"THE MOLE" started out as a good show and got even better with "THE MOLE II: THE NEXT BETRAYAL". It's a reality show for the thinking mind who look for more than glimpses of Richard Hatch walking around in the buff.
Unfortunately, the ratings for "THE MOLE II" were so abysmal, they shelved it after a few episodes and brought it back in the Summer. We all thought that was the end of it - but no, ABC thought they could revive this show by doing what every other game show does when it's on its last legs... a "Celebrity edition"!
If you thought the "celebrities" in "CELEBRITY MOLE: HAWAII" were questionable, the ones in "YUCATAN" are laughable.
For God knows what reason or whatever sins we are being punished for, Stephen Baldwin and Corbin Bernsen are brought back into the fold for another go round, where they spend the entire time jerking everybody around and being their usual obnoxious unfunny selves.
The other "celebrities" are all has-been television stars from sitcoms that once ruled the prime-time roosts a decade or so ago (here's looking at you Mark Curry, Keshia and Tracy Gold). The remaining few include a washed-up basketball star who lives purely for shock value, a washed-up former MTV VJ and talk show host, and a never-quite-was "movie star"/model.
This is like painful psychotherapy for any viewer who made the misfortune (such as myself) to sit through this trash. It's like a burning train wreck, but you can't look away. To be honest, I just wanted to find out who the "mole" turned out to be. In fact, I did start out with positive hopes when the show began. I was rooting for Ananda Lewis, but lo and behold, she was the first one eliminated from the game. Go figure!
By the end, I thought Mark Curry had turned into the male version of Kathy Griffin. Grating, unfunny and absolutely annoying. Dennis Rodman had turned into the Erik von Detten character, the silent and boring one. And Angie Everhart was Frederique van der Wal, without the charm and savvy.
As with all "Celebrity edition" specials, the games are usually dumbed down and no one plays seriously.
You can tell that the producers didn't stray far from "CELEBRITY MOLE: HAWAII" in terms of concept and game construction. The games were quite stupid (ie. the pinata donkeys... the class room quiz... the donkey ride with the shopping list...) - but nothing was worse than the game in "HAWAII" that involved running across some rocks to retrieve a rotisserie chicken with a set of tongs(!), I kid you not.
In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the producers just used all the "left over" games that they couldn't squeeze into the first celebrity edition.
By the end, I was just glad it was over. They've finally done what they set out to do - kill this show and drive away any viewers who still held a flicker of hope that the REAL "THE MOLE" series (with ACTUAL reality contestants) would finally return. I can just picture anyone tuning into this who hadn't seen "THE MOLE" before thinking, "So this is what all the fuss is about? What a load of crap!" Well done ABC, you gave "THE MOLE", the same treatment as you gave "WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?".
Take away the reality contestants and replace them with "special celebrity editions" of washed-up has beens and television stars of yesteryear who no-one cares about (or did back then) and then flog it to death for all it's worth. Let's hope that this is the last of it... I couldn't bear to see a third "CELEBRITY MOLE" hitting the airwaves. I would rather have no "MOLE" at all than this absolute garbage.
Unfortunately, the ratings for "THE MOLE II" were so abysmal, they shelved it after a few episodes and brought it back in the Summer. We all thought that was the end of it - but no, ABC thought they could revive this show by doing what every other game show does when it's on its last legs... a "Celebrity edition"!
If you thought the "celebrities" in "CELEBRITY MOLE: HAWAII" were questionable, the ones in "YUCATAN" are laughable.
For God knows what reason or whatever sins we are being punished for, Stephen Baldwin and Corbin Bernsen are brought back into the fold for another go round, where they spend the entire time jerking everybody around and being their usual obnoxious unfunny selves.
The other "celebrities" are all has-been television stars from sitcoms that once ruled the prime-time roosts a decade or so ago (here's looking at you Mark Curry, Keshia and Tracy Gold). The remaining few include a washed-up basketball star who lives purely for shock value, a washed-up former MTV VJ and talk show host, and a never-quite-was "movie star"/model.
This is like painful psychotherapy for any viewer who made the misfortune (such as myself) to sit through this trash. It's like a burning train wreck, but you can't look away. To be honest, I just wanted to find out who the "mole" turned out to be. In fact, I did start out with positive hopes when the show began. I was rooting for Ananda Lewis, but lo and behold, she was the first one eliminated from the game. Go figure!
By the end, I thought Mark Curry had turned into the male version of Kathy Griffin. Grating, unfunny and absolutely annoying. Dennis Rodman had turned into the Erik von Detten character, the silent and boring one. And Angie Everhart was Frederique van der Wal, without the charm and savvy.
As with all "Celebrity edition" specials, the games are usually dumbed down and no one plays seriously.
You can tell that the producers didn't stray far from "CELEBRITY MOLE: HAWAII" in terms of concept and game construction. The games were quite stupid (ie. the pinata donkeys... the class room quiz... the donkey ride with the shopping list...) - but nothing was worse than the game in "HAWAII" that involved running across some rocks to retrieve a rotisserie chicken with a set of tongs(!), I kid you not.
In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the producers just used all the "left over" games that they couldn't squeeze into the first celebrity edition.
By the end, I was just glad it was over. They've finally done what they set out to do - kill this show and drive away any viewers who still held a flicker of hope that the REAL "THE MOLE" series (with ACTUAL reality contestants) would finally return. I can just picture anyone tuning into this who hadn't seen "THE MOLE" before thinking, "So this is what all the fuss is about? What a load of crap!" Well done ABC, you gave "THE MOLE", the same treatment as you gave "WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?".
Take away the reality contestants and replace them with "special celebrity editions" of washed-up has beens and television stars of yesteryear who no-one cares about (or did back then) and then flog it to death for all it's worth. Let's hope that this is the last of it... I couldn't bear to see a third "CELEBRITY MOLE" hitting the airwaves. I would rather have no "MOLE" at all than this absolute garbage.
