# The Mole (2001)

> Ten players work as a team on physical and psychological tests while one secret saboteur tries to make them fail.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/6891

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 45
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: reality
- Created by: Bart De Pauw, Tom Lenaerts, Michiel Devlieger, Michel Vanhove
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Jon Kelley, Ananda Lewis, Anderson Cooper, Ahmad Rashād
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270792/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: competitive, tense, breezy, paranoid, playful

## Synopsis

The Mole (2001-2008) is an American reality competition created by Bart De Pauw, Tom Lenaerts, Michiel Devlieger and Michel Vanhove for ABC. Ten players work together as a team on a series of difficult physical and psychological tests, each worth a set amount of money. Hidden among them is a saboteur, the Mole, whose goal is to quietly foil the group's efforts without revealing his or her identity. The engine of each episode is suspicion: at its end the group takes a quiz about the Mole's identity, and the player who knows the least is immediately sent home. Across five seasons the format stays a tense game of trust and deduction, with cooperative challenges undercut by secret betrayal. Hosts Anderson Cooper and Ahmad Rashad guide the proceedings, and the stakes build toward a final episode where the Mole is unmasked and the last remaining player can win a jackpot of up to one million dollars. The tone is breezy and competitive, with a sharp edge of paranoia. Fans of Survivor and Traitors will find resonance in its blend of strategy, social deception and elimination drama. Its quiz-driven structure also recalls Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

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