ABC has announced the first four of 12 players on “The Mole,” premiering June 2nd at 10pm ET. The press release on the four players follows and you can watch their intro videos at the official website.
The first four of 12 players on “The Mole” can now be confirmed Kristen (Santa Monica, CA), Victoria (Bishop, TX), Clay (Philadelphia, PA) and Paul (Yonkers, NY). Dubbed television’s smartest reality show, the new season of “The Mole” premieres Monday, June 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. The series returns with all-new missions, locations and music, plus online and mobile interactivity, enabling more viewer participation during the 10 episodes. Jon Kelley (“Extra,” “The National Sports Report,” “Baseball Today”) is host.
“The Mole,” based on the hit Belgian format, is produced by Stone & Company Entertainment and follows a group of players as they try to figure out who among them is The Mole, a saboteur trying to keep them from winning money. Players must decide who they think The Mole is and then learn as much about him or her as they can, because, at the end of each one-hour episode, the player who knows the least about The Mole is immediately eliminated from the game. In the final dramatic episode, The Mole is revealed and one of two final players wins a substantial cash prize.
The highly-rated ABC unscripted series has aired in various time periods during its four-season run, and was a consistent draw with key young adult viewers opposite established network competition, including NBC’s “Law & Order” and the inaugural season of Fox’s “American Idol.” “The Mole” ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in its respective slots each season with Adults 18-34, and took second place in each of its time periods among Adults 18-49. Despite facing stiff demographic competition, “The Mole” improved each of its time periods among Adults 18-34.
Additional information about the show and players can be found at ABC.com. Here are mini-bios for the first batch of players to be announced
KRISTEN Age: 35 Occupation: Neuroscientist Santa Monica, CA Education: PhD, UCLA
Kristen says that, because she’s tall, blonde and beautiful, no one ever thinks she could be a neuroscientist. She’s currently conducting research to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease at UCLA. Growing up in an upper-middle class family in the Midwest, Kristen showed horses competitively and also dabbled in modeling. She says that competing her entire life as an equestrian and scientist have made her hone skills that will serve her well in the game and believes her athleticism and naturally strategic mind will also be assets. Kristen feels her best trait is her kindness, and her worst is that she’s a perfectionist.
VICTORIA Age: 26 Occupation: Retail Manager Bishop, TX Education: B.A., Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Victoria is a spunky, former pageant girl and cheerleader from a small town in Texas. She once told pageant judges that her favorite reality show was “The Mole” because you get to be deceptive in the game. This didn’t go over so well with the judges. Victoria is very close to her family and professes to be a daddy’s girl. She admits that her looks and sweet demeanor often get her what she wants, especially from men, and though people often mistake her for a nave, small town girl, she admits she can be conniving when she wants to be. Victoria says people usually underestimate her intelligence, but she is much more observant and deceptive than she lets on. She considers herself very competitive and says she won’t hesitate to backstab in the game if she has to. She admits one of her flaws is that she cusses like a sailor.
CLAY Age: 32 Occupation: Criminal Litigation Attorney Philadelphia, PA Education: Law Degree, Howard Law School
Clay is a devoted husband and father of two sons who likens his household to the Cosby family. He feels that the skills he uses as a criminal trial attorney will closely parallel his strategy in the game, and plans to use his argumentative abilities to convince others to do what he wants. Clay is analytical and can easily hide his emotions. He says he will use the same skills he employs in selecting a jury for figuring out who the Mole is, and that because of his trial experience, he has developed a keen sense of how to read people from all walks of life. Clay thinks he can outsmart the other players in the game because he’s smarter than most people. He does admit that he suffers a bit from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), and has been known to touch a light switch ten times before he can leave a room.
PAUL Age: 29 Occupation: Machinist Yonkers, NY Education: Attended Pace University
Paul has the accent and demeanor that clearly reveal he’s an Italian New Yorker from Yonkers. He works 9 to 5 as a machinist for a utility company, and as a wedding DJ on the weekends. It was at one of these weddings that he met his wife and his life changed forever. A self-professed, former “pla’ya”, Paul is now a man who dotes on his family, especially the love of his life, his two-year-old daughter. Outgoing and with a charismatic personality, he feels he has an advantage in “The Mole” because, growing up, his father worked for a spy gadget company and would use the gadgets to spy on his kids. Paul considers confidence, his best trait and his worst trait, and admits — his wife will readily agree — that he just doesn’t know when to shut up.
Scott A. Stone and Clay Newbill are executive producers of “The Mole” for Stone & Company Entertainment.
