The Mole 6/23- Hypothermia Can Be Combatted By Burning Journals

I'm gonna apologize in advance. This ain't one of my best recaps. Everyone has off nights though, right? Right? I'm gonna take your collective silence as a yes. Thank you for understanding.

Previously on The Mole, people wore underwear, Paul was an ass, Ali took a bribe, and Bobby was eliminated. Craig is unhappy that two people he liked left. Nicole is upset that her prime suspect is gone and she needs to start again. The players all leave Chile and head to the Andes in Argentina. It reminds Victoria of how insignificant she is. Jon welcomes them to the base of a mountain and tells them to split into two teams of four, selfish and selfless. Victoria doesn’t think she’s selfish, but she ends up on that team, with Nicole, Kristen, and Clay. The other four boys are the selfless ones. The teams have to carry “gold” bricks up a 10,000-foot mountain, with the first team making it up the mountain getting an exemption.

The selfish team takes less bricks and starts to head up, while the selfless team is packing more bricks. Nicole starts to give up like 50 feet from base camp, but she confessionals that it’s all a ruse. Craig feels like the weakest player now that Bobby is gone. Everyone actually seems to be struggling. Jon intercepts them and tells them that they have to carry a scale too. This task is not exactly entertaining to watch, with people walking. For a long time. The selfish team has a very big lead with 15 minutes to go. Craig is having a lot of trouble, and he’s seemingly not in very good shape. Ominous music and woozy camera angles take us into the break.

The selfish team makes it up first, and are told to hold tight and wait for the second group before discussing the exemption. The second team makes it up with 30 seconds to spare, and Craig successfully makes it up. The group adds $14,250, but there’s only one exemption and the selfish team has to decide on one person or the entire team forfeit their prize. The team initially wants Kristen, but Clay lawyers his way to the exemption. Clay offers to make it up to her on another mission. When the team makes it down to the bottom of the mountain, it turns out Craig is suffering from hypothermia, and has to go to the hospital. Well, he’s officially off my list of Mole suspects. I really don’t think ABC would pick someone who’s physically that weak to be the mole.

Everyone is worried about Craig, but he’s OK, as long as he stays warm. Craig, however, is worried that people will think he’s the mole because he’s so sick. Victoria announces that very suspicion. Mark is showing signs of Corbin Bernsen like craziness in terms of journaling. At dinner, Jon collects everyone’s journals. Everyone freaks out.

Jon returns quickly with everyone’s journals, assuaging their freak-outs. But, he wrote down some of his favorite comments and it’s time for a new mission “Who Said That?” Victoria apologizes in advance. Victoria correctly answers her question about her own alcoholism. Clay gets his right too, noticing that Kristen likes his vibes. Paul incorrectly answers his, but his answer was very valid. Kristen correctly answers her question because Nicole is blatantly signaling (which is against the rules). Alex botches his, but Mark correctly answers his. Nicole, further overacting, gets hers wrong, but Victoria fesses up and they get credit. Jon docks them for Kristen’s right answer though, since Nicole was way too blatant.

Everyone gets Crème Brulee for dessert and then goes for a drive with Jon. It turns out Jon is looking for someone to sacrifice their journal. After deciding on Alex, the group finds out that everyone else is losing their journals. Mark is hardcore pissed, and he wanders off into the Argentine wilderness, because apparently he is THAT upset. That’s a little overboard.

Mark wanders back, and Clay starts to question their coalition. Everyone is really worried about Mark going off the deep end, but they focus on themselves because it’s quiz time. Craig is back and everyone is happy. Craig also gets to keep his journal, which upsets Mark even further. Craig is briefed on what happened. Jon and the players toast to whoever is going home next.

QUIZ RUNDOWN
I still suspect Kristen, Victoria, and, newly, Alex.
Nicole suspects Victoria and speeds through the quiz.
Victoria maybe suspects Clay.
Paul suspects Victoria too.
Kristen will be upset if she gets eliminated because she had an exemption in her grasp.
Mark maybe suspects Craig (He’s at least pissed at him).

I’m starting to question my suspicion of Victoria now, because, even though she’s moley, I don’t think ABC would advertise multiple players as believing she is the Mole.
There’s a tie tonight, which means the player of the slower time will be executed. The difference, it turns out, is five seconds. All reality editing makes me believe Kristen (please, don’t kill my hopes of getting The Mole right off the bat) or Mark. Paul is up first, and he’s safe. Alex is next, and he too is safe. Mark is next, and, despite freaking out like no other, he’s safe. Victoria is next, and she’s executed. Meaning that she is not the Mole. Which means one of my suspicions is finally off (although, you don’t have to believe me, I honestly wrote that I didn’t suspect her before she was eliminated). Clay is incredibly surprised. Craig will really miss her. Next week on The Mole, Nicole and Paul share a llama costume (with Paul, fittingly, being the ass) and everyone (including me), continues to hate Paul.