‘The Mole’ Season 2 Episodes 6, 7, And 8 Recap: Will Hannah Choose Money Or Exemption?

The first five episodes of The Mole season two ended with one of the seven people using all the money in the prize pot to bid for the exemption, an option given by the game to save themselves from the next elimination. The prize pot had over USD 58,000 in it, and all of them were shocked and eager to know who had used the entire money as the move was completely selfish.

The next three episodes were full of surprises, as there were more games, more money to be won, and a wild card entry that could change the way people look at this reality game show. Even though Neesh came forward as the one who siphoned all the money, he did not come across as the Mole trying to sabotage any of the varied assignments given to them. There were several twists and turns, which included eliminating one of the contestants and then bringing them back to add more money to the prize pot, only for them to be eliminated again. This was a twisted way of giving one of them hope only to disappoint them. This game was brutal and unapologetic as it pushed the contestants to face their fears, which were claustrophobia, heights, and death. Episodes six, seven, and eight were more about getting closer to the finish line and watching their doubts become reality as several of them began to suspect which one of them could be the mole. During one of the tasks, it was almost revealed who the Mole could be, but for the sake of television and stretching the show further, it was wrapped as there were two more episodes to go to find out who the saboteur was. 

Since the contestants had lost all the money collected in the first half of the game, their next duty was to make up for the money and bring in more than before so that it crossed the six-digit figure. The numbers and the ante were up from the beginning of the second half, and it only created more situations that put the contestants in dilemmas about whether to choose money or exemptions at many different points. The three new episodes also gave the contestants the chance to enhance their technical and negotiation skills, as they involved receiving money not just for the individual but for the group as well. There was an Indiana Jones-style hunt for the real idols amongst the fake ones. The real idols needed to be collected by solving an intricate puzzle. The teams had to find these idols for their original value to be added to the prize pot. The hunt was also carried out to find out who would be daring enough to sabotage it. There were two teams, namely, rope and river, and they found their way out to the end of the hunt and came out victorious.

Another game involved defusing three bombs, as there was money riding on them. If any of the three teams were successful in cutting the wire, that would stop the bomb from blowing up and taking the money with it. This was a rather silly game, but it never garnered enough money for the prize pot. Interestingly, this game came very close to exposing who the mole could be. As it turns out, the popular contestants of the lot only aimed to acquire more money and add it to the prize pot, and they refused to take exemption cards unless necessary to trump certain situations. At this point, Muna and Hannah turned out to be a lot smarter than the rest of them, and it would be interesting to watch one of the women win this game eventually. Muna developed good negotiating and manipulating skills that no one saw coming, and it put several people on the backfoot. 

The eighth episode of the show had several things happening at the same time, including the rescue of two contestants who were kidnapped and kept away in a secluded house away from the city. Ryan and Deanne were secretly taken away and tied up inside a home. The remaining contestants were given the task of locating the kidnapped ones. The prize money for locating the two was USD 50k in the prize pot. They would lose USD 5k every time they make a call to Ryan and Deanne to find out details of their location. Ryan and Deanne too found a way to rescue themselves from captivity, and the remaining contestants spent most of their time locating the place and later having to find the key that could help them rescue the two of them. It was here their skill to discover things and not panic in the hour of need was put to use. It was Hannah and Muna, all the way, who knew how to navigate and carry out tasks without panicking. 

A double elimination was impending by the end of the eighth episode, but before that, one of the contestants was given the chance to have lunch with the host, Ari Shapiro. Hannah was chosen, as the remaining members had a basic idea of who the mole could be. This was the reason why Hannah was selected: she would always choose money over exemption, but the mole would do the opposite. Hannah was also aware her decision on the lunch table would decide the fate of the rest of the contestants and the money that could take their prize pot to six figures, a number that would only increase as they were headed towards the finale. Hannah was given the five boxes, and one of them held USD 20K.  She was given the option of choosing an exemption, and this would be the last time any contestant was given one on the show. The eight-episode ended on a cliffhanger as the offers given to Hannah were tempting, and it felt she would make a selfish move, keeping in mind how she went after the exemption at the beginning of season two of The Mole.