History Main / TruthTellingSession

'''Duncan:''' *glares, drinks*

-->'''Dave''': Oh! Ok, Richard Gere is not a Hurricane Katrina denier, I just said that to you so we didn't have to watch PrettyWoman for the 74th time.

'''Hal:''' I burned a hole in your favorite dress.\\

* In the HBO''Series/{{Girls}}'' episode "Beach House", Hannah, Shoshana, Marnie and Jessa wind up drunkenky argueing after Marnies efforts to have a Martha Steward approved dinner go south:
-->'''Shoshana to Hannah''': You’re a f***ing narcissist. Seriously, I have never met anyone else who thinks their own life is so f***ing fascinating. I wanted to fall asleep in my own vomit all day listening to you talk about how you bruise more easily than other people.
-->'''Hannah about/to Shoshana'': She’s a cruel drunk and she’s also not an intellecutal… Why when I’m around her do I feel like my brain is gonna atrophy? I would call you a little unstimulating.

-->'''Hannah to Marnie: I would never talk to you that way.
-->'''Shoshana: You are tortured by self doubt and fear and it is not pleasant to be around.

* Appears in Myth/NorseMythology, in which Loki [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome effortlessly embarrasses every single god in the pantheon.]]

* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/Ameri'' episode "Camp Refoogee". While the rest of the family is away, Roger and Francine decide to pretend to be a couple and come up with a fake backstory for themselves. Francine (as Amanda) makes a minor slip-up with Roger's (as Jordan) backstory, saying he taught economics instead of political science. Roger proceeds to make a minor alteration to her backstory, saying she had a weight problem. It goes back and forth until it devolves into a full-blown meltdown worthy of Chernobyl.

* In Creator/BruceCoville's ''Literature/MagicShop'' book ''The Skull of Truth'', a truth-telling session happens around a Thanksgiving dinner table because the family is supernaturally compelled to be truthful.

* Rose, Dorothy and Blanche on ''TheGoldenGirls'' get into one of these after being stranded on a deserted island.
* On ''EverybodyLovesRaymond'', the revelation that Marie's dislike of Debra was because she wasn't a virgin when Ray married her ends in everyone finding out that Robert [[spoiler: was [[ShotgunWedding conceived out of wedlock]], and Marie and Frank had lied about his birthday (which happened to be that day)]].

* Parodied in the ''AmericanDad'' episode "Camp Refoogee". While the rest of the family is away, Roger and Francine decide to pretend to be a couple and come up with a fake backstory for themselves. Francine (as Amanda) makes a minor slip-up with Roger's (as Jordan) backstory, saying he taught economics instead of political science. Roger proceeds to make a minor alteration to her backstory, saying she had a weight problem. It goes back and forth until it devolves into a full-blown meltdown worthy of Chernobyl.

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': In the film, Miss Brooks and Mr. Boynton have an argument that rapidly turns into one of these.

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Happens in ''Trying to Pick a Fight''.
--> Miss Brooks: Do you want to make something of it, frog boy?

* Appears in NorseMythology, in which Loki [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome effortlessly embarrasses every single god in the pantheon.]]

* On ''EverybodyLovesRaymond'', the revelation that Marie's dislike of Debra was because she wasn't a virgin when Ray married her ends in everyone finding out that Robert [[spoiler: was born out of wedlock, and Marie and Frank had lied about his birthday (which happened to be that day)]].

* The Act I finale of ''Series/TheAddamsFamily [[TheMusical Musical]]'', "Full Disclosure", is one of these gone horribly wrong.

-->'''Sheldon''': YOU USED MY TOOTHBRUSH?!

* Beside the occasional thanksgiving meals, which are usually more civilized, the Walker family of ''Series/BrothersAndSisters'' have a great tendency to involve two or more members of the family revealing dozens or more shameful truths about each other.

* This is particularly popular in ''Series/{{Friends}}''. It happened in a Thanksgiving episode, the "Space Mountain story" episode, and the episode where we found out about Chandler's third nipple, amongst others. One time it found an interesting variation by using a temporary love interest as the secret-hearer, and having all the secrets be things that had happened in previous episodes. In an episode where Rachel and Monica pretended to be each other while dating doctors, they began to reveal ugly secrets about each other in the first person ("In high school, I was a cow"; "I use my breasts to get other people's attention." "We ''both'' do that!")
* The exchange in ''Series/That70sShow'' which ended with the revelation that Laurie was born with a tail.
* In ''Series/HeyDude'' (on Nickelodeon), the four main characters tell each other an embarrassing (but still rather tame) secret about themselves. Naturally, all four of them have spilled the beans before the half hour is up.
* A weird take on the idea in ''Series/MadAboutYou'', where the Buchmans wind up shouting their own most embarrassing secrets to a video camera (it's complicated).
* It goes the other way around in the final episode of ''Series/BlackBooks''. Manny accidentally blurts out that Bernard's ex-fiancée, whom he has long believed to be dead, in fact faked her death to get out of their marriage, subsequently becoming a very good friend of Fran's; Fran not only didn't tell Bernard that his ex-fiancée was not dead, but in fact informed seemingly everyone else ''but'' him that this was the case. The resulting truth-telling slanging match between Bernard and Fran gradually gets turned to smaller and pettier truths, with Bernard eventually winning by pointing out that Fran went to a party that night with a rather daft haircut.
* ''[[Series/RedDwarf Gazpacho soup]]!!''
* On ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', in order to convince Barney to tell a painful story from his past, the rest of the gang tell the most embarrassing stories of their own lives to make it easier for him. Turns out Barney's story isn't humiliating or sad at all (at least from his perspective), he just pretended it was hard for him to talk about so he could get embarrassing stories about everybody else.
** Also, the episode "Spoiler Alert" has everyone revealing each other's annoying habits, and suddenly they notice them.
* In the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' episode "Shindig", Mal and Inara suddenly end up telling each other what they really think about the choices the other one made.
-->'''Inara''': You're always breaking the rules, no matter which society you're in! You don't get along with ordinary criminals either, which is why you're constantly getting in trouble!
-->'''Mal''': You think following the rules will buy you a nice life, even if the rules make you a slave.
* Beside the occasional thanksgiving meals, which are usually more civilized, the Walker family of ''Series/BrothersAndSisters'' have a great tendency to involve two or more members of the family revealing dozens or more shameful truths about each other.

* The Act I finale of ''Series/TheAddamsFamily [[TheMusical Musical]]'', "Full Disclosure", is one of these gone horribly wrong.

* Anglo-Saxons and other Germanic cultures considered this a noble art form and one of the manly pastimes (Íþróttir, in Icelandic). The Old English name for this contest of wits is a Flytting. It has a prominent place in the epic poem, ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}''. Also appears in NorseMythology, in which Loki [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome effortlessly embarrasses every single god in the pantheon.]]

* The exchange in ''That70sShow'' which ended with the revelation that Laurie was born with a tail.
* In ''HeyDude'' (on Nickelodeon), the four main characters tell each other an embarrassing (but still rather tame) secret about themselves. Naturally, all four of them have spilled the beans before the half hour is up.
* A weird take on the idea in ''MadAboutYou'', where the Buchmans wind up shouting their own most embarrassing secrets to a video camera (it's complicated).
* Subverted in the anime ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh''. When the students quiz Nyamo the gym teacher about what sort of student their homeroom teacher Yukari was, Yukari waltzes by humming "love letter" over and over again. This pre-emptive strike causes Nyamo to grudgingly say that Yukari was a normal student. Later on, when rather inebriated, they indulge in a TruthTellingSession on the streets.
* It goes the other way around in the final episode of ''BlackBooks''. Manny accidentally blurts out that Bernard's ex-fiancée, whom he has long believed to be dead, in fact faked her death to get out of their marriage, subsequently becoming a very good friend of Fran's; Fran not only didn't tell Bernard that his ex-fiancée was not dead, but in fact informed seemingly everyone else ''but'' him that this was the case. The resulting truth-telling slanging match between Bernard and Fran gradually gets turned to smaller and pettier truths, with Bernard eventually winning by pointing out that Fran went to a party that night with a rather daft haircut.
* Real life example: [[http://bash.org/?101194 This bash quote]].
* [[http://www.hellboundcomic.com/Comic/Hellcomic.php?date=2005-06-16 This]] ''{{Hellbound}}'' webcomic strip has a slight variation on this theme.

** That's even better in the book.

* In the ''{{Firefly}}'' episode "Shindig", Mal and Inara suddenly end up telling each other what they really think about the choices the other one made.

* Happens once on TotalDramaIsland, but in a rather disappointing turn we don't even get to hear any of them.
* Justified in Creator/BruceCoville's ''Literature/MagicShop'' book ''The Skull of Truth'' -- a truth-telling session happens around a Thanksgiving dinner table because the family is supernaturally compelled to be truthful.
* Beside the occasional thanksgiving meals, which are ussualy more civilized, the Walker family of ''BrothersAndSisters" have a great tendecy to involve two or more members of the family revealing dozens or more shamefull truths about each other.
* On ''TheBigBangTheory'', after Leonard confesses to sleeping with Raj's sister (betraying not only Raj's trust but also Howard's, with whom he'd made a pact that they'd never hit on Raj's sister), the following exchange occurs:

* Film/TwoThousandTenTheYearWeMakeContact starts with one. The Russian representative who meets with Dr. Floyd at the start simply declares that he's not in the mood to do the usual dance of half-truths and deceptions expected of them when talking to each other and declares that for the next 60 seconds he will only speak the truth, inviting Floyd to do the same.

* VeronicaMars makes it clear that you ''never'' play ''I Never'' with friends, or else it can turn into a TruthTellingSession with ''booze''.
-->'''Logan:''' I never...[[ADateWithRosiePalms took matters into my own hands]] in the boys' locker room after watching cheerleading practice.\\

* The ''{{iCarly}}'' FanFic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5461414/20/Beneath-The-Pale-Moonlight Beneath The Pale Moonlight]] uses the dramatic variation (although it includes some embarrassing moments) in the 20th chapter. Freddie has kept the secret that he cheated on his girlfriend (who already has issues with Carly) with their other best friend Sam, from Carly and that enrages her. They both get defensive and angry about the secret, the secret keeping and each others attitude.
** Freddie calls her irrational and to 'calm down'. Carly rolls her eyes at Freddie. Freddie chews Carly out for wanting to be the centre of attention. Carly brings up Freddie's cheating. Freddie sarcastically suggests that Carly is jealous he cheated on the girlfriend with Sam. This makes Carly tell Freddie that he is way out of her league. Freddie tells her that only assholes like her. Carly calls Freddie a loser nerd [[MyBelovedSmother mommas boy]] who spends all his time on his computer. ''And'' [[BerserkButton she rolls her eyes at him again.]]
** Freddie then gives Carly an ''epic'' (but JerkAss) verbal smackdown, brining up reasons why his girlfriend dislikes Carly, calls her a egotistical bitch, reminds that the time on the computer is spent on the webshow that makes her a minor celebrity without a word of thanks, and she throws herself at hot guys even if they are complete assholes. He continues to negatively compare Carly to Sam. Carly calls him a jerk, brings up an embarrassing obsession with a Princess Leia {{Expy}}, weird porn habits and his girlfriend is frigid and won't put out. Freddie graphically tells Carly the only reason guys care about her is so they can [[SexAsRiteOfPassage 'pop her cherry']] and brag about it to their friends. Carly finally gets the upper hand in the verbal fight by calling out Freddie for his jealously, that never in a million years would she sleep with him, and his mother is a psycho 'whore' who sleeps with their crazy doorman. Carly smugly thinks that she'd won.
** Freddie, utterly furious about being called out for his jealously, the insults against his work for her and the insults to his mother, then tells Carly:
-->''At least I have a mother that cares. Where's your father? That's right. He's spent years [[DisappearedDad avoiding you]]. I don't blame him either.''
** It ''breaks'' Carly, she starts to tear up, gives Freddie an extremely well deserved ArmorPiercingSlap, throws him out of her house and the chapter ends with both of them silently crying from the damage of hurting and being hurt by each other.

* In Film/BeforeMidnight, (sequel to Film/BeforeSunrise and Before Sunset) [[spoiler:the bulk of the movie is a huge fight Jesse and Celine, [[ParentsAsPeople now parents]], have after having been together for the last nine years. Previously unsaid things are brought out into the open, mostly in a very confrontational and hurtful way due to how long their resentments and regrets have festered over the years. But it [[AmbiguousEnding ends promisingly]] with another go at making their relationship work even with all those voiced flaws.]]

* This is particularly popular in ''{{Friends}}''. It happened in a Thanksgiving episode, the "Space Mountain story" episode, and the episode where we found out about Chandler's third nipple, amongst others. One time it found an interesting variation by using a temporary love interest as the secret-hearer, and having all the secrets be things that had happened in previous episodes. In an episode where Rachel and Monica pretended to be each other while dating doctors, they began to reveal ugly secrets about each other in the first person ("In high school, I was a cow"; "I use my breasts to get other people's attention." "We ''both'' do that!")