The Mole

Last week on The Mole, the contestants learned not to underestimate the athletic skills of Chilean children after getting their butts kicked in a soccer game against the tiny tykes.  For the challenge, host Jon Kelley had the players search for 50 piggy banks scattered around town, which they then had to slingshot into a net held by Paul and Liz.  With much pink porcelain shattered on the ground, the 11 challengers were later tested on their knowledge of the mole.  That's when Liz discovered that being feisty and awesome isn't enough to guarantee a spot in the finals.  She was "executed" after failing to guess facts about her scheming teammate.

Tonight, the contestants roam the streets of Santiago, Chile clad in nothing but their underwear.  On second thought, maybe it's a good thing Liz left when she did.

As you may recall from last week, Nicole threatened to kill Paul in his sleep.  Sadly that hasn't happened yet, but we have an entire hour ahead of us, so keep your fingers crossed.  While Paul tries to elicit sympathy over his death threat, Bobby, Mark and Clay form an alliance and start plotting with one another.

The ten remaining contestants catch Jon munching on some fruit outside the hotel.  He tells them to split into two groups of five, with one group consisting of those who trust people blindly, and the other full of players who can't trust anyone.  One member from each group must team up to man a two-person luge. They'll speed down a luge track with one player blindfolded while the other spots photos of fruit as they fly by. After surviving the track, the blindfolded teammate has to place real pieces of fruit in the correct order based on their partner's observations.  $2,000 is added to the pot for each properly placed piece of fruit.

Clay and Bobby are the first duo to ride the luge, and with their awesome teamwork they manage to add $10,000 to the pot.  Everyone does fairly well in the challenge aside from Nicole and Alex, who mysteriously only get one item correct.  Fishy!  After the teams are done, Jon chastises Clay and Bobby for discussing the fruit after they passed the finish line, which is against the rules.  They're disqualified, bringing the total of the pot to $89,000.  Did Bobby discuss things intentionally in order to sabotage the competition?  Clay thinks it's a possibility.

Jon was kind enough to book the players a day at the spa, but of course he has ulterior motives.  After enjoying hours romping in their bathing suits, which forces me to see Craig shirtless, the contestants return to the locker room to find their clothes missing.  After splitting the players into teams, Jon tells them that $5,000 will be added to the pot for each player who meets him at a restaurant a few hours later. Unfortunately, the dining establishment has a strict dress code.  The contestants have to run through the streets in their underwear and attempt to get clothes from strangers, otherwise they won't be permitted to enter the fancy establishment.

Clay and Mark decide to drop out of the challenge, citing a need to keep their dignity and self-respect intact. Don't they realize they're on reality TV, where such things don't exist?  The other players roam the streets garnering catcalls, whistles and shocked expressions from the Chilean people.  Bobby and Craig are a walking representation of the number 10, so it's a relief when they finally get some shirts on their backs. Nicole is the first to procure an entire outfit, but Ali, Kristen and Victoria have trouble finding generous pedestrians.  When Ali declares that she wants to give up, Victoria wonders if she's trying to sabotage the team.

Craig manages to find the laundromat where Jon dropped off everyone's clothes, saving the day for a few of the challengers.  All of the contestants aside from Clay and Mark make it to the restaurant on time, bringing the pot to $129,000.  Of course, they could have had an extra ten grand if Clay and Mark weren't so hung up on dignity and self-respect.

During dinner, Paul gets into an argument with just about everyone at the table.  He thinks the money is more important than making friends, but some of the other players disagree.  Nicole says she's going to kill him with kindness since she can't kill him for real, which is a bit anticlimactic.  I guess I'm not going to get my crossover with CSI after all.

It's time for the weekly quiz about the mole.  The players hop on their stylish black laptops and answer questions about their deceptive teammate, then meet up with Jon for the execution ceremony.  Before he pulls out his gun and prepares to blow someone's head off, he offers $20,000 for anyone willing to walk away from the show.  No one takes the cash.  He calls out a few players one by one and tells them that they're safe, then offers $30,000 to any player who wants to quit.  Ali decides to take the money and run, eliminating herself from the competition.  Jon announces that she would have been safe.

One more person is going home tonight, and the option to flee with a bundle of cash is now off the table.  Jon continues going through each player's quiz results, eventually revealing that Bobby is the one being executed.  I guess we'll never see his bird chest and pathetic athletic ability again.

Next week on The Mole, Craig almost dies when Jon makes the players hike up a mountain!


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)