The Eleventh Betrayal

Previously on The Mole: Heather swore to Dorothy that she was not The Mole, and the two women formed a coalition. Al caught up to Heather in the Evader game, and Heather got upset about it. Bribs was executed, and left behind his can of Mole Killer, which he found in his grandfather's garage.

Anderson reminds us to watch for the hidden clue to the identity of The Mole. Opening Interview Montage. Bill says that he wants to get to the final three and then win, and that he'll take exemptions if he can get them. Heather is scared that she'll make it to the final round, only to be beaten by Dorothy, and regret their coalition. Dorothy can't believe she's still there. Al has been lucky when it comes to his family, but has never been lucky when it comes to winning, and maybe this is his time. Or not.

The players are allowed to interview each other openly. Bill and Al pair up, as do Dorothy and Heather. Heather asks Dorothy how it feels to be in the final four, and Dorothy says that she won't lie, and that it's a surprise. Dorothy asks Heather if she's a good liar. Heather says that she's done a lot of deceitful things in her life, which makes her an excellent liar. Heather asks Dorothy if she's The Mole, and Dorothy denies it. There was an oddly flirtatious vibe throughout that segment.

Al picks the least flattering camera angle for Bill and asks how Bill is going to work the quiz. Bill prefers not to answer that question, and laughs. Al claims that he's going to "throw it all out there on one person." In an interview, Al explains that he told different people different things about his approach to the quiz.

Calascio, Italy. Anderson welcomes the players to a table. He explains that there will be one exemption offered in the last game, and that it will be the last exemption offered ever. In an interview, Dorothy explains that with the dwindling numbers, exemptions are more important than ever. I think we need to add to the Mole Drinking Game that if someone claims that this round or this execution or this exemption is the most important one, and it's not the final round, you have to drink. In an interview, Al says that he would drink an entire bottle of his foot wine for an exemption. Anderson wishes all of the players luck and then leaves them to their meal.

Anderson voice-overs that the players will need a lot more than luck because "the game is about to take a strange and unexpected twist." Last year's Mole, Kathryn Price, saunters into the room carrying a box. I'm glad to see that she and Anderson are still together. Kidding! I'm kidding. I know she married some other dude. Kathryn tells the contestants that she has a special delivery, and puts the box on the table. In an interview, Bill says that it was a big surprise to see her. Kathryn explains that it's a preview of the game. Al unwraps the box and then screams when a maggot or some sort of small worm falls out. Everyone is grossed out. The box is opened to reveal tons of creeping invertebrates. Heather guesses that they're going to have to eat bugs for an exemption. Kathryn leaves the box there, wishes them luck, and dimples on out of there. Al wants to leave the table immediately, but Dorothy protests that they can't just leave a box of maggots for the wait staff to clean up. Thank you, Dorothy! That would be a shitty thing to do. Bill digs through the box with his fork, trying to see if there is a clue on the bottom. Apparently, there isn't. Good idea, though. Heather and Dorothy are standing as far away from the table as possible. Dorothy notices a maggot in one of the drinking glasses and Heather gets the willies and runs away. In an interview, Bill says that Al was very vocal about the fact that he wouldn't eat bugs, even for $100,000. Bill claims that he has eaten bugs before, so he would definitely do it for $100,000. I've got to tell you -- if it was just eating a few bugs for that kind of cash, I'd be all over it. Especially after seeing every other reality-show contestant do it and live.

It's 2:00 AM. The music sounds like The Exorcist. Thunder rolls. The camera pans around a room filled with creepy dolls. Well, I guess they're just regular dolls, but when you get that many of them in one place, it's kind of creepy. Anderson welcomes the contestants to "Anderson's Fun House." He's speaking in a very Norman Bates-type voice, which I find more annoying than creepy, but the contestants seem pretty creeped out. To Anderson's credit, he doesn't break character throughout. Anderson explains that his mother built the house for him when he was very small, and since his mother is Gloria Vanderbilt, I thought he was serious. But I guess it was a joke. Anderson asks if they like his dolls. Dorothy and Heather look at each other and laugh nervously. In an interview, Heather says that the dolls frighten her because she assumed they would be involved in some sort of weird game they had to play.

Anderson explains that they are going to play a game called High Card; at stake is $100,000 and sleeping accommodations. The winner will be allowed to sleep in the hotel, and the three losers will have to sleep in Anderson's Fun House. Anderson yells at one of the dolls, "Stop looking at me like that, you harlot!" Everyone cracks up. Anderson gives each player a chip worth $25,000. Each player will be dealt a card and the person with the highest card wins. The winning player can either add his or her chip to the pot or eliminate another player. Anyone who is kicked out has to go sit with the dolls. In an interview, Dorothy says she's not looking forward to spending the night in Anderson's Fun House because she knows something else is going to happen. Bill points out that it doesn't make sense to kick anyone out until all of the chips are in the pot, and asks if everyone agrees. Dorothy and Heather nod slowly.

Anderson hands out the chips and deals the cards. Heather wins the first round and puts her chip into the pot. Al wins the second round and does the same. Bill wins the third round and puts his chip in. Conveniently, Dorothy wins the final round. She hesitates while deciding what to do. Al says he doesn't understand her hesitation, and points out that no one else hesitated. He orders Dorothy to put her chip in, and she does. I would have kicked Al out just for being such a jerk about it. She's entitled to mull over the possibilities in her mind. I do think that putting her chip in was probably her best move right then, but that should be her decision. In other words, shut up, Al. Also, it seems a little weird that no one won twice in that first round.

There is now $100,000 in the pot and no chips left, so now the order for leaving the table will be determined. Al wins the first round and chooses Dorothy to leave the table. As Dorothy joins the dolls, Al adds, "He who hesitates is lost." Shut up, Al. Heather wins the round and thinks it over, then eliminates Al. Ha! Al joins Dorothy sitting with the dolls, and they squeeze each other's legs as if to show there are no hard feelings. Anderson deals the final hand. Bill turns his card over and shows an ace. Damn. Heather has a five, so she's out, too. Bill gets to go back to the hotel while the others have to stay there. Anderson announces that he's going to take Dorothy to her room first. All three players have green cards with numbers in front of them. Some people on the forums were wondering if these determined who got which room, but I think they are merely to determine the order that the players go to their rooms. After Dorothy leaves with Anderson, Heather comments that the rooms are going to be creepy.

As Al and Heather sit there and wait for Anderson's return, Al tries the old trick of asking a person a series of questions rapid-fire and then slipping a serious question in to try to get them to answer without thinking. What's ? Duck season/rabbit season? Heather doesn't fall for it when Al asks if she's The Mole, and says, "That's not going to work." Which kind of implies that she is The Mole. In an interview, Al says that he was trying to capitalize on the fact that it was late and they were tired, but it didn't work. To say the least.

Anderson opens the door and leads Dorothy into her room. There is a wood and wire mesh cage in the center that looks to be about four and a half feet high; there's a stool inside. Anderson opens the latches and tells Dorothy to get in. Dorothy whispers to Anderson that he is sadistic, which must be her favorite insult, because she also said that Heather might be a sadistic Mole. In an interview, Dorothy says that her cage was "a torture device" because it was a small room with really bright lights. Anderson closes the door and explains that Dorothy has to spend thirty minutes inside the box in order to guarantee that the group gets the $100,000 in the pot from the High Card game. However, Al and Heather also have to complete their tasks in order for the group to win the money. Anderson says that the thirty minutes will begin as soon as he exits the room, and Dorothy sets the timer on her watch.

It's 3:25, and Al is still sitting on the bed as "Tiny Bubbles" comes to an end. And then it starts up again. Time passes. Al tries to look around the room and see what's going on. The song plays over and over again. Sometimes it's slowed down. Sometimes it's sped up. At one point they play it reversed and Al yells out, "Paul is dead. Paul is dead." Okay, that was funny. In an interview, Al explains that they would play it loud, soft, stop it in the middle, and start over at the beginning. That would be annoying, and I understand that some countries use loud music as a form of torture (including the U.S.), but I think that's generally done in conjunction with other things, and over a period of days, not hours. It's not like Al was kidnapped by terrorists, yelled at in a language he doesn't understand, bound and gagged, put in a freezing cold room, and then forced to listen to "Tiny Bubbles." I realize it's my personal issues, but I think the snake and bug rooms would be worse.

Speaking of the snake room, Heather is still trying to avoid Polly Python. It starts to slither towards her and she moves across the room. And then the lights go out. Oh, hell no. I would be out of there in about one second. The snake would be all, "The hell?" and there would just be a Kim-shaped cloud of dust where I had been standing. Through a night vision camera, we can see the snake crawling in between Heather's feet. She freaks out and leaves. Outside, Anderson asks if she's quitting. Heather says that she could hear the snake moving around, and she could barely tolerate being in the room with a snake with the light on, so once the lights were out, the game was over. Anderson reminds her that she's giving up $100,000 not just for herself, but also for the whole group. Heather says that she is.

Anderson voice-overs that Al and Dorothy are unaware that Heather has forfeited the money, so they work to complete their tasks. Dorothy watches a cockroach struggle on the ground, and suddenly her lights go out. See, but she has the benefit of knowing how much time she has left. Dorothy gasps loudly and then says, "I hate them." Then she freaks out and thinks she feels one on her back, so she starts swatting at herself. That's like the time I convinced myself that there were spiders in my bed, to the point that I had to get up, turn on the light and strip my bed in order to get back to sleep. Almost immediately, Dorothy's watch alarm goes off and she declares that her time is up and they need to get her out of there immediately. Anderson opens the door and Dorothy hops out and dances around. Anderson shakes her hand and then looks at the roaches, commenting, "Wow. Oh, God! They're so big!" And thus a million fan fiction stories are born. Dorothy tells him not to remind her, and that it was disgusting. Anderson agrees. Dorothy says that she knew it would be hard, and she grosses herself out talking about it.

Dorothy rejoins Heather back down in the original room, where they played cards. Heather asks Dorothy if she quit too. Dorothy asks what Heather had to do. Heather explains her situation, and that she quit. Dorothy thinks that Heather had "luxurious quarters." Dorothy explains her situation. Heather asks Dorothy if she was offered any sort of deal when she finished. Dorothy is sure that she wasn't offered anything. Heather says that she hates the game. Well, it's better than hating the playa. Heather and Dorothy roll out their sleeping bags and prepare to sleep on the floor. Heather asks Dorothy if she heard "Tiny Bubbles" playing. Dorothy didn't. Heather thinks it might be for Al. Dorothy says she feels bad for him, because he's been gone for a long time. Heather didn't think Al would succeed at his task. Dorothy says that Al is "pretty gung-ho." More like Don Ho! Ha ha ha! Oh my God. I've turned into Al with the bad jokes.

It's 4:15 AM, and Al is still listening to the song while lying on the bed. He sings along and yawns. The song plays over and over again, at various speeds. Al starts to get giddy. In an interview, Al says that it was a disaster, and unbelievable. At 7:00 AM, Al is still there, kicking his legs in the air in time to the song. The song ends, and Al puts his hands up in the air, like, "Well?" The song starts playing again, and Al puts his hands down like, "Of course." He taps his hands on his chest in time to the song. Downstairs, Dorothy and Heather sleep on the floor.

It's 8:00 AM. The song abruptly ends, and an alarm goes off. Al gets up and walks out of the room, looking exhausted. He rejoins the women in the main room and wakes them up. One of the women says, "So you didn't get an exemption?" Al says he didn't get a wink of sleep. Al wants to know if the women slept there. Dorothy asks about Al's evening. Al says he slept on a metal spring with a bubble machine pouring bubbles on him, and he heard "Tiny Bubbles" for five straight hours. I wouldn't complain that much until I heard what the others had to do, for fear of looking like a jackass. Clearly, Al doesn't have that fear. Heather explains her situation and says that she couldn't do it. She apologizes to Al that he had to complete his task. In an interview, Al says that he can't believe they forfeited the money. Heather says that she and Dorothy didn't really sleep. Al says he only got about five minutes of sleep, and he's so tired that he's shaking. God, could he stop complaining for, like, ten minutes? I'd rather hear "Tiny Bubbles" than listen to him whine non-stop. Heather can't believe that Al didn't get an exemption. They all think that Bill got an exemption and he got to sleep at the hotel, so they're pissed.

Al complains some more about losing the money as the three contestants sit outside. Anderson walks over singing "Tiny Bubbles." Hee! Al says that he didn't like Don Ho any way that he was served up. Anderson is disappointed that no one liked his fun house. He announces that the exemption will be part of the game. The ability to lie is an important part of the game, and the contestants will have a chance to test their lying ability. Each contestant will go in to see Bill and explain which room they stayed in. Two of them will lie, and one will tell the truth. If Bill can figure out who is lying and who is not, he gets an exemption and no money is added to the pot. If Bill fails, no exemptions are given and $50,000 will be added to the pot. Anderson gives them five minutes to figure out their stories. Al thinks that Dorothy and Heather should swap stories because they spent the most time talking and describing their rooms, and Al will tell the truth. They all agree on that strategy. In an interview, Dorothy says that she wants the money to be added to the pot because they lost the money the night before. In an interview, Heather says that she's a good liar and she can pull it off. They sure are spending a lot of time convincing us that Heather is a good liar. Is it because she's The Mole? Or is that just what they want us to think?

Bill is shown a quick video clip of each room. Well, not exactly. He doesn't get to see Al's room. Heather comes in first. Bill has five minutes with each player. Heather quickly describes Dorothy's room in great detail. She is a good liar. She even uses a lot of the same words that Dorothy did. Bill is suspicious because Heather says that some roaches got on her, and Bill remembers that when they got the box of bugs from Kathryn at the restaurant, Heather was across the room. Heather says she did it for the money. In an interview, Bill says that his initial approach was to figure out who was telling the truth. Good one.

Al is up . Since Al is telling the truth, he has no trouble describing his experience, and since it counts as complaining, he relishes it. Bill points out that Al can sleep through his snoring, so he should be able to sleep through anything. Al says that "Don Ho is tough," although at first he thought the singer was Dean Martin. In an interview, Bill says that Al's situation was hilarious.

Dorothy sits down at the table and starts describing her situation. First, she talks very slowly as if she is carefully measuring her words. , she calls the snake a boa constrictor instead of a python. Also, she seems like she's on the verge on cracking up the whole time, as if she can't believe Bill is buying this. Dorothy says that the snake was hissing at her, but leaves out the part about the lights going out. Bill doesn't think that boa constrictors hiss, and points out that snakes don't move very fast so she could have just avoided it. Dorothy remembers the part about the lights going out, and throws that out there. Wow, she's a terrible liar. Just when it starts to get incredibly awkward, Anderson comes in and calls time. In an interview, Dorothy says she wasn't sure if Bill was fooled because he asked a lot of questions about the snake's behavior.

Dorothy, Heather, and Al sit down with the dolls. Anderson reminds Bill about his potential exemption, or the alternative of money being added to the pot. Bill says that Heather told him about the bug room, and he saw a few seconds of the room, and it looked bigger than she said, but he thinks it would have been easy to last thirty minutes. Bill can't believe that Al couldn't sleep in that room, and didn't know the song or the singer. Bill also brings up Dorothy's claim that the boa constrictor hissed. Bill's conclusion is that Al and Dorothy were lying and Heather was telling the truth. When Anderson asks, Dorothy admits that she lied, and Al admits that he told the truth. Bill cracks up some more about Al and "Tiny Bubbles." Heather says that she also lied. Anderson tells Bill that he doesn't get an exemption and they add $50,000 to the pot. The total pot is $536,000. In an interview, Al says that if he couldn't get the exemption, he's glad that it's "a level playing field."

Anderson tells the players that he's sure they are missing American food, so he has a special treat for them for dinner. He leads them to a tray piled high with McDonald's burgers and fries. Mmm. That would be awesome. The players pig out. Anderson asks if it seems real that the game is almost over. Dorothy doesn't think so. Al says that his game is almost over, because his experience the night before really pushed him to the brink. In an interview, Al says that when you are two executions away from winning the pot, you can't say that you're playing for fun anymore. Anderson reminds them that they are close to entering their final round, and that for one of them, this will be the final dinner. He wishes them luck.

Quiz Montage of Interviews. Bill doesn't think that a gutsy girl like Heather would run away from a snake. Dorothy is disappointed that Heather left her room and forfeited the pot. Heather thinks Dorothy has done a good job of making herself suspect. Dorothy will trust Heather until the quiz, and then it's every woman for herself. Bill says that The Mole has to sabotage the game, and Dorothy has had more saves than screwups. Al thinks that Bill suspects Heather, Heather suspects Dorothy, and Dorothy suspects Heather. Heather thinks that Bill tries to appear trustworthy, which is suspect. Heather says that she's probably leaving tonight, because the quiz was the hardest that they've taken, and she guessed on a lot of answers.

The four remaining players enter the Execution Room. Anderson explains the same procedure that he does every week, then sits down to enter the names into the computer. First up is Heather, who gets a green screen. Al is second, and he gets the red screen. Yay! I would have been happier if Bill had been executed, but Al is a close second. I really just didn't want that doofus to win. As Al stands, he drops Bribs's Mole Killer onto his seat.

The Music of Al Finally Gets to Return to His Family plays. Al says that he kept squeaking by. Heather says that Al was never as confident as he should have been. Dorothy is floored, because she took the quiz so slowly, so she thought she was a goner. Bill thinks that Al is a great guy. Anderson asks Al if he has his good luck charm in his pocket, and he does. Fat lot of good those did him this week. Al says that he was able to stay away from "deceit and lies" in the game, and he's proud of that. Al wore a corset. Al loved his daughters. Al beat up Bill with an oversized Q-Tip. Al rappelled face-first down a dam. Al broke his own egg in the gladiator game. Al ripped Heather's flag off in Evader and spiked it. Al danced in the vat of grapes. Al bungee-jumped. And now, Al is leaving. Thank God. The longer this game goes on, the longer the Sad Montage ends up. Anderson once again asks each remaining player if he or she is The Mole, and they all say no. Bill holds the can of Mole Killer up to Heather's leg, and she asks if he thought flames would burst out of her nose. They all laugh.

week: One final game and one final quiz. And then one more week after that until the winner and The Mole are revealed.