With the Mole down to its final four and the identity of the Mole still pretty much a secret things were sure to get interesting. Last week everyone was shocked to learn that Clay was executed but all four were still glad to be in the game. Each had a different strategy for who the Mole was but the missions are what really brought things out in the open. Jumping right into the first mission it was time to bring out the technology that the Mole is known for. Before starting the four were asked to select two “kids at heart” with Paul and Craig being chosen. Paul thought he would be able to work with Craig for once but John switched things up a bit. Each kid at heart would have to work with another person, creating two pairs of one kid at heart and one not kid at heart. They kept the usual pairs which were Paul/Mark and Craig/Nicole.

For the mission each pair would have to complete a set of tasks that were meant for kids. The only catch was the kid at heart would be wearing goggles that were hooked up to a video camera that their partner would be operating. Essentially they could only see what their partner showed them and everything would be backwards. The first task was fairly simple: putting blocks into the hole that they were shaped for. Paul had a fairly easy time getting all the blocks together while Craig stumbled a bit. On this task Paul showed some Mole behaviour by blaming “noise” in the camera while Nicole kept an odd angle on the block and also spoke when she wasn’t allowed to.

The next task was a bit harder and neither Craig nor Paul finished it. They had to kick two soccer balls into a goal. Mark seemed to think Paul was acting Moleish at this point while Nicole though Craig was too since they felt the soccer kick should be rather easy. For the third task both Paul and Craig had to pour tea into four small teacups without dumping any tea. Paul ended up getting two out of the three he filled while Craig only got one. He bumped the table which seemed Moleish for sure but then again Nicole kept wiggling the camera. For the fourth and final task the producers once again put the players into the air. Paul and Craig had to first walk across half a plank that was supsended between two buildings. After they picked up a piece of chalk they had only one minute to cross the rest of the plank and right down the phrase at the end. Paul finished with only a few seconds to spare while Craig got to the end of the plank just as time ran out. In the end Paul/Mark added $18,000 to the pot while Craig/Nicole added $4,500.

During the break between missions it seemed as if two new coalitions were formed between odd pairings. Mark and Craig took the “nice guys” side while Nicole and Paul, somehow bonded, to form the “evil team”. At the next mission these two teams were shown to be helpful as they were playing a first individual challenge that morphed into a group challenge. Oh they were also playing for a very coveted final exemption. The objective of the mission was to be the first to finish a word puzzle. The first to do so would get to become the sniper. The remaining three would then had to maneuver through an obstacle course while avoiding being shot at by the paint balls from the sniper. For each person who got through the course without being hit would add $15,000. If the sniper hit the person holding the exemption card they would get the exemption and be safe from execution.

During the word puzzle everyone seemed to stumble but Mark quickly got it together and became the sniper and only person eligible for the exemption. Although Nicole and Craig finished the word puzzle early as well, they waited for Paul since he was the only one who ever played paintball before. This seemed to work to their advantage as he helped them move through the course. Paul and Nicole moved well together as they moved in-sync while Craig pulled his weight by moving when he had a chance. Towards the end Mark finally got the hang of the gun and ended up hitting Nicole. While Mark was celebrating Paul dashed to the finish and got through safely. Knowing he had a shot Craig also tried to run but was hit by Mark, giving them only $15,000 for the pot and Mark two chances for the exemption.

When it was revealed that Craig did hold the exemption card, Paul didn’t take it too well. He let everyone know that he wasn’t happy with someone, besides him of course, having safety in the final four and guaranteeing Mark a spot in the finals. When it came time for the quiz to be taken both Nicole and Paul finally buried the hatchet as they agreed that they played similar games. At that point I think they both realized they weren’t the Mole and that pointed them at two others players. We know that Nicole and Paul were targetting Craig for the quiz but Craig’s target was somewhat unknown. In the end Paul was executed and he said he knew he was going. Next week we have the final missions so it should be interesting. I’m still not sure if its the finale or not but if I find out I’ll let you know. Oh and if you want to know my prediction for the Mole: I think its Craig. What do you guys think? Leave a comment and discuss who you think is the Mole!

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After a crazy round of Victoria, the biggest Mole suspect leaving, it’s time for another sabotage as the Mole returns. It seems Craig isn’t feeling any better as he’s freezing even after having four layers of clothing on. Nicole filled us in once again about the execution and figures that whoever she thinks is the mole ends up leaving. Um is that because SHE is the mole? Paul on the other hand continued his streak to becoming a reality villain as he wants to make everyone go even more crazy.

The challenge was then started and titled “All For One”. It was rather interesting as it forced them all to trust each other to either grab a key or an exemption. All of the players were chained together and the only way for one person to move was for everyone else to move back, giving them the slack to move. The object of the mission was for everyone to be released from the chains by dawn. The catch was every ten minutes a gate opened with either a key or an exemption to be taken. One at a time they could go up to the game but had to be given the chance to.
 
At first it seemed like nobody would really budge, but Craig was having more problems being out in the cold. Jon told them that once they left the chain they would join him for a warm meal and a warm bed. If someone took the exemption, the rest of the players would stay out in the cold for the rest of the night and no money would be won. If they completed the mission with nobody taking the exemption then $25,000 would be added to the pot. It was a huge reward but it was going to be a struggle to get everyone on board.
 
Back to Craig, who was obviously going to be suffering out in the cold. Everyone knew he was having problems and agreed to let him go. The next person to ask to leave was Kristen, who was also having problems with the cold. Clay didn’t want to give it to her at first, but she reminded him that he owed her for his exemption last round. She, like Craig, walked up to the cage and grabbed the key.

The next few choices were interesting and seemed tough for the remaining players. Nobody really wanted to go next and nobody wanted anyone else to go next. Mark at one point even mentioned he didn’t trust himself which put Clay off a bit. He’s working with Mark and felt their coalition unravel. Ultimately they let Paul go after swearing on his daughter he wouldn’t take the exemption. He was true to his word and walked into the warm cabin with the others. There they discussed who would go next and most of them thought Mark would take the exemption or be the one to screw everyone over.

Back at the gate we had Alex, Clay, Mark and Nicole. It was obvious that Mark wouldn’t budge and either would Alex. Although he wanted to wait it out a bit longer Clay let things in the hands of fate and decided to go for the key. Nicole ended up being next and being somewhat nice didn’t take the exemption and kept the money. This left Alex and Mark standing at the gate. Alex knew Mark wouldn’t budge still and ended up leaving him there alone. Back at the cabin everyone believed Mark would take the exemption as he was still mad about the journals. In the end Mark decided to keep the exemption in the gate, letting everyone breath a sigh of relief and placing a large $25,000 in the pot. Jon also gave them something else, new journals.

The next day the trip moved from the Andes to Mendoza which seemed a huge lift for Craig since he was now in warmer weather. It also caused some drama along the way as a fight ensued between Clay and Paul as they drove along. I’m not exactly sure what sparked the fight but both were calling each other hypocrites and other names I would never mention here. In the end a lemon was thrown and people were swapped around in the vans. As Van 2, driven by Alex, drove along they sang their new song “Paul Free” as Paul still continued to bash Clay in the van in front. I’m not exactly sure yet if Paul is playing a moles game or if he’s seriously that insane.

At the first mission in Mendoza everyone was told they would be breaking into three teams of two. That was odd as there were seven players, but of course there was a twist. Since he was the first person to say “exemption” at breakfast that morning, Craig was given power for the mission. The goal of the mission was for the teams to make it 5 miles to a famous statue in Mendoza, for each team that made it $10,000 would be added to the pot. If none of the teams made it, Craig would get an exemption.

In the beginning the challenge was very fun and humorous. Craig got to decide how to split up the teams and their form of transportation in traveling the 5 miles. For Alex and Mark he chose a conquistador suit, donkey and scuba outfit. Kristen and Clay got a unicycle and stilts while Craig saved the best for Nicole and Paul. A llama suit laid in front of them as Nicole was told she’d be the head of the llama while Paul would be, well, the ass of the llama. It was a very fitting choice and was meant to be funny but none of them took it that way.

As Craig and Jon headed to the finish line, Mark rallied everyone against the mission. He told them that he wouldn’t stoop to that level and everyone followed suit. It seemed like Alex and Clay wanted to do the mission, but Kristen and Nicole quickly chimed in that there was no way they could do their assignments. Paul was just being Paul and decided to go crazy about it, complaining and what not. So they decided as a “group” (even though it was Mark who decided) to drive the vans to the finish. When they got there they obviously failed and handed over an exemption to Craig.

That night at their execution dinner, Craig apologized to everyone since he felt what he did was wrong since they all treated him nicely when he was sick. They didn’t really talk about it much but you could tell Craig was glad to be safe while everyone hated him for it. As the players took the quizzes it seemed each had a different strategy. While some made more general decisions, Kristen decided to choose one person and answer each question for them. Although she though it was an advantage, Kristen ended up being the next victim of the mole as she got the dreaded red thumbprint. Next week it seems Paul and Nicole are once again at odds and we get a recap episode. See you there!

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After last weeks double execution/bribery the Mole returned with only eight players. It seems most were sad to see both Bobby and Ali go as they became fairly close to them. Only one voiced a negative point to leaving and that was Nicole. She thought Bobby was in deed the mole and realized she now had to re-evaluate her strategy in order to stay in the game. Other then that everyone who talked was crying for those two to go as they felt they lost two close allies and friends.

The next morning everyone was driven to Argentina, their next location in the journey. In the Andes mountains the eight broke into two teams of four each. Nicole, Victoria, Kristen and Clay became the “selfish” team while Craig, Mark, Paul and Alex became the “selfless” team. John then explained to everyone how the Inca used to carry gold up the Andes mountains for the Spanish. Their mission was to do just though, carry bars of gold up the Andes Mountains. Each gold bar weighed about 5 pounds and for each that made it to the top $250 would be added to the pot. Oh there was one more thing, the first team to make it up the mountain got a chance for a small little reward: exemptions.

When the two teams started to grab their bricks it was obvious who the selfish team was. They wanted to take up the least amount of bricks they could so they could be the first up the mountain. Kristen ended up taking more then half the selfish teams bricks while Clay took five although he claims he could have taken twelve. For the selfless team it was obvious they wouldn’t be up for considering Craig was on their team. They made the decision to grab as many bricks as they could and started up the mountain a few minutes after the selfish team.

As the selfish team started up Nicole made it seem as if she was tired. She says she wants people to think she’s the mole, casting doubt on her and less on the real mole. It’s smart but really could come back to bite her. As they got half way up the Andes John was waiting for them and told them they now had to carry a scale the rest of the way. Two scales were available, one weighing ten 10 pounds and another weighing at least 20 pounds. They had to decide which scale to take based on looks along and the selfish team chose right as they picked the lighter of the two.

The selfless team wasn’t having as big of a problem as they thought as Craig was keeping up. Although Mark complained a bit they mostly worked well together. At the mid-way mark they took the heavier scale, leaving a few bricks behind, and started back up the mountain. Mark wasn’t too happy about Kristen taking the lighter one but continued on. But as the second scale and second team head up the mountain the selfish team was just finishing. They made it to the top with around 25 bricks and were happy with their choice. A little later with only 30 seconds to spare, the selfless team crossed the finish line and all the bricks were tallied, adding $14,000 to the pot. Well at least for the time being.

Knowing their exemption came at a cost, the selfish team waited to hear what they would have to do. John told them only one of the four would get the exemption and the four had to decide unanimously who would get it or they had to forfeit the exemption AND all the money  they just made. After a few minutes they decided Clay should get it. Although the girls thought Kristen deserved it more, Clay complained the loudest. Some thought it was moleish behaviour but I’m not so sure.

As if the drama wasn’t enough thanks to the mission, while hiking down the mountain Craig didn’t do so well. At the bottom an ambulance was called in as Craig had trouble breathing. They said he went in and out of consciousness and was diagnosed with hypothermia from the cold and low air pressure. Everyone seems a bit worried about him but he still worried about the game. When Craig returned he was told that he had to stay warm and rest but he still worried some would think his trip to the ER was him playing a mole game.

The next day everyone woke up ready to play. Alex and Victoria had a small chat as we learn he thinks she may be the mole. They both thought coalitions wouldn’t last but we all know Alex has one with Paul. That night at dinner John asked everyone for their journals. As they ate they worried what would happen to them, especially Mark. His whole game is in that journal and without it he feels there is no more game to play. Little did they know the journals were their next mission as John returned with the journals still in tact.

The next mission was a rather fun one as it had to deal with quotes in the journals. Each player was told a quote and asked to guess who said that in their journal. Five of the seven questions were guessed correctly but one didn’t count. Nicole continued her fake (or real?) sabotage streak by coughing and blinking at the quote that was hers. This put several more people on her for being the mole. If she really isn’t though she’s one great actress. Since John rounded the pot up to $144,000 and four questions were correct,

Directly following desert everyone was led outside. They were then asked for one person to take a risk a sacrifice their journal. Nicole, Alex and Paul all said they would give theirs in but Alex’s journal was chosen to be sacrificed. John then pulled out a torch and waved it over Alex’s journal but didn’t torch it. He then asked Alex to collect all the other journals and set them on the table. As he did so the table was lit on fire, setting everyone but Alex’s journal into flames. This made Mark angry and he seemed to waver on quitting. His whole game and life in the game was based on his journal. With it gone he didn’t seem to have the will to play anymore. He even went missing for a short time but showed up in order to return back to base camp.

After that short melt down it was then time for the quiz and execution. Craig returned to the dinner table and everyone got ready to take the quiz. A few people seemed to change their tune on the mole. Alex and Paul along with Nicole feel Victoria is the mole while others felt it was Nicole. The only real strategy for the quiz we got to hear was Nicole’s. She said that she will answer as quickly as possible in order to win in the case of a tie. It was good she did that too as John let everyone know pre-execution that there was in fact a tie. Only 5 seconds were split between the two and in the event of the tie, the person who answered the quiz slower would be executed. It ended up being Victoria to get the green thumb and sent packing. She said she expected it but most mouths dropped. She was the biggest mole suspect yet and once again the suspect was sent home.

Next week it seems Craig is given some power that some don’t like. Nicole is put into a lama costume with Paul, her favorite person. Now that should be some great reality television! It seems Paul is getting on some more nerves as everyone thinks he’s a trouble maker. Um having we been seeing that since the first episode?

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The Mole is once again growing on me as the first season did and I’m enjoying the new Mole just as I did the first. Tonight marked the second episode of the new season and it was much better then the first. Knowing the people helped a lot I think but the Mole does one thing better then most reality television shows. That is the way they handle their challenges, basically focusing the entire show on just that: the missions.

We jumped in right away to the night following Marcie’s execution and it was time for the next mission. With only $35,000 in the pot to start it was obvious everyone wanted to win. They had the chance to double their prize money by winning an addition $35,000 but they had to work for it of course! The 11 remaining players were told to divide into two groups. One group would be going for an “uphill battle” while the other team had to play a soccer game then ride a gondola to the mountain. Mark and Kristen were chosen to do the uphill battle and were told if they beat the other 9 players up the hill, by riding a bike that is, they would win an exemption.

The eight who didn’t get to start their trek up the hill first had to score a goal against great Chilean soccer players. They just ended up to be KID Chilean soccer players. At first everyone underestimated the kids. Bobby, the self proclaimed soccer expert, said it would be over in 10 minutes. Yeah right! They ended up not scoring a goal in the allotted 20 minutes since the “soccer greats” Alex and Bobby basically sucked. Paul didn’t do too well either but he doesn’t remember that. After the 20 minutes they were allowed to shoot penalty goals to score. Alex went first being the amazing soccer player he is and show the ball right at the kid goalie. Great going there Alex! Ali was up next and easily scored a goal, giving the team the ability to start going towards the summit.

Meanwhile up the hill went Kristen and Mark. It was obvious they didn’t care that the pot wouldn’t grow if they made it there first as they sped up the mountain. Their chain on the bike broke several times though (producer induced?) which mad it a bit more difficult. They ended up walking/running most the way with spurts of bike riding. Half way up they met Jon for a drink and he gave them the chance to take a taxi the rest of the way. The catch was they would lose $5,000 of the $35,000 they already won. Mark quickly denied since he didn’t want to be bothered and they went on their way back up the hill.

Now that the soccer was over it was time to actually find the gondola’s. I’m sure we’ve all seen the statue of the Virgin Mary in Chile several times on the Amazing Race now so it’s no big deal seeing it again. But don’t you think they would just look for that and head that way? Victoria and Alex took the lead and went off without everyone. Apparently the rest found a “shortcut” but it didn’t get them there any faster. Craig and Liz were the obvious slackers as they were in previous challenges. Liz played a bit moleish with her “my feet hurt” and “I have to pee” comments while Craig kind of didn’t make excuses. Bobby on the other hand was back with them which is odd. Bobby is rail thin and well obviously not in shape. He said he played soccer for how many years yet he can’t run? Give me a break! Soccer is a running sport so obviously he lied about playing soccer or he’s playing a mole’s game.

In the end the team finally made it to the summit together. But they were surprised when Jon called down both Mark and Kristen who got there before them. This gave both Kristen and Mark an exemption from the execution and meant no money went into the pot. At lunch temperatures boiled over as Paul let loose on Bobby. He told him it wasn’t right to say he was the best soccer player then basically die on the field. Victoria was the only one who stood up for Bobby and its obvious her and Bobby are becoming close friends or maybe even an alliance. She stood up for him again that night when Paul went off on Bobby again. This time he also took it out on Victoria who claims she will never forgive Paul and reminded us all Paul did the same thing as Bobby during the challenge: died on the field.

The next morning everyone was up for their next mission. They once again split into groups, three groups of three and one group of two. Paul once again took the “two person” group along with Liz. The other teams were split as follows: Bobby/Kriste/Craig, Victoria/Alex/Nicole and Ali/Mark/Clay. Before the mission started Jon told everyone one more exemption was up for grabs. What the mission entailed was that the teams of three had to search through a town looking for clay piggy banks with a green thumbprint on them. They would then have to bring back the piggy banks and slingshot them over a wall where Liz and Paul would “hopefully” catch them. For each one they caught they would earn $1000 and they started off with one piggy bank to begin with.

Paul was smart in this mission, I give him credit. Liz and Paul had the easy job for most of the time as the basically stood there for 40 minutes until the other teams got back. During this time Paul started rattling the piggy bank and realized someone was inside. Liz thought he was just playing with it but he then slammed it against the wall shocking not only Liz but himself as well. Inside was a exemption chip, giving Paul the third exemption for the round.

The three other teams had some interesting dynamics. It seems like everyone has turned on Alex now since he acted very cocky during the mission. He was the only one to know Spanish and used it to his advantage to get the most piggy banks with his team. The group of Ali/Mark/Clay wasn’t that interesting but did get lost during part of the mission and Mark blamed it on Ali who it seemed had nothing to do with it. The last team and the worst team was Kristen/Craig/Bobby. I felt bad for Kristen as she got stuck with both nonathletic guys but it did make for some fun scenes! Apparently Bobby’s thighs hurt from the soccer game and he couldn’t even walk. They had wheelbarrows to carry the pigs but instead it carried Bobby pushed by Kristen no less! Everyone was a bit shocked by this and there is more to come when Paul finds out!

When all the pigs were back and time almost ran out 28 pigs were caught. This put $28,000 in the pot (finally!) and makes the total prize worth $63,000 so far. Not too bad but still they had so many chances to earn more. When it was all said and done Paul revealed he won the exemption and it didn’t really get much airtime about reactions. Apparently it wasn’t that big of a deal. The one thing that did get airtime was the feud brewing between Alex/Paul and Bobby. Both are getting on Bobby’s nerves as he feels they make fun of him all the time. Alex also left his journal in Bobby’s room, which he said was on purpose, and gave Bobby the chance to get his allotted Alex bashing out for the day.

At the execution it was obvious that some people had no idea who they were going to answer as the mole. Victoria and Bobby were stunned when their names were called as being safe. During the questions Liz made a very upset shake of the head, meaning she had no idea who to answer for some of the questions. She was a good one on the show but sadly Liz, the mole mother, was executed. This episode showed her in a great light with her witty comments and possible attempts at sabotage. I wish she could have stayed longer but at least next week looks good! Apparently Nicole is no longer staying mute and you know what that means! DRAMA! I can’t wait!

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