Wie is de Mol? (season 1)

The first season of the Dutch TV series Wie is de Mol? ("Who is the Mole?") aired in the winter of 1999 and 2000. It followed the same format as its Belgian predecessor. It had 10 normal people travel to Australia to complete "challenges" to earn money for the group kitty. However, one of the 10 was the Mole, a saboteur, the one person trying to sabotage the challenges. It was the job of the genuine contestants to earn money and unmask the Mole at the same time. Every few days, players would take a 20-question multiple choice quiz about the identity of the Mole, with the player with the most wrong answers being "executed" from the game, until 3 would be left in the finale. The player who answered the most questions right in the last quiz (consisting of 40 questions) won the money collected by the group.

In the end, housewife Deborah was revealed to be the Mole. Student Petra unmasked her and won the money, beating manager Robin in the final quiz.

Contestants

The game was played by 10 ordinary Dutch people.

Season summary

Episode 1

Arrival:
The contestants arrived in Australia and met their host, Angela Groothuizen. Except for the Mole themselves, nobody knows what the game is really about. Only on their second day, during breakfast, Angela tells the group about the concept: The ten of them will be trying to complete missions to add money to the group kitty. The Mole, however, tries to sabotage these missions (or: challenges). Each fews days, the player who knows least about the identity of the mole gets "executed" and has to leave the game. When 3 are left, the winner will win all of the collected money.

Driving & Diving
For the first challenge, the group has to divide into 2 groups of 5. One of the groups will travel 25 kilometres and the other group will travel 50 metres. The 25 km group consists of Robin, Sandy, Wilmie, Arnoud and Warner. They have to drive through the jungle in a jeep, covering a total distance of 25 kilometres in at most 2 hours. The other group (Willy, John, Foke, Deborah and Petra) will each dive 10 metres (making a total of 50m) down to collect a tablet with a word on it. Then, they will have to make a sentence with those words. Both tasks can (separately) earn the group 7500 gilders. The jeep gets stuck in mud and some divers bring up words that are hard to make a sentence with, but both tasks succeed, bringing the kitty to 15000 gilders.

Didgeridoo
On day 2, the players have to learn how to play a didgeridoo. If someone manages to play the didgeridoo for 1 minute straight at any point in the game, they earn 2500 gilders.

Test and Execution
On the second evening the players take their first test. It contains 20 questions about the identity of the saboteur. The person with the most wrong answers gets booted from the game. The host will type a contestants name into her laptop, which is connected to a TV screen. If the screen turns green after a name is entered, that person stays for 2/3 more days. If it turns red, however, they are eliminated and will be flown back home. The mole cannot ever receive a red screen.

After several screens come up green, Sandy's name is typed into the laptop and the screen turns RED, making her the first player to ever leave the Dutch game. The group is devastated but has to go on.

Episode 2

Party & Zoo quiz
The remaining 9 players have to divide themselves into a group of 3 and a group of 6. The group of 3 consists of Foke, John and Arnoud. They have to organise a party in a pub which will attract Aussies. At the end of the evening, they will have to make 100 Australians participate in a Dutch dance called the "Polonaise".

The other 6 have to divide into 2 groups of 3. The groups are as follows: Group 1: Petra, Robin and Willy Group 2: Warner, Deborah and Wilmie.

Willy then gets 5 questions. He must decide who will answer it: either Petra or Robin. In the end, Petra and Robin each answer a question wrong. The answers to these 2 questions have not been found yet, and now Willy has to get them... from a crocodile cage. He is dead scared of crocodiles but he manages to get the answers. In group 2, Warner has to divide the questions. Deborah gets 2 questions and gets one wrong. The other 3 are all for Wilmie, who gets all of them wrong. So Warner will have to get the 4 answers from a tank full of sharks. He gets them all very quickly, so the money is won. They earned 5000 gilders.

Meanwhile, the partygroup has failed their challenge, since there were only about 20 people participating in the dance. They earn nothing.

Rafting
The contestants gathered at the Tully River where they went rafting. There nine envelopes scattered around their route, but only one of them contained the prize money: 5000 gilders. Petra and Deborah fell out of the raft. In the end, 5 envelopes were collected, but none of them contained money. Nothing was earned.

Test & execution
Everyone had to make the questionnaire again. The red screen was for Willy this time, making him the first man to leave the game.

Episode 3

Bungee jumping
The contestants arrived at a bridge where the host told them that a certain number of them had to do a bungee jump. That "certain number" was 8; which means that all contestants had to jump. Petra, Arnoud, John and Warner jump without showing fear. Foke jumps while letting out a huge scream, followed by Foke. Only Deborah and Wilmie are left. She cries and is afraid and it takes 30 minutes before she jumps. Deborah makes the jump too; 15000 gilders are added to the kitty.

Surviving
The day after the bungee jumping, host Angela asks for a slim and a heavy person. They choose Petra (slim) and Robin (heavy). They are taken away, while the others fly to an abandoned island. They have to survive 24 hours on the island, and provide 2 litres of coconut milk and a fish for each contestant on the island. John and Warner do almost all of the work. The milk is provided rather quickly, but the group has trouble with the fish, and the only ones actually trying to catch fish are John and Warner. The challenge fails.

Australian food
While the others are on the island, Petra and Robin are taken to a hotel where they get spoiled with drinks and a massage. Later on, they have to taste Australian delicacies while a cook tells them what animal it's made of (All the delicacies are meat). The next day, they go to the island where the other contestants each have to taste one of the delicacies that the duo ate the day before. They have to describe the taste, so Petra and Robin can guess what the contestant is eating. They need to guess 4 out of 6 correct to earn 5000 gilders. Wilmie and Arnoud don't want to eat their piece, because they're vegetarians. Deborah spits her piece out. The challenge failed - no money is earned.

Test and Execution
Once again, it's time for the questionnaire, and one of the contestants has to leave. John is the one who gets the red screen this time.

Episode 4

Execution aftermath
After John has left, the host tells the contestants that only one of them can go to their bed. After the group draws straws, Petra is chosen to go because she drew the shortest straw. She isn't happy about it, since she misses out on info which will possibly be asked for in the upcoming questionnaire. The others participate in the challenge.

Night maze
The 6 contestants (sans Petra) divide into 3 pairs of 2. One half of each pair will walk through a dark maze while the other half guides them, using footage recorded by the camera above the maze. If the "walker" gets to the other end of the maze without getting caught by the hunters in the maze within 2 minutes, they win. Only one pair has to succeed to win 7500 gilders. Deborah (in the maze) and Warner (guiding Deborah) are first up. Just before reaching the exit, Deborah is caught. Foke (maze) and Robin fail too. Wilmie (maze) and Arnoud are to win the money now - and they do. 7500 gilders are earned.

Whale spotting
The next day, the group has to split up. 4 contestants will participate in a challenge at sea, 3 in a challenge at land. The sea-contestants are Arnoud, Wilmie, Deborah and Foke. They have to take pictures of whales they spot while they're on a boat. They have to take a picture of a whale's head, a tail and 4 whales together. Each one of them can take 4 pictures. Wilmie gets seasick and lays down on the deck. In the end, they couldn't find 4 whales together. They have a huge discussion during dinner, which leads to Petra walking away.

Sports champions
The members of the land group have to participate in 3 sports; archery, boomerang throwing and go-karting. There are 3 people who will be their opponents. Each one of them is a champion at one of the sports. The trick for the group is to set themselves up in a certain sport against the person who isn't the champion at that sport, so they can win. Each contestant participates in a sport. Only one of them has to win their match to win 5000 gilders for the kitty.

Robin thinks the female opponent is the archery champion, but Petra and Warner won't listen to him. Warner loses boomerang throwing against an aboriginal. Petra has a great try-out round in go-karting but loses in her real match. When Robin faces off against the woman in archery, it turns out that she is, in fact, the champion. Robin loses and nothing is earned.

Test and execution
It is time for the questionnaire. Warner takes a gamble, which leads to his demise: He leaves the game.

Episode 5

Crossing the Woods
The host asks for 2 contestants who like air, and 4 who like land. Foke and Arnoud are the group of 2. They are taken (By boat) to an island. At the other side of the woods, the other 4 are preparing for the challenge. They have to cross the woods one at a time and get to the top of the hill where Foke and Arnoud are. However, there are 2 hunters in the woods. 2 Contestants have to cross the woods without getting caught in order to win the money. Wilmie is first, but gets caught. Petra is next, and arrives at the top of the hill after falling into some kind of swamp twice. Deborah is third and does a good job at first, but eventually hunters find her, chase her and capture her. It's up to Robin now - and he wins it. 10000 gilders are added to the kitty.

Places to sleep
After the previous challenge, the players have to negotiate about sleeping places. There are 6 choices, varying from a villa to a sleeping bag. Arnoud eventually gets the villa, and an important choice to make regarding the next challenge:
a) Make it more difficult for the group to succeed, earning him an exemption from the quiz (meaning he can't get executed at the following questionnaire), or
b) Making it easier to succeed, but forfeiting the exemption and having to change sleeping places with the person in the sleeping bag.
He chooses option b), meaning he is now sleeping in the sleeping bag, while Deborah gets the villa.

Hard individual challenges
The group is in Maryborough. Each contestant (except for Arnoud) has to pick an envelope, containing a hard challenge and one that is somewhat easier. Contestants throw a die to see which challenge they get; 1 to 3 means easy, 4 to 6 means hard. All challenges have to be completed by the group to win the money.
Foke is first. She has to wear 1 arm in a cast until evening falls, and accepts the challenge. Petra is next and has to stay in a barrel for an hour - accompanied by mice. She takes the challenge as well. The same goes for Robin, who has to pose for a painting in his underwear. Fourth is Deborah. She has to get a tattoo, but even though she already has one, she declines. Last is Wilmie, who has to get her hair painted - the natural brown-haired woman paints her hair blonde. Not everybody has done their challenge, so no money is won. Then everybody waits for Arnoud.
The host tells the group that Arnoud had to do all the challenges that the group declined. If he did complete said assignments (in this case, getting a tattoo) the group still gets their money. And, against the group's expectations, he got the tattoo, so 10.000 gilders are earned.

Test & Execution
After everyone took the questionnaire, the host tells Arnoud he still gets the exemption. The execution streak of men is broken now, as Foke goes home. When she gets into the car driving her to the airport, she breaks down and cries.

Episode 6

Hitchhiking
The group has to split into a duo and a trio. The duo consists of Wilmie and Robin. Both groups have to get to Byron Bay before sunset to earn the prize money. They have to get there by hitchhiking, and meanwhile they have to film Aussies telling the camera what they know about the Netherlands. Many things go wrong, which leads to the group failing the assignment.

The round of Byron Bay
The next day, the host asks for a sporty person, which is Petra. However, the other 4 contestants are the ones that actually participate in the upcoming sport challenge: The round of Byron Bay. The 4 contestants have to complete this course in 90 minutes. However, only the time the slowest player takes to finish matters. First, they ride bicycles to the beach, where they run along the coast to find 2 kayaks. They use these kayaks to get to the other side of a mountain, which they then have to climb until they arrive at the finish; a lighthouse. The group does good at cycling and running, but Deborah and Wilmie keel over with their kayak, and Wilmie almost drowns. Robin and Deborah, the younger contestants, are the first to get to the finish, while Arnoud and Wilmie have more trouble. They eventually arrive at the finish with 34 seconds to spare. Afterwards, the sporters get to know what Petra has been up to.

Contestant in disguise
While the others were running the round of Byron Bay, Petra had to find a disguise for herself, as well as people to sit with her on a field under the lighthouse. The others now have to spot Petra. If they are right, money is won. But if they're wrong, Petra gets an exemption. They get it wrong - Petra was disguised very well. She is safe at the next execution.

Test and execution
Arnoud had to make the test again after having an exemption last episode, while Petra was exempt now. At the execution, Arnoud got the red screen, leaving Petra, Wilmie, Deborah and Robin as the final 4.

Episode 7

Deborah, Petra, Wilmie and Robin are now left as the final 4. They will compete in 4 challenges before one of them has to go home before the final.

Surfing/Circus act
Byron Bay is known for its waves. Now, 2 of the contestants will have to go surfing on those waves. If both of them stay on for 5 seconds, they win 5000 gilders. The challenge is taken by Petra and Deborah. Both keep falling off, but eventually Petra manages to stand on the board for 7 seconds. It's now up to Deborah to win the money, but she can't. The challenge failed.

Meanwhile, Wilmie and Robin have another challenge. They have to perform a circus act involving trapezes. They try and practise, but Robins calf starts to hurt and they only have 30 minutes left to practise the act. They quit the challenge.

Sixties song/Bracelet game
Once again, the contestants play the challenges in pairs. Wilmie and Deborah have to travel to an inland town called Nimbin. They have to create a choir with townspeople in it, and then teach them a Dutch song. Another Aussie then has to pick the sheet which has the music notes and songtext of the performed song on it. (She gets to pick one out of 5 sheets). They try to turn the Dutch text into English ones that sound the same. At 4.00 pm the choir starts singing. And the Australian girl listening actually picks the right sheet! 5000 Gilders are earned.

The host shows Petra and Robin two bracelets. They have to figure out which one is fake (worth 5 gilders) and which one is real (worth 5000 gilders). If they throw the fake one away in the end, they win 5000 gilders - however, if they throw the real one away, the lose 5000 gilders out of the kitty. They can travel to the town's center, but they can't take the bracelets, nor can they bring a jeweler with them to see the bracelets. Petra draws both bracelets and when they are in the town's center, they find 2 jewelers who can help them. Afterwards, they meet the host at a cliff. Petra hands her the bracelet they think is fake. After the host has thrown it into the sea, she reveals that she just threw away 5000 gilders...

Test and Execution
The contestants fill in the questionnaire once again to determine who is going home with the finals in sight. It's made clear who suspects who now: Petra suspects Deborah, Deborah and Wilmie suspect Robin and Robin suspects Wilmie. During the execution, green screens come up for Petra and Deborah, leaving Robin and Wilmie in suspense. Robin then gets a green screen too, leaving Wilmie as the contestant to get the red screen. Much to Robin's surprise, she wasn't the mole.

References

• users.telenet.be/robbiewynen - Who is the International Mole?
• wiewasdemol.nl