Episode 8

OK, to start with what I do know. Paul went home, which I expected. Look at it from mathematical point of view. Not a single one of the others thought Paul was the Mole. He had done no sabotage at all, played every game hard, and could not be the Mole. So, the other two non-moles, knowing that Paul could not be the mole, were left with only two people to consider when they were figuring out what answers to put down on the quiz. (For example, Nicole knew she was not the Mole, and know Paul wasn't. She just had Mark and Craig to consider. And so on for Craig and Mark.) Even with pure guesswork each of them only had a 50/50 chance of being right...or wrong. Paul, on the other hand, had to cover each of the other three on his answers, giving himself only a 1/3 chance of getting the answer right. If neither of the other two had any inkling about who the mole actually was, all they had to do was split the 10 answers between two people, guaranteeing that they would score better than Paul. Paul's only chance of staying in the game was to correctly guess the Mole, then answer all the questions accordingly. He clearly did not do that.

So, it was absolutely no surprise that Paul went home.

So, who's the Mole? Geez, I don't know! All three of the remaining players are the correct players to have remained in the game at this point. They sabotaged more games than anyone else, played the games better than everyone else, and the best final 3 are still left.

In the How's the View game, Paul played it straight; Mark really did so as well. Both Craig and Nicole acted suspicious, both costing money. I hope Nicole can cut a straighter line on a patient than she can hold a camera still...and in the right place. I really hope all of her surgery is via arthroscope! Neither Craig nor Nicole can keep quiet, so both were at fault for losing that money. Nicole continues to play with obvious sabotage attempts...whether or not they are real. Craig does the same. Craig will hate to hear this, but those two act like fraternal twins, competing in very similar ways to see who can look the most suspicious.

In the paintball game there wasn't a lot of suspicious activity...unless you consider Mark's 52 second solution to the problem. He made a point of stating that he does these for fun in the classroom. Maybe he does. Or, maybe he knew the answers already, being able to thus ensure he could cost the game another $20,000, plus keep the exemption out of any of the other's hands.

Who's the Mole? I'm still betting on Mark. Who's second? Nicole and Craig...and not necessarily in that order...but maybe so! As a good season should do, this season's final three are the ones who have sabotaged the most, look the most suspicious...and have played the best game. They got it right. And, true to form, I will not be surprised if any one of them is the mole. Ah, the winner? Nicole.

Bill
The Mole II

Another excellent video

Folks, Brian Boyko has done an excellent video as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kn9BWY6tfw&watch_response

Unfortunately, the ratings continue to lag far below (our) expectations. I know there is a lot of enthusiasm, and I've had a lot of folks send me notes back stating that they are now watching, but we haven't dented the ratings yet. Keep pushing! We can't let this little blind critter get executed!

Bill
The Mole II

Al (from Season 2)

Folks, Al from Season 2 has made a video; in fact, there are some great videos on youtube under "Save the Mole." Check them out! Al's video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1SCTNcBuXw

Bill
The Mole II

Episode 7

OK, sorry Heather, it's not Clay. (Our year on the Mole has been trying to figure out who the mole is as well; Heather picked Clay early on.) And, Paul is still here. Clay's a lawyer; he's supposed to know better.

First off, to start from the end, no mole worth his (or her) salt would jeopardize folks seeing their families. And, Paul actually came off as...well, likable! Shoot, how can you have a daughter that delightful and smart, and a girlfriend that delightful, and be as obnoxious as he has appeared thus far? Opposites attract? Maybe, but not that much. (Hmm. I'm thinking or Rob and Amber from Survivor; there polar opposites did indeed attract.) I saw no molish activities in the family game...other than some of Nicole's statements. She keeps trying to make us think she is the Mole. Well, to quote Al from Season 2...maybe she is!

Not a lot to go on in the game of the Dumb versus Smart ones. The most obvious person who appeared to sabotage...then come up with some sort of Dorothy-like magical answer math answer to Nicole's mistaken answer...and who I then started really reconsidering as the Mole...was Clay. And, make no mistake about it, he's not the Mole...unless we have a previously not considered twist to this entire show! Forget Clay.

Nicole. Bad in math, not a good counter beyond the number of fingers and toes she has? Or, deliberately sabotaging...very obviously. On the other hand, when Craig screwed up the numbers early on, she salvaged it. So, could it be Craig? Could be.

Mark. Not much action this week. No apparent sabotage.

So, who sabotaged the most? Clearly, it was Clay. Heather must be right; he must be the Mole...just as Elavia was clearly the Mole in Season 2.

Geez. How's a guy to pick? 1. Mark. 2. Nicole 3. Craig 4. There is no 4. Paul...nicer than I thought, but not the Mole.

Time will tell.

Bill
The Mole II

Episode 6

Ok, now we're getting somewhere! By far my favorite episode of the year, hands down. Finally a good thinking game, and a game of suspense. One of the problems I've had thus far is there really has been no suspense in any of the games. Tonight that changed! Now, if Jon would only chew someone out a little just for effect! I hope all of you helped spread the word in the "Save the Mole" campaign, because if you did, tonight's episode might have captured some more viewers!

I was not surprised to see Alex go. He played the game straight; I seriously doubt that there was a single player in this year's group that ever suspected that Alex was the Mole. He just did not sabotage. That's fine, but it put him at a disadvantage; while others...Craig, Mark, Clay, and Nicole...all have done a fair amount of sabotage, and therefore have to be factored in when you are taking the quiz, Alex simply did not have to be factored in. Therefore, every week he had at least one more person to consider than most of the others. Eventually...unless he really knew who the Mole was...odds had to catch up with him. They did so.

I think Paul is in the same boat. He is obnoxious, arrogant...and plays the game hard. He has not sabotaged at all, and but for his demeanor, does not act molish in the least. If the other players see it the same way, then they are not considering him as a mole possibility. That means everyone else has one less person to try to ferret (or "mole") out as the dastardly Mole. I would not be surprised to see Paul gone next.

Ah, who does that leave!? Well, I did not especially care for the one hour review of the season...because it just pointed up vividly the constant bickering and dislike between Paul and almost everyone else, and Nicole the same way. If I wanted to see constant fighting and bickering I would watch professional wrestling. So, I really wish the review had toned those disagreeable interplays down and had given us some more fun behind-the-scene stuff. I know there was a lot of good things that went on that would have played well; it would have much more fun to have seen them.

One thing the review did do was point out how much Craig has cost the team, either accidentally or on purpose. He didn't get the bag in the first game, didn't get any clay pigs, lost the money on the luge game, and chose the exemption when he picked impossible clothes and costumes for folks to wear. While he can't be ruled out, I still don't believe he is the Mole. However, it was impossible to miss that he got almost no answers in tonight's game. Again, could have been deliberate. Or not.

Clay has kept a low profile since getting the exemption he did not deserve. He's sinking down in my Mole quest.

Nicole continues to be extremely obvious, but indeed has sabotaged some. She was obvious in the luge game, continues to play mind games with Paul (and everyone else), cooperated with everyone in not wearing the costume selected for her, and in tonight's game was surprisingly dense in coming up with answers to the questions. Admittedly it was all math, and that may be a weak area for her. I sure hope her pharmacist and nurses do her med calculations for her patients! Molish activity in not coming up with any answers? Maybe.

Mark was quite interesting to watch tonight. Man, he was a team player. A great run, and he showed remarkable intelligence, coming up with virtually every answer the "thinkers" were supposed to be coming up with. He reminded me of Dorothy from our season...except that the last time I looked Mark is not Chinese. Could Mark have known the answers in advance? Could this be one of the games the Mole plays his little heart out in to show he is a team player? I think that is a distinct possibility.

Oh, the bungee jump. Any molish activities? None that I saw. When I had the chance to bungee jump in Season 2 I was going for it, no matter what. No sabotage, just always wanted to bungee jump. I suspect the folks tonight felt the same way...though I was a tad concerned for Craig. A trooper!

So, who's the Mole? Not Alex. 1. Mark 2. Clay 3. Nicole 4. Craig

Bill
The Mole II

Save The Mole!

AN OPEN LETTER TO MOLE FANS

Will The Mole Face Its Own Execution?

July 11, 2008

Since our first season debuted in 2001 with Anderson Cooper, The Mole has been described as one of the smartest reality shows on television. Beloved by critics and fans alike, we’ve enjoyed four amazing seasons on ABC.

Among all the TV shows we’ve had the privilege of creating and/or producing, The Mole is still our favorite by far.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The very future of The Mole hangs in the balance. While our core fans have been turning out in droves, the show has been underperforming in the key 18-49 demo. Yes, we know, Monday at 10:00 p.m. (9:00 central) sucks for a lot of people. But that’s what we’ve got and we aren’t moving. The good news is we still have a chance to show ABC how much people love this show by getting our ratings up for the last five episodes. We did it the first four times we were on the air and we can do it again. If we don’t, the show itself could be facing execution at the end of this season ... and this time it might really be fatal.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Get 10 of your friends to watch the show. And have them get ten of their friends to watch...Organize Mole screening parties every week to get people hooked. Join The Mole’s fan club on Facebook and invite your friends. Every little bit helps.Visit ABC.com and show your support on the message boards.Make a You Tube video that expresses why The Mole should stay on the air. Be creative! What about your friends who say, “I’d love to get involved, but it’s already halfway through the season and I can never catch up?”

Now, they can:1) Fox Reality is airing the first five episodes this Sunday, July 13th, the day before our next ALL NEW episode (11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST). 2) ABC is airing a recap special on JULY 14th at 9:00 p.m. that covers the first five episodes. It airs just before our next new episode at 10:00 p.m. and has a whole slew of “never before seen” material.

Two great ways for new viewers to get caught up and fall in love with our show; the one that Variety said demonstrates “considerably more smarts than your run-of-the-mill reality fare.” (Variety, 6/1/2008).

So, if you enjoy seeing “smarter” reality shows on the air, pass this along and check out our new episodes. You’ll be glad you did.

Scott Stone and Clay NewbillExecutive Producers, The Mole

"Save the Mole"

Folks, Scott Stone and Clay Newbill, producers of the Mole, are coming out with a campaign to keep the mole from being executed...by ABC. The web site will be (later today or tomorrow) www.savethemole.com. I will be posting their letter to the viewers on this web site. In addition, I've gladly made some videos for them to post on their web site to push the effort to keep the Mole alive past this season.

They need your help!

Bill
The Mole II

Next week's schedule

OK, folks, don't fret! Next Monday there will be an hour recap at 9:00 PM (PST) and a new episode at 10:00 PM. 2 hours of Mole!

I have it narrowed down to no more than one of 6 folks. Otherwise, why be the Mole at all?

Bill
The Mole II

Mark...molish actions

Kelly just asked me if Mark turning down the exemption didn't indicate he was not the Mole. If you will remember, I asked Al not to give me the exemption after the pugle stick game, causing some consternation among the rest. (Darwin: "Bill's just trying to look 'noble.' " Derisively) It did confuse them; no one turns down an exemption (except Heather). I think Mark's refusal to take the exemption is in the same category as mine was. He turned down an obvious exemption. Why? In his words to "keep the peace with the others so he would not be frozen out." Nah. Any one of them would have taken the exemption in his case. As I review his continuing angst about losing his journal and the fuss he makes publicly about that, I again grow suspicious. What a good ploy to get the others off his case. Acting strangely, somewhat inappropriate, "losing it." I don't think so. Playing a smart game is more like it. Mark is moving way up on my radar screen. I'm going to have to go back and review all the episodes. He is doing a lot of what I did in that long ago last mole season!

Episode 5

Conflict. Too much for me. I really did not like the scene in the van between Paul and Clay. It was boring and not fun to watch for me. Paul continues to be irritating, but a good competitor. What was Clay doing? I feel that a good Mole disrupts the game when he (or she) can, and he did that. Was this molish behavior on Clay's part? Maybe, maybe. All in all, however, I would have preferred that entire exchange between the two of them be summarized in about 10 seconds. Why the ugliness?

I found little suspicious in the first game, "All for One." Mark certainly pushed things, continuing to harp on his lost journal...somehow seeming to hold the others at fault for that. No one other than Paul threatened to not take the key, and Paul was just being...well, Paul.

Now, why didn't Mark take the exemption? $25K? Geez, in our season we settled on feeling that an exemption was worth $50K. He could have taken the exemption and cost no one time in the cold. It was a freebee. I truly think most folks would have taken it. So, why didn't he? Well, if he is the Mole he does not need it. Or, he might really want to keep from alienating the others, and may feel that he knows who the mole is. It does make one wonder, however. So, it could have been a molish act to keep suspicion off himself. I still do not think he is the Mole, but as noted in earlier weeks, feel he has to stay on the radar.

Clay's observations that Mark was changing from the "voice of reason" to an "evil, malicious, doomsday Mark." A little strong there, I think. Again, was this molish talk? Maybe, maybe.

In the "Traveler's Game," Craig quite obviously went for the exemption. I don't blame him; I would have too. Could he be the Mole? Sure, but I don't think so. Mark led the rest of them to not attempt the 5.5 miles in 45 minutes in their costumes. Again, a smart move. 5.5 miles in 45 minutes is an 8 minute pace, a good hard pace for most recreational runners in good running attire. None of them was going to make it. Mark started the revolution against the game, and all the others chimed in and agreed, proving again that there are no dummies on the show. Was Mark's behavior molish? Possibly, but it was also the correct answer. I still have to keep him on the radar. I didn't like this game. Any game that the competitors can opt out of totally, as was done here, probably should not have been played.

Nicole again kept her head down and did no obvious sabotage; in fact, she has done none in about 3 episodes. Kristen I hated to see go. While I had held her in deep reserve as the Mole, this week had just about eliminated her totally from that role. A super competitor. I'll miss her, and frankly, most of these folks I will not miss when they leave. Alex? Continues to play the game and no apparent sabotage. I have eliminated him as the Mole, as I have Paul.

So, this week I continue to stick with Clay as my prime suspect. (Of course, he's a lawyer, and I always suspect lawyers of being sort of genetically primed sneaky folks anyway.) Mark is my second choice. Nicole is fading. Craig did a little to bring suspicion on himself, but I still do not think he is the Mole.

Bill
The Mole II