To Tell the Truth

Eleven years after the conquest of Everest, Tenzing Norgay participates in a television panel show in the United States: To Tell the Truth. Instead of being a panellist on the show, Norgay is a pawn. The challenge is this: Norgay and two other physiognomically similar persons appear before the four competitors (all Caucasian, all somehow anachronistic, dental). The panellists’ mission is to guess which of the three Asians is the real Sherpa; which is, in fact, the man who was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest. To conduct their investigation, each has one minute to question Norgay and the two imposters, who have been taught by the show’s production team about Everest, the 1953 expedition, the life of the Dalai Lama and some other titbits of general cultural relevance. After their round of questions, the panellists venture an answer.

The contest ends: Norgay stands and reveals his identity. The two imposters also confess their real names and their occupations. One is the Indian Consul in New York; the other, the head bartender of a restaurant called the Luau 400. Only one of the contestants managed to identify the real Sherpa; he receives the prize.