'The Mole': Netflix Reboot Trailer and Premiere Date Revealed
The Mole is back for a new generation of deception. Netflix has shared the trailer for its newest reality competition series, The Mole. After nearly two decades since Anderson Cooper hosted the early 2000s ABC reality competition, the show is back with 12 new contestants competing to add money to a pot one of them will win. Nevertheless, one player is there to sabotage the rest — The Mole.
The contestants go on various adventures in the trailer, from zip-lining and helicopter rides to sunny beaches and snowy mountains. Thousands of dollars are lost from the pot each time an error occurs, including $40,000 in the trailer. The new clips also provide viewers with their first glimpse at the cast, aged 25 to 40: including a COVID ICU nurse; a firefighter who recently lost 60 pounds; a Black female commercial airline pilot; a Ben & Jerry's factory worker who calls himself "Dom Cruise;" plus, a six-foot-five "lifestyle-brand manager" from Henderson, Nevada who is fond of Vikings.
According to the official synopsis, The Mole is a high-stakes competition series in which 12 players compete in challenges to add money to a prize pool that only one will win. In the group, one person is designated as "the Mole," and tasked with sabotaging the group's profits. The player who outlasts their competition and exposes the Mole will win the prize money.
Adapted from the Belgian format The Mole (original title De Mol), Alex Wagner hosts with Greg Shapiro producing. The Mole aired for five seasons on ABC from 2001 through 2008. In addition, Netflix recently greenlit its Squid Game-inspired competition show, Squid Game: The Challenge, which will award one of 456 contestants a historic $4.56 million prize. According to showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk, the reality spinoff doesn't aim to be serious.
"I think that even though our show does carry quite a heavy message — and I know that there are some concerns of taking that message and creating it into a reality show with a cash prize," Hwang said. "However, I feel like when you take things too seriously, that's really not the best way to go for the entertainment industry. It doesn't really set a great precedent." The Mole's first five episodes will debut on Oct. 7, with the rest dropping over the next three weeks.