Reality shows come in various shapes and forms. Netflix has almost got the genre down to a T with different kinds of scenarios showcased to gather viewership and make the most of reality television’s popularity. Reality shows, however, give chances to many people from around the world, and they promise exposure to many who join them willingly. The Mole is out with its second season, a one-of-a-kind reality show that revolves around the tasks assigned to a group of twelve people. This is a Netflix original set in Malaysia. The final goal for the contestants is to find out who the mole is, as the individual would try to sabotage every task given to them.
Each task adds money to the prize pot, and the mole’s job is to stall the game assigned, which would eventually lead to a reduction of the final prize money. There is actual prize money allotted, and apart from that, on the completion of each task, extra money, just like an added credit, is added to the prize pot. The promise of getting a huge amount by the end of the show is the reason why most would rush to finish the task except the mole, who will do the exact opposite. The first part of the show has several games that test everyone’s attitude towards teamwork. The first task involved the team of twelve choosing a leader that would help them win against a bunch of intruders who had to be stopped from getting into one of the three cars parked not very far from the starting point. The contestants included Deana, Andy, Jennifer, Sean, Tony, Michael, Muna, Melissa, Quaylyn, Ryan, Neesh, and Hannah.
Neesh, who claimed to have performed in many leadership roles, had to reluctantly take up the first task. The catch is that the leader would be eliminated if any of the intruders managed to get inside any of the cars. The first task is a scary one as it puts Neesh in a peculiar position, but he turned out to be successful as all the intruders were stalled, even though one of the twelve participants may have tried to sabotage the game. The nature of the show is such that none of them could trust anyone at this stage. They could only guess based on how they responded to the tasks and how their actions were looked at. Just like every other reality show, there is a parameter that is set for elimination.
In The Mole, the participants chose a suspect and voted for them on the designated website. At the end of several tasks, a seance-like circle is formed to announce the participant’s exit from the game. If the mobile phone screens handed to them turn green, the participant stays. In the case of a red screen, the participant would have to leave without saying a proper goodbye. The participants are asked to leave immediately without even sharing any proper goodbyes. None of the tasks are specifically dedicated to uncovering the mole’s identity. Each task is set in different scenic areas of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. This show could very well market Malaysia as the next-best tourist country in Southeast Asia.
In the three episodes of The Mole season two one of the task include recovering a chest full of treasure from the seawater. Another task involved retrieving boxes from a party brought in by people invited to it. A few other tasks included participants having to conquer their fear of heights by climbing down a high-rise building and carrying out a heist. The money equivalent of the treasure recovered from the heist was to be added to the prize pot. There is also the inclusion of an extra feature known as ‘exemption’. To receive an exemption, the team had to decide who would get it but in return they lost money from the prize pot every second. Eventually, Hannah got herself the ‘exemption’ which means she was no longer at risk of getting eliminated. Her eagerness to acquire the exemption increased suspicion of her being “The Mole,” as she was keen to stay on the show a little bit longer.
Every reality show tries to show off a blossoming relationship; in the second season, Tony and Hannah become a couple. Many others are under the impression that Tony could be the mole as his team lost the heist task. Another group task included them having to find out what their fortune cookie offers in terms of cash. Just like in poker, people would be bluffing on who received cash and who received the ‘exemption’ card. This task is intended to expose which participant could be “the Mole” apart from the usual suspects. So far, four participants from the show have been eliminated, and they’ve been some surprising exits. The fifth episode of the show featured two major tasks. The first task included the remaining seven members looking for USA-labeled containers in the port. Containers with the said label carry boxes with money for the prize pot.
The catch of this task is to find out who could potentially be “the Mole.” To find that out, the makers brought in three trucks with the names of the suspects on them: Sean, Michael, and Muna. The participants could either place all the money in one truck which would mean they suspect only one of them. The other option would be to hide their suspicions and distribute the money retrieved from the containers by placing it in each truck and not reveal who they suspect. The money collected from the actual suspect will be added to the prize money. By the end of the task, Sean is declared the suspect, and the money placed in the truck with his name is only 5000 USD.
The last task had three boxes placed in front of participants, and they could choose to bid for it using any amount from the prize pot. The first two boxes included details of Deanna, the participant, while the second one included ‘correction’. The correction would mean that any of the participants could choose to correct a mistake in the game, but at a cost. The third box had ‘exemption’, which is a tempting offer. ‘Exemption’ was something most of them would want, keeping in mind that elimination was becoming ruthless. As all of them hoped no one would bid for it, all the money collected in the prize pot is used by one of the participants for an exemption. At this point, it is not revealed who the mole is.
The suspicions are still on Sean and Michael, and one of them is pretending to be upset about losing the entire money gathered so far through all the tasks. It also sheds light on who might be “the Mole,” and as the next five episodes are released, the audience will get a clear picture of who is sabotaging the team and their hard work.
