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Amazon, where joy meets savings all season long. Better being better, boo. Ruth had a lot on her mind about this whole relationship. I mean, she was fine with the relationship, it's fine, she's fine, Brian, her boyfriend is fine. But like, really, what is fine? It's not love, it's not passion, it's just fine. Ruth had been thinking about this for a little bit of time. I mean, she just never got the chance to voice it out loud because how do you even begin to explain something like this?
She could feel herself almost waiting for someone better to come along. I mean, deep down she knew that Brian is just kind of a placeholder. He's not who she wants to be with in the long run. She feels like she could easily find someone that's better than Brian, but she's just used to Brian because it's fine.
Ruth is sitting in front of Brian just looking at him and he looks anxious, his leg is bouncing up and down, it's like the nervous shakes, but he's quiet, he's not talking, he won't even look her in the eye. She's just waiting for Ruth to say something. I mean, isn't that why we're all here anyway? Didn't she want to tell him something? Ruth starts and she admits she doesn't find him necessarily that smart.
Okay, well, that's harsh, but she feels like he lacks ambition and he's just, quote, he's just a taxi driver. The truth comes spilling out of Ruth. I mean, it's a painful ordeal. If you were to see this unfold and witness this whole conversation, you would cringe from the stress. It's just so uncomfy. If this is happening inside of a local coffee shop, I wouldn't even stay to listen. I would get up and leave because it's such a vulnerable conversation that's so much to take in.
I don't want to be a part of it. But Brian, he can't just get up and walk away. Ruth is staring at him, but also so are Ruth's parents. They're sitting right next to him, listening to all of this. They're watching this whole rock conversation go down. So Ruth, boyfriend and the parents are all sitting together. And Brian looks up and it feels like everyone is staring at him, just waiting for him to react. He can see the first row of people clearly. No one's moving.
They're holding their breath, but somehow he can feel that they feel pity for him. He can almost see it in their body language. The lights are too bright so he can't see all of their faces, but he can feel it. The second row of people, their faces are less clear, but from the body language, he can also feel that they feel pity for him. He's got a whole audience. He glances around at all of them, just sitting in their seats, staring at him, and no one wants to meet his eye.
Like they physically look away if he tries to look at them. The only things staring back at him are the film cameras. He feels the studio lights and his neck is getting all sweaty. He can feel his cheeks go wet, go red, a hundred something people just witnessed. The most embarrassing, painful, pitiful moment of Brian's life in real time. His girlfriend telling him that she thinks she can do better than him.
And soon the cameraman are going to import the footage, edit it with some dramatic sound effects, and they're going to linger longer on his pain, emphasizing his hurt, his betrayal. And then soon millions across the nation are going to watch this very moment. This is the moment of truth. Cue the theme music for the truth telling reality TV show that Brian is on, where contestants win money for sharing their deepest, darkest secrets, and oftentimes illegal secrets even.
The catch is that the contestant must bring their loved ones on and answer the questions truthfully in front of them. Yeah, this was this was the show, right? Yeah. Is this still going on? No, I don't think so. At least not in the US or in Peru. Yeah. Now, Brian had found himself on stage with his 18 year old girlfriend Ruth and her parents. All of them were forced to listen to Ruth's deepest, darkest confessions being exposed on national television.
But some things they're just, some things are better left unsaid. Because one of her confessions would lead to Ruth's murder. Because there are people out there that cannot handle the truth. We would like to thank today's sponsors who have made it possible for Rotten Mango to support the national network to end domestic violence. N-N-E-D-V is a nonprofit dedicated to serving survivors of relational abuse and ending all relational violence around the world.
This episode's partnerships have also made it possible to support Rotten Mango's growing team of dedicated researchers and translators. And we'd also like to thank you guys for your continued support as we work on our mission to be worthy advocates of these causes. As always, full show notes are available at RottenMangoPodcast.com. Now a super brief disclaimer, we did have our professional Spanish translator on this case. However, they aren't as familiar with the Peruvian dialect.
So as with any case, but especially the international ones, please let us know in the comments if anything was accidentally mistranslated or miscommunicated. Last thing to note, the media in this case refers to sex work as prostitution in a few direct quotes that will be said verbatim. So there's a reason for it. You'll soon find out. The terminology is not a reflection of the language used personally by me or the RM team and will only be stated as indirect quotes.
So with that being said, let's get started. Do you know what a green hat slave is? Green hat slave. Yes. So there is a word for it in English. It's C-U-C-K-O-L-D or for my audio listeners. It's a cuckold. It's typically a man who enjoys watching his partner have intimate relations with another individual. In China, it's called a green hat slave because when a partner is cheating on someone, that person is wearing a green hat.
So for example, if a man's wife is cheating on him, it's said that the man is wearing a green hat. But if you're a green hat slave, that means you know that your wife is cheating. You know that your husband is cheating and you like it. You want more of it. You want them to cheat on you. The more traditional sentiment around relationships like this is the man. Typically it's a man. I think there's different words for different genders.
But typically the man in the relationship enjoys being humiliated. By being forced to watch his wife or his partner be satisfied by somebody else, it's a very demeaning experience. One person said, it is so complicated. Multiple emotions just layered over one another and it's pulling you in all these different directions. It's out sick to my stomach with anxiety but also so excited to know all about the details of what my wife did with that partner later on.
I would alternate between almost having a panic attack and then to being insanely excited which you know all of it sounds a bit interesting like a bit out there right. But statistics show that up to 20% of men in the US fantasize about cheating wives. It's a very popular search term. 20% of men thinking about their wife cheating on them. Yeah, fantasize. Excited about that? Yes, I'm sure that a good majority of that group do not ever act on it. But I guess it is like a...
Like a passing, intrusive thought or... I think it goes a little bit more than intrusive thought. I think it was like the types of videos they watch, types of fantasies that they perhaps have. They say it's a complex symphony of emotions. They say that there's jealousy, shame, arousal, inadequacy, gratitude, lust. And so the first step of humiliation is to know that your wife or your partner is with another man. Then the next step would be to see it play out. Watch it.
Knowing that you're not a part of it, you're not involved unless they ask you to. That you can't just join them because you want it. You just have to sit and watch. Then the third step would be having others know what's going on. Like publicized. Yes, that is the ultimate humiliation. Everybody knows that you're a greenhouse slave. And you almost get off on people looking at you with those eyes of like, oh, it's okay. It's going to... I don't really... The pity. The embarrassment.
Some people like that. So for people who enjoy this type of pleasure mixed in with humiliation, I guess it's understandable. I mean, I think many intimate activities are a thin balance of pleasure and pain. And I imagine that humiliation falls into the psychological pain aspect rather than like physical pain. And as long as it's between consenting adults, I think more power to you. It's great. Do whatever you want. But what about the people who experience this involuntarily?
Like being cheated on. So publicly. And being called a cuck, which is a very demeaning term for most heterosexual men, they get green hat slaved without wanting to be. It happens to them and they're just left with all that humiliation and none of the pleasure. Then what happens? There's a truth telling reality show called moment of truth. There's actually a lot of versions of moment of truth. There's even moment of truth Korea.
And I believe most of them, they're no longer in production, but it was remade by a ton of different countries and each version of this reality show has a slightly different rules. But I'm just going to go over the main ones that are pretty consistent across the board. This is how the game show works. There are 21 questions in total that you, the contestant, will be asked. The questions are going to be divided into six different levels.
Each level, one through six, has a grand monetary prize at the end. So you get to level two for example and you win $10,000. Then you finish level three and you win $50,000 like that. And technically, as long as you don't lie, as long as you don't break any rules, you can decide to stop at the end of any of the levels. So for example, if you go to level four and you haven't broken any of the rules, there is no rule that forces you to keep going.
You can walk away with whatever money that you've already accrued and it's not like an all or nothing type of show. The money goes up per level and so do the insensitivity of the questions, but you don't have to go to level six. But if you go to level six and then you lied, do you lose it all? You lose it all. At any point of you lie, you lose it all at any point. In fact, it's actually unheard of to get to level six.
There's only one person in the entire history of the show in America that made it to level six. And that whole season could not be aired because of what she exposed. Her last question for half a million dollars was, do you believe that you're going to say that your father had intimate relations with a minor? And she answered yes. And the answer was proven to be correct. Whoa. Yeah. So that was level six. The money does go up per level and the intensity of the questions naturally also go up.
So the first level, it actually consists mainly of social dilemma questions. Would you rather give food to a man without a home or a stray dog? It reveals a lot about your character, but it can almost, I mean, it can almost be like dinner table conversations with a group of drunk friends. It doesn't reveal too many personal details of the contestant's lives. And this is done intentionally. It almost tricks the contestant to feeling at ease. Like oh, this isn't that bad. I mean, I got this.
Like if it keeps going like this, we're going to have a good time. I'm going to walk away with a ton of money and it just sucks them in deeper. But that is the whole point of the show. They're not supposed to have a good time. Then as the levels progress, the questions start getting more and more invasive and they're not even just personal questions. They're really, really specific shameful questions that reveal the darkest secrets of the contestant's personal family life, work life.
These are the types of questions you honestly, you would not admit to anybody. I would say across the board, most people wouldn't even admit to these questions if they got paid. And if you lie, once again, you forfeit all the price money that you've won so far. It is psychologically incredibly invasive. And for those reasons, very difficult to win, but people keep trying. Peru is finally going to have its own version of the game show franchise, the moment of truth.
The Peruvian version would actually be called the value of truth hosted by the human wildfire of a man, Beto or Tez. Yeah, okay, so that's how a lot of people describe him. He is this influential TV journalist. They say that he's a monster. So either you say that someone's a beast with a lot of respect or you say it with a lot of hatred, that's Beto. Like, it's very hard to find him a neutral personality. People don't like him.
People either love him or they absolutely despise every fiber of his being. But most people would agree that he's casting for the show as the host, pretty on point. Some people said that he's like a human lie detector. He can spot bullshit from a mile away. And that little girl sitting in front of him for the premiere, the very first episode of the value of truth in Peru does not smell like bullshit at all. In fact, she smells very normal. Honestly, even Beto was a little confused.
18-year-old Ruth? I mean, I'm sure she's nice. But what the hell is she doing on a show like this? She looks very normal. Average college student. She's got shoulder length, brown hair, and she's smiley, but not overly extroverted or bubbly. Just smiley. Beto has seen a lot of people in his career and the best way to describe the one sitting in front of him right now, Ruth is just with one word. Average? She's pretty average. I mean, the way that he describes it is average.
I mean, pretty, but nothing special. She's also a college student that works at one of those customer service call centers. I mean, what could she possibly have to hide? Which, you know, whatever. That's not his problem. He's just the host. That's the reality TV show producers problem. If they cast the wrong contestant, that's on them. Beto waits for the studio audience to be given the cue to, you know, zip it because we're about to start filming.
There's about a hundred people in the live audience. The studio lights are beaming down from the top on him and Ruth. On camera, it's going to look like this dimly lit atmospheric little set, but in reality, there's a lot of lights that need to be on for it to look that good. It's for the aesthetics, but also in reality shows the heat of the studio lights. People don't expect it. It's almost like sitting under the sun. You're inside the AC's pumping.
Technically, you have no reason to be sweating, but the heat of the lights, if you've never been in the TV business, is very uncomfortable, and that execs exactly what they want to make a game show contestant feel uncomfortable. And they're filming. Beto looks over at Ruth. And suddenly he sees it. The minute that the cameras turn on, they start filming a small glimpse of why she was casted. The minute that they start in action, she seems to have almost this playful look in her eyes.
Maybe she is hiding something. She looks at the cameras. Today, a Peruvian is 21 questions away from winning 50,000 souls in cash. Will there be any honest person left in Peru? It's time to find out the value of truth. The double doors open, like Shark Tank open up, and an 18-year-old girl walks onto the stage. Good evening. Are you nervous, Ruth Thalia? Yes, a little, but it's normal, I imagine, to be nervous. Is there something you want to reveal to your family and loved ones today? Today?
Yes. Very well. Are you ready to tell the truth in front of your family, to yourself, and all of Peru? Yes, I'm ready. Please, take a seat. She sits down on this red leather chair, and this is how it all starts. Ruth Thalia, C.A.S. Sanchez, University Student, Studying Computer Science, Call Operator at a call center, 18-years-old lives with her parents, she's looking at her parents who are sitting directly in front of her. This is interesting.
The show's whole concept is to have the contestant bring in their closest loved ones and make them sit there and listen to the truth. You're being held hostage by the truth. Typically, three guests are allowed. Please introduce yourselves. We have Ruth's mom, Ruth's dad, and Ruth's boyfriend, Brian. The host also thinks that Brian is nothing special, by the way. He just looks so average.
Kind, but again, average, typical neighborhood boy trying to make it driving those mototaxies you know I'm talking about. They're open. It's not really like a car. It's like a motorcycle with a carriage in the back. Just trying to survive. He's got a girlfriend. Probably goes out on the weekends to have fun and then the cycle repeats and pretty much nothing spectacular. That's the rest of his future. And the rest of his life. That's how Beto feels.
Brian Romero, Levia. And give Brian an applause. Thank you for accepting to come and accompany your girlfriend Ruth Thalia in this challenge that she has chosen to go through. How are you feeling, Brian? You seem nervous. Your right leg moves on and on like it's got a mind of its own. What are you so nervous about? That she may have cheated on me? Whoa. Everybody laughs, including Ruth, and the host tries to smile and calm Brian's anxiety. Well, let's not forget. This is all just a game.
Relax and let's take it slowly. They're just sitting on this long couch in front of Ruth and the host. And with that, they begin. Question number one. Have you ever skipped class without your mother knowing? Ruth glances over at her mom and her mom is biting the inside of her cheek and Ruth's eyes are just going left and right and right and left. And there's a small smirk on her face. Technically, her parents gave up everything for her and her sister to be able to attend university.
They were the first in their family to attend. I mean, the sacrifice there is pretty huge. But yes, the answer is yes, I have skipped class without my mom knowing. Ruth is biting her lip and she's like glancing at her mom and the robotic voice comes on. There's always a long pause after the contestant's answer. And the host is not the one telling her if she lied or not. A robotic voice comes on. The answer is correct. It is the truth. The audience starts clapping and Ruth's mom is smiling.
But also giving her like a playful, we're going to talk about this when we get home. Look, but it's all cute. Ruth is 18. She's an adult. The energy is very much. She admitted to stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. How many questions are you saying? How many is in the level one? So level one is six. Level two five is a pyramid. So six, five, four, three, two. And then level six is just one question. Wow. One question. And must be really, really crazy question.
Yeah. Like did your dad have intimate relations with a minor? Wow. Yeah. Question number two. Have you ever had a nose job? Yes. And the answer is true. Question number three. Are you satisfied with your appearance? Ruth admits she does try to take care of herself. She likes to die yet. And she doesn't really have the energy or the motivation to really go to the gym and work out. So she might not really have the most care about her physical appearance.
But I mean, yet to a degree, she cares a bit. The host tries to agor on. When you see yourself in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see a Chinese girl, an Indian girl, or an indigenous woman? Well, I see myself a bit on the dark side. Would you like to be white? Yes. So are you satisfied with your appearance? No. The answer is true. Meaning she is not satisfied with her appearance. Question number four. Do you think being pretty achieves more things than being a good person?
The camera pans to Brian. I mean, I guess nobody wants to have a superficial partner or girlfriend who thinks looks or everything, right? Ruth looks a little bit more nervous this time. I mean, she almost rolls her eyes, but it's not like someone who I am rolling my eyes. It's just like a, I don't really know where to look right now. I'm kind of getting uncomfortable. Yes. The show leaves a long pause.
You say the question was, do you think looking pretty can get you further than looking being a good person, right? Yes. Okay. I see. And the answer is true. Ruth keeps biting her lip and even her family is starting to look a little bit uncomfortable now. But if everyone starts clapping, it's the way society is. It's not Ruth, it's society. Question number five. Do you see a person drop $250 on the ground? Are you returning it to them or are you pocketing it?
So the question is, do you return it to them? Earlier in the episode, Ruth was asked about how she felt about money. If it's a big priority for her. And just being honest, she told the host, yeah, it is. It's one of my biggest worries of life. I mean, she has to think about money a lot not because she's obsessed with money or that she's materialistic, but when you don't have something that you need to survive, you're gonna fixate on it. It's not like she's money-hungry.
It's just she just doesn't have a lot of it. So yeah, it is a huge concern. This conversation does make Brian a little bit uncomfortable and he's nervously touching his shirt nonstop. The money question? Yeah. Because I think, you know, as maybe a boyfriend, you feel the pressure to make money. Now, Ruth's parents, they're both nervous as well. Her dad is hunched over. He's smiling, but it's not a real smile. It looks like he's trying to hide how uncomfortable that question is.
It's very awkward. Even if a lot of people would answer, no, I'm not going to give it back to them. It's $250. I'm going to take the $250. The answer feels wrong. It's just, that's not the answer that you want to say. It's not something that anyone would want to willingly admit to everybody. But Ruth answers definitively. No, I would not give them any back. I would take the $250. The answer is true. The audience is not clapping.
Usually they clap when the answer is true, but they're like, wow, I would never. I would automatically, of course, give it back to them because I am much more morally and ethically sound than this girl on stage. They're more like yikes, but the show must go on. This is just level one. And question number six, Ruth. This is the last one for level one. Once this is complete, you have the choice on whether or not you want to advance to level two. You're gone 20 days or longer without shattering.
Wait, what kind of question is this? Ruth glances down. Yes. The answer is true. And everyone in the audience starts laughing and starts clapping loudly. Ruth has just passed level one. Six questions all answered truthfully, and she will now advance to level two. The questions were simple. I mean, funny even. She answers the questions honestly, and with each honest answer, she gets one step closer to her big monetary prize and everybody's happy. She's happy. Her family's happy.
The audience is happy. Do you know how much was level one? $250. Oh, what's the final price? Okay. So the final price is $13,500. However, this is in comparison to Peruvian minimum wage. That would be a few years worth of work. So I guess the equivalent in the United States would be, okay, so the cash prize for America was half a million for winning the whole show.
But okay. Wow. Yeah, so I mean, I know that like maybe in context because if we put it into USD and considering the standard of living, it might not sound like enough money to reveal these types of secrets to the whole nation, but I'm going to try to put it into context, you know. So everybody's happy about this. You just won $250. Everyone's happy. But happy is not good TV. You know how a group of crows are called a murder?
Yeah. It's it's said that a group of producers, especially reality TV producers, is called a manipulation. That's what they do. Reality TV producers, they're there to create good TV. Nothing else really matters. If they can't do it, they lose their job as producers. The sweet spot for a show like this would be for a contestant to get far enough that secrets are exposed. Their lives are ruined, but not that far where they take home too much money because then that comes out of the show's pocket.
And picking each contestant is a very big deal. How do you even know if their secret is even worth the amount of money that they're winning? Let's say they get to level five. Are their secrets even worth the amount of money that the show now has to pay them out for? Does the audience even care about them like that? But also, how do the producers know any of this going into the show?
Like do they just randomly pick someone off the street and they're like, you look like you're hiding a lot of secrets? This is what they do before the show. Producers will find out everything about a potential contestant's life even before considering them. They run background checks. They talk to the family members, friends, old classmates. They spend a full day with contestants going through their room, watching them, analyzing all the people they talk to.
But the moment of truth, they go even a step further. They do something very fascinating. They conduct polygraph test for casting. Yeah, that's what I was wondering, like how do they know, right? They must know. Yeah. So a lot of reality TV shows will actually put you through a very extensive personality test. Okay. Does that make sense? Yes, to see it. How unstable you are so that they can manipulate you.
When you start reading into it, it makes you really second guess every reality TV show that you've ever watched in your life. It's pretty dark. But they do a polygraph test. They will conduct polygraphs and ask strategic questions based on what they picked up about that potential contestant. So they already spent a day with them. They did background checks. They talked to their friends, family, old classmates, and they have an inkling.
They're like, I have a suspicion that this person is stealing from work. I have a suspicion that this person is doing something illegal. This cheating on their partner is doing this. Their kid is not the, that's not the dad. That's not the mom. Like, well, it's gotta be the mom, right? That's not the dad. Like you get it. They pick up on all these things and they will come up with a formula of questions to ask during a polygraph.
Now, of course, most of the contestants are going to lie the first time. Are you cheating on your husband? No. Are you cheating on your wife? No. Are you stealing from your family? No. The polygraph will indicate that they are lying. Does that mean that they can't be a contestant? Because the whole point of the show is to tell the truth. But they are already lied. No. That means they're perfect. They will jot down this question. The contestant is lying.
So if you're lying about cheating, that means you are having an affair. So guess what they're going to ask you on stage. Are you having an affair?
Okay. Then a few days later, the contestants are brought back to answer the same exact questions once more, but this time in front of a live studio audience and multiple studio cameras that are filming every angle, every micro-facial expression to be enhanced, edited, and dramatized during post-production, and then finally aired for the whole nation to see. The answers given in front of the crowd are then compared to the results of the polygraph test.
Then later, when the contestant is on the show, not hooks up to a lie detector, they will compare those and determine if you are lying or not. Now. Also, they do it three times. Twice. Oh. Now what's very interesting is that polygraphs are not that accurate. They're not even used in the court system as evidence for that very reason that they're just not that reliable. I mean, one way that you could allegedly beat a polygraph is put a thumbtack in your shoe.
Yeah, you put a thumbtack in your shoe, and every time that you answer something truthfully or like you want a specific result. So if you want everything to be perceived as true or false, you step on it so that it's very consistent. So let's say I'm lying and I say, I did not eat mango, okay? But I did eat it. Then I would step on the thumbtack. So when you're lying, you're stepping on the thumbtack. And then when you're telling the truth, you're all thumbtack. Yes, exactly.
So I say, is your name Stephanie? I step on the thumbtack and I say, yes, my name is Stephanie because that's the truth. But then you asked me, did you eat mangoes mango and I step on the thumbtack? Is this real? Really, you just do that? We don't know. This is a speculation. Recently, there were a lot of cops who were arrested for teaching perpetrators how to be polygraphs. But you just share that. I don't know if I think that there's better ways.
I think this is just like a very colloquial, what's on Reddit type of way. But I'm sure that there's maybe much more enhanced ways to beat it, like a foolproof plan. I don't think that this is foolproof. I think this is maybe better than not stepping on a thumbtack. You know what's actually best is not take a polygraph and get an attorney. Would be the best. But yeah. Wow. And there's cops trying to teach people. Yes. And they were recently arrested a few of them.
It's been a problem, apparently. But that means what makes it even more interesting is the first time around, if someone is cheating on their partner, they could lie and say that they're not. And the polygraph could easily, easily read it as them telling the truth. But on stage, because they don't know their results of the first polygraph and because they believe everyone knows their lies at this point, they just confess to the cheating. Does that make sense?
It's like you take a polygraph, but the polygraph, the results are not that accurate. But when you're on stage, because of the subliminal messaging and the bias that's been fed to you that they know the truth, you just tell the truth. Yeah. You end up telling the truth anyway. So what does that mean? That means they don't know if you're telling the truth or not. I feel like it's very loose. But naturally, the contestants just end up telling the truth. I mean, I guess that is true.
How do you prove that? Whatever you say is truth or not? It's all just the producers call. They can say anything is true or false based on what you said. And you can't even argue. No. I didn't. Like, nobody will believe you. No, they won't. And also, polygraphs, even if they're like, well, the polygraph results, well, polygraphs are not that accurate. So it just is like a very interesting concept. If you really sit there and think about it, it's very problematic.
Very easy. Yeah. So Ruth was chosen because the producers knew that she's hiding secrets from her family. Stuff that would be shocking, get a visceral reaction when they're exposed in front of not just her family, but in front of the whole nation at the same time. The producers said the reality is, we knew what she was lying about. Deep down we knew that she was lying and we knew that she was hiding stuff. So she was the perfect contestant for the show.
It's our job to make sure those secrets get out. All the unpleasant, uncomfortable details aired for the world to see. That's our job. We are in the middle of a renovation to make what looks like a little nook. Like we want all these little nooks around the house recently because just with my nieces running around, I think it would be very nice to have these soft little spaces for them to read their little books. And I've just been super excited.
And I think it's finally time that hopefully it'll be finished before the holidays. I've already started ordering stuff like books for their little nooks and all these cozy and little warm things so that we can hibernate throughout the winter. We've decided on the color scheme and everything recently. And with quince, we were able to pick out the comfy pillows, throw blankets and accent rugs.
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It's not a great question to ask someone, but I get it. That's the whole point. Ruth did admit earlier in the show that she wished that she had grown up in better conditions. Her family definitely was part of the disadvantaged part of Peru and while her parents felt really proud of where they came from and how they worked so hard in spite of their circumstances, her mom is a singer, her dad plays the harp in a band.
It sounds like prestigious careers, but they spend most of their time trying to perform in the so-called dustier parts of town. Ruth felt like, yeah, I mean, it would be nicer if things were easier. This is just what it is, right? But the question is, are you embarrassed by your family's manners? This seems to be one of the harder questions for Ruth. She starts rubbing her forehead. She starts sighing, hesitating until she finally says, yes.
After that, the camera turns to her parents who look devastated. Their smiles disappear and the audience starts boo-booing Ruth. Did she really just say after everything that her parents did for her that she's ashamed of them really for overcoming their struggles and trying to give her everything that they never had? Look about entitled, Ruth tries to explain to them that she's not embarrassed of them or where they came from.
Just certain situations made her feel a little bit embarrassed sometimes, like how sometimes they would go to a restaurant and her parents don't know how to behave or they would be too louder to this just in those specific moments. I mean, has nobody ever been embarrassed of their own parents before? It's not like she was embarrassed by their background or how they didn't have money. That's not what she was trying to say. Ruth's parents were a little bit blindsided by this whole thing.
Not even just the answer to the question, but the show itself. Ruth did not prepare them for the show because this is the first episode of the show. They couldn't even watch old episodes to get an idea of what they were walking into. Ruth's mom, she genuinely thought that the premise of this show was to bring on everyday average peruvians and have them talk about their truth, aka their life story. So she is definitely blindsided.
To talk about your struggles in life that you face, the challenges that you've overcome, and it's almost a heartwarming story about the human experience and what binds us together. Ruth's mom was actually really excited and proud that her daughter was given a platform to talk about how they struggled and how they would sell pineapples at the night market and they would sell watermelons on the street to make money. Ruth did not warn her about what was going to happen.
And now she's being publicly told in front of the nation that her daughter is embarrassed of her at restaurants. It was a lot to take in. Ruth's dad had a little bit of a stronger feeling about the whole show, okay? Call it skepticism, I don't know, but he was begging Ruth not to do it. It just doesn't make sense. What kind of TV show is willing to pay you that amount of money to share her heroic story about selling fruits at the market to make rent? That just doesn't make sense.
That's not how TV works. Even told Ruth until the very last moment, right before they stepped on the stage, please don't do this. Don't do this. Just don't do it. Ruth's mom would come up behind him scolding him. You don't support your own daughter. How can you say that we have to help her with whatever she wants to achieve?
Both of Ruth's parents showed up for filming, but you can just tell sitting there, Ruth's mom seems a lot more relaxed, at least in the beginning, excited even and Ruth's dad. I mean, his anxiety was practically tangible. The host even asked, what are you so nervous about? Are you worried? Yes, I'm worried. What are you so worried about? The things I'm going to find out about my daughter, I'm worried about if there's ugly things that I will never be able to forget.
Ruth's mom though is sticking by her side. Well, I have a lot of confidence in our daughter since she was a little girl. I would talk to her and I would teach her and I told her how to behave and hopefully she listened to all my advice and I'm very confident in her. I don't think that there's anything wrong with her or anything weird that's going to come out of this and if that is the case, I'm probably going to faint. But now, now is just a lot.
It seems like they don't even really know how to react to that question. Question number eight, have you ever taken the morning after pill more than once? Yes. Three times. And the answer is true. Side note, Peru is a pretty conservative country so it's just definitely an uncomfortable question to ask somebody. It's not like the US where everyone's like, okay, yeah, moving on. Next question, there's a lot of stigma attached to that.
There's going to be a lot of slut shaming that is involved with something like that. Question number nine, would you forgive your boyfriend if he cheated on you? This one does not seem to bother Ruth much, she just responds to it straight forwardly. No. The answer is true. I mean, it's not really the most insane question. It doesn't even reveal anything about anyone. It doesn't answer or reveal if Brian did cheat on her. It doesn't reveal if she cheated on him.
It's just, would you stay with someone who cheats on you? Answer is no. Okay, moving on. The audience seems very uninterested in this question compared to the others. In the others, they would be gasping, they'd be wooing, they'd be booing, but this one is just like, okay, next, but Ruth, after responding to this question, she seems to start getting a little bit uncomfortable. She keeps kind of shifting in her chair, adjusting her shirt, kind of, sighing nonstop.
Beto the host turns to Ruth and asks if she wants her own family one day. Yes, but I think I'd rather adopt than have my own children. So, they're feeling with these filler questions? Yes, they just like to get to know the contestant between the questions. And I think they're trying to provide more context, and it's almost like they have these filler questions that lead up to the actual question.
I'm scared of the pain of giving birth, and I think it's beautiful to give a new home to a child that's been abandoned. Beto turns to Brian and asks if he wants a family and a child. He says, yes, I do. Okay, well great. Question number nine, do you ever feel like your boyfriend does not deserve you? Ruth glances and she responds very slowly. Yes, the look on Brian's face. I mean, it's what you expect.
He clearly does not look happy to hear her response, but at the same time, he's trying to look, trying his best to look like it doesn't affect him because he's on national television. He tries to smile, but it's one of those like awkward. I don't know what to do right now. I was like, okay, sure, the host asked him, how are you feeling? I didn't know that she felt like that, but I'm okay with it. I guess, I mean, what can I say right now? Last question before Ruth passes level two.
Question number 11, do you really work at the call center? Ruth is a university student that works at one of those customer call centers to help pay the bills. She can't afford to just be a university student, so she needs to work on the side to pay for her tuition. She has been working there for the past eight months, at least that's what she told her parents and her boyfriend. The answer is no. Ruth states she does not actually work at the call center.
Her parents look confused because why would she lie about something like that? And if she doesn't work at the call center, where is she working? Because clearly she's making enough money to support herself. And if she works somewhere else, why wouldn't she just tell them where she actually works? Unless the robotic voice comes back on. The answer is true. She does not work at the call center. When you want to find someone in Peru, you go to the media.
About 11,000 women in Peru are reported missing every single year. The police do not have time for 11,000 women. I mean, not that I think it's even an issue of time, but more so. They honestly just don't care that much anymore. It's said that if you're not wealthy, influential, or famous in Peru, if you go missing, you will be missed because they're not going to find you. The only way to try and find someone, or some sort of help, is through the media. Get someone to talk about your case.
Spread the word. That's the only hope. That's why in front of the TV studios, it's always a very weird mix of people standing outside. So on one side, you have these really young people who are typically just fans of whoever is going to be on set today. They're waiting camping out there in hopes of just getting a glimpse, a single glimpse at their favorite idol, their favorite celebrity. And then on the other side, you have a typically older group of people.
They don't care about what celebrity is walking in and out unless they're going to take one of their missing person posters. It's an incredibly unique niche energy. I mean, there are typically parents with missing person's flyers of their children on one side. Their eyes are bloodshot. They have an eaten in days. They've been roaming around like zombies just desperately trying to get someone to tell them where their child is.
They're in front of these TV studios trying to shove posters into fans' hands. The ones that came here to just catch a glimpse of their celebrity. And now there's a crying mom handing them a flyer of a missing girl. The parents are canvassing the TV studio looking for any glass window into the building. They try to smack the poster up so some executive inside can see and take pity on them and want to share their story and help them. Over there, the security guard. Please, you have to help me.
You know someone who worked here, right? Please, my daughter, she would never leave. She would never run away like this. Like, I know something happened. Please, you have to help me. But the security guards, they don't. Because that's what all the parents say. Our daughter's missing. We're poor. We have no money. We need help. Our daughter would never run away. I'm sure it's all true. But that doesn't change the fact that the new stations, they cannot run.
They are not even a thousand of the same stories every single year. In this story, the parents had gone to bed after watching the World Cup qualifying match between Peru and Argentina. It was a big night. When they woke up the next morning, they realized that their daughter had not made it back home. Which was weird. She never really liked to sleep on a bed that's not hers to begin with. And also, she is the type that always tells her parents if she's sleeping outside.
Like, this is very strange. They try calling her. She's not picking up. They call her friends. Maybe they all threw a big, huge soccer watch party. And then she fell asleep on a friend's couch after drinking a beer. One friend told the parents, oh yeah, I was with her last night. We were walking through the university campus together and she got a call on her phone about a guy who wanted to meet up with her. So she left. And I haven't seen her since. Nobody has seen her since.
And the parents are left to repeat the same story that the new stations hear dozens of times every single hour. Our daughter is missing. We're poor. We need help. Our daughter would never run away. Finally, one security guard snaps at the mom. Lady, what do you want? Just submit your form and leave. The guard practically spits in her face and she's had enough. And without thinking, she fires back the only, the only thing that they have.
Please, sir, my daughter, she was on, she was the girl from the moment of truth. The show, she went viral. She's missing. The guard pauses. What? The girl from the moment of truth? She's missing? Before the mom could even make another plea or take it all back, the security guard leaves his post and runs to grab a camera man. September 14th, three days after Ruth disappeared.
Two months after the viral premiere of the moment of truth in Peru, Ruth's disappearance made the front pages all over again. Could her disappearance have anything to do with what happened on the show? That was the question all the news networks were asking. Level three. Truth is a very tricky thing. It's like a suitcase. You know when you go on vacation, you pack up your suitcase, you roll up all your shirts, and you're like, this is the optimal way to pack a suitcase.
And then you fold it all neatly and you get it just right. Like there's barely enough space for an extra shirt and you zip it up and it's all good. But then when you're at the hotel, you got to fly back home in a few hours, nothing fits. You can't shove it back in. It's the same amount of stuff you didn't even buy anything new. Why won't it close now? All of a sudden, there's no way for it to neatly tuck back in because it's too late. What is out is out and there is no going back.
That's a really good analogy. Thank you. Wow. Question 12. Would you lend your parents all the money in the bank if they asked you to? Ruth was always known to be a very frugal girl. I mean, she would save every last penny of every dollar that she made. She would not spend any money on anything or anyone. She was very protective over her funds. Ruth looks at her parents and she already told them that she was embarrassed of their manners.
And now this, she responds, yes, I would give them all the money I have if they asked. The answer is true. This is the win that the audience needed. I mean, this whole thing was slowly starting to get a little depressing. But now, oh, thank God, the audience starts clapping, cheering, even Ruth looks a little relieved. But there's still more questions to go. Then the host, I mean, it's kind of clear what questions are coming up next.
Beto starts asking Ruth about what she thinks of her boyfriend, Brian, who's sitting, I don't know, 10 feet away from her. Do you think Brian is a handsome guy? Uh, yeah. That doesn't sound very convincing. Do you think Brian is a smart guy? Kind of. Ruth laughs. More or less. Do you think Brian has a good heart? She doesn't skip a beat on this one. Yes, I do. The audience starts clapping. Good. Question number 13. Are you with your boyfriend, Brian, until someone better comes along?
Ruth looks nervous. I mean, there's the right answer. And then the right answer is to say, no, you're in love with Brian because you left Brian and you would never leave Brian and also because she literally knows what this will do to Brian. Brian had a stutter that he was hypersensitive about, very insecure about it. When Brian was just eight years old, his mom's new boyfriend pushed him down a flight of stairs.
And ever since then, he had a slight stutter, which likely happened more so from the emotional trauma of being pushed down the stairs rather than the physical injuries that he likely would have sustained. I don't think that he sustained any physical injuries, which that is something that can very much happen, by the way. Mental and emotional distress from traumatic events can disrupt the normal functioning of the brain and impact the regions that are responsible for speech production.
And it was just always something that Brian felt like people were looking down on him for her. Even when they weren't, he felt like people were looking down on him. So the right answer to that question is no. I love Brian because Brian is perfect and Brian is good enough for me. But the true answer, the answer that she needs to say to get to the next level and not have wasted all of this, not have done all of this for nothing is, yes, I'm with Brian until someone better comes along.
Brian looks honestly speechless. He doesn't even look shocked. It's like when you know something is true, but to hear it said out loud, adds another lay of trauma. That's what this looks like. And what's the reason? Who would be better that comes along? The host asks Ruth what her ideal man is. I mean, I'm fine with Brian, but I think I would like someone who's in a better financial situation. She said that she just really wants someone who's very ambitious and Brian just really isn't that.
Brian looks really betrayed by this. He thought that they bonded through sharing the same experiences growing up. Ruth had to go help her parents sell pineapples at the market. Brian had to help his mom sell pre-made breakfast plates. His mom would be in the dirt floor kitchen, literally the floor of the kitchen was dirt. And she'd be cooking up these breakfast plates that they would shove into these flimsy two-go containers and try to sell them to workers throughout the town.
That's how he grew up. And his prized possessions as a kid were his old soccer posters that he taped onto his childhood bedroom walls. They're like peeling off the walls because they're that old. But those were his prized possessions. It's not like he wants to be a taxi driver. It's the only job that he can get right now. He's just trying to do his best. So yeah, the answer, it sucks. It cut deep. The whole time Brian's face looks really stoic. He doesn't have a lot of expression on his face.
He looks indifferent. Just wow. But when the camera zooms out and it pans down and his leg, his leg is shaking uncontrollably. Beto turns and his eyes fall on Brian. Brian, are you in love with Ruth? Yes. It shows. Yes, I am in love. How do you feel about such harsh answers today? I don't know what to say. Evidently, the answer hurt you right? Ruth, that was a cruel, cruel answer. Ruth looks uncomfortable. I wasn't trying to make him feel bad.
I don't want to excuse myself either, but the host turns back to Ruth. Is Brian your first ever boyfriend? No, but he is the first man I've ever fallen in love with. Do you think love sees gender should a woman only love a man and vice versa? Now to give you some extra context here for where we're headed, Peru is a very conservative country. There is a heavy emphasis on masculine head of the house roles. The patriarchy lives strong.
And I mean, Peru is conservative, but I would say just like everywhere else in this world, everywhere has conservative parts of their country, so I'm sure everyone can relate. But in Peru, gay marriage is not legal. It's not even recognized as a union. Ruth, like any normal honest being, tells the host that she thinks anyone can love anybody. The audience kind of reacts like she's saying some very controversial things.
Like some people are like, yeah, some people are like, boo, beetle turns to Ruth. Question 14, do you have sexual fantasies about women? Ruth's dad looks like he is, he's in pain. He looks like he's in agony, like someone lit the entire couch on fire and he's tied to the flaming couch forced to sit on open flames. That's what his face looks like right now. He looks like he's just hunched over in pain.
Ruth glances at him and responds, yes, she responds that she considers herself bisexual, that she even kissed a girl once when she was younger and that she's had these attractions and she was maybe 14. Her parents are practically in physical pain at this point. Her mom is rubbing her eyebrows like she's got this giant migraine. Ruth looks over at her parents who just like exhausted, destroyed over it.
Question 15, do you think you can maintain your current life and relationships without resorting to lying anymore? Ruth glances at her family. No. Because at this point, she has revealed so much. Honestly too much. What more does she have to reveal? What more can she say? I mean, really, how can she go back to her life? And also, a lot of netizens think, is there anything worse that she can admit to than being bisexual? I'm laughing because that's crazy.
But that's how a lot of people in the audience felt. What could be worse than that? She admitted to kissing a girl. What could be worse than that? This was the right hotel, right? I mean, no chance anyone would notice a random cap that's just sitting parked outside waiting for her, right? I mean, who would notice, right? Even at the hotel. The taxi pulls up directly in front of the hotel lobby and this is the moment she's going to walk out of the hotel and lives are going to change.
It's a little bit longer to see her beautiful face again. And a girl with brinette hair exits the lobby, exits the hotel. Her eyes are scanning the parking lot. She's clearly looking for someone. The door of the taxi flies open. This is the moment, seeing her again. But wait, it's not her. Ruth's father runs out of the taxi and walks over slowly. He's almost embarrassed that he jumped to conclusions so quickly. This is not his missing daughter, Ruth.
He glares at the taxi driver standing behind this random girl. This driver told him that he knew where his missing daughter was. All it would take would be the most expensive cab ride to reunite him with Ruth. $250 to get him to the hotel that Ruth is staying at. That's what he told Ruth's dad. What? And it was all a lie. That's what it was. It was a scam. It was a lie. This was not Ruth. The girl doesn't even look to be the taxi driver's daughter either.
It looks like she's just caught up in something a lot darker. That's it. It was a scam. Just a scam. The taxi driver. Let me just drive you there and pay me the money and left. Yeah. Ruth's dad looks at this strange girl that's not Ruth and just tells her, go home. Just go home. Whatever it is, your parents are going to forgive you. She looks like a runaway. So just go home. With that, Ruth's dad breaks down and burst into tears. But some people find his story a little bit interesting.
He never mentioned the taxi driver's name, never mentioned reported what hotel it was and what happened to the girl afterwards. How did he get home? Did the taxi driver take him home? It was just a strange story. The authorities get another tip about Ruth's disappearance soon after. A minor states that he lives in the same neighborhood as Ruth and Brian. And he tells the police another very interesting story.
He tells the cops that on the evening of September 11th, the last day that Ruth was seen, he was paid 50 souls around $13 to be a lookout at the bus stop. The last thing the boys saw was Ruth being shoved into the back of a mototaxi by two shadowy figures. Level 4. The questions, like I said, are on a pyramid skill. So level 4 now just has three questions. And that's it to get to level 5. At this point, if she passes level 4, she's going to win $5,000.
That's like the equivalent of someone winning like $60,000 in the US. It's a lot of money. Question one of three for level 4. Do you think your parents would be proud of you if they knew what you did for a living? No. Ruth tries to explain. It's not like I do anything illegal, but I don't work at the call center. And it's just, I'm embarrassed about it. And I just, I came onto the show to tell the truth about my life to my parents and to everybody, but also to escape what I do for a living.
So no, the answer is no, they would not be proud. But no, the answer is no, they would not be proud. Question two of three for level 4. Do you work at a nightclub, Ruth? Ruth hesitates. She looks at her parents and they already know the answer before she even says it. Their heads are hanging, their eyes are closed in disappointment. Just to give you some extra context, nightclubs in Peru are a little bit different. So from my understanding and please correct me if I'm mistaken.
But from my understanding, there are nightclubs in tourist areas in Peru that are very similar to what you would expect nightclubs in the US to be like. Just clubs. But most other nightclubs are known to be places in which one could solicit sex work. Whereas maybe we might not make that connection here in the US. Inside note sex work is completely legal in Peru. Ruth's mom bends down and puts her head in her hands. She looks heartbroken. Her father says he's so conflicted.
He doesn't want her to answer. He doesn't want her to continue playing this game, but at the same time, he knows that she should. She should at least reveal it because how else would he ever know the truth about his daughter? It's like, do you want to know? Do you not want to know? That's the dilemma. Ryan, on the other hand, he doesn't even want to hear anything anymore. But Ruth has to answer. The question was asked.
And once the question is asked, you either lie, which means you lose all your money, or you don't answer, which means you lose all your money, or you tell the truth and you walk away with what you won so far. Yes. I work at a nightclub. Ruth's mom has her head in her hands. She doesn't even want to make eye contact with her own daughter. She's hiding her face. She can't even look up and look at the cameras. She just wants to sink and disappear into the couch.
Ruth tries to explain, and I don't know if it makes it any better. She tries to explain that she's just one of the 30 dancers at the club, and she gets paid around $50 per dance, and she only performs on stage maybe one or three times a night. That's it. And yeah, she's not wearing a ton of clothes at the club, but really nothing is showing like none of her private. She's not completely nude while she's dancing. Ruth's family are speechless. They have nothing more to say right now.
After the past eight months, they thought she was working at a call center. It feels like she's living a double life. What can they say? But there's still one more question left. Question number three of three for level four. Ruth's mom is practically begging her to stop at this point. Nothing more she can say is going to help the situation. It's only going to get worse from here. Brian, he seems stunned. Like he can't even put together complete senses even if he tried. It was a lot.
If she answers the next question truthfully, she will walk away with five minutes. Five thousand three hundred dollars, which is about 13 months of work for the average Peruvian. To try and put that into a clear comparison, that would be someone in the US winning around sixty two thousand dollars if you look at the national average salary. Beto turns to Brian. Brian, what do you say to Ruth? Stop or continue? I don't want to hear anymore. You don't want to hear anymore. Ruth chooses to continue.
One last question to secure five thousand three hundred dollars. She's already come so far. Question number three of three for level four. Once the question comes out of Beto's mouth, everyone goes silent. It's like holding their breath. I mean, they know what the answer is going to be because of course they do. They're not going to ask a question like this unless the answer is very clear. Ruth stares out into the crowd but also at her parents and her boyfriend.
Her mom is bent over as if she has a raging stomach cramp like a stomach ulcer that came out of nowhere. She is literally hunched over. It is an impossible situation. Clearly seeing her parents in that amount of pain, why would she keep going? She wants to just not answer. Of course she doesn't, but she's already come this far and not answering is also an answer. If she doesn't answer, people know what her answer is.
So she might as well answer with her own mouth and at least get the money that can be something to prove for this whole nightmare. Yeah. The moment they ask this question, everybody already know the story, right? Like why would they ask this question unless she looks at her parents then back at Brian then back at her parents, just one word that's all that is standing between Ruth and 5 grand. Just one more yes or no and she will be guaranteed to win the level 4 prize.
I mean, of course she can still continue to play level 5 for more than triple the amount so she could get over 10,000 the comparison would be like $200,000 in the US if she were to complete level 5. Okay. But it's just about this one question. Yeah. So she answers. So this is yes. What I'm getting now, it's like it's not really a truth telling show. It's literally you agree to air your darkest secret for money basically. Yeah. So they already know what's true.
So they're just like here's a list of your darkest secret. Every time you unveil more, I'm going to give you more money. Exactly. Yeah, they're not paying for truth. Yeah, they're already know the truth. Yeah. Wow. And it's like I think they're just paying to watch your whole life follow part question by question really. Yeah. They ask the question and she responds yes. Everyone is just kind of gasping and shock and disbelief.
I mean, it's the type of confession that makes you go what is this for real right now? A woman's voice interrupts the commotion and it is the loudspeaker that announces the results. The answer is and the audience goes even more quiet holding their breath anticipating the answer. The answer is true. And the audience is basically buffering and disbelief. They're at a complete lack for words. They look at Ruth's loved ones on stage hoping that they're going to be the ones to break the silence.
Her mother can't even make eye contact with her. Her father is fighting back tears and Brian, her boyfriend, Brian, his eyes are glazed over like he's disassociating a producer called him a zombie that his face was registering nothing in that moment because they too are at a loss for words. It is Ruth that eventually breaks the silence. It was just twice we needed money. We were in a bad situation and it won't happen again. Beto gives her a chance to explain so she elaborates.
I mean the whole money thing but there were also no options and it's not like she enjoyed it. She mentions how she was bedridden with guilt for three days. She couldn't bring herself to get out of bed. She didn't eat for three days. More silence. Beto tries to ease the tension. You have now passed the fourth level and have five grand in your pocket but it has cost you so much. Wait, so we still, we don't know the end question yet. You will soon.
Okay. You've already taken off your mask in front of the mirror and in front of your parents in front of the whole country. Still your parents are suffering. You must make a decision. Ruth has two options now. She can either walk away with the five grand or continue to answer the last three questions and hopes for doubling the reward. Before she answers Beto continues and asks the family what do they want her to do? Brian is bouncing his leg trying to avoid the questions. The attention.
I mean everything. My father says it's up to her to make the choice. Her mother says I want to leave love. I want you to leave. Wow. Then from the crowd, one brave audience member heckles and the rest join. Go home. Leave. Don't do it. Don't continue. No way. The crowd is letting their disproved will be known. Literally booing Ruth off the stage. She has no choice but to say that she's going to stop now. Three questions short of tripling her cash prize. The game comes to an abrupt end.
For the audience to tell her to stop, that is. Wow. Ruth will be walking away with $5,300. And again, that's about 13 months of work. She earned almost a little over a year of work in just a few hours. It should be a moment to celebrate. Confetti does get released from the ceiling and technically she should be celebrating because she won. But instead, her parents and her boyfriend, they just they seated on the couch. They don't even get up.
She walks over and gets on her knees, grabs her mother's hands and says, forgive me. I kneel before you because you're my mother because you're the person who brought me into this world with much pain and you've always stood behind me. The same with you dad. I'll never find someone like you guys. I love you mom. Please, I love you. Please forgive me. Ruth is on her knees. Her mom brings her up and hugs her. But her eyes stay open. Ruth's episode will air in a month. She will kill.
It will surpass all previous ratings. Ruth's picture of her smiling and holding her giant, oversized $5,000 check from the show will be on the cover of every single major newspaper and magazine with everybody wondering. Was it worth it? Two months later, a body would be found at the bottom of a well. The next time Ruth is on the news, she will be 16 feet down covered in concrete and rocks murdered.
After the show airs, just two months after the taping of the show, nothing would be the same in the Sia's Sanchez family. Nothing. The family went through so many cycles. They would feel bad for their daughter Ruth. They felt like she had gone through so much and then she had to do it all on her own. And she didn't feel comfortable talking to them. I'm sure to agree the parents felt like it was their fault. Had they had more money, maybe she wouldn't even have done that in the first place.
Then they would turn to anger. I mean, but why couldn't she just get a normal job like everybody else that came from families like theirs? Why would she need to do that? And then why go on national television and ambush us? You knew what kind of questions they were going to ask and you still asked us to go on this show? Why would you completely blindside us? The parents were confused. They didn't even know how to process this type of information. Ruth's dad especially had a hard time adjusting.
I mean, that's his baby girl. And he just knows way too much about her now. It's not that he doesn't want to treat her the same way. He just didn't know what to say to her. He just needed some time. There were a lot of arguments on why Ruth even did the show to begin with. And Ruth would just tell her parents for the money. Other time Ruth's mom would stare at her and she would just have these tears in her eyes. What happened to you? Why have you done this? I mean, who even are you?
She would walk over and start wiping her mom's tears and giving her pets on the face and little kisses on the cheek. No, Mommy, forget it all. Those are all things I said for the TV. But Mommy, you know the truth in your conscious. Yes or no, Mommy, you know the truth. I'm going to go to class, okay? But why would you do this then? What have you done to us? I did this so that we could win, Mommy. We could win money. And what are the people going to say? Are family relatives?
Everyone in the country that's going to see it? What about that? I don't care, Mommy. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. How else was she supposed to earn that type of money and that type of time? She wanted to open up a salon so that she could take care of her family and make sure that her parents don't need to worry about money. This show was going to move her closer to her dream. I mean, rapidly.
Fine, maybe she's going to be the laughing stock of the nation for a while, but at least she would have some sort of future. That's what she thought. That's what she reasoned with herself. That's what she told her parents. And then the episode aired. The show Value of Truth became the number one show in all of Peru for 15 weeks straight. The ratings were through the roof. The viewership was, I mean, unseen before. Like this was crazy. The show became a national conversation.
Newspapers, other shows, talk shows, were talking about the value of truth. They were reacting to it. All the major newspapers, they had the same photo of Ruth smacked on the front covers of everything. Her face was everywhere. And Ruth thought she could handle it. She could handle the attention. She could handle the hate and the opinions. She would just wait for it to die down and then try to open up her salon. That was her initial plan. But nothing ever goes according to plan.
Even if Ruth were to open up a salon, she doesn't even know if customers would come now. Because her reputation was pretty much set in stone. She was known for a few things now. And Ruth started becoming very depressed and having these negative thoughts. Her dad said, the entire neighborhood that we live in, I mean, it's just a hellhole of gossip. Ruth couldn't even leave the house without people coming up to her, giving her their opinions on what she did and about her last question.
Other times they would just stare point and even take pictures of her with their phone. Like she's not a normal human being. Like she's a petting zoo animal. But nothing was as bad as the guys that would come up to her. Anyway, Ruth would try and stand her house isolated from the world. I mean, she's trying to escape all the people talking about her, but it's kind of hard. Because sometimes they would just call house. Most relatives, some of them they haven't even spoken to in years.
They were now calling Ruth and her parents to tell them how ashamed they were that they are part of the family and that they are embarrassed of Ruth and she is the biggest shame of their bloodline. And in front of her parents, you know, Ruth tried to stay very strong. She tried to have this whole screw them all attitude about it. I don't care what they say about me. I won money and my life is going to get better once this blows over and they're going to get nothing out of it.
But with her sister, Eva, Ruth was a bit more honest. She would lay there on the bed staring at the wall. What have I done? What did I do? Why did I do that? And now, mom and dad are in the eye of the storm and I just don't understand why I did any of that. Some people gave her advice. Just lean into it. Milk the situation for all its worth. I mean, what else can you do? So soon after her video, after her episode aired, Ruth did a few quick interviews.
She told the journalist to a degree she feels that she was liberated by the show, you know? But what about Brian? Everyone wants to know about Brian. How are you and Brian? Well, the truth is we don't even talk to each other anymore because when I call him, he doesn't answer. But I'm also having a hard time and he should understand that. I'm not the only one to blame here. He is also to blame and he knows it. But I would rather just leave it at that.
I don't want to have any more problems with him or his family. She's trying to keep all this upbeat energy for the audience, but you can just tell in these interviews she looks mentally drained and exhausted. Three days after Ruth goes missing, the case blows up on national mainstream media networks. Ruth's family were all hopeful. They're all talking about Ruth, right? The new stations are.
The people are, which meant her case is getting attention and if someone knew something or someone saw her, it would be reported. The more eyes, the better. Ruth's mom remembers thinking, yes, I'm going to find my daughter now. I'm going to find my daughter and she expected the news anchors to talk about Ruth's role as the first contestant of one of the most popular TV shows on air currently. Something along the lines of the girl from the show, the value of truth is missing.
But instead, news anchors all stared into the camera and said, the prostitute from the value of truth is missing. What? I do want to clarify very quickly that I wanted to change the word two sex workers. I know that the term is not appropriate. However, I thought it took away the gravity of how inconsiderate and dismissive the news networks were in regards of Ruth's disappearance. So for that reason, I have kept it verbatim.
The news anchors did not refer to Ruth as Ruth or Ruth, the college student or Ruth, the daughter and sister, but Ruth, the prostitute from the value of truth. If you look into my pantry at any given moment, you might find what I call the box of shame. It's where all the supplements that I don't like go, and there's a lot of them.
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Some netizens believe that had she not been asked the very last question, the question that helped her win $5,300, had she not been asked that she would be alive right now? She would not be dead. Some netizens wonder, is it the producers fault then? Is there the ones that come up with these questions they pushed it that far? Are they not to blame? Others argue, no, they're not. She's the one to blame because if it wasn't the truth, then they wouldn't have asked.
After Ruth's body was found, the last question from that episode was played on repeat on every major news network TV station over and over again. Last question. Have you ever accepted money in exchange for sex? What? Yes. That was it. That was it. The camera turns to Brian and the narrative and the story was made. The headlines would run. The nation's green hat slave. What? So they focused on the boyfriend. They focused on both.
I think that Ruth honestly probably had it harder than Brian, but... No, no, no, no. But Brian was also calling that. Yeah. Wow. Even his defense attorney would use that word a lot. What's the word? Cut cold. Cut. Green hat slave. What? I mean, what? Yeah. So life gets really hard for Brian after the show airs and to be fair, it was kind of unfair what happened to him on the show. He was just there to support his girlfriend, but he was ultimately publicly humiliated.
Some Peruvians would state that something unforgivable happened to Brian. He was turned into a green hat slave in front of millions of people. Peruv has a very strong patriarchal masculinity, prioritized culture to be a public green hat slave was in their eyes. Wait, my question is... Yeah. How is your green hat slave when... Is he part of the... No. So how is that... Is he considered that? He got cheated on.
So okay, I think the difference here and I think the reason that people call him a green hat slave is... And I was looking into it and tell me how Jeff Bezos comes up into this, right? So basically, when people use that term as a dis, I don't want to say derogatory, but like a dis, they call someone a green hat slave. Sometimes it's... There's no proof that it even happened. It's just a type of energy they say someone carries.
For example, after Jeff Bezos was engaged to his new fiance, Lauren Sanchez, there is a picture of him. It's him and Lauren Sanchez on his mega-yacht, Jeff Bezos' mega-yacht, and her ex-husband who happens to be an NFL player is also on the boat shirtless and they're both looking at him. And they say that even though Jeff Bezos is one of the richest men in the world, he always had this nerdy tech energy that people imagine him to be a green hat slave. So that became a huge meme.
Because throughout the whole episode, Ruth was saying things like she doesn't necessarily think that he's smart. She thinks that she deserves better than him. And he's there just supporting her the whole time. A lot of people felt like it was a green hat slave. So the whole message together makes him okay. Yeah. It wasn't just he was blindsided and cheated on, but I think it was just throughout the episode. All these little things were stacking up.
And yeah, I mean, once you're considered that it's almost free game for anyone else to disrespect you and make fun of you. I mean, what are you going to do? You're a green hat slave. That's on me saying that. That's what a lot of people were thinking. Brian was walking home one day. This is after it airs. He sees a group of high school boys just loitering on the side of the road. He's maneuvering so he can just walk past them.
But as they're passing each other as he's passing the group, he catches one of their eyes. And he can almost see the moment that it registers in the high school boys' brain. At first he looks up, eyes are blank, meets Brian's eyes, and it's like a light bulb moment goes off. His eyes get bigger, and he's got a little spark in them. His face starts moving. His mouth opens up. Guys, it's the fucking green hat slave. The rest of his friends turn. They're uninterested at first.
But when they see Brian's face, they light up, and they start bullying him, taunting him. He has to run and hide in a nearby store to get away. At the time Brian was caught off guard by a journalist who was waiting for him at his front door. How do you feel, Brian? Tell us about what you feel after the episode is aired. Brian won't even look at the camera. Embarrassed? Embarrassed with my friends and my family? I started finding out everything she had done to me. How can I feel? You're a man.
How would you feel? Yes, yes. I can imagine. And I will try to put myself in your place. But they say that when you love someone, you can forgive everything, right? Depends on what they did. Would they've done to you? The things that was shared that day by her? I cannot forgive. When news was initially circulating that Ruth was missing, the first person on everybody's radar was obviously Brian. Reporters chased him down asking him questions. What were you doing the night that Ruth went missing?
Answer the question. What were you doing? I can't remember. I was drunk that night. The reporter looks at him in blinks. If you were me, would you believe yourself? Like I said, I don't remember that day. I was drunk. But your conscience is clean. Yeah. When you knew Ruth's parents hated Brian, they always felt like Ruth could do better. This is even before the show. And I'm sure most parents feel that about their kids, but really, it wasn't even just that.
There was something about Brian that really irked them. Ruth's mom said, I don't know why, but I hated that kid. There was something unsettling. Every time you talked to Brian, he would talk crouched down, staring at the floor. He couldn't even look you in the eye, but it didn't feel like it was necessarily because he was so shy. It just felt like it was just weird. And they hated him more now because now they thought he's responsible for Ruth's disappearance.
A few days before Ruth vanished, Brian showed up at their house one night drunk. Ruth did not come to the door, but Ava did her sister because her sister is trying to talk to him, calm him down. Like, please, just leave us alone. Like what's done is done. What more is there to say? He's drunk. He's slurring his words. He's standing at the front door. You know what, Ava? Your sister told me that she was going to give me money, but she hasn't given me anything. That's enough, Brian, your drunk.
Go home. We'll talk tomorrow and I will try to get you whatever money you were promised. But Brian just stands there, not moving. And he smirked at her. He leans in closer to Ruth's sister and says, revenge is sweet. Ruth's family didn't even find out from the police that their daughter's body had been found. I mean, I guess at that point, they didn't even have confirmation that it was their daughter.
And I think maybe the family could hope and pray that it wasn't Ruth, but the odds are not really in their favor. A body had been found on Brian's uncle's property, 16 feet deep inside of a well. From the top viewpoint, you could gather that this was a girl, a young woman, but the rest of her body was covered in concrete and rocks. It was hard to identify her from the top. They would need to go in and retrieve her body. So yes, there was a chance that it wasn't Ruth, but who else could it be?
Ruth's dad and sister, Ava, they rushed to the property and when they get there and parked the car, it's just cameras everywhere, all pointed at them. The reporters are all there. Ruth's dad said the newspapers were desperate, the radio stations were desperate and I was desperate. It was just all desperation. They were desperate for a story and I was desperate for my daughter. They waited an hour.
The reporters were just with them and so the police told them that the body did indeed belong to Ruth. Their daughter was dead. Ruth's dad and Ruth's sister, Ava, they just fold into each other. Reporters keep asking questions and shoving mics in their faces to capture the very first words out of their mouths when they figure out the news. But what can you even say? There's nothing to be said. They were silent and just sobbing in each other's arms and the cameras are zooming in on them.
There was never a question of if anybody else did it. It was clear from the get-go that Brian was responsible. So Brian is arrested and eventually he is brought to the scene of the crime. He's brought to the wall. Ruth's dad is calm. He just wants to see the young man. Just ask him why. This is his daughter's ex-boyfriend to a degree? Yeah, they hate him. But to a degree, they trusted that he would never hurt her. The police warned Ruth's dad. You gotta keep your cool. Of course, I promise.
I mean, I just want to ask him a question. That's it. He approaches Brian. The officers are standing around them, surrounding them, making sure that nothing happens. What's faster? A police officer's arm? Or a rock? Ruth's dad went with the rock. He pulls it out of his pocket and goes to slam it down on Brian's head, but he was shoved backwards by a police officer and he lost his only shot.
Watching all of this, Eva Ruth's sister just drops her knees crying, screaming Ruth's name over and over again. Meanwhile, Ruth's mom was at home and she has no idea what's going on. I mean, on some random, isolated property outside of town they found a body, she doesn't even know this news. It's unclear if she even knew what her husband and her daughter were doing. Perhaps they didn't even tell her so that they wouldn't worry her unless they were confirmed that this was Ruth.
But a reporter named Maribel and a cameraman show up at Ruth's family's door. The door swings open and Maribel drops her head and offers her condolences. Ruth's mom is a little bit confused and Maribel thinks, oh, maybe she didn't hear me. Maybe I needed to say it louder. She repeats her condolences for her dad's daughter, but Ruth's mom, she's just staring at her confused like, what is this lady talking about right now? Maribel realizes that Ruth's mom did not know that Ruth had been found.
Maribel felt herself choking up. She's a TV reporter. She never had to tell all she could manage to say was, ma'am, they found a girl. Ruth's mom ran up inside the house, up to the second floor and slammed the door shut and she locked herself in the room and all she could hear from the outside the reporter could hear was the most gut-wrenching, emotionally disturbing whales coming from inside the room. Maribel's cameraman caught it and it was aired for weeks.
Just the cries of a mom who lost her daughter. Ruth's mom knew it was Brian from the moment that Ruth didn't come home that night. I mean, the very next day, with no proof, she went to Brian's because she was so sure it was Brian. She knocked on his door. She was sobbing, crying, screaming, all the neighbors start walking out of their homes to investigate like, what is this noise?
And in front of them, on the dirty street, in front of Brian who was just staring at her with indifference on his face, like she's just some sort of stranger that he has no connection to. Ruth's mom felt so desperate that she dropped to her knees, just pouring tears pouring out of her eyes. Now that she thinks about it, she said she was kneeling to Brian like he was some sort of God and she was praying to him. And she begged to him, Brian, please give me back my, give me back my Ruth, please.
Brian let her bag for a moment before stating very bluntly, Ruth, I haven't talked to her in a very long time. And he turns on his heel and just walks off. And now, now she knew she was right. She obviously did not want to be right. Her reaction to finding out her daughter was killed was played on almost every news station except one channel. They decided to stick to their regularly scheduled programming rather than switch to breaking news. They wanted to air their regular scheduled show.
Another episode of value of truth. After Brian's arrest, he immediately confessed to killing Ruth. He said, my name is Brian Levia. I'm 20 years old on the night of September 11th at approximately 11 p.m. I called Ruth. That night she went missing. I asked her to hang out. We were going to meet near the bridge. And at first things were really awkward. We barely talked. But we thought maybe this was a way of rekindling the affection that we did once have for each other and put this all past us.
One could argue that nobody else would know what they're going through right now besides each other. She gets into his mototaxi. They drive to his house. They park on the street and they just sit outside on the street on the mototaxi drinking a cheap bottle of $3 wine. And then they head upstairs to Brian's room and Brian claims that they had sex. Afterwards though, it's like a switch flipped. Ruth starts screaming at him out of nowhere.
She's very upset and she tells him, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm talking to a poor mototaxi driver like you. Brian said that he snapped. All the looks, the smirks, the comments, text from his friends that he received after the show aired. All of them were flooding into his mind and it was all because of her. Brian said, and that's when I grabbed her by the throat for 30 seconds. I held her like that. I thought she passed out. I listened to her heart and I didn't hear anything.
I grabbed her and I shook her and I heard nothing. I got scared. I didn't know what to do at this point. So he picked up her limp body, carried her into the bathroom, put her in the bathtub, and then went downstairs to the living room where there was a party for his mom's birthday. And he got drunk while upstairs Ruth's body was in the bathtub. He said later his uncle came to move Ruth's body into the well on his property.
During the trial, Brian's attorney would argue that his client, Brian, snapped under the pressure of national humiliation. The crime can be traced all the way back directly to the show. That episode could not have existed without Brian. That's the truth. The program had impact so long as you had a cuckold sitting up there. You can call him Brian or change him to a new man, Juan Pedro, whoever. They just needed a man to be the laughing stock. The green hats slave, a cuckold.
They need a victim for Ruth's lies. But when Ruth's parents did not agree with the sentiment, Brian and his uncle decided to see if they could press charges against Ruth's parents for throwing a rocket, Brian, when they found Ruth's body in the well. What? Yeah. When you think that they can't go lower, they do go lower. And it runs in the family. It's a bit of a side note. But before the trial, Ruth's mom was beaten by Brian's dad.
He attacked her with so much vengeance that I would not be surprised if you told me that he wanted to kill her. It was a lot. Her eyes were swollen shut because he was pounding her in the face. Eva, Ruth's sister asked, do they just want to kill our whole family at this point? What is wrong with them? During the trial, Brian would also argue that he was not a green hat slave, that he and Ruth were not even dating at this point when the show was being filmed.
Which some netizens genuinely believe others think that he is so upset at the idea of being a green hat slave. Like this is what's bothering him when he's on trial for murder. Like this is what he wants to clarify. Like hold on. I need to use my time to tell you about this. She said that he and Ruth broke up a while back, but because she wanted to be on this show really badly, she felt like she needed a boyfriend storyline to make the producers want to air her story.
She's like the questions have nothing to do with you, but I just think that's the only way I'll get casted. She asked him to pretend to still be her boyfriend, act like they never broke up, and go on the show with her. In return, she will give him a percentage of whatever she wins in the prize money. He said that he agreed having no idea what kinds of questions were going to be asked.
He said it was a total ambush, and Ruth knew that she was going to expose these types of questions and secrets and had no concern for how that would make him appear as her quote, boyfriend. He also even claimed that the producers of the show knew that he wasn't even Ruth's current boyfriend anymore. They knew that she had broken up with him, but they didn't care as long as it was good TV. So it was all fake. That's what Brian claims.
He also claims that the show has the most responsibility for Ruth's murder. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. People need to see the host of the show for who he is. They need to understand his manipulative and frivolous attitude in the face of the harm that he has caused in our lives. One of the producers, David Nvoa, he admitted that he felt really bad for Ruth's death.
He said that he was the one that conducted the polygraph initially, and he spent a lot of time trying to pick out the questions to ask Ruth that would make for the best TV. He said the last question, the one about sex work, I mean, he knew what that would do to her family. He said, I knew it was going to be a surprise to her loved ones, and a very shameful moment for all of them. But to the producers, it was a celebration. They nailed the viewership. It was a good day at work.
It was a job well done. The ratings, I mean, of skyrocketing. They were popping champagne in the offices. At one point, he was asked if Ruth would still be alive, had she never appeared on the show, and he said, of course, but then he pauses for a second and says, well, I don't know if she would be alive, maybe she would have died some other way.
The host Beto, one of the most famous journalists in the country, was called to testify during Brian's trial, where he basically said what he would publicly later state. I have huge condolences for the family. Our doors are open for them and the investigators, but the media have tried to turn the show into the origin of the crime. And that is something we reject, because there is no relation between one event and the other.
We have seen how they are trying to shift the blame from the murder to the TV program. The murder is Brian and his uncle. Those who are saying it's from the TV show are just doing the murderers a favor. That is not the motive. That is not the crime of passion by a teenage lover. And even then, the nature of their relationship is unknown. We will not be intimidated by everyone trying to tear us down in the show.
Beto announced that he will be helping the family pay for any legal fees that they may counter during the trial. Brian's whole defense hinges on the fact that he wants society to feel pity for him to understand where he was coming from and why he had to kill Ruth because he snapped. But at the same time, Brian has no remorse. Before the trial, Brian underwent a psychological test and the specialist found that he was incredibly cynical and sensitive when it comes to human life.
He is indifferent to other people's pains. He lies. He is no remorse. He covers up all of his wrong doings. He might be minimizing them. And that's how he gets away with it. Even when describing Ruth's murder, the murder of Ruth, he describes his actions in a very indirect way. But the producers did this, Ruth did this, society did this, and he's just the weapon that was used. As if he had no choice in any of this.
February 27, 2014, the court declared Brian and his uncle ready guilty for the murder of Ruth Talia. They were both sentenced to life in prison, but technically in Peru, a life sentence is 35 years, that's as long as the sentence you can get. Interestingly enough, the court did not believe a single word of Brian's confession.
Yeah. I mean, they do believe undoubtedly that he killed Ruth, but they do not believe that they were meeting up for intimate relations and Ruth triggered him by being mean and that he just choked her for 30 seconds. It can take someone anywhere between a few minutes to sometimes even up to 20 minutes of strangling someone to actually have them die. I mean, one may become unconscious, but not dead from that. So they believe it's premeditated. It was planned from the get-go.
When the motive for murder was not that he snapped due to the public humiliation he suffered, he straight up wanted revenge, and he wanted all the winnings from the show. There was evidence that he tried to obtain Ruth's bank security codes. Now, the two of them, him and his uncle, will be in prison together, and Brian was ordered by the state to compensate Ruth's family up to the tune of $200,000, though I don't think that they're going to get any of that.
When the news networks reported Ruth's disappearance, but called her the sex worker from that one show, Ruth's mom said, they killed me in my heart. Ruth's dad said when his daughter went missing, I felt like I was floating. There were moments where I couldn't tell if I was asleep or if I was awake. And both of them would have these really hard conversations of how much guilt that they have.
If they had prevented her from going on the show with things that have been different, would Brian still have so much hatred for Ruth or would they have naturally broken up and moved on from each other? They just know that their daughter's life is worth way more than $5,300. So why? Could they have done something? Ruth's mom said, nobody understands my immense pain. It's just two amends. When I die, that's when I will stop suffering.
She visits Ruth's grave stone once a week to wash it and to pray. And every day she wakes up to Ruth's picture that's hanging in their room. It's an altar. And she talks to Ruth. She'll say things like, good morning, dear. Take care of your siblings, dear. I'm on my way out. I'm sick, so please help me feel better. Your grandma's also sick. She tells Ruth every little thing that happens in her day.
And she thought that this would help with the healing process of grieving her daughter, but she realized at one point it wasn't healing. She was not accepting Ruth's death. She said sometimes she would expect Ruth to talk back and she would find herself getting frustrated and crying in front of the photograph and screaming, why won't you speak to me? Just talk to me. Why won't you talk to me? But then she'll realize she can't because she's in a photograph.
So for a while, Ruth's mom even stopped singing. She just couldn't bring herself to sing. I mean, how could you sing? Singing feels like such a happy activity. You're having a good day. You're running errands. You sing in the car. You're in the shower after a good night's rest in the morning. You sing. How could she do that? How can she sing when her daughter is dead? But one day, Eva, her other daughter came up to her and said, Ruth must be crying in heaven, mom. What do you mean?
Why would Ruth be sad in heaven? Because this is not what she would have wanted. She would have wanted you to sing. And Ruth's mom is now singing again. And that is the story of Ruth Talia. What are your thoughts? Have you ever seen an episode of Moment of Truth? I mean, I think that feels like a social experiment. That is when humans went way too far. Yeah, it sounds like a black mirror episode. Yes. Like the sake of entertainment and the fact that it was hard.
I was watching clips of Moment of Truth. It's hard to watch it. Like I understand the appeal of reality TV. Sometimes you want to see people doing goofy things and maybe to a degree even embarrassing themselves for mass entertainment. But that was like a level of, it just felt sadistic. I don't know what I'm getting out of it. It's like, I don't even want to watch it. I'm just, oh. You know, it's very primal. Yeah. What are your thoughts? Have you seen an episode?
And are you glad it's no longer around? Please leave your thoughts in the comments and please be safe. I will see you guys on Wednesday for the next episode. Bye.