'The Mole': another surprise elimination
After last week's absence, I was totally ready for a double dose of The Mole. What I got was a near heart attack. At first, I thought that a Bachelorette special was going to replace The Mole again. Then, I was disappointed when I realized that the first hour of the two-hour "Mole special" was actually a recap of the season. (Yawn!)
I was surprised to learn that Nicole admitted to Alex and Clay that she sabotaged the luge mission a couple of episodes ago so that people would think she is the Mole. (Wow! She's taking the whole double agent thing to a new level.)
Nicole began this week's real episode lamenting that she was the only woman left in the game. Would this be her last week? We'll get back to that later. The first mission, "Grapes of Cash," required the contestants to go to a vineyard. The mission was complex. Craig and Nicole had to solve brain teasers. The answers correlated with directions to retrieve wine bottles from the vineyard. Each time the contestants retrieved another bottle, the speed on the treadmill that Mark was on would increase. The game continued as long as Mark was able to stay on the treadmill. (Complicated, right?)
The contestants succeeded and earned the full $70,000. Of course, Paul and Nicole were at each other's throats. (God, I hope one of them is the Mole. It isn't healthy to have so much mutual disdain.)
"Swing Out," the second mission of the episode, required the contestants to attempt to hit a target with a bag of tea while bouncing from a bungee chord. Contestants Mark, Paul, and Clay could not hit the target.
Craig was next. Before he jumped, he confessed to suffering from vertigo. (That was a new detail.) During his jump, he let out this God-awful scream that led the other contestants to believe that he was injured. (He wasn't.)
To add another twist, host John tempted each contestant with an exemption. In order to get one, a person needed to complete the mission, then estimate how much money the group would earn. Each person failed to hit the target except for Alex, who acted extra Molish. (First, the show's producers distorted the host's voice when he offered Alex the exemption. And remember, he was the only contestant to complete the mission. Just a lucky effort? Maybe not.)
The group earned $4,000 out of a potential $60,000. But even Alex overestimated how much money they'd get, so none of the contestants received an exemption.
Going into the quiz, Mark and Clay attempted to get Alex drunk so that it would affect his judgment. (Were these two channeling meat-head frat boys?) The pair's scheme worked. Alex was sent packing. I was totally shocked! I had no idea he was going home. I thought for sure he could have been the Mole.
Comments
Alex going home was a shocker. Though once I realize Paul was feeding his suspicions about Nicole, it was clear he was doomed.
With Alex gone, it's very clear Nicole is not the mole. Which leaves Mark, Clay, Craig, and Paul.
Paul was very molish this episode, giving out the wrong cordinates, then blaming it on Nicole/Craig.
Mark also has a lot of suspicion towards him, but I feel he takes way too many notes to be the Mole. Though that M in the chains last episode was suspicious...
Posted by: bd | July 16, 2008 8:49 AM