I watched the first season of "The Mole" back in 2001, and I'm looking foward to the 2008 season premiere this coming Monday, June 2nd at 10:00 pm EDT. The first two seasons of "The Mole" were hosted by Anderson Cooper (before he made it big at CNN). The show also had two celebrity editions, of which I only watched the first, "Celebrity Mole: Hawaii" which was hosted by Ahmad Rashad and included such celebrities as Kathy Griffin (winner), Corbin Bernsen and Stephen Baldwin. There's been a six year gap since the last regular (non-celebrity) season of "The Mole", so this return is long overdue.
For all of you that didn't watch the show's previous seasons, the game involves 12 players, one of which is a traitor working for the producers and sabotaging the competitions. The game sends the players across the globe, competing in physical challenges--which the Mole discreetly sabotages--to win prize money which is accumulated for the winner. The goal is to study your opponents and keep track of information. At the end of each episode, a quiz is given to see how much each contestant knows about the Mole, the contestant with the lowest score is eliminated from the game. Players can try to get other contestants to either think they are the Mole or draw suspicion onto someone else in hopes that others will do poorly on the quiz and get kicked off. The physical challenges in past seasons were pretty cool, including a hostage rescue and skydiving, so I'm sure this season won't disappoint. In fact, in this season premiere the players supposedly will be jumping over the edge of a waterfall.
As in all reality shows, a huge determining factor in the success of the show is the contestants. This season's contestants are pretty varied, both in age and profession. Below is a list of the 12 contestants for this season and some interesting and potentially revealing tidbits from their bios on ABC.com. I'm especially looking forward to watching the game play of the self-dubbed "pla'ya" from NY.
Liz (Whitefish, MT), 60, Retired
"Liz is a widow. When her husband passed away, she decided to adopt two children and raise them on her own...Her son may be deployed to Iraq at any time."
Marcie (Corona, CA), 31, Stay at home mom
Marcie is married to a police officer and has three children. "Stay-at-home moms are not people that can't do anything else, they just choose to raise their families rather than pursue a career."
Alex(Haverford, PA), 31, Musician
Alex has always loved music and is an aspiring musician. "He doesn't want to compromise his aspirations of being a musician, thus he works odd jobs and lives at home with his parents while waiting for his big break."
Craig (San Diego, CA), 30, Graphic Designer
"Craig has been overweight his entire life so he developed a sense of humor to make friends. Craig has sleep apnea, so he must sleep with a special machine to help him breath while sleeping."
Ali (St. Louis, MO), 24, Model
Ali has been a ring girl for Ultimate Fighting Championship. "She describes herself as "stunning" and believes her beauty helps her get her way, but also causes people to instantly dismiss her, which she plans on using to her benefit in the game."
Bobby (Philadelphia, PA), 25, Restaurant Manager
"He is a hardcore fan of The Mole and used to host Mole watching parties in his basement."
Mark (Mukwonago, WI), 42, High School History Teacher/Soccer Coach
"Mark is an extremely competitive high school soccer coach and world history teacher. He plays to win and has no tolerance for whiners."
Nicole (Chicago, IL), 32, OBGYN Doctor
"She's very proud of being a doctor and has no problem with being considered a diva."
Clay (Philadelphia, PA), 32, Criminal Litigation Attorney
"Clay admits he suffers a bit from OCD. He has been known to touch a light switch ten times before he can leave a room."
Kristen (Santa Monica, CA), 35, Neuroscientist
"She is currently conducting research to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease at UCLA...Kristen feels her best trait is her kindness and her worst trait is that she's a perfectionist."
Paul (Yonkers, NY), 29, Utility Worker
"Paul has the accent and demeanor that clearly reveals he's an Italian New Yorker from Yonkers...He admits and his wife will readily agree that he just doesn't know when to shut up."
Victoria (Bishop, TX), 26, Retail Manager
"Victoria is a spunky, former pageant girl and cheerleader from a small town in Texas...She admits one of her flaws is that she cusses like a sailor."
