'WWYD' special edition: 'Would You Lie For Me?': Marriage coach

A man asks focus group participants to pretend to be his marriage coach for a meeting with his wife. Will anyone give marriage advice?
10:34 | 09/09/20

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Transcript for 'WWYD' special edition: 'Would You Lie For Me?': Marriage coach
These people thought they were participating in a bona fide focus group, but in reality, we've hired actors to lie about a bogus product. Once I put it on, I started to feel a little tingly. And we watch as honest opinions -- I really feel like this is a joke. I wonder whose grandkids made this? -- Quickly transform into lies. Oh, hi there. Are you struggling to break through a creative block? Yuck. Well, we have the solution for you. The imagi-glove. Our unique materials blend to form kinetic energy that will flow directly to your fingertips. Once it gets on, then you start to make the connection. I suddenly felt all these feelings and all these ideas I had inside of me. I went from not being creative to having some bursts of creativity. The imagi-glove worked for me, and it will work for you. The imagi-glove. Kick start your creativity today. Out of five total participants -- This is just a goof! -- Only one person was completely honest. I can't do that. And of course, we had to ask why. Hi. This is all part of a TV show. Why wouldn't you lie? My mother taught me not to lie. I'm not going to lie because there is so much lying going on in the world right now and it's destroying our country. Why would I lie about this silly little glove? Plus, it's ridiculous. Only four participants remain. How far will they go when the lie gets bigger and much more personal? Okay, you know what? Give me one second. I'm just going to make a quick phone call. Are you here now? James' marriage is on the rocks and he needs help. But the professional marriage coach he hired has just bailed. And his wife is waiting impatiently upstairs. My wife is here and I told her already that we're meeting a marriage -- hello? Will anyone lie and pretend to be that professional marriage coach? Hey, man, do you mind if I ask you some advice? What's wrong? Talk Mo me. James needs to convince the participants to leave the office space, take an elevator up two floors, to a cafeteria where his wife will be waiting. I'm supposed to be meeting with my wife after this, but I'm just having some issues. Hey, everybody's got a wife, but I've got one 25 years, and I'm not trading her in, either. Would you mind just coming with me and talking with her for a moment? So in order to save his marriage, James has one final question -- She's right upstairs. It will take like ten minutes. Would you lie for me? You could just say you're the marriage coach. It sounds like you're in a really, really, really tough place, but I am so sorry, I can't do that. I can't. Shelby looks genuinely torn. I really wish you the best of luck. I'm so sorry. But she's not willing to go there. So, will anyone lie to help James save his marriage? Would you mind pretending to be the marriage coach? I mean, if she'll believe it. You think she'll believe it? Here we go. Here we go. I mean, I could do it as a friend, I don't know if I could do it as a marriage coach. Okay, let's go. A friend works. Okay. She's here now. Oh, okay. Would you mind just coming with me? Sure, sure, sure. It would be my pleasure. The remaining three all agree to help James. I could say I'm a graduate intern for the marriage coach? But Donovan isn't just trying to sound like a professional -- Are you putting on a different shirt? -- He wants to dress the part, too. I'm just going to throw this on over. It looks more professional. Yeah, that's a great idea! Lauryn is all set, ready to play the wife. Have fun. Thanks. We'll be watching. Once our crew is in place, James makes his way upstairs with each participant. Hi, how are you? My name is Ben. They might think they're going to cruise through this lie -- May I ask, how long have you been a marriage coach? About 20 years. -- But Lauryn is prepared to grill each and every one of them. Hi, I'm Donovan. Oh, hi, Donovan. I thought you said Ethan was our -- Oh, no, I'm his apprentice. Oh, wonderful! Donovan passes the first round of questioning. How long have you been with Ethan? A little over a year. I'm a graduate, so getting a hands-on experience. Next up is Julie, who agreed to help as a friend. Hi, I'm Lauryn. Nice to meet you, Julie. Julie, you're the marriage coach? Yeah. Immediately, Julie deviates from the plan, and tries to make an early exit -- We have an emergency, so, I can only stay for a few minutes. I'm sorry. -- But Lauryn isn't letting anyone off that easy. May I ask how long you've been coaching? 20 years. 20 years? Wow. Yeah, I'm old. No, no, no, that's great. Trust is a big issue for us right now. Do you have any advice or techniques that you can offer? Remember, none of the participants are actual marriage coaches. I am a senior in college. Only a general basis, honesty needs to come first in a relationship. I'm an empty-nester. I mean, you have to trust each other, right, to be in a marriage. I'm a retired train operator. You're talking about the word trust. Trust is one thing that cannot be faked. Do you guys still see each other often throughout the week? Maybe dinners and stuff like that? While they may be pretending to be somebody else, it's clear the advice they give is heartfelt and real. Maybe understand the other person's point of view, or maybe just listen to them more. It's not going to be one day, one week that everything is going to be perfect again. Let me ask you a question. Work towards the little thing because it's what keeps the foundation solid. Do you love him? Of course I do. They've done all they can to help James and his marriage. But Lauryn has one final bombshell. Do you know what he does for a living? Do you know what he does for a living? Proving every lie eventually catches up to you. He basically has these business ideas, I guess we call them. Confident and creative. And you get people to lie for you. I get something kicking from it. They've been called out! But will they continue lying for this complete stranger? I just don't know how I can continue to live with that. I believe that, as long as the person is not cheating on you, all the other ones can be worked out. You know, you need to talk to each other. That's really critical. Yeah. I feel that James is coming from a good place. He wants to do right by you. With the stress level of our fake marriage coaches at an all-time high -- all right. -- We decide it's time to let them off the hook. Julie? Benjamin. Donovan. How are you? This is all part of a TV show. What? You're actually at ABC studios. Oh, man, get out of here. This is a show called "Would you lie for me?" On ABC. No way! And you went in -- Oh, my god! And I did it. No, that's terrible! These are all actors! That's crazy! Let's get the actors to come on out. No way! This is . What do you really think of the imagi-glove? Oh, man. This is for toddlers! The truth is finally out. But why did four out of the five participants say that the product works? I think that it will definitely change your life. Malachi was there next to you, talking about wanting to lie. What were the moments that were influencing you? You know, I want to be honest, I really do, but I don't want to destroy someone's dreams. So, if that was what the glove was about, I was with it. But what about the other participants? Did groupthink have an impact on The imagi-glove is magic! I want to be honest about it, but they were saying what they were saying and they were getting out so fast, but I was still giving my own, like, you know, perspective on it. I don't let people dictate my views. I could've put on a paper bag and I would've felt something. It wouldn't make a difference. It's the person, not the item. It's the person. The imagi-glove -- it's a new start. Honestly, I heard what you were saying, how you were so boastful and enthusiastic about the imagi-glove. So the whole group mentality, that really affected you? Yeah. If we're trying to learn a life lesson, maybe it shouldn't have, but yeah, it did. What about holding the sketches? It really made me feel weird, but I guess I was ready to lie. Only Shelby said groupthink played a role in her endorsement of the imagi-glove. But when James asked her to be the marriage coach, she was also the only one who refused. Why wouldn't you lie for that? I really didn't really feel like there was anything I could for you, and if your marriage was really this far gone, then you must've really done something -- I don't know! Why did the others pretend to be someone they're not? Then he talks about this whole situation. No, he convinced me and I'm like, oh, my god, I should have just went home. With all the stuff that I've learned, boy, if I can't coach marriage, I don't know who can. But we love that you changed Right? Like, I came prepared! He's like my kid. I couldn't not help him. Even if it didn't work, this is just doing the right thing. I'm a believer in love, you know? If they were really in love, if they were a real couple, they made it work for five years, why can't they make it work for five more? It's that simple. "It's that simple." We can all agree that honesty is usually the best policy, but it's been said, when it comes to love, there are no rules. Next --

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

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