Monday, November 21, 2005

Anderson Cooper is accustomed to sabotage.

Dubbed television's smartest reality show, The Mole returns for a second season on ABC.

Like its predecessor, The Mole 2 will feature all the exciting "whodunit" game elements of the original series, while invoking key changes that will provide a more engaging experience for the viewing audience.

Hosted by former ABC News correspondent Anderson Cooper, The Mole 2 follows 14 players as they try to figure out who among them is The Mole. By working as a team to complete a series of challenging physical and mental games, the players earn money for the pot — up to $1 million — which one winner will eventually take home. Working undercover against the team, however, is The Mole, a double agent planted by the producers to sabotage the players' money-earning efforts. It is the goal of each player to decide who they think The Mole is and then learn as much about him or her as possible. At the end of each one-hour episode, the group is given a quiz on The Mole's identity. The player who knows the least information about The Mole is immediately sent home. In the final dramatic episode, The Mole is revealed, and the one remaining player wins the jackpot.

To enhance the fundamental play-along aspect of The Mole 2, several changes are being implemented this season. For one, viewers will get to see all of the questions on the multiple choice quiz given to the players at the end of each episode, allowing them to test their own knowledge of The Mole's identity. In addition, episodes will be peppered with clues that will give eagle-eyed viewers a real opportunity to figure out which of the players is The Mole.

Further helping to involve viewers in the game will be a heightened focus on character development. From journal entries to secret confessionals, the thoughts, opinions, and strategies of each player will be presented on-camera for viewers to digest and dissect. Additionally, provocative and often personal questions will be posed to the players by host Cooper to spark discussion among them. Through these discussions, the players and viewers will gain insight, as well as answers, to future quiz questions.