The Mole: The Next Betrayal (also referred to as Mole 2: The Next Betrayal and simply Mole 2) was the second season of the American version of The Mole produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment. The second season featured a team of 14 players, one of whom was the mole.

The season debuted in September 2001 on Friday nights on ABC. However, after three weeks, it was put on hiatus, with disappointing ratings in the wake of the September 11 attacks and the Friday night death slot to blame. The producers later admitted that airing the program on Fridays was "a big mistake". The show returned in June 2002, restarting from the beginning, as a summer replacement series on Tuesdays.

Anderson Cooper returned to host, and often had a playful rapport with the contestants. In one episode, he tricked the players into thinking that there was an extra execution and taunted them after revealing the truth; in another, the contestants decided to throw him into a river following a task as a joke. In one of the games he apparently became slightly inebriated after drinking large quantities of wine with two of the players. As it had been in the first season, Cooper was unaware of the Mole's identity. On the final day of filming, he accidentally learned the identity of the Mole when he overheard a conversation by the producers.

During its summer 2002 run, Mole 2 aired opposite the first season of American Idol. Its ratings were considered a success, and thus two celebrity editions of the show were created. The Mole returned in the summer of 2008 with a third season of non-celebrity contestants, its fifth season overall.

In 2007, Bill McDaniel, who performed the role of the Mole, published a book documenting the experience.

Show details The Mole 2 was filmed over seven weeks, from June 2 to July 16, 2001, in Switzerland and Italy. The reunion show, as well as a retaping of the second execution, was recorded in Los Angeles in October 2001, shortly after the network pulled the series from the air. It was not until that time that the show participants discovered the results of the final quiz, and thus the winner. Winner Dorothy Hui did not receive her cash prize until after the final episode aired in August 2002. The Mole Bill McDaniel received a separate flat compensation for his role.

The show followed nearly the same format as the first season. The maximum possible pot attainable was again $1,000,000. However, a few minor changes were made. The most noticeable change was the expansion from ten contestants to 14. The season also expanded from nine episodes to 13 (due to the expanded cast). Exemptions (from execution) were part of the game mechanics from the first episode, and were available in nearly every episode. In the first season, exemptions were only an occasional twist. Furthermore, an additional element was added called the Neutralizer, which prevented a player from being eligible for an exemption on that particular episode. The quizzes were of the same mold, however, each quiz consisted of only ten questions (season one quizzes had twenty questions), and the television viewers were shown all ten of the quiz questions, rather than just a few selected highlights. For season 2, the contestants were also given official game Journals. In the first season, players' notes were casual ("writing on a napkin") on loose sheets.

The second season took place in only two countries (Switzerland and Italy), whereas the first season traveled through four countries. Like the first season, most of the nights were spent in hotels, and the players enjoyed full course dinners and fine wines.

During the game, Bribs' tote bag was embroidered with the name "Michael" (his actual first name), which he covered with a piece labeled "Bribs" (his nickname).

Contestants

Player Age Hometown Occupation Finish Dorothy Hui 24 New York City, New York Musician William "Bill" McDaniel 58 Oak Harbor, Washington Rear admiral (retired), surgeon Heather Campbell 25 Dallas, Texas PR account supervisor Al Spielman 33 Selden, New York Distribution manager Michael "Bribs" Bribiesca 23 Austin, Texas Ski instructor Darwin Conner 30 New York City, New York Attorney Katie Mills 25 Penacook, New Hampshire Spanish teacher Elavia Bello 26 Passaic, New Jersey Sales representative Myra Brown 46 San Diego, California Airline pilot Rob Nelson 22 Rochester Hills, Michigan Magician, videographer Patrick Guilfoyle 51 Plainsboro, New Jersey City manager Lisa Noller 30 Chicago, Illinois Asst. U.S. Attorney, Comiskey Park beer vendor Ali Gorman 26 Chicago, Illinois Nurse Bob Paulhus 25 Redlands, California Financial consultant

Execution chart Color key:

Episode 1Episode 2Episode 3Episode 4Episode 5Episode 6Episode 7Episode 8Episode 9Episode 10Episode 11Episode 13 Quiz123456789101112Starting value$0$60,000$56,000$91,000$166,000$206,000$236,000$266,000$346,000$376,000$486,000$536,000Money earnedPenaltiescolspan="2" colspan="6" Total value$60,000$56,000$91,000$166,000$206,000$236,000$266,000$346,000$376,000$486,000$536,000$636,000 Dorothy Safe Exempt Safe Exempt Safe Safe Saved Safe Safe Safe Safe Winner (Episode 13) Bill Safe Safe Safe Exempt Safe Safe Exempt Safe Safe Safe Safe The Mole (Episode 13) Heather Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Runner-up (Episode 13) Al Safe Safe Exempt Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Exempt ExecutedExecuted (Episode 11) Bribs Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe ExecutedExecuted (Episode 10) Darwin Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe ExecutedExecuted (Episode 9) Katie Safe Safe Exempt Safe Safe Safe Safe ExecutedExecuted (Episode 8) Elavia Exempt Safe Safe Safe Safe Exempt Accepted bribe (Episode 7) Myra Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe ExecutedExecuted (Episode 6) Rob Safe Safe Safe Exempt ExecutedExecuted (Episode 5) Patrick Safe Safe Safe ExecutedExecuted (Episode 4) Lisa Safe Exempt ExecutedExecuted (Episode 3) Ali Safe ExecutedExecuted (Episode 2) BobExecutedExecuted (Episode 1)Exemptions Elavia Dorothy,Lisa Al, Katie Dorothy,Bill, Rob Elavia Bill AlNeutralizedcolspan="2" Dorothycolspan="5" Dorothycolspan="3" ExecutedBob Ali Lisa Patrick Rob Myra ExecutioncancelledKatie Darwin Bribs Al Bill Heather Dorothy

Notes

Episodes

Episode 1 Episode 1 recap+ Original Airdate: September 28, 2001; Re-aired: May 28, 2002+ Location: Scuol, Switzerland Mission Money earned Possible earnings Bike/Crossbow Biathlon $40,000 $40,000 Pulse Rope Walk $20,000 $20,000 Swing for Life $0 $0 Burn Bags Burn $0 $40,000 Current Pot $60,000 $100,000

+ Exemptions Elavia Refused to jump in "Swing for Life"

+ Execution Bob 1st player executed

Born Leaders: The 14 players were all blindfolded and taken to Castle Tarasp in Switzerland. Once there, they were instructed to remove their blindfolds, meeting each other for the first time. Immediately, they were charged with selecting two players who seemed to be "Born Leaders". Those two players then chose who would take part in the next three challenges, as well as how much each challenge was worth: One challenge was worth $40,000, another $20,000, and the other $0. None of the other 12 players knew how much each challenge was worth until all three challenges are completed.

Bike/Crossbow Biathlon: Three players rode a bike down a steep incline to retrieve two arrows, then returned up the incline to the starting point where an archery target was located. Using a crossbow, each player must shoot an arrow into the center of the target (marked by the iconic thumbprint). If both arrows miss, the player had to get two more arrows. If all three players hit the target in less than 30 minutes, the game was won.

Pulse Rope Walk: Four players had one hour to traverse a tightrope suspended high off the ground. Each player was hooked up to a heart monitor; whenever the player's pulse rate exceeded 130 beats per minute, the player had to stop and wait for his/her pulse to lower in order to continue. The last player to cross had two different sets of ropes to traverse; the second set was narrower and higher off the ground. The game was a success if all four players completed their portion in under an hour total.

Swing for Life: Five players must swing by a rope off a bridge spanning over a raging river. If all five players completed the swing, the game was a success. An exemption was offered to the last player if he/she refused to swing.

Burn Bags Burn: In the hours before the challenge, the players were given journals and an opportunity to interview their fellow players to gain personal information on each other. Afterwards, they were taken to a bonfire, where their knapsacks - containing all of their belongings - were dangling over the fire. Four players were nominated and asked questions taken from their fellow players' contestant applications. If the team got all eight questions right $40,000 would be won and the luggage would be safe. If they got at least one question wrong, no money would be won. If four questions were answered incorrectly, the luggage would be lowered into the fire and destroyed. It was revealed in the next episode that the bags were fakes, and their belongings had not been destroyed.

Episode 2 Episode 2 recap+ Original airdate: October 5, 2001; Re-aired: May 28, 2002+ Location: Scuol, Switzerland and St. Moritz, Switzerland Mission Money earned Possible earnings Clothesline Game $18,000 $40,000 High Roller Game -$20,000 $20,000 Blueberry Game -$2,000 $0 Current Pot $56,000 $160,000

+ Exemptions Dorothy and Lisa Succeeded in the Blueberry game

+ Execution Ali 2nd player executed Clothesline Game: The players selected two women with the most fashion sense and a man with need of fashion advice. These players then secretly assigned a variety of outlandish outfits - from a rabbit costume to a G-string bathing suit - to each of the other players. These players were brought in pairs to the clothing area and charged with changing into the designated costume and wearing it to a nearby train station, where all 13 players would meet to catch a train to St. Moritz. For each player who kept their costume on the entire time until reaching the Schweizerhof hotel, $2,000 was added to the pot. After the 5 couples were sent on their way, the three players who picked their outfits were given the choice to double the value of the challenge by wearing a baby bonnet, pacifier, and diaper to the station.

Ali and Bribs acted as if they had been given exemptions by refusing to get on the train during the first challenge, but this turned out to be a prank. It did end up costing the team $2,000, as Darwin removed his rabbit ears when he believed the challenge would be a total loss.

High Roller Game: The players picked four players: one gambler, one with a cool head, one who's good with numbers, and one selfish brat. Each of the players was dressed in formal attire and escorted to a casino. There they played blackjack using $20,000 taken from the group pot. The team had one hour to play, with $1,000 minimum bets for each hand. If they doubled their $20,000 stake, the challenge was won. If the money was lost, it was deducted from the pot.

Blueberry Game: At dessert that night, each player was served a piece of cake. All but one piece was topped with a blueberry (one piece was left over after everyone had a piece; this piece was missing the blueberry). The player who ate that piece - along with her roommate - was given the chance to earn an exemption by each luring one other player into their hotel room, even though the producers had explicitly told them to stay in their rooms after dinner. The group was penalized $2,000 for the summoned players violating their curfew.

Episode 3 + Episode 3 recap – October 12, 2001 (re-aired June 4, 2002)+ Location: St. Moritz, Switzerland Mission Money earned Possible earnings Neutralizer $10,000 $10,000 Little John & Little Jane $25,000 $55,000 Current Pot $91,000 $225,000