July 14, 2008
Despite renewed rumors that it just might face cancellation again, ABC's The Mole will showcase a recap of its first five episodes, along with never-before-seen footage, in a one-hour special called “The Mole: Take Another Look” airing 9pm Monday night on ABC. Of course, episode 506 will immediately follow at 10pm.
Earlier, it was reported that (the increasingly thinning) fans of The Mole need not worry that their favorite show will be canceled. Despite a dismal premiere and dwindling audience share, The Mole's fifth season is assured of completing its seven remaining episodes. If it will be renewed for a sixth season, however, remains to be seen.
June 30, 2008
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Last week on The Mole, the fifteen viewers still tuning in to the show watched as host Jon Kelley forced the contestants to carry gold bricks up a mountain. Craig nearly died from hypothermia, but at least $14,250 was added to the pot for his troubles. Later, Jon pulled a deliciously evil stunt by burning each player's journal on a giant bonfire, with only Craig and Alex's books escaping the flames. Mark nearly threw himself into the ocean after this event, so distraught he was to lose all of his "I Heart Jon Kelley" scribblings. After taking the quiz about the mole, Victoria was eliminated from the competition.
Tonight, the remaining contestants have to work together to escape the freezing cold, and one player finds out what it's like to be loathed.
June 23, 2008
Last week on The Mole, host Jon Kelley thought it would be funny to steal everyone's clothes while they enjoyed a spa day. He then challenged the contestants to roam the streets in their underwear, telling them to beg strangers for fancy duds so they could eat dinner at a black tie restaurant. All of the challengers succeeded aside from Clay and Mark, who were too dignified to participate in the competition. During the execution ceremony, Ali accepted Jon's offer to leave the show in exchange for $30,000, and weakling Bobby was eliminated for not knowing enough about the mole.
Tonight, the eight remaining players travel to the Andes Mountains for a torturous uphill climb.
June 18, 2008
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When ABC initially attempted to launch The Mole in 2001, the series was a hit with critics but not with audiences. Despite being labeled one of the smartest reality shows on television at the time, the competition never picked up a significant number of viewers. After two years of low-rated scheming with average citizens, the network relaunched the franchise with a group of D-list celebrities. Ratings ticked up for a while, and The Mole lasted two more seasons before being yanked off the air in 2004.
Four years later, ABC thought they'd finally be able to make The Mole into a hit. The network launched the fifth season of the series a few weeks ago after The Bachelorette, but it's been hemorrhaging viewers since its low-rated debut. Will the network decide to silence The Mole yet again?
June 16, 2008
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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.
June 11, 2008
Jon Kelley has recently replaced the original Mole host Anderson Cooper for the show's fifth installment, which began its run on June 2. Kelley, who is known for his job as a weekend anchor on Extra, began his work in the series in 2001 and has now spanned over 15 years in the broadcast industry. Aside from appearing on television and hosting radio shows, he also co-wrote the book Breaking Into Broadcasting. Now that he's the newest face to become the host of ABC's The Mole, Jon Kelley dishes out on the new batch of contenders to compete in the grueling reality series.
June 9, 2008
Last week on The Mole, 12 contestants entered into a competition for a chance to win up to $500,000. For the first mission of the season, each of the players had to guide a raft over a waterfall while simultaneously attempting to grab a bag full of cash. In the next challenge, the contestants struggled to identify five items that 18th century sailor Alexander Selkirk would have traveled with. After analyzing each other during these adventures, the players were then quizzed on their knowledge of the mole. When it became obvious that Marcie knew next to nothing about the titular schemer, she was eliminated from the competition.
Tonight, the gang plays soccer against an intimidating Chilean team, and one more player gets "executed" by host Jon Kelley.
June 4, 2008
The anticipated fifth season of The Mole has finally arrived and fans clamored to see who will be the first person to leave the reality series, which involved a lot of high stakes competition and deceit. This season, the first to go home was 31-year-old stay-at-home mother of three from Corona, California, Marcie Ciscel. She recently talked to Reality TV World to share her thoughts on the competition and how she managed to get through the competition, despite being eliminated.
"It was an amazing opportunity and it was challenging -- extremely challenging -- mentally and physically," Marcie admitted in a conversation with Reality TV World. "It would be great to stay, but I'm ready to go home."