hard to track down, but you need some support in touch and go reporting situations like this. The stunning headline: WIFE: I DID IT FOR THE TV MONEY [NYP]. She's still telling the truth, at least. Cleri said she was surprised at the attention the couple's meltdown in front of 8 million viewers got, because she didn't think they were "going to stand out." Well then. It's hard for her too, you know; a message on her MySpace page (below) trumpets the depth of her despair.

Bad Lady Is Not A Good Person After All

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:07:03 EST

Don't know if anybody caught Fox's new honesty-promoting reality show "Moment of Truth" last night, but if you did, you may still feel a bit dirty. They should go ahead and rename it, "Destroy All You Hold Dear In Exchange For Thousands of Dollars, Then Be Crushed In A Stunning Twist For Our Collective National Amusement." Yea, that's better. In the clip below, our heroine, having already broken her husband's heart with her painful true answers about her lack of love for him, receives her ironic comeuppance. This show would only be justifiable if they put, say, Rupert Murdoch in the chair.

Celeb-verity

Richard Lawson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:06:39 EST

Fox's monstrous tell-the-truth-for-sweet-sweet-cash game show, Moment of Truth, has apparently been attracting some interest from "celebrities" like Roger Clemens and suspected murderer Drew Peterson. Juicers and murderers. Mission accomplished, Fox. May we suggest Mary-Kate Olsen? [Vulture]

We Can Handle The Truth

Richard Lawson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:31:45 EST

Moment of Truth, that hideous new game show that precariously rewards people for telling the truth about their embarrassing lives, seems to be a hit. Fox is reporting the highest retention rate of any post-Idol show ever; 94 percent to be exact, for a total of 23.2 million viewers. Mike Darnell, president of Fox's ominously titled "alternative entertainment", is quoted as saying "What I care about is it is causing a dialogue about telling the truth." Ah yes. No better grease for the gears of public discourse than a rabid public watching someone shame themselves for the promise of money. [AP]

Magic Hair's Big Break

Richard Lawson — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:25:00 EST

Remember those old, seemingly ubiquitous ads for the Hair Club for Men with the guy who wasn't just the president, he was also a client? Of course you do, they were everywhere. Then, they just kind of disappeared. The anti-balding industry had faded. Until now! Last night an only slightly apologetic contestant on Fox's Moment of Truth admitted to being a member of the Club. I could never have guessed from the the big, bushy pine cone sitting atop his forehead. This morning "Hair Club for Men" is one of the hottest searches on Google. Also, the New York Times ran a story today about the recent upsurge of that other bald dude juggernaut, Rogaine. Their new success is mostly due to some sort of icky foam. Here we have an ad for the product which, for the first time ever, the Times reports, is being directly marketed to gay men. Well, on the Logo channel. So about twelve gay men. Maybe the Hair Club for Men is doing the same thing, because that guy? On the show last night? Uh, let's just say that if he gets to the $500,000 question next episode, it just might start with "A" and end with "re you a homosexual?" Awkward! But with beautiful hair!

The Devolution Will Be Televised

Richard Lawson — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:19:12 EST

Mark L. Wahlberg, host of other proud and noble Fox shows Joe Millionaire and Temptation Island, is now our emcee for Moment of Truth, a "game show" that Entertainment Weekly calls "Genius" (or, maybe not). Tonight was the grand premiere. It's pretty much the nadir of the contemporary challenge show, which began so innocently with Regis Philbin shouting at poor, trivia-spouting office assistants. Contestants are asked to answer a series of horribly awkward questions (Would you have your wife get lipo if she got fat? Are you a gambling addict?) while three friends, lovers, or family members watch on in sweaty, money-craving horror. Are they telling the truth? Are they lying? Only predetermined lie detector test results will tell. The longer you tell the truth, the more you win. Watch here as Ty, a former professional football player and current personal trainer who has already admitted to checking out other dudes' "privates", takes the plunge, much to the chagrin of wife Catia. He leaves with nothing. Not even his dignity, which he traded in not at the door, but at some indefinable date years ago, when all of us gurgling Americans threw up our hands and said "Fuck it, gimme some cash."