By Nellie Andreeva
Fox picked up 13 more episodes of "The Moment of Truth" on Thursday, a
day after the breakout reality hit passed its moment-of-truth
second-airing test with flying colors.
On Wednesday, "Truth" drew 17.6 million viewers and a 7.8 rating/19
share among adults 18-49, dropping a modest 24 percent from its
blockbuster premiere and retaining 77 percent of its "American Idol"
demographic lead-in. "Truth," which features contestants answering
embarrassing personal questions for a cash prize, also showed a minimal
ratings drop-off between the first and second half-hour in the younger
demographics.
"That means that the people who came to see it liked it," said Fox
reality guru Mike Darnell, his voice hoarse after weeks of media blitz
surrounding the launch of his pet project. "I feel thrilled and
confident."
Darnell is not planning any changes in the format for the next cycle,
but there are tweaks being made in editing the existing footage.
A lot was written after the "Truth" premiere about the way-too-long
pauses between a contestant's answer and the announcer's response on
whether the answer was true or false according to the lie detector.
"People were not used to the rhythm of the show," Darnell said, noting
that the pauses were needed to give family members time to react.
Still, the pauses in the second episode were shortened by two minutes,
and the trimming will continue throughout the initial order of 12
episodes.
Casting already is under way for the new batch of episodes, and
production is slated to begin February 11.
Darnell said that a lot of people who had signed on to appear on the
show had pulled out after seeing the first two episodes. Still, he said
the producers have a full roster of contestants for the 13 additional
episodes.
Two weeks into its run, "Moment" is the top new series this season and
the No. 3 series overall, behind the Tuesday and Wednesday editions of
"Idol."
--
It is simply breathtaking to watch the glee and abandon with which
the liberal media and the Angry Left have been attempting to turn
our military victory in Iraq into a second Vietnam quagmire. Too bad
for them, it's failing.
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