The first season of The Mole aired on ABC in 2001. It was produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment and was released to DVD by Eagle Rock Entertainment on March 8, 2005. The season was hosted by news reporter Anderson Cooper and featured American contestants; it was filmed mainly in France, Monaco, and Spain. Adapting the format of Belgian reality game show De Mol (The Mole), many challenges and locations were inspired by their counterparts from De Mol's second season in Spain.
Show details
Airdates
January 9, 2001 – February 28, 2001
Locations
California, United States (Mojave Desert) France (Paris, Cannes) Monaco (Monte Carlo) Spain (Seville, Jerez)
Rules summary
Ten players, all strangers. Nine contestants, and one "Mole" (whose identity is kept secret from all the other players and the viewing audience). The players participate in various tests (games, physical challenges, puzzles, etc.) to try to earn money to a cash pot, up to a maximum of $1,000,000. The mole's duty is to sabotage the games, and prevent money from being added to the pot, while avoiding, or deflecting suspicion. Each episode, the players take a 20-question quiz about the identity of the mole. The player who answers the fewest questions correctly (or in case of a tie, finishes the test the slowest), is "executed" and must leave the game immediately. Each episode, one player is executed; the game continues until only three players remain. Two contestants, and the mole. The contestant who scores the highest on the final quiz wins the game, and the entire accumulated cash pot.
Details
Casting for the first season of The Mole was held in late August 2000. Filming was done over 28 days from September 22-October 19, 2000. In late December 2000, ABC announced the contestants. The ten players and 176 crew members traveled to 34 cities in four countries, and stayed at 65 hotels.
Unlike other similar reality shows, contestants on The Mole were ordinarily treated to full course dinners, sit-down breakfasts, and fine wines at supper, while staying some nights at fancy hotels in exotic locations. Often travel was done in nice cars, or comfortable trains. It contrasted sharply with other reality shows of the time, such as Survivor, that saw players in wilderness locations eating meager meals. However, as part of the gameplay, some night stays were less comfortable.
GSN acquired the rights to the program in early 2004. Season 1 was shown in its entirety at varying timeslots. However, after low ratings and changes at the network, it was pulled. In March 2005, the entire season 1 was released on DVD by Eagle Vision USA. In the summer of 2007, Fox Reality acquired the rights to all four Mole seasons, and showed season one the first week of July. It was aired again as a marathon on January 20, 2008. Another marathon of the show was broadcast on June 1, 2008. Netflix began airing seasons 1 and 2 in June 2021.
Contestants
† Charlie passed away on April 30, 2018, at the age of 81.
Execution chart
Episodes
Notes
Episode 1
Skydiving: All ten players arrived at a remote location in the California Mojave Desert. Two helicopters took them to a landing strip where they boarded a plane to skydive from 10,000 feet. If all ten players agreed to skydive tandem, the group pot would earn $75,000. If any one player chose not to jump, no money would be added to the pot. According to clues in episode 8, this test marked the first time the players met, and occurred on September 22, 2000. The players were successful, and earned the full value.
Night out in Paris: The players were flown to Paris, France for their next test. After dinner, the players were allowed to spend the night out in Paris, with a catch - the entire group must stay together, and had to be back to the hotel before midnight (approximately two hours). If the team was not back in time, a $10,000 penalty would be assessed from the pot. The players were successful, and no money was deducted. However, during the test, Manuel insisted on purposely failing the test to spend more time out in Paris. His decision was unanimously overruled.
ATM: The players are shown ten screens which display personal information about their fellow competitors. Two players with the best memories are then chosen from the group. The two have to solve puzzles using the information from the screens to come up with a 4-digit ATM PIN. The PIN is then used to withdraw ₣500 at an ATM somewhere in the town of Draguigan, France. If the team is successful, $50,000 is added to the pot.