The Bert Show – Vault: How Many Times Do The Bert Show Members Lie?

Overview

In this engaging and candid episode, members of The Bert Show tackle an experiment to track how often they lie—both the little “white lies” and the bigger, bolder fibs—over the span of 24 hours. With wit and self-deprecating humor, the team discusses different types of lies, debates what constitutes a lie, and predicts their own honesty (or lack thereof). The goal: bring awareness to the surprisingly frequent ways we bend the truth in everyday life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Experiment Setup: Tracking Lies

• Purpose: The team commits to logging every time they lie (big or small) over 24 hours.
• Four Types of Lies Identified:
  • White Lie: Socially trivial, “harmless” fibs.
  • Big Lie: Fully fabricated, no basis in truth.
  • Exaggeration: Based on truth but stretched.
  • Omission: Leaving out relevant details.
• Initial Debate:
  • The group hashes out what counts as a lie, especially “omission lies.”
  • Discussion on lying by omission versus a flat-out falsehood.

Defining the Lies

• White Lie: “I said that would be my biggest defense.” – Melissa (02:22)
• Exaggeration vs. Big Lie:
  • Wendy (03:08): “Exaggeration would be, I graduated from Syracuse University because I went there, but I didn’t graduate. The big lie would be, I graduated from Harvard.”
• Omission Example:
  • Wendy (03:41): “Omission would be if somebody says, ‘Hey, where did you go to school?’ and I said, ‘Oh, I went to Gannon University and I took classes at Onondaga,’ but left out Syracuse.”

Predicting the Number of Lies (05:07–06:20)

Each host tries to guess how many lies they’ll end up telling in the next 24 hours:

• Wendy: “Seven is my number.” (05:16)
  • Later revises to: “10. 10 for Wendy.” (05:35)
• Melissa: “I’m good at the omission one. I’m going with 12.” (05:42)
• Bob: “I’ll say nine.” (06:15)
• Jeff: “I think it’ll be 10 lies throughout the entire day.” (06:20)

Notable Dynamics

• Self-awareness and ribbing: Jeff teases Melissa about being an “omission” expert.
• Wendy jokes about being “pathetic” after the group brings up a real-world omission she recently made.

What Counts as a Lie? Gray Areas (06:22–07:22)

• Ignoring Calls: Is letting a call go to voicemail when you could answer a lie?
  • Jeff (06:51): “If she says, ‘How come you didn’t pick up?’ … and I say, ‘I didn’t even realize that you called, even though I saw it’, that’s a bold face lie.”
  • Wendy (06:58): “What if you never have to address it? … Is that technically a lie?”
  • Melissa (07:16): “Because you’re like, I’m gonna pretend I’m not busy, so I’m going to push the button on the top.”
• Consensus: Ignoring with intent is lying by omission or avoidance.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We all made an agreement … we were all gonna go 24 hours and write down the little lies we tell.”
  — Jeff (02:00)
• “White lie, blatant, big ass, bold ass, lie.”
  — Jeff, listing categories (02:38)
• “If your phone rings and you let it go to voicemail, but you’re available to talk, is that a lie?”
  — Wendy, sparking debate (06:40)
• “Melissa’s omission is going to be through the roof here.”
  — Jeff, poking fun (05:46)
• “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then just sit like a bump on a log.”
  — Bob, on avoiding lies by staying silent (05:57)

Important Timestamps

• 02:00 — Experiment introduction: tracking and categorizing lies for 24 hours.
• 02:50–04:06 — The four types of lies: white, big, exaggeration, omission, with real-life examples.
• 05:07–06:20 — Hosts wager on how many lies they’ll commit.
• 06:22–07:22 — Lively debate on ignoring phone calls as a form of lying.

Summary Tone & Takeaways

The Bert Show crew, with their typical playful and honest banter, uncover how lying permeates everyday life—even in seemingly innocent interactions. The show deals with self-scrutiny, humor, and a surprisingly deep examination of human behavior:

• Takeaway: We’re all probably lying more than we think—whether to spare feelings, out of laziness, or for convenience.
• Memorable Moment: The team’s willingness to hold each other accountable, even as they laugh about their foibles, underscores their authenticity—the very quality that makes the show relatable.

For those who missed the episode: You’ll leave amused—and possibly more self-reflective about your own daily honesty!