The Seventh Betrayal

Previously on The Mole: Anderson told the contestants not to touch the bikes, and Heather did it anyway. As a result, the group was fined $10,000. The results of a quiz among the contestants showed that Elavia was the least favorite player, and thus she was offered an exemption, which she took. And I don't blame her one bit. In the end, Myra was executed, shocking...well, me, because I thought she was The Mole.

Still miss Anderson saying "saboteur" in the opening credit sequence. Anderson reminds us to watch for "the hidden clue" to the identity of The Mole. So it's hidden this week, and there is apparently only one.

In an interview, Bill says that the game is very complex. I think I figured out what bugs me about Bill. When he speaks, he overemphasizes the letter S, so he kind of sounds like a cartoon snake. In an interview, Elavia says it's hard because they are down to eight people, and it blows her mind that one of her fellow contestants is a "freaking stinking liar." In an interview, Katie says that she hates executions, and she wishes they could play the game so that no one had to go home. Well, then it wouldn't be a game, would it? It would be a vacation. That was televised.

Al, Darwin, Elavia, and Dorothy discuss the game. Darwin advances the theory that the Mole is the contestant who has received the most exemptions; Dorothy and Elavia have each had two. Darwin jokingly calls Dorothy "exemption face," and Dorothy mocks him, "Ooh, them's fighting words." Elavia suggests that perhaps The Mole never got an exemption. Darwin says that Heather might be The Mole then. Elavia was actually talking about Darwin, but Darwin points out that Bribs hasn't gotten any exemptions either. Darwin says that they spend two hours a day pointing the finger at each other, and Elavia says that really only Darwin does that. Darwin agrees with that assessment. Only two hours? I'd be casting doubts 24/7.

The contestants are in Lucca, Italy. Anderson voice-overs that the pot stands at $236,000. The contestants gather for breakfast, and for some reason, the camera focuses in on the sign leading to the dining room. It just lists the hours for dining. Hmm, but all the times listed are in military time. Bill was in the military. I'm just saying. The players show up at the breakfast table and find that there is a little gnome doll sitting in each of their coffee cups. Attached to the gnome is a message that says, "I will break you. The Mole." Bill voice-overs that each gnome was a different color, and all of the contestants rushed to write down what color gnome each contestant had.

Anderson instructs the group to divide up into two groups: three people who would rather watch Romancing the Stone, and five people who would rather watch Gladiator. Romancing the Stone? They couldn't come up with a more contemporary movie reference? Bribs immediately says, "I'm your gladiator," which reminds me of "I'm your huckleberry," which makes me want to watch Tombstone. In an interview, Bribs explains that he loves the movie Gladiator. Heather and Elavia seem embarrassed about volunteering to be in the Romancing the Stone group, as they should be. Bill also somehow ends up in their group. Anderson tells the three of them to come with him, and lets the other five stay behind.

Bill, Elavia, and Heather have changed into black shirts for this mission. Anderson tells them that they'll have fun today, but then he reconsiders and decides that he is going to have fun today. The three contestants will be competing in a relay race, and the baton will be a garden gnome. They have thirty minutes to get their unbroken gnome across the finish line and earn $30,000. The catch is that they have to grease up the gnome using a big vat of lard. Seriously. How much acid were the writers on when they came up with this one? Can you imagine the production meeting? "Hey, we should have a relay race. Yeah, but we should make the baton something goofy and cumbersome." And then the stoner who was delivering the doughnuts to the meeting goes, "Garden gnomes?" And the producer goes, "Genius! But we have to add a layer of complexity and slapstick comedy." And the stoner goes, "Lard?" And the producer goes, "Give that boy a raise! Lard!" And then the fat guy in the corner goes, "Mmm, lard." At least that's how I see it going down. Anderson demonstrates how to grease up the gnome, and the contestants giggle at him, as they should. Anderson says that there is an exemption at stake in the game, but that it will be revealed later. And now, the contestants get to choose which gnome they will use, and Anderson makes a point of telling Heather that this time, she will be allowed to touch the gnome before making a decision. Anderson reminds them, "Remember, you can grease your own gnome, but you can't grease your friend's gnome." Some people thought that was an actual rule, but I'm fairly sure it was just Anderson being goofy. Because when you have the opportunity to make greasy gnome jokes, you have to take it. It doesn't happen that often.

The three contestants decide on a larger gnome, because it is lighter. Bill offers to go second, reasoning that he may be able to make up some time and make it easier on the other two. So if he wants to make up time, shouldn't he go last? Then again, if he is The Mole, and he wanted to get the exemption, he would have offered to go first to prevent anyone else from having the opportunity to get it. Right? Elavia just looks hot and annoyed. Anderson says that the gnome is named Rudy. And it's time to check out the relay race.

Heather will be doing the first leg. She has to climb over some hay bales and then climb some stairs. When she reaches the top, she needs to find a bystander to take a Polaroid of her holding the gnome to a statue of a lion. Then she has to run down the street.

Bill will be doing the second leg. He needs to run over to a soccer field and try to score a penalty kick while holding the gnome. Once he scores a goal, he needs to get a picture taken, and then ride a bike down the street until he reaches a staircase.

Elavia will be waiting at the staircase. She has to place the gnome in a baby stroller and follow some green arrows on a course through town. Bill points out that they don't know how far Elavia has to travel. In an interview, Bill says that he doesn't even know if Heather will be able to complete her leg in thirty minutes.

Anderson laughs because he gets the chance to say, "It's time to grease your gnome." I've heard they have special nightclubs for that in the big city. Heather grabs the gnome and puts it in the lard, then smoothes the lard over her gnome. In an interview, Heather has a really hard time saying the word "slippery," and then laughs so hard that she can't even talk about the race.

Anderson has the ability to be in two places at once, as he meets with the remaining five contestants. He explains that they are standing outside the walls of the city, which protected the city from outsiders. They are going to proceed to the Lucca Amphitheater, where many gladiator battles took place. First, they need to choose one contestant to be Caesar, and that person won't have to fight. Katie says that Caesar wasn't trusted. And she's a teacher? Darwin corrects her by saying that Brutus wasn't trusted. But sure, he was an honorable man. Plus, Anderson didn't say that they had to pick a Julius Caesar. Just a Caesar in general. It could be Sid Caesar. In an interview, Al says that Dorothy is definitely someone he suspects as The Mole, because she has put herself in positions where she doesn't have to contribute, and can use the excuse that she's not athletic. Al's not buying it, because Dorothy lives in New York City, where all you do is walk and run. Or take cabs. Or the subway. I'm just saying. The contestants choose Dorothy to be Caesar, and Anderson hands her a gold wreath to wear as a crown. Anderson explains that the remaining four (Al, Darwin, Bribs, and Katie) will be defending Dorothy Caesar from five gladiators. If Dorothy's crown stays on her head, they win $30,000.

Anderson announces dramatically that it's now time for the contestants to choose their helmets. He whisks a cloth away to reveal four gold helmets on a table. The contestants gather around and try on various helmets. Katie rejects one because it hurts her nose. So Al tries it on, but Al's got a big ol' schnozz so I don't know why he thinks it will fit him better. Bribs somehow ends up with it, even though he says it doesn't fit him that well. But I guess that of all the contestants, it fits him best.

Meanwhile, Bill and Elavia are waiting at their posts while Heather begins her relay race. She carries the gnome up a ladder. Anderson voice-overs that Heather encounters an American tourist. Heather asks the woman to take her picture and voice-overs that the woman was "shocked and afraid." Well, who wouldn't be? The woman takes the worst picture ever, and Heather reminds her to be sure to get the lion in the picture. Heather takes off running to Bill's station, and voice-overs that carrying the gnome was getting more and more difficult. Anderson rides by her on a bike and taunts her. Heh.

The gladiator contestants get to pick out their outfits. Dorothy Caesar gets to wear all white. Anderson explains that, to win the game, the gladiators have to draw "blood." Each breastplate has an egg on the front, which contains red dye. They will be given swords, and have to break their opponents' eggs to get the "kill." In an interview, Katie says that she was nervous being the only girl. The gladiators put on their armor, and each grabs a shield and sword. Bribs talks strategy. Darwin thinks they should concentrate their efforts on one opponent at first to try to even out the numbers. Katie agrees. Anderson voice-overs that Bribs is the last player to put on his armor, so he gets a special offer. Anderson reminds Bribs of the tale of Brutus betraying Julius Caesar. Good thing Katie isn't getting this offer. She wouldn't understand it. Anderson tells Bribs that he selected "the Brutus helmet," so he's getting a special offer. Didn't they just say that Bribs was getting the offer because he was last to get dressed? Which is it? Anyway, we have to wait until after the commercial to find out what the offer is.

When we return, Anderson lays out the offer for Bribs. Anderson says again that Bribs is getting the offer because of the helmet he picked. Bribs needs to be the only team member left alive at the end of the mission, even if that means he has to kill his teammates. Then, Bribs needs to kill Dorothy Caesar, take her crown, and hand it to Anderson, and he will receive an exemption. Bribs isn't allowed to tell the other players about the exemption offer until after the game. Anderson asks Bribs if he has any thoughts about whether he's going to take the offer, and Bribs says that he doesn't know. Bribs voice-overs that it's getting increasingly difficult to stay in the game as the numbers dwindle.

Meanwhile, Heather is struggling to hold onto her greasy gnome. In an interview, Bill says that he thought Heather was really sweaty, but then he realized that it was grease that had melted and run down her legs and arms. Ew. Eeeew! Heather's legs are totally coated with grease. Heather finally reaches Bill and regreases the gnome. In an interview, Bill says he thought, at that point, that they had a shot at winning the money. Bill takes off with the gnome, and heads over to the soccer field. Bill voice-overs that there was a "female goalie," and he didn't think she would actually be trying to prevent him from making a goal. Why does it matter that the goalie was a woman? That kind of bugged me. Bill softly kicks the ball toward the goal while holding the gnome, and the goalie easily stops the ball. In an interview, Bill explains that he started kicking the balls harder and harder, and one of the balls hit the goalie in the belly. Bill thought "the poor girl" was "going to go down." Please. She's a soccer player. I'm sure she can handle a ball getting kicked by an old man holding a greasy gnome. Hee! They've set up one of the spare garden gnomes to look like it's watching Bill kick the ball. Finally, one of Bill's kicks gets the ball into the net. Bill takes off to get on the bike, but then Anderson reminds him that he forget to take a picture with the goalie. In an interview, Heather explains that Bill had to get off the bike and go back, so it took a lot of time. Bill gets back on the bike. Heather suggests that he put the gnome in the basket while riding, and Bill thinks that's a good idea. Bill voice-overs that trying to hold the gnome and ride would have been hard. Bill takes off, following a slalom course on his bike. At the end, he has to go over a ramp, but he doesn't quite make it, so he doubles back to try again.

There was a lot of debate on the forums over what exactly happened . Bill starts up the ramp again, but it looks to me like he didn't have enough speed, so the front wheel of the bike starts wobbling. Bill loses control and goes off the side of the ramp, and takes his hand off the gnome as he falls off the bike. The gnome falls to the ground, but doesn't look broken yet. The bike falls on top of the gnome and breaks it. At least that's what I saw. It didn't look to me like Bill stomped on the gnome to break it. Regardless of how it happened, the gnome is broken, so the mission is over and they don't win any money. Bill seems disappointed, and he starts picking up the broken pieces of gnome. Heather voice-overs that when she started thinking about the movie Romancing the Stone, she figured that there was an exemption inside the gnome. It's been so long since I've seen that movie that it never even occurred to me. Anderson tells Bill that since he broke the gnome, he gets an exemption. Bill says that it doesn't feel that good right now. Anderson asks if it's because he's covered in grease. Heh. Bill says he meant that he lost the mission for his team. Heather walks over and says that the mission was really difficult. In an interview, Bill says that Heather was the one who suggested putting the gnome in the basket, and afterward, he noticed that the basket was very flimsily attached to the bike, and it fell off when he biffed on the ramp. Bill thinks these are "subtle or not-so-subtle indicators of Heather deliberately or accidentally sabotaging the game." In an interview, Heather says she knew that the exemption was inside the gnome, and she's frustrated that they lost the mission. In an interview, Elavia says that she's had two exemptions. She knew there was an exemption in the gnome, but she didn't want it because they need to start putting money in the pot. Anderson reminds them of the clue at breakfast about The Mole breaking you, and Heather brings up the reference to Romancing the Stone. Bill tells Heather that they should hug Elavia. They chase her down and hug her, smearing her with grease. Elavia looks pretty grossed out. Heather runs up and gives Anderson a hug, and Bill rubs Anderson's head like a puppy's.

Anderson voice-overs that, as the players march to the arena, Bribs tries to figure out if he should take the exemption. In an interview, Bribs says that he needs to start competing in the game, and that may mean being somewhat ruthless. Dorothy Caesar and the Gladiators (which is the name of my garage band) march down the street toward the arena, accompanied by dudes playing those crazy long trumpets and other guys holding flags and such. In an interview, Al says that he was really digging walking down the streets in front of people, and he was surprised to see, when they reached the arena, that there would be a live audience.

Anderson announces that many bloody gladiator battles took place in that very arena in ancient times. It looks less like an arena and more like a plaza. Anderson directs Dorothy Caesar to her throne, which is like a tent with some pillows in it. Anderson commands, "Bring in the gladiators," and I'm surprised that he was able to say that with a straight face. The Dark Gladiators (so called to differentiate them from the Mole team, and because they are dressed in black and silver) enter the arena. Katie looks frightened. Al says he's ready to go.

The Dark Gladiators enter the arena. Katie seriously looks terrified. Anderson reminds us that the Mole Gladiators need to defend Dorothy Caesar and avoid being killed themselves. Darwin voice-overs that he realized the egg was fragile, so he knew he either had to be aggressive, or try to protect his egg. The Mole Gladiators stand back-to-back in the center of the ring. Anderson proclaims, "Let the games begin!" The fighting commences. Al locks up with an opponent, and somehow crushes his egg with his own shield. Dude, that's just sad. Al lies down on the ground, since he's dead. The three remaining contestants try to defend Dorothy Caesar. Darwin takes out a Dark Gladiator. Katie calls for help, and Bribs comes to the rescue. Darwin and Bribs tag-team another Dark Gladiator and finish him off. Katie actually takes out another Dark Gladiator. The three of them team up on the remaining two Dark Gladiators, and easily take them out. In an interview, Al says that he couldn't see anything, but his team did great and earned $30,000. In an interview, Katie says that it was a huge natural high. In an interview, Darwin says that they made a great decision to keep Katie in, because she killed a Dark Gladiator on her own. Darwin sarcastically adds that Katie was "clearly excited about that." Heh. In other words, she wouldn't shut up about it. Anderson calls Al over to join the rest of the team, and then tells Bribs to tell the team about his offer. Bribs explains how he could have gotten an exemption, and then claims that, from the beginning, he didn't want to backstab anyone. Even though, earlier, he seemed to be considering taking the offer. In an interview, Bribs says that he wants to stay true to himself. The team members tell Bribs that he did nice work. In an interview, Al explains that when you give up an exemption, you give up a free pass to the round. In an interview, Katie says that passing up an exemption makes her think that Bribs might be The Mole, and doesn't need an exemption. In an interview, Darwin says that it's a tough decision, because you don't want everyone to be pissed off at you, either. Anderson congratulates the team. Bribs asks if they can keep on playing. That mission did seem like a boy's (or tomboy's) wet dream.

At dinner, Anderson recaps the day and then announces that the pot now stands at $266,000. Everyone claps. Anderson voice-overs that, as the evening progressed, discussion turned to how they met their significant others or friends. "Friends"? ["Maybe they mean the people designated by the singletons as their most special friends, for the purposes of 'teleconference' rewards and such." -- Wing Chun] Heather says that she met her boyfriend at a party and immediately knew that he was the one, even though they were both dating other people at the time. Anderson asks how Heather knew, and Heather says that her boyfriend is extremely good-looking, and when she was a girl, she always said that she would marry a man with dark hair and blue eyes, both of which her boyfriend has. Well, good to know she's not superficial or anything. Bill tells how he met his wife; he walked up the stairs behind her while she was wearing a bikini, and he thought she had a great ass. Wow, that's classy. That's the nicest thing he can think to say about his wife? Even if it's true, he could've made something else up. Dorothy says that her boyfriend is a friend of her roommate's, and when she met him, she demanded that he play Scrabble. What a seduction tool. Someone asks if she would have started dating the guy if he only made three-letter words. Dorothy says that it's not about the length; it's all about placement. I don't know if she intended that to be a double entendre, but the contestants laugh and laugh. Darwin yells out, "Triple word score!" Hee. Katie tells Anderson that she has a lot of imaginary boyfriends who don't know she exists. There's nothing wrong with TV boyfriends or movie boyfriends, I guess.

Anderson voice-overs that the players have single rooms that night for the first time. Al walks around the hall and listens in at various doors. Heather plays solitaire on her bed and says that as the game goes on, she realizes more and more that she's just there for herself. ["I assume she means the game of The Mole, not the solitaire game." -- Wing Chun] Elavia says that she likes having a room to herself because she needs to have her own space. Bribs says that he lived out one of his boyhood fantasies in the gladiator game, so if he leaves at the execution, he has no regrets. At this point, I figured he was a goner. Then Bribs takes his shirt off, and the ladies swoon.

Day twenty-three. The players report to breakfast, where Anderson waits for them. He announces that they will be facing their seventh execution tonight, and only Bill has an exemption. Anderson says that there are no more exemptions available, but that they do have a game. A dollar bill is placed on each plate; they will be ranking the other players from favorite to least favorite again, right on the dollar bill. Each player goes outside with Anderson to complete his or her rankings.

Katie is up first. Is it weird that it really bothered me that they were writing on the dollar bills? Anderson asks if her list is the same as last time, and Katie thinks that it is. Anderson asks why Bill is her least favorite, and Katie says that she doesn't trust him, and has a gut instinct about it. Anderson asks about Elavia, and Katie says that she doesn't trust her either, because Elavia is calculated when she answers questions, doesn't reveal much in casual conversation, and has lied a few times.

Elavia is up , and her list isn't alphabetical this time. Elavia says that she felt like her alphabetical list last time was a bit of a cop-out. Anderson asks why Elavia likes Dorothy the best, and Elavia says that she likes Dorothy's "bohemian carefree" personality. Anderson asks Elavia why her least favorite is Katie. Elavia says that she and Katie just have opposite personalities. We see a shot of Katie laughing and leaning her head on Darwin's shoulder, and Darwin looks really, really annoyed.

Dorothy has listed Elavia as her favorite player this time. Dorothy says that she respects the way Elavia is playing the game, and that she trusts her as much as you can trust anyone in the game. The interviews come fast and furious now. Darwin says that he didn't think Bill would be last on anyone's list. Has he met Katie? Bribs thinks that Dorothy is playing the game well. Heather thinks that Bribs is extremely fair. Bill says that he doesn't know if Elavia if playing the game really well, or not playing at all. Al says that Dorothy is "a great gal," but that she has no athletic prowess. The more time that goes on, the more Bill and Al both annoy me. Al says that Katie is "a fun gal," but that she can get irritating. What's with Al and the "gal"s?

The players return to their meal, and Anderson voice-overs that some of the irritations began to surface. In an interview, Al explains that Katie has a jelly phobia, and Al thinks it's ridiculous. Well, that's why it's called a phobia -- it's an irrational fear. I don't think it makes sense, but I have phobias that other people probably don't understand. Like my belly button phobia. I have an irrational fear of belly buttons. That stupid Levi's commercial with the singing bellybuttons last year? I literally had to cover my eyes when it came on. ["Glark can't touch frosted glass, nor be in a room where others are touching frosted glass. Irrational." -- Wing Chun] Anyway. Al teases Katie about her phobia, and the other players all laugh. Even Katie laughs. In an interview, Al says that Katie is desperate for attention. In an interview, Katie says that seeing jelly makes her feel like she's going to vomit. Al asks Katie, "What about jellyfish?" Everyone dies laughing. They must be drinking a lot of wine with dinner, because Al? Not that funny. I have a feeling that some of that laughing was added in post-production.

Anderson wishes the contestants luck on the execution. In an interview, Al says that he would choose Katie to be executed tonight if he could. In an interview, Heather says that her coalition with Katie is strong, but that she was hoping they could do what Jim and Steve did last year -- get all of the other players to suspect Katie and vice versa. But since Katie is so emotional, it's difficult for Heather to get people to suspect her. It would be really awesome if Katie were The Mole. But she's so not.

The players take the quiz, which means that it's time to cast suspicion on each other. Elavia says that the quizzes are getting harder. Dorothy says that Bribs could be The Mole, because he's "playing the nave card" too much. Katie says that she and Heather are both suspicious of Elavia. Elavia says that she was happy to be in the game with Bill and Heather because they are two of her top suspects. Katie says that Bill's getting the exemption is suspicious, and that he might have broken the gnome on purpose. Dorothy says that Heather claims she knew about the exemption being in the gnome, and yet didn't take it, even though she's been bitching about getting an exemption. Dorothy thinks all of this is suspicious. Darwin says he was surprised that Al got eliminated so quickly in the gladiator game, because Al was so fired up about it. Yeah, and he broke his own egg. Al says that he's been suspecting Elavia since early on, and she hasn't given him any reason to think otherwise.

As the players file in to learn of the execution, we see that they have placed the gnome's head on a stick. Heh. Anderson explains that they are at the home that used to belong to the town's executioner, which is why the gnome's head is on a stick. Anderson brings up the ranking game, and gives them some information. Then he proceeds to reveal whom each player listed as his or her least favorite. Dude! That's so wrong. Bill listed Elavia as his least favorite. Dorothy hates Al. Elavia dislikes Katie. Al doesn't like Dorothy. Bribs listed Elavia as least favorite. Katie chose Bill last on her list. Darwin listed Bill at the bottom. Anderson voice-overs that, at this point, Bill and Elavia are tied for least favorite. The final contestant is Heather, who chose Elavia. Anderson says that Elavia was the least-liked player overall. Again. I almost feel bad for her. Anderson calls Elavia up to the front and offers her a bribe of $50,000 if she walks out of the game that night. Elavia gasps and the other players exchange glances like, "The hell?" Darwin looks very amused.

Anderson reminds Elavia that she could be executed tonight, and that this would be guaranteed money. Elavia asks if the money is coming out of the group pot, and is told that it isn't. Elavia says it's weird to be put in this situation, because she never got into the game for the money. Elavia thinks it would be a good choice to go with the money, but she hates quitting. She thinks it over for a while and then asks the group for suggestions. Darwin reminds her that it's guaranteed cash, and then he and Elavia just start cracking up -- from shock, I think. Elavia announces that she's going to take the money and leave. She picks up the briefcase and walks off with a wave. She thanks the group for not liking her.

Darwin voice-overs that he didn't think there was any chance that Elavia would take the money. Al voice-overs that Elavia was his top choice for the Mole, and now he doesn't know what he's going to do. Al tells the others that his mind has been blown. Katie agrees. Heather puts her head in her hands and then smiles.

Anderson asks Elavia whether she thinks that a lot of people thought she was The Mole. Elavia says that she thinks the people who thought she was The Mole have been executed. It would be time for Elavia's wake, but no one is sad to see her go, so the producers don't have much footage to show of Good Times with Elavia. Heather says that she thought Elavia would stay. More footage of Elavia taking exemptions. Darwin announces that Elavia and The Mole just left. Dorothy voice-overs that people were shocked to see Elavia go, because they thought she was The Mole, and that it was hilarious to see them pick their jaws up off the floor. Bill says that Elavia was at the top of his list of suspects. Dorothy says that the group will be missing their prime suspect. Katie says she's really thrown for a loop. Anderson bids Elavia goodbye and asks her to take him out for lunch back in New York.

The execution music starts up again. What? They're still going through with the execution? Anderson returns to the group and says that they will now continue with the execution. Everyone looks stunned. Anderson continues with his standard spiel, but then breaks off, saying that he's just kidding. The contestants bust out laughing and joke that they were just about to walk out. Anderson does a little dance and sings, "I love this game." What a dork. I mean that with all affection. Anderson says that there's no need for an execution, but that they won't find out how they did on the quiz. So does Bill still get to use his exemption time? In an interview, Dorothy frustratedly says that she can't believe Elavia left, because everyone thought Elavia was The Mole, and Dorothy knows they could have "plucked [the other players] all off one by one."

In the episode: Bungee jumping. That's all I got.