'Moment of Truth' engaging in a guilty-pleasure type of way

What's the going price for a deep, dark secret? Apparently, no more than $500,000.That's the top-dollar amount contestants can win on Fox's unbelievably sensationalistic "The Moment of Truth."The show is just far-fetched enough to make it a prime-time hit (one of the biggest of the entire 2007-08 season). The voyeuristic reality show has scandalous guests submitting to hot-button personal topics to win large wads of cash.To make matters worse: They reveal it all in front of their loved ones, a studio audience and the rest of the world.After a successful first season this past winter, the outrageous "Truth" is returning for season two (8 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Fox). This show is brainless enough to be a huge summer blockbuster, too.Here's how the best (or worst) episodes usually play out: A contestant is sitting in the hot seat, risking public embarrassment for himself and for his family and friends. With each dire truth revealed, the hot-seat contestant gets more money.The financial winnings can be as high as $500,000, but most contestants -- if they avoid being caught in a falsehood by a lie detector -- can only endure the price of a $100,000 truth (with questions like: "Have you ever wanted to cheat on your spouse?").But there's no price tag to be placed on the shame and humiliation these contestants decide to put up with.And yet, we watch anyway because it's not us up there, and humiliation is entertainment in today's prime-time climate."Truth" is engaging in a guilty-pleasure type of way. Yes, it's a hit. We all watch, though most of us will never admit it.Other highlights for the week of May 25-31 (check local listings; listings subject to change):SUNDAY-- "Mars Live: The Phoenix Lands" (7 p.m., Science Channel). Watch live footage from Mars after another of our probes lands there.-- "Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins" (8 p.m., Animal Planet). To set the record straight, they aren't rats or squirrels, but they do have their own endearing reality show.-- "Shark Swarm" (8 p.m., Hallmark Channel). John Schneider and Daryl Hannah fend off mutated sharks. Now that's a tough Memorial Day weekend.-- "How Do I Look Now?" (8:30 p.m., The Style Network). The fashion backward get a makeover.-- "Recount" (9 p.m., HBO). Kevin Spacey deals with dangling chads in this account of the 2000 presidential race.MONDAY-- "Denise Richards: It's Complicated" (10 p.m., E!). Charlie Sheen's ex says she's misunderstood. We'll be the judge of that as we take in this new reality series.-- "Living Lohan" (10:30 p.m., E!). Lindsay Lohan's mother says she's misunderstood, too, thus she gets her own reality show to set the record straight ... enough.TUESDAY-- "According to Jim" (8:30 p.m., ABC). The Devil wants Jim to pay up. So that's how this show has stayed on this long!THURSDAY-- "Lost" (9 p.m., ABC). The season finale arrives, just as a few of the survivors try to escape the island for good.SATURDAY-- "CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights" (9 p.m., CBS). Mixed martial arts chops into prime-time.(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)