Sarah Walker

The fourth episode of The Mole opens with camera comments from Craig, Nicole and Victoria. Craig laments the departures of Bobby and Ali, remarking that Bobby was his best friend in the game. An unsentimental Nicole reveals that Bobby was her prime suspect and now she has to start all over. Victoria is the worst off. She chokes back tears, saying she was “shocked” about Bobby leaving, he was the only one she trusted and now she feels completely alone.  

The Molettes leave Santiago and are van-sported to the Argentinean Andes. Clay speculates correctly that the next mission will be something physical in the mountains. Paul shows off the new “Mole mascot,” which is a lemon with a mad face drawn in black Sharpie. The mascot is meant to demonstrate that “everyone in the game is feeling sour,” but instead demonstrates that Paul’s ADD is acting up on the long drive.

Jon greets the eight remaining Molettes on the barren and rocky slopes of the Andes. They are at the Penetentes Resort at 7,200 feet altitude. That’s almost exactly the altitude at which I live, and I can vouch that newcomers really do find it tough to adjust. Craig remarks that because he’s from San Diego, where it is generally 72 degrees and at sea level, just standing there is a mission in itself.

Jon reminds the Molettes that they currently have 129K in the pot. He then instructs them to split into two teams of four: the Selfish and the Selfless. Nicole immediately bounds to one side, claiming turf for the Selfish team. Victoria, Clay and Kristen join her; Paul, Alex, Craig and Mark form the Selfless team. Paul, Alex and Mark deserve the title just for teaming up with Craig on any mission that begins on the side of a mountain. Jon tells the Molettes that the mission is called “Midas Rush,” as he pulls the cover off a pile of 200 gold bricks, each weighing five pounds. He explains that the Incas ruled the land on which they are standing until the Spanish Conquistadors took over and forced the natives to carry gold from this area to the sea. The Molettes will have 50 minutes to carry as many bricks as they can along a switchback trail up the mountain to an altitude of 10,000 feet. For each brick delivered to the finish line, $250 will be added to the pot. All members of each team must arrive at the same time, and there is an exemption in play for the first team to make it to the finish line.

Clay camera comments that when he heard what the mission involved, he literally thought that Jon was crazy. Nicole and Kristen camera comment about the importance of the exemption; Nicole believes the exemption will be granted to the entire winning team - ie, half the remaining Molettes - which seems to indicate that she is entering the early stages of altitude sickness. Jon issues a well-timed reminder to the teams to carry water on the trail in order to avoid succumbing to this very malady.

The Molettes begin to stuff their backpacks with gold bricks, and everyone has a strategy. Team Selfish player Kristen piles in a whopping 8 bricks for a 40 pound load. Selfish Clay camera comments that realistically, he could probably have carried 12 bricks, but took only 5 because the team that finishes first gets an exemption. Mark camera comments that his Selfless team is weak because of Craig, so it made sense to carry as many bricks as possible since they have no chance of finishing first anyway. The Selfish team hits the trail with a total of 23 bricks worth $5,750 upon delivery. The Selfless team takes 38 bricks worth $9,500. Paul camera comments that looking up the mountain struck fear into him, much like the thought of fighting Mike Tyson. Isn’t Mike Tyson like 65 years old now? Anyway, seems like a rather dated metaphor. Nicole camera comments “In my everyday life, the only place I hike is to Bloomingdale’s. And of course I don’t do it with 35 pounds on my back.” What reality show is complete without its diva? And here’s Dr. Whiner on the trail, about 50 yards in and already moaning and complaining. Victoria camera comments that it seemed suspicious that Nicole wanted to stop immediately; Nicole’s camera time reveals that she wanted to throw as much suspicion on herself as possible to throw people off the actual mole. Craig comments that he misses Bobby even more now because his absence places the “weakest player” banner squarely on Craig.

Halfway up the trail, Team Selfish finds Jon reclining on a wooden bench, where he tells them there is a “little bit of a problem.” It seems he forgot to tell the Molettes that the Spaniards required the Incas to carry scales along with their gold. Each team is going to have to tote one the rest of the way up the mountain. Because they arrived first, Team Selfish gets their choice of the two available scales; however, they must choose a scale without picking it up. One is bigger than the other, but there is speculation that there may be a trick. They go with the smaller scale which does turn out to be lighter. When the Selfless team arrives, Mark shoulders the burden of the larger scale, which weighs in at 20 pounds. However, Mark must leave some bricks behind to offset the extra weight. When Jon comments on this, Mark replies that he doesn’t “give a rat’s ass. Let’s go.” I absolutely love Mark. Craig camera comments that he “finds it suspicious” that Mark unloaded some bricks. Yes Craig, who a mere 60 minutes earlier felt that just standing on the side of this mountain constituted a mission, is questioning Mark’s motivation for leaving a few bricks in order to be able to carry an unwieldy 20 pound scale up a 10,000 foot peak. Altitude can really mess with your head, people. More evidence: as they pass a herd of cows, Paul wonders aloud if eating their dung will give him energy, and asserts that he’s willing to give it a try. The thin air has clearly confused Paul to the point he thinks he’s on I Survived a Japanese Game Show.

Team Selfish arrives at the summit arm in arm with their 23 bricks, adding $5,750 to the pot. They are all atwitter for their exemption, but Jon informs them that they must wait for the Selfless team to arrive before discussing the matter. Nicole camera comments that Team Selfish spent this time speculating about what they might have to give up in order to receive the exemption. The Selfless team arrives with just 32 seconds to spare toting 34 bricks, bringing the total amount earned by the Molettes on this mission to $24,350. Jon informs a dejected Team Selfish that there is but one exemption, and that the Selfish ones must decide amongst themselves who gets it. If they cannot decide, they will forfeit the exemption and the money. Because she carried so many bricks, Kristen’s name is immediately put forth by both Nicole and Victoria, but Clay insists that he deserves it more because he has not yet received an exemption. Employing his lawyerly skills, Clay makes some nebulous promises about future favors to his teammates in exchange for the exemption. An embittered Kristen camera comments that Clay knew that she deserved the exemption, but she “got steamrolled by a criminal defense attorney.” Nicole comments that Kristen should have received it, “but he who bitches loudest gets the exemption.” Don’t they offer Loud Bitching as an elective in Law School? Jon informs the Molettes that they now have a total of $143,250 in the pot.

Upon returning to the bottom of the trail, Craig felt like he was blacking out. Here comes the much promo-ed ambulance scene, and as promised, paramedics are swarming. It seems that Craig is suffering from hypothermia and is going in and out of consciousness. Off he goes in the ambulancia as the rest of the Molettes are left to wonder if he will be okay. They return to their cabins in a somber mood. Presently Jon arrives with the news that after being treated for altitude sickness and hypothermia, Craig has been released on the condition that he stays warm and rests. Craig camera comments that he hopes the other Molettes don’t think he is “trying to look like the Mole by almost dying, because that would be sad.” Sad or not, Victoria and Kristen are discussing that very scenario in their cabin. They think it would be a great cover for the mole to appear to try to do well on all the challenges while his failure can be attributed to physical limitations.

Victoria and Alex meanwhile are outside, doing a little flirting and discussing coalitions in general. Alex camera comments that he believes Victoria could be the mole, and that she is more intelligent than he initially thought. We see Mark writing in his journal, as Jon narrates that “while other players strategize by studying each other” - yeah, Vic and Alex, he’s talkin’ about you - “Mark’s strategy is to focus on the information in his journal.”  Mark again denies that he is obsessive about his journal, commenting that at this point he is using his “past quiz answers matched up with the people who are remaining to determine if he thinks people could be the mole.”

Craig is not at dinner for fear of a relapse; apparently it is cold and elevated in the dining room. Jon tells the other, hungry Molettes that there is business to attend to before dinner. He asks “how vital are your journals?” Mark replies that “it’s your memory when your memory leaves you.” Paul of course disagrees, saying “I haven’t been trying to rely on it cause I know that could be my downfall.” Is he just prescient, or is he the mole, foreshadowing what is to come later this evening? Clay says the journals are “real important for the quizzes.” Kristen, becoming visibly shaken, agrees that they are extremely important, asking “you’re not going to take them away from us, are you?” which is a cue for Jon to collect the journals. He then leaves them to “enjoy your dinner.” Paul finds it “very rude that Jon left us.” Alex says he is “freaking out,” but Mark is the real basket case of the group. He suggests loosening the legs on Jon’s chair prior to his return. Perhaps he thinks that if Jon suffers a head injury they can con him into returning their journals. As dinner is finishing up, Jon saunters in and hands back the journals amid much relief. Victoria opens hers and yells “there’s an exemption in mine. JK!” LOL. Jon informs the Molettes that he has written down his “favorite comments from their journals,” and thinks this would be a good time to start a mission called “Who Said That?”

Here’s how it works: One at a time Jon will read the journal comments he has jotted down on cards. The player referenced in the comment, or one of Jon’s choosing if there is no particular Molette referenced, will then guess which particular player wrote the comment in their journal. The Molettes are not allowed to cheat by signaling to each other. Jon reminds them that there is $143,250 in the pot, then generously rounds up the figure to 144K. For each correct answer given in this mission, another 2K will be added to the pot. Victoria, who is quite the wit this evening, loudly announces “I just want to apologize - right now!” making me wonder how many adult beverages she has enjoyed tonight. Jon reads the first card: Who said that “At dinner, Victoria drank a lot?” Okay, so I’m not the only one! Victoria reminisces about “one particular dinner where I slammed down Pisco sours; I had like four. I’m going to go with Mark.” Jon informs her that this is indeed correct. “Clay, who said this about you: ‘Very quiet, cool guy. I like his vibe?’” Clay correctly guesses Kristen, camera commenting that the word “vibe” was a giveaway, indirectly reminding viewers that Kristen hails from California. Jon then asks “Paul, who said that they are hoping this time it will work out right? (leaving us to wonder what will work out right - or wrong, as the case may be). Paul incorrectly guesses Nicole, and Jon refuses to provide the correct answer. Jon asks Kristen, “Who said that mission one (going over the falls) was the stupidest thing anyone ever did for money?” Nicole has a coughing fit and bats her eyes like Jessica Rabbit on crack. Kristen guesses, uh, Nicole? Correct. Next, Jon asks Alex “Who said that you are taking control? You find that amusing.” Alex replies “Yeah, actually I do,” then incorrectly guesses Mark. Jon turns to Mark: “Who said “This is to (sic) easy, and they misspelled the word too; they wrote t-o instead of t-o-o.” Without a moment’s polite hesitation, Mark correctly guesses Paul. Paul then exposes his complete unfamiliarity with Spell Check, saying “They need Spell Check on these journals.” Jon asks Nicole “Who said Nicole is here for fame?” Nicole replies that she has “no clue,” and Mark camera comments that “Nicole acted like she didn’t want to play at all,” and that he finds “everything that Nicole does suspicious. She is so over the top.” Nicole finally answers, “Uh, I dunno, Paul?” Incorrect, but since this is the last question, Jon will give the person who actually wrote the comment a chance to fess up, thereby adding another 2K to the pot. Victoria doesn’t hesitate - “It was me, - hic! - sorry!” Jon delights the Molettes with the news that they got 5 of 7 correct, but then nails Nicole for her coughing and blinking fit; that answer won’t count. Kristen camera comments that she doesn’t know why Nicole did that; Paul comments that Nicole “loves to sabotage this game and take away money at every opportunity.”

Jon calls for dessert, enigmatically commenting “Mark, you wanted crème brulee, correct?” Each Molette receives a lovely crème brulee, but there goes Jon being the big wet blanket again. He tells the group that after they finish dessert they are going for a little drive. Victoria, presumably still under the influence, camera comments that she does not want to go for a drive in the dark and cold, thank you very much. Don’t you just hate when the buzz starts to wear off? As the Molettes head out into the aforementioned dark and cold, there is a shot of an untouched crème brulee at the end of the table where no one had been seated, and we are left to ponder its significance.

The Molettes travel to the bank of a raging river, causing Nicole to camera comment that she thought they “were going river rafting. At night. In my long coat and three inch heels. Faaaaabulous.” Diva-licious! Jon tells the group that “taking risks is a huge part of this game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I’d like to take a little gut check to see how daring you guys really are.” Jon ignites an oil drum and continues “So right here, right now, who’s willing to sacrifice your journal?” Paul and Alex both say they don’t need their journals. Nicole also offers hers up, and the decision as to whose journal is apparently getting crisp fried is left to rock, paper, scissors. Alex wins and hands his journal over to Jon, who passes it through the flames unharmed. Jon then asks Alex to gather up the journals belonging to the other Molettes and place them on a table. He then dramatically lights a fuse which runs to the table and the six journals are ablaze. Before they are a complete ruin a desperate Mark asks permission to retrieve his from the conflagration, which would without doubt result in another appearance of the ambulancia. Jon denies his request; Mark cries “That’s just mean.” Jon informs the Molettes that Alex’s risk paid off and his journal is safe. Absolutely livid, Mark storms off into the night. The others, ready to go back to the toasty cabins, stand impatiently around the vans, wondering what became of Mark as the river roars ominously in the background. He eventually reappears from the murk, mumbles something about sadism and sniffs that they might as well send him home. Clay camera comments that he is about ready to dissolve his coalition due to Mark’s precipitous unraveling.

We cut to the following evening. Craig has returned to robust health and has rejoined the group. At dinner, the Molettes are aquiver with apprehension about taking the quiz without their journals. Craig was allowed to keep his journal because, as Jon explains, this advantage was given Craig in order to offset the potential disadvantage of having no opportunity to make “key observations” of his fellow Molettes at the previous night’s dinner. Mark is tiiiiiicked! It really doesn’t seem like an even exchange; one night’s potential clues for a journal’s worth of notes. Then Jon tilts the playing field some more, giving Craig a briefing about last night’s events. He then ominously toasts “the player who is going home tonight.”

It’s quiz time! In a voice over, Nicole says that her strategy tonight is to get through the quiz as quickly as possible, so that if she is wrong on everything, perhaps someone else will be equally clueless, but slower. We watch the Molettes taking the quiz as other voice overs play: Victoria thought it was suspicious that Clay wanted the exemption; Paul is beginning to suspect Victoria; Alex brings up Nicole’s coughing and blinking as possible sabotage; Mark - not at all obsessed - talks about the advantage Craig has because he was allowed to keep his journal.

When the Molettes have completed their quiz, Jon reminds them that they have earned 23K this episode, brining the total in the pot to 152K. He mentions Clay’s exemption, noting that the others now have a one in seven shot at execution. I guess that means that Clay is the mole, ’cause if not, the others actually have a one in six shot, right? Jon goes on to inform the Molettes that “Tonight we have a tie. The player with the slowest time will be executed - and the difference was only five seconds.” Paul is up first and gets greenscreened, as do Alex and Mark. Victoria is next and gets mole whacked. “Oh, I knew it!” she says. As he walks her out, Victoria tells Jon that she “had a feeling,” and gives “kudos to the mole.” Some of the others say nice things about Victoria. Interestingly, only two women - Nicole and Kristen - are left of the original six: Marcy, Liz and Victoria have been whacked and Ali took a 30K bribe to leave.

Scenes from next week look fun. Nicole says oh-no-UH-uh to wearing a llama costume. Apparently Craig is the one who got to decide her fate, and he proudly camera comments that he “just single-handedly caused the biggest meltdown in Mole history.” More diva-liciocity. Paul and Mark throw down - again - and Craig remarks that Paul has become a trouble-maker. The scenes close with footage of some of the Molettes singing “We’re riding Paul free in van number 2″ over and over as they sway to the beat. Whatever Paul did to cause his fellow Molettes to burst into spontaneous song must have been pretty obnoxious; and definitely worth tuning in for.