The Mole (American TV series) season 7

The Mole
Season 7
Presented by	Ari Shapiro
No. of contestants	12
Location	Malaysia
No. of episodes	8
Release
Original network	Netflix
Original release	June 28 (2024-06-28) – July 12, 2024 (2024-07-12)
Season chronology

The seventh season of the American version of The Mole, which is the second instalment by Netflix, premiered on June 28, 2024. The season was produced by Eureka Productions, with Ari Shapiro as the new host, and was filmed in Malaysia during July and August 2023. The cast were revealed on Tudum on 31 May 2024.

Format

Following a similar format as several versions of the franchise, twelve players are gathered to complete assignments to earn money for the group pot. However, one of the twelve is the titular "Mole", a player selected by production to secretly sabotage the assignments and cause the group to earn the least amount of money for the winner's pot as possible. Every few days, players would take a multiple choice test about the identity of the Mole and the Mole's actions over the course of last few days. Once the test is complete, the players await their results in an elimination ceremony. The player with the lowest score is eliminated from the game, while in the event of the tie the player who completed their test the slowest is eliminated. Contestants are eliminated until there are three remaining players (two genuine contestants and the Mole themself), where they must complete a final test about the identity and actions of the Mole throughout the season.

Contestants

Contestant	Age	Occupation	Game Status
Deanna Thompson	50	Don't F**k with Cats star
Hannah Burns	23	Marketing consultant
Michael O'Brien	30	Parking manager
Muna Abdulahi	24	Software engineer
Ryan Warner	33	Volleyball coach
Sean Patrick Bryan	42	Stay-at-home parent and retired undercover cop
Neesh Riaz	30	Marketer	6th eliminated
Quaylyn "Q" Carter	41	Bus driver	5th eliminated
Antonio "Tony" Castellanos	24	VIP host	4th eliminated
Melissa Lummus	34	Poker player	3rd eliminated
Andy Mintzer	65	Forensic accountant	2nd eliminated
Jennifer Dasilva-Hassiman	28	Programme analyst	1st eliminated

Elimination chart

The chart reflects the results of each quiz, and not reflective of which episode it took place in.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Deanna	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN
Hannah	IN	EXM	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN
Michael	IN	IN	EXM	IN	IN	IN	IN
Muna	COR	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN
Ryan	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN
Sean	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN
Neesh	IN	IN	IN	IN	EXM	IN	ELIM
Quaylyn	IN	IN	IN	IN	ELIM	ELIM
Tony	IN	IN	IN	ELIM
Melissa	IN	IN	ELIM
Andy	IN	ELIM
Jennifer	ELIM

Key

  The player won the game

  The player was the Mole

  The player finished as the runner-up

  The player completed the quiz and was safe

  The player won an exemption for the quiz

  The player won a correction on the quiz to correct a wrong answer and was safe

  The player scored the lowest on the quiz and was eliminated

Episodes

Episode	Airdate	Title	Amount in Pot	Location	Eliminated
1	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)	"Nobody's Safe"	$0 → $30,000	West Malaysia	—
2		"Treasure Island"	$30,000 → $10,000	Tioman Island	Jennifer
3		"Money Tower"	$10,000 → $60,000	Forest City	Andy
4		"Powers of Observation"	$60,000 → $30,000	Kuala Lumpur	Melissa
5		"Special Delivery"	$30,000 → $0	Port Klang	Tony
6	July 5, 2024 (2024-07-05)	"Cave Raid"	$0 → $40,000	Gopeng	Quaylyn
7		"Beat the Bomb"	$40,000 → $50,000	Ipoh and Papan	Quaylyn
8		"Taken"	$50,000 → TBA	Penang	Neesh

Notes

Season summary

Missions are listed in this section in chronological order.

Episode 1

Episode 1
Original airdate: June 28, 2024 Location: West Malaysia
Mission	Money earned	Possible earnings
Intruder Mission	$30,000	$30,000
Phone Booth Mission	$0	$5,000
Current Pot	$30,000	$35,000
Advantages earned
Muna	Correction for Quiz 1 (earned in the Phone Booth Mission)

Intruder Mission

The 12 contestants meet for the first time at a clearing within a grassfield. There, it is announced that five "intruders", applicants who missed out on being selected for the season, will attempt to cross an assault course within 30 minutes to earn a place on the season. The 12 contestants must fire paintballs at intruders crossing the course, eliminating any intruders they hit. If the group hit all five intruders, $20,000 is earned for the pot. However, the first intruder (if any) to enter a car earns a place on the season, replacing one of the current 12 candidates.

Before the intruders run the course, the group have five minutes to select a leader to coordinate the mission. If an intruder reaches the end of the assault course, the leader's place on the season is taken by the successful intruder. The group earns a bonus $10,000 for the pot if they select a leader within five minutes, otherwise a leader is chosen randomly with no money earned. The group selected Neesh as the leader within the time-limit, meaning $10,000 was earned to the pot.

Then, the intruders must unlock themselves from a chain by solving a clue, then cross the three Zones of the course without getting hit. At Zone 1, the intruders must cross a series of obstacles while four contestants use two slingshots to fire paintballs at them. At Zone 2, the intruders, now armed with smoke bombs and shields, must collect a key from the top of a tower before proceeding to the next zone. Meanwhile, four contestants swivel a platform to aim the paintball gun mounted to it and fire at the intruders. At Zone 3, the intruders must cross a series of obstacles while three group members use a paintball gun, loaded with only 10 paintballs each, to fire at them. Nearby is also a screen with a birds-eye-view of the course where one candidate can communicate information to others via walkie talkie.

The group successfully eliminated all five intruders, earning $20,000 in addition to the $10,000 earned by choosing a team leader.

Phone Booth Mission

The group must select the three contestants they deem to be the "most trustworthy," who each privately receive an offer from host Ari Shapiro via phone. They can either dial "1" on the phone to potentially add $5,000 to the pot, or to dial "2" to earn a Correction, an advantage which corrects an incorrect answer, for themselves in the next quiz. If all three selected contestants dial "1", $5,000 is added to the pot. Otherwise, the contestant(s) who choose the Correction earns it for themselves.

Deanna, Muna and Tony were selected as the most trustworthy contestants. Deanna and Tony dialled "1" while Muna dialled "2" meaning she received a Correction for the quiz and no money was earned for the pot.

Episode 2

Episode 2
Original airdate: June 28, 2024 Location: Tioman Island
Mission	Money earned	Possible earnings
Quiz 1 & Elimination
Buried Treasure Mission	$15,000	$15,000
Countdown Mission	−$35,000	$0
Current Pot	$10,000	$50,000
Advantages earned
Hannah	Exemption for Quiz 2 (earned in the Countdown Mission)
Elimination
Jennifer	1st player eliminated

Buried Treasure Mission

The group have two hours to use a map to find a clue leading them to two treasure chests on Tioman Island, and build a raft to transport the chests to a buoy offshore.

The group can find each half of the clue at two locations on the map: "Smashing Rock" and a shipwreck. At Smashing Rock, contestants must figure out that they must follow numbered rocks to find their half of the clue in a hanging cargo net. At the shipwreck, contestants must dive to collect a first aid kit from a sunken ship and collect their half of the clue inside.

After combining both halves of the clue, the group must figure out that it requires them to fold the map to reveal an "X" where the chests are buried. After finding the treasure chests, the group must then transport them to a buoy using a raft which they must assemble using items along the beach. If they bring the treasure to the buoy within two hours, $15,000 is added to the pot.

The group successfully transported both chests to the buoy within two hours, meaning $15,000 was earned for the pot.

Countdown Mission

Before the quiz, it is revealed that one contestant has the chance to win an Exemption, giving them immunity from the next Quiz. The value of the pot ($45,000) is displayed on a screen begins to depreciate. The pot only stops losing money when only one player remains in the room. However, the last player remaining in the room also receives the Exemption for the next quiz.

Hannah was the last contestant remaining and received the Exemption. The pot's value depreciated to $9,870, which host Ari Shapiro rounded to $10,000, meaning that overall $35,000 was removed from the pot.

Episode 3

Episode 3
Original airdate: June 28, 2024 Location: Forest City
Mission	Money earned	Possible earnings
Quiz 2 & Elimination
Heist Mission	$5,000	$20,000
Fortune Mission	$45,000	$50,000
Current Pot	$60,000	$120,000
Advantages earned
Michael	Exemption for Quiz 3 (earned in the Fortune Mission)
Elimination
Andy	2nd player eliminated

Heist Mission

Contestants travel in two cars, which form their group for the assignment, to an apartment complex in Forest City. Along the way, each group must select one member who is "most capable of performing under pressure" to be their group leader.

Upon arrival, it is announced that each group has one hour to complete a "heist" by entering a specific apartment unit, unlocking a safe, and stealing the jewellery inside. For each group that successfully opens their safe and steals the jewellery, $10,000 is added to the pot.

To do so, each group leader must rappel down the side of the building to identify their group's designated apartment, distinguished with a red chair on the balcony. After finding the apartment, they must enter through the balcony and open the front door for their remaining group members to enter with a bag of supplies. Afterwards, each group must search their apartment for a safe, and determine the combination to unlock it and steal the jewellery inside. To determine the code, groups must figure out that they must input batteries from the apartment into the UV flashlight in their supply bag, then use the UV flashlight to find two two-digit numbers on household items which illuminate when shone upon. These numbers form the four-digit code to the safe, and teams only have three attempts to input the correct code. Inside each apartment is also a clue which groups can open at the cost of $5,000.

One group opened their safe within the time limit, however one clue was also opened, meaning that in total $5,000 was earned for the pot.

Fortune Mission

Each contestant chooses one fortune cookie at random. Five fortune cookies contain slips worth varying amounts of money ($50,000 in total) while the other five contain an exemption slip.

Each round, the group must discuss and vote out one contestant, eliminating them from the mission. This process repeats until only five contestants remain. Each contestant who was not voted out then reveals the contents of their fortune cookie. If their fortune cookie contains money, the money is added to the pot. However, if the cookie contains an Exemption, that contestant receives an Exemption for the upcoming quiz.

Hannah, Michael, Neesh, Quaylyn and Tony remained by the end of the mission. It was revealed that Michael had an Exemption, earning it for himself for the next quiz, while the other four contestants had fortune cookies containing money, with a combined value of $45,000 which was added to the pot.

Episode 4

Episode 4
Original airdate: June 28, 2024 Location: Kuala Lumpur
Mission	Money earned	Possible earnings
Quiz 3 & Elimination
Movie Night Mission	−$40,000	$25,000
Gala Mission	$10,000	$30,000
Current Pot	$30,000	$175,000
Elimination
Melissa	3rd player eliminated

Movie Night Mission

Before the season began, each contestant competed a casting interview talking about their strategy if they were selected as the Mole. Each contestant is privately given the chance to watch another contestant's interview, at the cost of $5,000 from the pot. If all contestants decline the option to view an interview, the group earns $25,000 for the pot.

Eight contestants viewed an interview, meaning $40,000 was deducted from the pot.

Gala Mission

As waitstaff, the group attend a gala at the Petronas Twin Towers where three out of sixty guests have gifted a cash donation of $10,000 each, while the remaining guests brought other gifts. The group have one hour to determine which three guests brought the cash to earn the money for the pot. To do so, the group must select four members to be at the back of house and five members to attend to guests at front of house during the mission.

The contestants at the back of house are given photos of each guest, their table number, access to their belongings in the cloakroom, and RSVP cards containing guests' dietary requirements/preferences and gift/donation of choice. The contestants at the front of house must serve food and beverages to the guests to determine which guests do not match the dietary requirements/preferences of those who brought cash (red wine and vegetable dumplings) and communicate the information to the back of house team so they can eliminate the incorrect guests. Additionally, the front of house team can identify guests' cloak tag numbers for the back of house team to match with their belongings in the cloakroom. Each guest's belongings hints at their occupation, and it was revealed that the group are looking for an artist, a doctor and a pilot who brought the cash donations. For each guest who brought a cash donation correctly identified by the team at the back of house, $10,000 is added to the pot.

One guest was correctly identified, meaning $10,000 was earned for the pot.

Episode 5

Episode 5
Original airdate: June 28, 2024 Location: Port Klang
Mission	Money earned	Possible earnings
Quiz 4 & Elimination
Money Shipping Mission	$19,500	$100,000
Advantage Auction Mission	−$49,500	$15,000
Current Pot	$0	$290,000
Advantages earned
Neesh	Exemption for Quiz 5 (earned in the Advantage Auction Mission)
Elimination
Tony	4th player eliminated

Money Shipping Mission

Contestants have 60 minutes to search the North West Shipping Depot for U.S. shipping containers containing boxes worth varying amounts of money inside, which add up $50,000 in total. They must load the boxes into one of three trucks, each labelled with the name of a contestant. However, only boxes loaded into the correct truck - the one labelled with the contestant most selected as the Mole during the previous quiz - add money to the pot. Additionally, inside one shipping container is a "Doubler" box which doubles the earnings of the truck it's loaded in, if that truck is correct.

After the mission, it was revealed that Michael was most selected as the Mole during the last quiz, adding the $19,500 from his truck into the pot.

Advantage Auction Mission

Contestants take part in an auction, bidding money from the pot, for three advantages: (1) 15 minutes to read another contestant's dossier, (2) a Correction for in the next quiz, and (3) an Exemption. Each contestant may only bid for one advantage, with the highest bidder claiming the item. For each advantage not bid for, $5,000 is added to the pot.

The first two advantages were not bid for. Neesh bid $59,500 (the entire pot at the time, including the $10,000 earned from the first two advantages) for the Exemption, claiming it for himself, and meaning that overall $49,500 was removed from the pot for the assignment.

Episode 6

Episode 6
Original airdate: July 5, 2024 Location: Gopeng
Mission	Money earned	Possible earnings
Quiz 5 & Elimination
Re-Entry Mission	$20,000	$20,000
Cave Raid Mission	$20,000	$40,000
Current Pot	$40,000	$350,000
Elimination
Quaylyn	5th player eliminated (subsequently won re-entry into the game)

Re-Entry Mission

Following his elimination after Quiz 5, each contestant is given the chance to individually vote on whether they want Quaylyn return to the game or not, with $20,000 on offer if Quaylyn returns to the game. Unbeknownst to the contestants, Quaylyn's potential return would not be decided by a majority vote. Instead, after the votes are cast, it is announced that Quaylyn has five minutes to guess how many contestants voted for him to return, and how many did not. If Quaylyn guesses correctly, he returns to the game and adds $20,000 to the pot; otherwise, he remains eliminated and no money is earned.

Quaylyn correctly guessed that three out of seven contestants voted for him to return, which awarded him a place back in the game and added $20,000 to the pot.

Cave Raid Mission

Contestants divide themselves into a "River" and "Rope" group for the mission. Each group has 60 minutes to navigate through their assigned cave system (a confined cave along an underwater river, or a steep descending cave) to reach a chamber at the end which contains three fake idols and one idol worth $20,000. Along each cave are three "puzzle chambers" where groups have 90 seconds to solve the chamber's puzzle to earn receive a stone totem, which eliminates an incorrect idol from the final chamber. Upon reaching the final chamber, groups can use their totems to eliminate incorrect idols before choosing an idol to leave the cave with. For each group that leaves the cave with the correct idol, $20,000 is added to the pot.

Episode 7

Episode 7
Original airdate: July 5, 2024 Location: Ipoh and Papan
Mission	Money earned	Possible earnings
Quiz 6 & Elimination
Money Bomb Mission	$10,000	$30,000
Negotiation Mission	$0	$50,000
Current Pot	$50,000	$430,000
Elimination
Quaylyn	5th player eliminated

Money Bomb Mission

Contestants divide themselves into three groups for the mission, with group team responsible for defusing one of three bombs within 60 minutes.

First, groups must figure out how to measure exactly six kilograms (13 lb) of tin and place it on a scale to open the bomb's detonator. To measure six kilograms, groups are given a conversion chart between various measurement units, a 6-litre (1.6 US gal) and 9-litre (2.4 US gal) jug of water, and a balance scale. Each group can also choose to open a clue for this part of the mission at the cost of $5,000 from their earnings.

After opening the bomb's detonator, each group must cut one of two colored wires in their detonator, only one of which defuses the bomb when cut. Each group's wire they must cut is a different color, and teams must the walkie-talkies inside the detonator to communicate with each other and figure out their correct wires. For each bomb diffused, $10,000 is added to the pot.

One group successfully defused their bomb, meaning $10,000 was added to the pot.

Negotiation Mission

Contestants travel in two cars, which form their group for the mission, to the town of Papan. There, each group must select their "best negotiator" for the mission. Each negotiator is given the dilemma of selecting $50,000 for the pot or Exemptions for their entire group for the next quiz. If both negotiators select the $50,000, the money is added to the pot. If one negotiator selects the $50,000 and the other selects the Exemption, no money is earned and the negotiator who selected the Exemptions wins them for their group. Before making their decision, the negotiators are given time to discuss with each other, as well as with their respective groups.

Both group's negotiators, Muna and Sean, selected the Exemptions. Therefore, no money was added to the pot and the Exemptions were not earned for either group.

Episode 8

Episode 8
Original airdate: July 5, 2024 Location: Penang
Mission	Money earned	Possible earnings
Quiz 7 & Elimination
Search and Rescue Mission	$35,000	$50,000
Item Basket Mission	TBA	$20,000
Current Pot	$85,000	$500,000
Elimination
Neesh	6th player eliminated

Search and Rescue Mission

Early in the morning, Deanna and Ryan were randomly selected and were taken from their hotel room to an unknown destination, a temple on a jetty, where they are chained to the floor. During breakfast, it is announced to the rest of the group that they must find and free Deanna and Ryan within two hours to earn up to $50,000 for the pot.

The group are given a phone and a map marked with several potential locations around Penang. They can use the phone to make 15-second phone calls to Deanna and Ryan and the cost of $5,000 from any winnings per call. Upon reaching the gate of the jetty leading to the temple, the group find a sign instructing them to collect keys to unlock the gate and the temple doors from a nearby address. If the group manage to unlock the temple doors and free Deanna and Ryan, up to $50,000 is added to the pot, depending on the number of phone calls made.

During the mission, Deanna and Ryan must use items within reach to collect a distant set of keys to unlock themselves from the chain, while also answering any phone calls from the rest of the group to provide them with information.

The group successfully released Deanna and Ryan in time, but made three phone calls during the mission, meaning that $35,000 was earned for the pot.

Item Basket Mission

The group must select one player to join host Ari Shapiro for a special lunch; they selected Hannah. There, Hannah is presented with five steamer baskets arranged by the Mole, each containing a specific item: (1) $1,000 for the pot, (2) $20,000 for the pot, (3) a Correction, (4) an Exemption, and (5) a "game over." Hannah is given the chance to open baskets one at a time. She can either end the mission and keep the contents of the opened basket, or reject it and open another basket instead. However, if she opens the "game over" basket, the mission automatically ends and all items are forfeited. During the mission, host Ari Shapiro also presents potentially misleading statements from the Mole about the contents of certain baskets.

Notes