To Tell The Truth - General Discussion

[BW Manilowe]

On June 11, 2016 at 3:45 PM, Kromm said:

Would they?  I think there's as you say a certain interest level to seeing that. 

They could cut down on Panelists from 4 to 3 and thus save time. But the previews show it's still 4 panelists. They seem to be sitting on like... big easy chairs now instead of behind the usual game show desk thing.

Interestingly, I guess because Anthony Anderson is the host, they seem to have also gone with an actual majority of black panelists--at least the ones they're showing in the preview commercial. Gone are the days where Nipsy Russell had to represent every black person in America all by himself. Although to be fair, this franchise was the first game show to have a black announcer, Burton Richardson, and also I think maybe the first to have a black host (Lynn Swann, although he didn't last long).

I DO find myself wondering if the show is a bit tougher to do these days. Most people who have done stuff of note have obvious trails on the Internet. Not that the panelists are going to be sitting there googling people, but I mean that the chances of even a semi-famous person's face being totally unknown is rarer. So they'll have to rely on people who's situations are interesting, but not necessarily "famous" in any sense. Which is fine. But I will say that some of the most entertaining OLD episodes to dig through online are the ones where the people are REALLY famous, and maybe even faces some of us NOW know, but who in the atmosphere of those less media soaked times had faces nobody knew.

I'm actually probably only going to talk about specific details of those in the Vintage Episode Discussion Thread though. Suffice it to say when you dig through those old episodes there are some people who appear on it who you're totally shocked did.

I did a little research regarding the part of your post I bolded above (& now I'm gonna have to go back & research part of it again, because I forgot that part when researching before).

Lynn Swann was host of TTT from 1990-91. He wasn't the first African American host of a game show, however. That honor (apparently) went to a singer named Adam Wade, who hosted a game show on CBS (which I actually remember watching as a kid) called Musical Chairs which ran for 95 episodes in 1975, against such fare as the daytime drama Somerset.

I researched because I originally thought Burton Richardson had been the first African American game show host (& on this show). 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Chairs_(1975_TV_series)

Now I wanna go back & check if TTT actually was his first game show announcing gig or not. I'm pretty sure his announcing résumé was in the stuff I read about him, but I wasn't paying attention to that; more to the issue of whether or not Lynn Swann was or wasn't the first African American game show host. I do know Burton Richardson also announced for both the original & reboot versions of The Arsenio Hall Show, besides all the game shows he's done, though.

OK... I went back & researched again. Burton's first announcing gig... period... is listed on his IMDb page as being with the original The Arsenio Hall Show, which premiered in 1989 & ran through 1994. The first game show he announced for was TTT; I think IMDb says he did that in 1990 (while he was also doing The Arsenio Hall Show; it was probably easy since most game shows only tape on weekends & his other gig was during the week).

http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0724457/filmotype/self?ref_=m_nmfm_2

Edited January 3, 2017 by BW Manilowe
To add info & a link.

[readster]

13 hours ago, starri said:

Honestly, I thought she was actually funny this time.

I loved that one of the imposters for the Soul Train dancer was a Solid Gold dancer.

That was a nice twist and that the other woman watched it every Saturday. Great to have a fan of the series too. 

[starri]

I don't know what they've done to the formula, but it seems to be clicking a lot better.  Mama Doris isn't obnoxious, she's funny.

I knew the male in the drag race segment would be doing a RuPaul form of drag racing before he revealed that.

Man, Lara Spencer is an idiot.

[Jaded]

Sherri literally threw herself at the guy who lost a lot of weight. Ugh. 

[FormerMod-a1]

2 things I'm missing in this iteration vs previous ones.  1) The "impostors" saying what they actually do, rather than a quippy one liner.  Or heck, even in addition to the quippy one liner.  We may get one that says "and I'm a minister", but it's not standard.  2) The cash prize for the contestants based on how well they fool the panel.

[April Bloodgate]

On 1/1/2017 at 7:51 PM, readster said:

I really couldn't take Angela constantly saying: "You sound to chatty." I'm sorry, how do you prefer people? Say one sentence and then nothing? She was driving me crazy. Love the reveal on the bear custom guy. 

She was awful. Rude to some of the contestants too.

[chitowngirl]

Repeats tonight? Really? If you're using this as a filler show, at least air new episodes! I know an all important football game is airing ?, but it's a game show! We know the outcome!!

The same with Wednesday's repeat of Match Game!

Edited January 22, 2017 by chitowngirl

[starri]

Jamie Kennedy has turned into Jon Lovitz.

[FormerMod-a1]

This started back up last week and no one noticed.  Heh.

[starri]

For me, it's because Hulu changed its layout on Apple TV because of their new streaming service.  It makes things impossible to find.

[Irlandesa]

I was surprised that the motorcycle panel contained Chris Bruno.  He may have billed himself as an MMA fighter but I recognized him immediately as an actor.  Now, the thing I mostly remember him from was probably 20 years ago so I looked on his IMDb page to see if he had been rather MIA but nope.  He has been working pretty regularly.  A little risky.

[Guest]

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 11:52 PM, Irlandesa said:

I was surprised that the motorcycle panel contained Chris Bruno.  He may have billed himself as an MMA fighter but I recognized him immediately as an actor.  Now, the thing I mostly remember him from was probably 20 years ago so I looked on his IMDb page to see if he had been rather MIA but nope.  He has been working pretty regularly.  A little risky.

I just watched the episode and during it I actually said that I thought I'd ask number 2 if he had ever been on a soap opera because he seemed familiar. 

Then he said his name was Chris Bruno and I recognized it immediately.  I'm not so sure that it was risky but kind of sad for an actor.  It would have been funny if he outed himself to the panel with and I'm and actor with more imdb credits than half the celebrity panel.

[jhlipton]

On 6/30/2017 at 7:15 PM, ParadoxLost said:

I'm not so sure that it was risky but kind of sad for an actor.  It would have been funny if he outed himself to the panel with and I'm and actor with more imdb credits than half the celebrity panel.

The "It's That Guy" get a lot of work, if not a lot of recognition.  It was only after I looked at his IMDb page that I realized he was one of the leads on The Dead Zone.

The pig farmer was easy.  The other two had heard that "soiee" is supposed to be a pig call; the woman said "Hey, pigs, here's your dinner", and described a boar as a pig whose "nuts still work" without any embarrassment.  Then the programmer couldn't say right off who he had done VO work for -- I went with #1.  #2 was correct in that Bob does do the voice of Luke Skywalker in some of the video games.

Also,

[Jaded]

The Uverse guide had a new episode listed for tonight. Instead two episodes of Blackish are airing where I am.

[Palomar]

13 hours ago, Jaded said:

The Uverse guide had a new episode listed for tonight. Instead two episodes of Blackish are airing where I am.

Yep, me too in So Cal with Spectrum.  Maybe something to do with Trump's speech?

[Jaded]

1 hour ago, Palomar said:

Yep, me too in So Cal with Spectrum.  Maybe something to do with Trump's speech?

That's probably it. Sunday's shows were delayed until 1am Monday for me due to NFL football involving the team from a state over so I wasn't sure if my local ABC affiliate was being different again. There weren't any mentions from ABC about the switch around online.

[Skyfall]

On 8/22/2017 at 1:48 PM, Jaded said:

That's probably it. Sunday's shows were delayed until 1am Monday for me due to NFL football involving the team from a state over so I wasn't sure if my local ABC affiliate was being different again. There weren't any mentions from ABC about the switch around online.

Def had to do with the speech.

[MortysCleaningLady]

Watched the most recent episode with Taye Diggs, some guy whose name sounded intriguingly like Miami Dolphin great Dan Marino, Jana Kramer, and a blonde lady with glasses from this week.   Mama Doris was sporting a new look -- I loved her flowy robes and tops, as well as her pretty curls.   Her new look is straightened bobbed hair and a cardigan over a floral top.   She has lost her personality and looks like an African American Sophie Petrillo minus the little wicker bag.  Bring back Mama Doris's flair! 

[helpmerhonda]

Jana Kramer was awful. She didn't let a single person finish an answer before interrupting him or her with another question.

And Mama Doris, though irrelevant, was right when she said that Ken Marino talks too much.

[Irlandesa]

I thought tonight's panel with Michaela Watkins, Chloris Leachman, Iliza and Mel Brooks was so much fun.

[jhlipton]

20 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I thought tonight's panel with Michaela Watkins, Chloris Leachman, Iliza and Mel Brooks was so much fun.

Mel was funny but Chloris was ghastly.  I don't know if she's really senile or if it's just an act, but it is so not funny.

Mama Doris is the absolute leader on this game.  She and I rocked it, especially since we were the only ones to pick DarthVader Williamson.

[MortysCleaningLady]

I loved Mel Brooks!   Don't know why he always had to walk when he was asking questions, but loved him nonetheless.

[Skyfall]

Newest episode was too easy. Only one I missed was the dating disaster.

12 hours ago, jhlipton said:

Mel was funny but Chloris was ghastly.  I don't know if she's really senile or if it's just an act, but it is so not funny.

Mama Doris is the absolute leader on this game.  She and I rocked it, especially since we were the only ones to pick DarthVader Williamson.

Sorry to burst your bubble but I got it too. The monster truck driver was easy as soon as she said alcohol (someone who was lying would say gasoline, diesel, etc), then the wrestler was the only one that said a wrestling name that actually made sense, then the Gator trapper just looked the part as opposed to the other one, and finally when Darth said he was called DV or Vader.

[jhlipton]

5 minutes ago, Skyfall said:

Newest episode was too easy. Only one I missed was the dating disaster.

Sorry to burst your bubble but I got it too. The monster truck driver was easy as soon as she said alcohol (someone who was lying would say gasoline, diesel, etc), then the wrestler was the only one that said a wrestling name that actually made sense, then the Gator trapper just looked the part as opposed to the other one, and finally when Darth said he was called DV or Vader.

I got the monster truck driver off the name of her truck! 

I missed the wrestler since "Syther" didn't sound like a real wresslin' name to me and he claimed he was badly bruised in class any more. (The woman was out -- "The Educator" was too on the nose.)

The biggest clue for DarthVader is that both of the others sounded like they would have changed their name by now, esp. #3. 

[Skyfall]

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

I got the monster truck driver off the name of her truck! 

I missed the wrestler since "Syther" didn't sound like a real wresslin' name to me and he claimed he was badly bruised in class any more. (The woman was out -- "The Educator" was too on the nose.)

The biggest clue for DarthVader is that both of the others sounded like they would have changed their name by now, esp. #3. 

I don’t watch monster trucks so yeah haha. But the wrestling one left you with Syther vs Ginger Ninja...

[jhlipton]

1 hour ago, Skyfall said:

I don’t watch monster trucks so yeah haha. But the wrestling one left you with Syther vs Ginger Ninja...

I don't watch monster trucks either but her name fit her unlike the others.  I think The Ginga Ninja is a great wrestler name, and I'm surprised there isn't one.

[iMonrey]

Just started watching this - hadn't been until they showed that rerun last week. It's pretty good. The panel is a mixed bag but the professions are interesting. I get the feeling Mama Doris is getting inside info - her accuracy rate his suspiciously high.

I noticed Anthony called the show perfect for the year 2017. Apparently ABC has been sitting on these episodes for almost a year - they were supposed to air last fall.

[LakeGal]

I was 100% on picking the right ones this time. That never happens. So they must have been obvious this week.

[Milburn Stone]

On 6/11/2018 at 12:02 PM, iMonrey said:

I noticed Anthony called the show perfect for the year 2017. Apparently ABC has been sitting on these episodes for almost a year - they were supposed to air last fall.

Interesting! I learned about the show only the other day and we watched the one with Brooks, Natasha Leggero, Joel McHale and Bill Hader last night on Hulu. How could we resist with that cast? We enjoyed it--made us smile and moved along fast. Good trashy "escapist" fare for these times we live in.

Do we think those were real toilet seats that Hader and McHale broke over their heads? Because we were worried for them. I don't think I would have done that for a million dollars. Risk of injury, maybe even serious injury, wouldn't be worth it. Do we think they were really in pain after doing it like they said they were? (OK, Hader's "dizzy" act was an act, I don't know how much else of their reaction was faked. We remained concerned, funny as it was.)

Loved Mel Brooks saying at the end how glad he was that almost all his friends were dead so they couldn't see his shame for being on the show.

[iMonrey]

Those had to be stryofoam toilet seats, right? No way the celebrities would break real, solid porcelain toilet seats over their heads. 

[Irlandesa]

On 6/20/2018 at 7:36 AM, Milburn Stone said:

I learned about the show only the other day and we watched the one with Brooks, Natasha Leggero, Joel McHale and Bill Hader last night on Hulu. How could we resist with that cast? 

That was a great cast.  It was probably the best group of this reboot.

Edited June 22, 2018 by Irlandesa

[theatremouse]

On 6/20/2018 at 9:44 AM, iMonrey said:

Those had to be stryofoam toilet seats, right? No way the celebrities would break real, solid porcelain toilet seats over their heads. 

It was definitely not porcelain, but I don't think it was styrofoam. It looked like particleboard to me.

[iMonrey]

I honestly couldn't tell, without cheating and looking it up on the internet, which one was John Wayne's son. In the end I would have voted for #1 because his voice sounded more like Wayne's so I was surprised it turned out to be #2. Neither one of them looked like him. I thought that was the most interesting part of the episode.

[LizDC]

I knew immediately John Wayne’s son was #2 when I heard his name.  Ethan Wayne used to be an actor and about 30 years ago he was on the soap The Bold and the Beautiful as a character named Storm Logan.  Not sure how proud I am that I remembered that. 

I was impressed that Ashley Graham correctly guessed that the Harlem Globetrotters people might be related.  

Edited June 25, 2018 by LizDC

[Blissfool]

I enjoy this show , but I wish the consequence for losing was better. I think I would enjoy the loser getting dunked in water or getting a pie in the face. Or instead of a consequence for losing, the show could reward the winner with $10k for their fave charity.

[iMonrey]

I think in the original show, the impostors got $$ for every panel member that incorrectly guessed them. I'm not sure if that's the case in this new incarnation. That, to me, is more interesting than whatever silly "punishment" they come up with for the panelist with the lowest score . . . especially when there's so often a tie. And I'm not sure how I feel about Mama Doris as the tie-breaker.  

[helpmerhonda]

I wish Mama Doris was not a part of the show. I don't think she adds anything other than leering at some of the males, and I don't really find that funny.

(I almost wrote that I wish they would do away with Mama Doris, and then I realized that sounded a little more final than I actually meant!)

[readster]

I've noticed sometimes then panel members sometimes can't hear the questions. This time it was very obvious with the treasure hunter when he thought she asked him how long it "takes" to get certified. Not how long before it expires. My own father got his back in the late 80s, but after safety changes, he had to re certify back in 2004. He of course didn't do anymore, and my siblings weren't interested in diving, so he let it expire. However, I noticed a few times, even when we the audience hear the celebrities clearly. You can tell sometimes they don't hear them very well. Of course with the live audience laughing and so forth, it makes sense. However, I think they need to fix the sound system, because many times after the reveal. They would say: "I asked you this question." and the the panel member goes; "Oh, I didn't hear you right." 

[lynxfx]

I enjoy this version of the show. It's always fun to play at home. Anthony does a pretty good job hosting. Feels very casual and pretty much anything goes. He does interject to keep things moving. I feel like the panel are the ones that drop the ball with regards to questions. Some go for the laugh (Mel Brooks) while others actually try to figure it out (Alex Trebek). You can have a nice balance between the two but often you get some chaos and people stepping on each other's questions. This last episode, I didn't really like the panel as much. 

I don't have much of an issue with Anthony's mom. I like the banter between her and Anthony, especially when he put her in timeout. 

[LakeGal]

I like to play along.  But it is almost impossible when they are playing for laughs instead of answers.  Mama Doris gets away with stuff because she is an older female.  If a male acted like her they would be in big trouble.  She often goes for the sexual part and even jumped on the one man's back one week.  

[iMonrey]

I think it's strange there's no particular organization to how the panel asks questions. They don't go in any specific order or take turns, they just speak up when the mood strikes them. It doesn't seem to be a big problem but it's surprisingly unstructured for a game show. 

[lynxfx]

Pretty hard to guess the Price is Right model when none seemed to know anything about the show. 

[iMonrey]

I don't know how long ago she was on the show. It started back in 1972 (in its current form). I'm old enough to remember that originally the show did not have the wheel, nor did it have Plinko, nor a bunch of other games so familiar to us now.

The guy with the nail gun nail through his eyebrow - yikes!

I'm finding Mama Doris increasingly intrusive and unfunny.

[lynxfx]

41 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I don't know how long ago she was on the show. It started back in 1972 (in its current form).

You got me looking up the wiki. She one of two of the original models on the show. Looks like she was only on for 4 years, while the other one (Janice Pennington) was on until 2000. That does make her answers make more sense. 

[helpmerhonda]

For some reason, the phrase "butt naked last place" really grates on my nerves. I truly wish he would stop using it.

[Wings]

I like this show and the casual atmosphere unlike the original.  They have been finding very witty panel guests.  I did not retain the comic from last night, he was good.   I like Mama and what she brings.  

10 hours ago, helpmerhonda said:

For some reason, the phrase "butt naked last place" really grates on my nerves. I truly wish he would stop using it.

I think he is saying buck naked, no? 

[helpmerhonda]

That makes much more sense, and yet is somehow still annoying!

[Wings]

The woman (#1) who did the suspect portraits was my guess.  She obviously aimed to mislead by being flighty.  It wasn't really a fair game to have #2 be a police officer given that he was knowledgeable without her coaching.  

[iMonrey]

The skydiver without the parachute is crazy.

[lynxfx]

Nailed the first 2 just off of first looks. The woman portrait artist was a complete wtf to both of us. My wife guessed that the middle guy was a cop though. I remember watching that skydiver so knew him. I still can't believe he did it, so intense.

So do you have health insurance, and if so, who provides it?