‘To Tell the Truth’ is a far from a drag
How do you know when someone is telling the truth?
That’s a dilemma I grapple with every time I interview a local politician.
Kidding aside, only those truly committed to their lies can fool us.
I witnessed this in a fun and firsthand way at the taping of the newest version of “To Tell the Truth,” which premieres with 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows June 14 on ABC.
As a kid I was a fan of the original, 1956-68, on CBS hosted by Bud Collyer with panelists Tom Poston, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean and Kitty Carlisle.
And here’s an interesting bit of TV trivia. The show was originally called “Nothing but the Truth.” The title changed the day before it premiered in 1956.
Over the decades there have been several revivals: 1969-78, 1980-81, 1990-91 and 2000-01.
Now it’s back, and I was at the taping last summer, but was sworn to secrecy.
Until now!
The show features a panel of four celebrity judges questioning three contestants who try to determine who is actually telling the truth about their unique profession. Depending on how proficient the other two contestants are at lying, unveiling the truth isn’t that easy.
This new version is hosted by comedian Anthony Anderson. Panelists include Golden Girl Betty White (who appeared in the 1990s version), actress NeNe Leakes and NBA star Jalen Rose. There is a special guest — Tracee Ellis Ross, Iliza Shlesinger, Mike Tyson, Brooks Wheelan, Yvette Nicole Brown and Daymond Johns are among them — on each episode.
So how did I wind up behind the scenes at CBS studios in L.A. last summer?
My favorite drag queen, Tupperware Lady, was a contestant.
Kevin Farrell’s alter ego, Dee W Ieye, has been one of the top sellers of Tupperware in North America for years. Farrell is a modern day “Tootsie.”
His book, “Confessions of a Drag Queen Tupperware Lady,” launched at the LA Times Festival of Books in 2014, outlined how he created the character of Dee to sell Tupperware.
So there we were, wig and wardrobe in hand, arriving early morning at CBS and excited to be ushered into a large room with mirrors, rolling racks and a lounge area complete with snacks.
We met our producer, Ed Arriens, a delightful young man with an engaging British accent who seemed at home with the hustle and bustle as contestants for the day settled in this area.
We met Dee’s fellow contestants, Willam Belli, a.k.a. “Willam,” who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race in season four — and a female model who producers decided to dress like a man, dressing like a woman in drag.
Yeah, I was confused about this too.
Willam embodied the epitome of drag attitude and looked fabulously put-together at this early morning hour.
As rehearsals started for Dee’s segment, Arriens suggested I put on a wig and sit in for the model they had originally slated.
Being a good sport, I found myself with Dee, Willam and big hair facing a panel of producers firing off questions about Tupperware.
It wasn’t my finest moment. I was relieved when producers decided the original model was a better fit here!
Later in the day taping began. A live audience filled the studio.
Host Anderson’s mom, Doris, held a ringside seat and became part of the show, asking questions of contestants, keeping score — and her son in line.
She was a hoot, and meeting her outside the studio later was delightful.
I was a bit starstruck seeing the iconic White in person. Her wit and humor was as sharp as ever.
The celebrity panelists rattled off questions, trying to figure out who was the real Tupperware Drag Queen.
Dee was as perky as ever, and Willam had a “Valley of the Dolls” vibe going on, which added to the humor.
I won’t tell you whether the celebs picked Dee as the real Tupperware Lady. You’ll just have to watch the show. But after the segment, producers had another idea for Farrell.
Without makeup, they decided to include him in a segment where panelists had to determine who among three other male panelists was the real-life person.
Again, I won’t give the outcome away, but will say the audience and panelists were shocked when it was revealed Farrell was actually their Tupperware Drag Queen contestant, sans makeup.
There were many other interesting segments, and it wasn’t easy trying to figure out who was actually telling the truth as I watched from the sidelines.
“To Tell the Truth” is great summer TV fun. Set your DVR!
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BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at bvontv1@gmail.com.