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The concept of the reality show "The Moment of Truth" is a simple one-tell the truth and get money. Answer twenty-one questions honestly and get a check for a half million dollars. It is a simple concept; but in practice, it is not that easy.

We belong to a culture where lying is normal. We all lie. Even if it is only little white lies, the ones we tell to keep the peace and lubricate our relationships.

Think about it. When your significant other asks you if an outfit makes them look fat, do you tell the truth? Do you tell your boss your honest opinion of their job performance? No, you do not. We all lie.

Sometimes we lie without even realizing that we are lying. And here is where the show "The Moment of Truth" has the potential to be interesting. The contestants answer fifty questions while hooked up to a lie detector. From this pool of questions are drawn the twenty-one questions that they must answer truthfully and in public if they want the check for a half million dollars. But they do not know the results of the lie detector test, and you can think that you are telling the truth when your body says different.

How can you not realize that you are lying? Simple, human beings have a remarkably capability to rationalize away our sins. No, I was not flirting with that blonde; I was merely being friendly. We can lie to ourselves, our friends, and co-workers; but on some deep level, in our hearts and souls, we know better. If the thought that maybe we are rationalizing away guilt crosses our mind during a lie detector test, our heart can race and give the game away. And this can catch a contestant and trip them up later.

It also does not help that they are answering these questions in front of a camera. To add salt to the cut is the presence of one's friends and family. When one contestant was asked if he really loved his girlfriend, I felt uneasy myself (is the fact that I have felt more passionate about other girlfriends a hint that maybe this is not really love). If the question makes me uneasy, and I am in the comfort of my living room, what is the contestant feeling? You can see them sweat and squirm.

The contestant's loved ones also feel discomfort. The friends and family present can chose to not hear the answer to one question, and only one question, during the course of the game. But considering the question can be replaced by an even more awkward one, it is only a small comfort.

Will we ever see anyone get a half million of telling the truth? I doubt it; and

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