Customer Reviews

The Mole - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE MOLE was one of the best reality shows on TV.

Hosted by Anderson Cooper (before he became a CNN anchor), the premise was a group of contestants, trying to earn money while one of them was a "mole" trying to sabotage each mission. At the end of each episode, the contestants would take a quiz about who they thought was the mole. Whoever had the least questions answered correctly was eliminated.

It was a great show. It is a reality show that even those who hate reality shows will enjoy. And Anderson Cooper was far and away the best reality show host.

The only problem was it was probably too intelligent for most viewers. If you miss an episode, or even a few minutes of one, it was tough to keep up. Now, that it is on DVD, you don't have that problem. You can watch it all whenever you want.

The DVD is terrific. Three DVDs of all the episodes. Plus, five deleted scenes, audition tapes of the entire cast, and additional interviews with the eliminated contestants.

All this for under $20. A great deal.

I hope that enough people buy it so that the second season is released on DVD, which was even better. There were four season in all. The first two with Anderson as host and then two "Celebrity Mole" seasons hosted by Ahmad Rashad, one of which is also on DVD. Celebrity isn't as good as the Anderson seasons, but is fun in its own way.

It's a shame "The Mole" never took off in the ratings because, along with "The Amazing Race", it's a cut above every other reality show out there. If ABC had hung in there with "The Mole" as CBS did with "The Amazing Race", things might have been different. However, both of the seasons with Anderson Cooper are gems. "The Mole" is truly engaging, intelligent television, and I'm convinced that the intelligent factor is what killed it. I highly recommend this dvd for anyone who isn't afraid to take their reality tv with a dose of travel, gorgeous locations and mystery, all in the company of a charming host. I love this show and hope this dvd sells well enough that we'll get season two also. The celebrity versions didn't cut it for me.

For die-hard fans of the show, this 3-disc set is a nice tight collection of this wonderful show's first season. Any reality show fan would also probably enjoy watching this show. A great facet of the DVD set is that it contains most of the elements of the original broadcasts, including what could be deemed unnecessary (the "coming up" clips and even the casting call for Mole 2) that serve to just add an air of completeness. The bonus features on the third disc include execution reactions, many of them with a sad tone but at least one that is truly wacky and bizarre, along with application tapes and interviews from each player. At only 15 bucks, it's a great buy also. I highly, highly recommend it

Most of the other reviews forcus on the show, so I decided to write a DVD for anyone wondering about the audio, video, and bonus features. (I agree with the other reviewers on the show - it is most definitely my favorite reality show of them all and is leaps and bounds above the others in maturity and intelligence.)

VIDEO - The video quality is great (much better than my old VHS tapes). Watching on my 20-inch flatscreen TV it looked very clear, like it was filmed today. The only time video isn't where it should be is when it is obvious a hidden camera was used; this never detracts from the show. For the most part, this looks great.

AUDIO - The audio is also very good quality, but is only presented in Dolby Stereo. Balance can also be an issue, as voices can be too loud and everything else is too soft. Again, this doesn't really detract from the show, but it is an issue.

EXTRAS - The extras really shine - here you have all 10 of the characters' audition tapes, including pre-show interviews. You really get to know the characters better and see what they are like out of the show. Next, there are 6 deleted scenes, which show the characters relaxing and being themselves; they are quite entertaining. Finally, you have the post-execution reactions. They last awhile and show you more in-depth how the executions affected the remaining characters.


All in all, this is a great DVD presentation of an excellent show.

The Mole is hands-down the classiest of all reality TV shows, and it's great to see the first season of this fantastic show issued on DVD. The game itself is brilliant, consisting of a group of individuals with a saboteur among them. The goal is to identify The Mole and complete various challenges, earning money for a group jackpot along the way. Of course the Mole is there to sabotage the challenges and to keep money from accumulating in the jackpot. The contestants take a quiz at the end of each round, based on their observations and who they feel the Mole is. Whoever answers the fewest questions correctly is "executed". This continues round by round until three players remain for the final round: the winner, the runner-up and The Mole. A major factor of the game is the trust level among the contestants, many of whom try to cast suspicion upon themselves in order to throw the other competitors off. The challenges are ingenious, the contestants are cool people who enjoy each other's company for the most part (you won't find any "I wouldn't give you water if you were dying in the desert" drama here, folks!) and Anderson Cooper is a class act as the host. What also elevates this show above the reality TV pack is that the contestants ultimately determine their own fate; they may build coalitions to share information as the game progresses, but their knowledge (or lack thereof) of who the Mole is determines whether they remain in the game or not (as opposed to the backstabbing and the duplicity of the "popularity contests" that are prevalent in virtually every other reality show). The Mole also features a standout musical score, which fits the show perfectly (see my review for The Mole soundtrack CD). Add to that the lush photography, picturesque locations, the "strangers in a strange land" element (language barriers, culture clashes, etc.) and the chance to guess along with the players and the end result is a fun, intriguing and sophisticated show that the whole family can enjoy. The entire season is here, and the extras (including deleted scenes, post-execution reactions and audition tapes and casting interviews) are great too. Unfortunately ABC-TV didn't realize what they had with The Mole, and their virtual lack of marketing and promotion of the show led to its demise, which is truly a shame. Hopefully another network will rediscover this show for the gem that it is, and we can all look forward to The Return of The Mole (and, dare we dream, the return of Anderson Cooper) sometime soon... I'm chomping at the bit to audition for it when it happens!

The Mole was one of the best and most interesting of all the reality shows - the premise was unique and it had the host with the most, the awesome Anderson Cooper, whose intelligence, wit and charm made this show stand out.

I loved this show when it came out. I am so excited for the DVD, this show is all about mystery and trying to figure out who is the mole... it really gets you thinking, and in the end it is sooo surprising. I wish they had more seasons of this show instead of Celebrity Mole Hawii...cause those people were at most c list stars, and it was only like 6 episodes...so i hope this was of help, everyone should by this DVD as soon as it is avaliabale...i am counting the days until it arrives at my house, and the price is amazing

The "civilian" version of the Mole blows away the Celebrity version. Why should I care about celebrities playing the Mole? It's so much better to watch people who are more like us. This is the best reality show in reality show history, in my opinion. Anderson Cooper is a great host, even better in season 2. His wit greatly compliments the happenings on the show, subtlely taunting the contestants and adding humor to the show. I only hope that Eagle Vision releases season 2 on DVD, too. I will certainly buy that.

I agree with the opinions posted by molefan and babyeyez, so I'll try to add something new. First off, take into mind that the first three reviewers (me included) are writing reviews about this DVD before it has even been released. We like the show that much. I've already pre-ordered it, and coming from a person who has only bought one other DVD in his life, I think that says a lot. Plus, I'm taking the time (probably too much for my own good) to write a good review so as to show you how underrated this show was. I mean, I don't want to blow it out of proportion and say its the greatest thing ever, but in my humble opinion, it ranks pretty high above descent. I think the first two seasons of The Mole haven't received the wide acceptance it should because it ran into simple bad luck. Don't quote me on this because it was a long time ago, but I read about how the show did not receive high ratings upon its first showing, but received much more attention as the reruns played during the summer that a Mole 2 was made. Then Celebrity Mole came out which abandoned the successful dynamic of the first two shows, and tarnished its good name. I think it actually took a good amount of effort to try to get this DVD out to the public. I tried searching for this DVD about a year ago, and found it wasn't available because the rights were sold to another network, and so a petition was circulated. I hope the Mole 2 also gets released, so if it doesn't, all you loyal fans out there, sign a petition! Okay, I'm starting to sound silly now, so I'll stop blabbering. Hope this review helps.

For me, The Mole will always be the greatest reality show of all time.
Even reality show haters will love this show.

This isn't for the average viewer who just likes to shut off their brain when watching tv. You got to see players be tested on their physical and mental abilities. The Mole was suspenseful and smart. You the viewer actually got to play along too. After every episode I wanted more.

The first two seasons were excellent and so was Anderson Cooper. The "celebrity" edition was ok, but I wouldn't recommend to anyone.

Definitely check out the seasons with Anderson Cooper.