In ‘De mol’ not only the group spotlight but also the atmosphere sank to an unprecedented low

In Sicily the hunt for the mole continues unabated. And it’s not just the mole who does everything he can. His or her fellow candidates also play the game hard. With all its consequences for the group atmosphere and group ridicule.

Anyone who feared that the mole would not show his teeth this season after the particularly lucrative first episode can rest easy. The saboteur appears to actually know what he or she is doing. However, there seemed to be no problem at the start of the episode. The candidates strolled through Savoca, the village where a whole series of scenes from the film classic The Godfather were rotated, and then were allowed to work with Italian ice. Closer la dolce vita they probably won’t come during their mole trip.

There was some puzzling and licking to be done. And in both those disciplines, quite a few candidates were suspicious. Bernard, for example. Because his father-in-law worked in an Italian car garage, he presented himself as an expert on the better Southern bodywork when doing puzzles. Only to immediately confuse Lamborghini and Porsche when he had to recognize car logos.

In the ice cream parlor it was Karolien who attracted attention by giving unclear instructions. Stéphanie also made quite a few mistakes. And then we haven’t even mentioned Coco, who, whenever things get a bit tense, manages to create a confusion of tongues between the candidates that they would be jealous of in Babylon.

Masterpiece

At the complete other end of the spectrum we found Michael. He was the first to realize that the ice cream parlor had to be licked to win prizes. If he were the mole, he would have let his teammates search a little longer. Philippe was the only one who managed to keep an overview when doing the puzzles. Although at that moment the time limit was already so close that the calf had actually already drowned. A villainous mole takes that into account. The ice creams ultimately arrived four minutes late to Gilles, causing the group to lose out on 1,500 euros.

The ice cream assignment turned out to be just a warm-up for the real thing. After all, the next day there was a test on the program that you only perform The mole sees. A masterpiece in which game and psychology were ingeniously intertwined. The assignment – free Senne by making your way through two floors – seemed quite simple. But adding an advantage to the duo that got to the prisoner first completely changed the dynamic. Completing the assignment successfully was still the goal for the candidates, but only if they could get to Senne themselves.

The ideal conditions for getting started. Coco’s candle went out very often. Philippe almost nonchalantly managed to destroy the chance to stop the fans much earlier in the game and Bernard adamantly refused to use Senne’s tips. The result? Another assignment that the group could only complete in extra time. No money in the pot again. A double shame since Bernard threw a doubler on the table for this assignment.

Cracks in the group

And what perhaps pleased the mole most were the cracks that appeared to appear in the group. Although there had already been a number of heavy swearings during the ice cream task, some more dissatisfaction lingered after the second consecutive failed test. Especially after it turned out that Philippe and Karolien did gain an advantage from the failed assignment.

The ideal moment, the makers thought, to put Pandora’s Box, a relic from four seasons ago, on the table again. Leaving the box closed increased the group pot by 2,000 euros. Opening them was good for eight pass questions, although the candidates did not know this in advance. The group was unanimous: the box would remain closed. But how fragile that alliance was soon became clear. Philippe and Karolien were the first duo to resist the temptation. But things went wrong for Senne and Michaël – duo two. The two chose the pass questions and wanted to handle it with complete discretion. But that was once again beyond the makers’ control. As an extra surprise, the group spot started counting down. To stop that, the two sinners had to get all the other candidates out of bed. Something that ultimately worked out only 3,160 euros later. A major dent in both the group pot and mutual trust.

While we seemed to be aiming for a historically high group pot last week, the opposite scenario now seems to be a realistic option. At the end of the eventful second episode, audiologist Karolien had to go home. Her decision to leave Pandora’s box closed in the hope of keeping the peace turned out to be one with a very sour aftertaste.