Only fools and television executives

Just to show it can be really, really nasty, the ‘controversial’ episode of Moment of Truth will air next Tuesday on Nine -April Fool’s Day.

In the episode a woman was asked by her former partner if she would rather be married to him over her husband.

It’s spiteful entertainment, and given the show hasn’t been rating for Nine, no surprise that it has been pushed forward. Will next week’s show be the last for Nine?

You can see the juicy stuff here in a clip nearly ten minutes long.

How much money would you take if it meant destroying your marriage? One contestant is about to put a price on that incendiary question on Nine’s new reality show, THE MOMENT OF TRUTH, Tuesday April 1, at 7.30pm.

It’s the episode that was so controversial it sparked a long debate in the United States about whether it should go to air at all.

Lauren Cleri is a 26-year-old assistant manager from New York who is about to confront her demons on national television. Supporting her in the studio are her husband, father, mother, sister and brother. Over the course of the game, Lauren will jeopardise her marriage and shock her family all for the sake of $500,000 in prize money.

Before going on air, Lauren was asked over 50 polygraph questions. Twenty-one were chosen for her to answer during the program. She doesn’t know the results of the test, but if she tells the truth and gets to the end of all the questions she wins the money. One incorrect answer and she’ll lose everything.

Over six levels of questioning Lauren easily gets to $10,000. By $25,000 tears are shed. At $100,000 her marriage is starting to look rocky. When Lauren reaches $200,000 her marriage is in serious trouble, her family is divided, and her reality is about to be shattered.

Host Mark Walberg urges her to reconsider her position in the game, but with explosive questions such as, “Since you’ve been married have you ever had sexual relations with someone other than your husband?”, “Do you believe you might have been in love with a former boyfriend on your wedding day?”, and, “Do you believe your ex-boyfriend is the man you should have married?” Lauren forges on.

“Quite honestly, if I had my vote it would not go to air,” said Walberg. “It is the most uncomfortable I have ever been on television, asking these questions and listening to the answers that were given. I will tell you, however, the truth is often not pretty.”

By her own admission Lauren says her family and husband “may not like it, but I think they’ll appreciate the answers”.