Show Details
Air dates
- January 9, 2001 - February 28, 2001
Locations
- California Mojave Desert, United States
- 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 treated to lavish multi-course meals and fine wines at dinner, while staying most nights at four and five star 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.
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.
Read more about this topic: The Mole (U.S. Season 1)
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