(S05E01) "What's wrong with being smart and gorgeous at the same time?" - Nicole
Oh, it's so good to have The Mole back on the air.
I realized how much I loved the show the minute I heard the first notes of the theme song (at least I think it's the same as before) and the opening scenes. I haven't seen any full episodes since the last Anderson Cooper episode in season two (the celeb editions didn't interest me at all), but all of the good feelings I had about how entertaining the show was came flooding back.
But how did the rest of the episode hold up?
The Contestants:
Victoria - 24
Mark - 42
Bobby - 25
Marcie - 31
Nicole - 33
Paul - 29
Alex - 31
Liz - 60
Ali - 24
Clay - 32
Craig - 30
Kristen - 35
I think the contestants this time around a little more reality-show savvy and there are a lot more "controversial" players. But overall, this is a fine mix of the brash, the quiet, the athletic, the out of shape, the beautiful, the conniving.
The Host:
So far, I think Jon Kelley is a little bland. Maybe it's my memories of Cooper being so cool in the role, but Kelley just seems like he's narrating everything he says for a segment on Extra. But we'll see how he is in the coming weeks.
The Game:
The first task for the players? Pick a player they think is the Mole! Well, that was quick. The group, for some reason, picks Marcie (I would have loved to have seen the trip to Chile...was she wearing an "I'm The Mole" T-shirt or something?). Marcie then has to pick several players to grab a bag of cash before they go over a waterfall. Some of the bags have fake money and some have real money (the total at the end of the season is how much the winner gets). I have to say that I've seen a lot of challenges on reality game shows, but this waterfall stunt...I honestly think that someone could have gotten seriously injured or even killed. Sure, they're wearing a harness, but they're regular Joes and Janes going over a raging waterfall. At night. Yikes.
The players who succeed are Kristen, Bobby, Liz, Nicole, and Mark. The total they get is $20,000. Of course, the players question why Marcie would pick shorter or older players for such a dangerous assignment (though Liz, the oldest at 60, actually grabbed a bag).
Marcie also has to pick which four players have to stay outside all night (I guess there's not enough room in the cabin). One of the players she picks is Nicole, who doesn't want to stay outside because there are no butlers or fireplaces. She comes up with a loophole in the rules: "Hey, they said one of us had to sleep outside. If I don't sleep, I can stay inside!" That's odd logic, but it works. I just hope - really, really hope - that other players bring this up later in the season when they have to do something. "Hey Jon, you said the first one to make it to the top of the mountain wins...you didn't say we couldn't use a helicopter!"
Clearly, everyone hates Nicole already. When Jon asks the gang who the biggest whiner is, they all pick Nicole. When Jon asks her "may I call you Whiner?" she answers "Doctor Whiner," which I have to admit is a pretty good line.
The last challenge is a scavenger hunt, which Nicole sits out because she's Doctor Whiner. The players have to find buried items on a beach that the real Robinson Crusoe used centuries ago. One person picks a vacuum cleaner. I wonder if the producers have played a Roomba or an iPod in the sand they would have picked that? The team ends up getting three right, which equals $15,000. Nicole has to spend the night on the beach alone, just like Crusoe.
At the end, the 11 contestants take The Quiz. That's right, 11. Nicole doesn't have to take the test because she's on the beach and safe from elimination. Oh, the players don't like that at all. The 10 questions range from general questions ("Who is the Mole?") to more specific questions that only refer to a few people ("Was the Mole wearing a hat when you met?").
And who is the first sent home? Marcie, the person everyone thought was the Mole at the start. Obviously, these players aren't good on first impressions so they'll have to write a lot in their official Mole journals.
Observations:
- This show is well cast. Anyone could be The Mole for different reasons: Liz, because no one would suspect the older player; Victoria, because she blends in; Nicole, because she's ambitious and alienating. It's not easy to figure this out, though I would guess that players that survive each week will remember how they answered various questions and how it kept them in the game.
- Players start to make "coalitions" with each other: Paul with Marcie, Alex with Paul. Did the word "coalition" replace "alliance" in the reality show world?
- The Mole is probably the first reality show where I might consider buying a DVD of the soundtrack.
- Can I get a Mole journal or duffel bag? Thanks.
My first guess on who the Mole is:
For the entire episode I think it's Nicole, because it would be rather brilliant for the producers to create this typical reality show "bitch" and have everyone think she's a real player who will do anything to win. It was also convenient that Jon asked the team who the biggest whiner was, knowing they'd pick Nicole. But then at the end when she's on the beach alone, safe from elimination, I figure it's way too obvious that she would be the Mole. But then again, maybe ABC wants us to think it's obvious and not think she's the guilty one. These people are tricky, damn it.
Instead, I'll pick Mark. I'm suspicious of his whole "my wife works two jobs and I want her to spend time with the kids" sob story. Or maybe I'm just being cynical. Either way, I'm going to see if he has a wedding ring on next week (in past seasons, The Mole has often used visual clues like this).
I'm already hooked on this show.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-03-2008 @ 12:49AM
MERVE-THE-PERVE said...
I think it's Mark too. He's probably the drama coach too with those fake tears.
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6-10-2008 @ 4:24PM
Polly said...
Mark at the diner table was playing with a ring on his right hand... and then when he was shown that he was safe the ring all of a sudden was on his left hand and nothing was on the right hand... My husband can barely get his band off let alone switch hands. And why would he switch hands. And those tears...
6-03-2008 @ 12:57AM
Utah Giants said...
The journal they showed was #11. If you count bios on abc's website, from left to right, Paul is #11. If you add is age, 29, 2+9=11. It's way to hard to tell who the mole is based on one episode, everyone wants to look suspicious...
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6-03-2008 @ 2:11AM
modenadude said...
I got that same 11 hint, but I took it a different route. In the opening credits, Craig is the 11th person to be introduced, but I don't have any age stuff to back me up. I just had this gut feeling that he's the guy, he gave us our first cliff hanger. Someone on the show said it (I think the guy from Yonkers), that no one would expect him... I do. I'm so glad this show is back!
6-03-2008 @ 1:06AM
Cyantre said...
I can't believe that there are actually people who watch this show. -_-
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6-03-2008 @ 4:13AM
Andrew said...
I can't believe you wasted 30 seconds of your life to post that.
6-03-2008 @ 8:38AM
Cyantre said...
Better than wasting an hour of my time watching this dribble.
6-03-2008 @ 3:31PM
George said...
It's drivel, not dribble, Einstein.
6-03-2008 @ 6:33PM
Cyantre said...
http://xkcd.com/386/
6-03-2008 @ 1:14AM
Matt said...
I liked Celebrity Mole. I probably wouldn't have liked it if Kathy Griffin was on it, and if there was more seasons of Celibrity Mole than the one Griffin was on, then eh.
I don't know how I feel about this season. I mean, I feel they brought it back because of the strike. I feel it's a bit contrived. I really hope Nicole isn't the mole, because I really can't stand her. I don't know why people have to be like that, and why they have to cast someone so obnoxious. She's nearly enough to quit watching it!
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6-03-2008 @ 1:28AM
Matt said...
Oh, and also, did you hear the laugh at the very end of the episode? It was a disembodied laugh, and it seemed hintish. It was a female, but I don't know who it was...I don't think it was Nicole though, I can't imagine her laughing...
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6-03-2008 @ 1:35AM
Ryan said...
The Mole was my first reality TV love and was so sad when it disappeared and then replaced with an awful AWFUL celebrity edition.
I'm so happy it's back even if it only lasts a season. I felt exactly like you Bob, as soon as I heard the opening musical notes of The Mole theme, all those good memories came back.
I'll give Jon a chance. It must be difficult for him since what made the original Mole great WAS Anderson Cooper's unique way/manner of hosting.
In any case, I think the cast is pretty good. I'm staking my claim on either Paul or Bobby as The Mole. No real reason really just a gut feeling which is ALWAYS wrong so take it with a grain of salt.
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6-03-2008 @ 2:19AM
Will said...
This was my first time watching The Mole. I've had several people tell me it was *THE* best reality show, so I thought I'd check it out &, while I don't know about it being the best, I really enjoyed it. I've loved that first task at the waterfall, I'm suprised everyone at least tried it.
As for who is The Mole, I really don't have a clue, but the teacher is a good guess. Actually, he annoyed me more than The Whiner did. I always hate it when someone on one of these reality show tries to play the "I need the money for my family" crap. Like no one else could use the money.
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6-03-2008 @ 3:34AM
tv junkie said...
i liked the first two seasons of the show, and i definitely enjoyed the first celebrity edition when Corbin Bernsen was looking through all clues that weren't there. the second celeb edition was pretty lame tho.
Has anyone tried to look for clues in the opening sequence yet? is Mark such an easy guess? the whole crying about his poor wife thing was...kinda....fake.
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6-03-2008 @ 4:29AM
collin said...
I was a big fan of the first two seasons of The Mole, and I'm not sure what to think about the first episode.
I'm of the opinion that it was rather corny and drawn out, because I remember the first two seasons being much more controlled and professionally produced. I told a lot of people to watch this show because it was superior to other reality shows, but I'm regretting that now.
More thoughts:
- This host (I don't know his name) is no Anderson Cooper. Anderson had a clever personality that matched the tone of the show, and he interacted well with the contestants. This current host is boring and speaks way too slowly. Must be the jet lag to Chile...
- I won't mention any of the contestants who annoy me, but there are a number of them who are simply ridiculous. Trying to fake exhaustion or being obnoxious and catty is not a great strategy and shouldn't fool anyone. I hope these morons go home early... I really do.
- Was anyone's show in HD by the way? Just wondering, because not only was my show was in standard def, but the picture looked really horrible.
- Wow, they reaaalllyyyy drag out the execution scene, don't they? And I love the way the host touches the flat-screen TV like it's meant to be a touchscreen. Yeah, a 40" touchscreen... that's good.
- Based on the first two seasons of The Mole, the person who ends up being the Mole *always flies under the radar.* They NEVER draw attention to themselves, and always deflect suspicion on to others. My guess as to who the Mole could be would either be Clay (attorney) or Kristin (neuroscientist). They seemed to be in the background and never tried to stand out.
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6-03-2008 @ 6:42AM
Frances said...
Actually, anyone who has watched previous seasons would know that The Mole has always used the word coalition, mostly because in the beginning they didn't want any problems with Survivor's production people. Also, it's a good word that more Americans should know. Yay Mole.
After the first episode it can be hard to tell who the mole is, because there are so many people and early on it's hard to determine if the screwups are deliberate or not. I don't have an early guess or a gut feeling yet.
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6-03-2008 @ 7:09AM
Michael said...
I think the Mole is Victoria. They showed one quick scene of her when she was going over the waterfall and she had the "Mole" thumbprint on her helmet. I assumed that everyone had that same helmet on, but the next guy just had a regular black helmet.
More then likely that's something that was added in post production. I can't imagine they'd have such an obvious clue for the players on day 1.
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6-03-2008 @ 9:42AM
AngryManSteve said...
Michael, I caught that too. No other contestants had the thumb print helmet. If it's truly a clue, it was incredibly obvious. I remember watching the previous seasons recaps when they show all the scenes where they gave viewers mole clues and thinking, "How the **** were we supposed to know that?"
My overall impression is that the show seems dumbed-down. The host is awful and the writing is worse. At one point he said, "What I've come up with for this challenge..." or something along those lines, implying that he was the one running the show. That's just ignorant.
It also seems like they've taken greater efforts to apply the typecasting brush to the cast. There's the obnoxious, outspoken guy with a heavy accent (Boston Rob?). The intolerant, proud black woman (Omarosa?). The model, the older lady, etc.
That said, I'm looking forward to interesting challenges and cool locations.
6-03-2008 @ 8:59AM
laura said...
I actually loved the celebrity Mole shows, especially stephen baldwin and corbin. I was excited to watch it again, and see how it fared withouth Anderson Cooper. I dont like the new host so far, too "parody of game show host" sounding! I felt like i was watching a MAd Tv skit of the Mole.
The contestants are a good bunch though! When nicole was b*tching about sleeping outside i kept thinking "you have your face in womens hoohahs all day long sleeping outside cant be half bad!" I dont think she is the mole.
I also couldnt believe they would have a heavy dude like that go over the falls, he almost choked on his vest. Poor guy!
I really have no clue who is the mole so far, My hubbys guess was the first guy that went down the falls.....
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6-03-2008 @ 9:59AM
MERVE-THE-PERVE said...
They should have gotten Kenny Mayne as the host. He would of been awesome.
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