The Mole: 6/30/08

In the pre-action confessionals, Craig worries that he almost died, Nicole bemoans the fact that everyone she pegs as the Mole gets booted (I know the feeling), Clay thinks that Jesus would want him to win, and Paul thinks that he is smarter than everyone else.

Moving onto the challenge, Craig is worried because it is so cold out, and he is recovering from hypothermia. They are at a train station which was a holding area for prisoners, and they were chained together. Of course this means that the contestants are chained together, by their ankles, to steel bars. The object is to free themselves from the chains, and there is only enough slack for one person to move forward at a time. A key door opens every 10 minutes and if a person grabs a key, they can free themselves, eat, and sleep comfortably. If everyone is free by dawn, $25,000 will be added to the pot. The catch (and there is always a catch) is that there is an exemption card next to the key, and if anyone takes it, no money will be added to the pot, and anyone who is not unchained at the time the card is grabbed will have to sleep in the chains.

Here's the thing. If the Mole took the exemption, it might just be too obvious.

Craig is the first to promise to take the key, because he is worried about his health. Mark says that he doesn't trust anyone. Clay had a hard time deciding to step back and give Craig the slack he needed. Craig does get the key and goes in to the warmth. Clay keeps having serious trust issues. Kristin wants to go in next, and Mark feels defensive. Kristin claims to be worried that she is going to get pneumonia. Alex seems willing to trust people. Kristin is finally given slack to get to the window, and she grabs the key. Paul swears on his daughter that he will take the key. In his confessional, he says that you shouldn't trust anything he says. He reaches for the card, but takes the key instead. Alex and Mark and Clay are feeling completely on edge and won't trust anyone. Everyone wants Mark to go next, but Mark doesn't want to go next, even saying that he can't trust himself. Clay decided to go, and the coalition with Mark is faltering. Clay took the key. Nicole got her slack next, and she took the key. Alex decided to go next, and he took the key. Then it is up to Mark to take the exemption or the key. Alex called it an Evil Exemption. Mark is still bitter about the loss of his notebook, and he is moping a little too much about it. He finally entered the dining room, but before telling them if he took the exemption, he wanted to know what they were all talking about while he was gone. He did NOT take the exemption, and I am happy. Many are surprised.

The pot is now $177,000.

Clay brought up the point that the Mole wouldn't need the exemption.

As a present, Mr. Host Man gave everyone fresh new journals. Mark acted as if you had just returned his puppy dog. They are heading out of the Andes, into Mendoza, and it looks gorgeous.

On the way to Mendoza, they do some exchanging of information for their journals. Paul doesn't want to give up anything. Mark is still moping. Clay thinks they should share. Paul says that because Paul is a criminal lawyer, he is hypocritical because he is religious. Sticky ground there. Paul is really annoying. Craig worries that the game is bringing out the worst in people. Craig left the van with Mark and Paul and Clay and went into the other van. Paul tried to boot Clay from the van, and Clay tossed the lemon at Paul and ended up moving, too, then he asked Kristin to move into Paul's van. Seemed to cause harmony, and road singing, to be restored. Van Two is Paul Free. Perhaps not the most inspired lyrics, but Paul was being pretty obnoxious, so I don't blame them for their song.

The next morning, they have breakfast, and Mr. Host Man asks if Craig is feeling any better, with the better climate. In answer, Craig has a hacking coughing fit, and says his health might be exemption worthy. Paul says that the fact that he got to keep his original journal should be enough for him. Mr. Host Man says that they are going to be letting off some steam, and Nicole, a little too eagerly, asks if they are going to get to shoot things. Paul is quick to say "maybe something, not somebody!" Was he worried?

Time for the second challenge. It's called Travelers. They are going to be split in teams of two, and using different forms of transportation, they have 45 minutes to reach a statue. Each team to get there will add $10,000. The twist is, there is one person leftover. The first person who said "Exemption" at breakfast (Which is Craig) is the Transportation Captain. He gets to choose the teams and the mode of transportation. If no one reaches the statue, he'd get exemption, but no money will go into the pot.

Craig takes off with Mr. Host Man to pick out transportation. Craig is going for the exemption.

Alex has to dress up like a conquistador and has to lead a donkey, which he cannot ride. Mark will go with Alex and has to wear scuba gear, which he dubs "insulting."

Clay will be riding a unicycle, with Kristin on stilts.

There is a llama costume, and Nicole is going to be the head, and Paul is going to be the llama's rear end. Nicole is more than pissed about it. Mark started complaining bitterly about it, and said that he wouldn't even try. Alex suited up in his conquistador costume, but everyone else opted out. They all drive to the monument, and Kristin and Paul and Mark claim that it was a collective decision. Craig wonders if Mark's repeated opting out indicates him as the Mole. I would tend to agree. Mark is my current pick. Easy as that, Craig picks up an exemption.

At dinner, Craig apologized for being kind of ruthless in his transportation picks, but he is still happy to have the exemption. Others agree that they would have gone for the exemption in his place, but they claim that they would have done it in a different way. I'm not so sure. Nicole stands by the decision to opt out, saying it's not that much money, and calling the potential $30,000 added to the pot a paltry sum. Alex (in confesssional) says maybe for some, but he's a musician, and that's a lot of money. I'm on his side. Then Nicole said that Craig has zero scruples. In confessional, Craig calls Nicole a psychopath, and is worried that he is surrounded by crazy people.

Mr. Host Man asks how people are doing without outside contact. Mark says that he hasn't gone a day in 19 years without speaking to his wife, and now it's been 23 days. That's rough. Paul says that he has resorted to talking to a lemon. If this was Survivor, Probst would trot out loved ones. Alas, it's not.

Quiz Time!

1. Is the Mole Male or Female?
2. In the All-for-One mission, according to Mr. Host Man's perspective, where was the Mole chained, from left to right?
3. In All-for-One, when did the Mole grab the key?
4. Did the Mole get inside of a sleeping bag during the All-for-One mission?
5. In Travelers, what was the Mole wearing?
6. In Travelers, what form of transportation was the Mole assigned to?
7. Who was the Mole paired with in the Travelers mission?
8. At breakfast before Travelers, where was the Mole sitting, clockwise to Mr. Host Man?
9. Has the Mole had an exemption to date?
10. Who is the Mole?

(At this point, I am not even going to venture to guess concretely)

There is another tie, like last week. The difference in time is 1 second, and the slower person will be eliminated.

Alex is safe, followed by Paul, and then Kristin is eliminated. I know some people had her pegged as The Mole, and I guess they are wrong. Nicole looked stunned and at a loss for words. Nicole is the last woman, and says it's ironic, because she's an OB/Gyn and deals with women exclusively.

Next week is a recap show, with unseen footage, and then a new episode.