In 2001, ABC brought us one of the better reality shows in which a bunch of contestants got together and tried to figure out who among them was trying to sabotage their efforts. This was followed by a season two and then two very entertaining celebrity seasons. I often wondered what happened to the show, but wonder no more. It’s back. I’m not really sure what to call it, so I’m going to stick with The Mole 5.

Check out the full The Mole 5 cast.

The new host is Jon Kelley. It’ll be interesting to see whether he can live up to Anderson Cooper.

Not wasting any time, based on first impressions, they take a secret ballot who they think the mole is. Most people suspect that Marcie is the mole. This will allow Marcie to make all the decisions for the group for the next 24 hours.

The first mission is based on a bunch of German tourists who died on a waterfall. 6 people will jump for cash, while 5 will jump for a bag full of paper. Marcie will decide who jumps for what. They’re all attached and ready to jump off a raft toward a bag above the waterfall. Alex fails quite convincingly. Ali comes close but no cigar. Clay grabs the bag. Kristen, the neuroscientist who looks better than the model (just don’t tell the model that), also grabs her bag. Bobby, despite the slim chance he could hang himself doing this, is the third to grab a bag. Retiree Liz is happy to prove she can do it, and she gets another bag. Paul gets beat by a 60-year-old lady and just barely misses his bag. Victoria gives a humiliating performance. Craig, the heaviest contestant by a good margin, doesn’t get the bag, but he doesn’t die either, although he did apparently get choked. Nicole through some dumb luck grabs a bag. Mark is last to go and gets his bag.

This brings them to a total of 6 bags:

Nicole: paper
Kristen: paper
Bobby: paper
Mark: money
Liz: paper
Clay: money

Pot total: $20,000 out of $60,000

A couple of suspicious choices here, notably Kristen and Bobby.

Marcie’s got one more decision to make. Only 8 people can fit in the cabin. 4 must sleep outside: Nicole, Liz, Craig, and Bobby. Nicole lets us know she doesn’t have to do anything but stay black and die. She believes she’s clever. She goes inside but just won’t sleep, which she thinks is staying within the rules. She’s quite pleased with herself, despite the fact that she kept people up all night and also risked a fine.

Paul wants to form a coalition. He chooses Marcie. He also apparently has one with Alex.

The group unanimously chooses Nicole as the group’s biggest whiner. They’re right. Her first duty is to pick 6 scavengers, 3 appraisers, and 2 timekeepers.

Scavengers: Craig, Marcie, Alex, Bobby, Victoria, Clay
Appraisers: Kristen, Liz, Mark
Timekeepers: Paul, Ali

Timekeepers must refill an hourglass, which will only last 10 minutes if not refilled. The scavengers must run all over the beach and find things, which clearly out of shape Craig finds ridiculous. The appraisers must determine what the castaway Selkirk had with him, which thus would have been around in the 1700s (obvious hint: there was no electricity then). On the first try, they get one item correct. On the second guess, they get three correct items. Their third guess is the same.

Revolver: wrong (invented in 1835)
Musket: correct
Bible: correct
Jeans: wrong (invented in 1873)
Goat: correct

Pot total: $35,000 out of $85,000

The other correct items were tobacco and a teakettle.

Someone’s going to be left on the beach by themselves. It’s Nicole. Time to celebrate. Let’s see her try to find a way to circumvent this.

The women are all suspicious that Bobby was quite quickly out of breath on the beach. They also notice that Paul and Alex are in it together, but Paul says this is just his tactic.

Paul suspects Craig the most because he’s a nice guy, as does Mark. Bobby suspects Kristen. Marcie suspects Nicole. Victoria suspects Bobby.

The contestants will now take a quiz that contains 10 questions about the contestants and the past few days. There’s good news for Nicole. Because she’s stranded on the beach, she has an exemption.

Ali is safe.
Victoria is safe.
Paul is safe.
Bobby is safe.
Mark is safe.
Marcie is eliminated.

Strange to see the person everybody originally suspected the most is headed home, although her choices in the first challenge were a little bit too suspicious. Marcie is not the mole. Who is the mole?

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Mole 5 episode 2, which airs Monday at 10/9c on ABC.

Alex
31
Musician
Haverford, PA

Ali
24
Model
St Louis, MO

Bobby
25
Restaurant Manager
Philadelphia, PA

Clay
32
Criminal Litigation Attorney
Philadelphia, PA

Craig
30
Graphic Designer
San Diego, CA

Kristen
35
Neuroscientist
Santa Monica, CA

Liz
60
Retired
Whitefish, MT

Marcie
31
Stay-at-home mom
Corona, CA

Mark
42
High School History Teacher/Soccer Coach
Mukwonago, WI

Nicole
33
OBGYN Doctor
Chicago, IL

Paul
29
Utility Worker
Yonkers, NY

Victoria
26
Retail Manager
Bishop, TX

ABC plans to revive The Mole for the summer, and Variety reports that a replacement host for Anderson Cooper has been chosen. Jon Kelley, former weekend anchor for Extra, will be the host for The Mole when it returns after a four year hiatus.

It is believed that the show will premiere on Monday May 26 at 10PM, possibly being paired with The Bachelorette 4.

I’ve said on more than one occasion that ABC should bring back The Mole, particularly with the strike going on now. This summer, they’ll be doing just that, Variety reports, marking my first excuse in years to actually watch something on the alphabet network.

Stone Stanley Prods., producer of the first four seasons, folded in 2004, but Scott Stone is back with a new company and has achieved his goal of bringing the show back as well.

“This is a show we honestly love and people ask us about all the time,” said ABC Entertainment alternative series senior VP John Saade, though he says the timing is coincidental. “We were looking to bring the show back even when the writers were working.”

“If anyone asks me what my favorite show has been, I’ve answered ‘The Mole,’” Stone said. “Not surprisingly, this has been a passion of mine since the option lapsed three or four years ago. In my staff meeting every week, people would say, ‘Don’t even bring it up.’ I kept throwing it out that it was eventually going to be the right time. And it perennially ends up on lists of people’s favorite reality shows. That kept the fires burning inside me.”

He has suggested that there will be some changes to the show’s format. “We simplified it to where the people at home can play along,” Stone said. “And the quiz will be much shorter than in the past.” I’m getting a Mole Australia 5 vibe from that (not a good thing), but I’m definitely willing to give it a chance.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper, host of the first two seasons, is not available to host. Ahmad Rashad, who hosted seasons three and four, has not been asked return. “We’re looking for someone in the Anderson mode, a little mysterious but full of comedy,” Stone said. “It could be a breakout role for someone.”