Episode 1- Recap
By now you've all had a chance to take in episode 1 of The Mole's rebirth. I loved every minute of it.
Why wouldn't I? I had the pleasure of saying hello to our 12 players and then sending them over a spectacular 100-foot waterfall. They did alright for rookies. What you couldn't see was how crazy cold it was and how the mist off the waterfall made us swear it was on the verge of turning to snow. Along with the brawn, we of course tested the players' brains in the Crusoe mission.
No doubt: this was a completely different gig than anything I'd had before. The added bonus was -- just like the players -- I was challenged every step of the way. Taking it all in, making adjustments on the fly, feeling my way through the early missions ... I was energized because I was evolving and forced to produce a different kind of television than I was used to... The Mole way. Episode 1 had me all juiced up for 2, 3, 4 and beyond because I could feel I was starting to find a rhythm and a flow in a whole new game. For me personally, this made the ride even more fulfilling.
Sweet Marcie was the first to feel The Mole's wrath being sent off in the Black Execution mobile (that became my official title for our SUV). It's too bad ... would've liked to see her stick around to enjoy the ride. What you didn't see behind the scenes was how the very first execution really went down. New technology. So new, in fact, we didn't really get a test run... so you know what that means...technical problems. Every so often, the screen would freeze mid-frame -- which had the players frozen at the edge of their seats. It definitely helped amp the tension.
Add that to a local dog who, almost on cue, would manage to wander into the shot every time we started rolling cameras. And once we got Fido out of the picture, 3 dudes fresh out of a nightclub, cross-eyed drunk strolled into our set in the middle of shooting, asking for cigarettes. Our drama-filled execution was becoming more comical by the second. We told them no -- about 5 times, I believe they cussed at us in Spanish and finally rolled out. It's a little after 4 a.m. at this point, so we are racing to beat the sun coming up. Daytime execution just doesn't have the same effect.
After the intoxicated, nicotine craving triple threat was done, we learned that 4:15 a.m. must be trash pick-up time in the city. You know that loud "beep beep" you hear when big trucks back up? That's what started ripping through the air as we tried to wrap. The players didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point. But we managed to chill the sanitation engineers for a minute, and finally finished up just before the sun poked up over the horizon. Crazy stuff. Couldn't make this up if I tried.
Before I wrap .... wanna say I appreciate everyone dropping in to my blog to say what's up. Gotta to send a quick hello to Jill S. who stopped in to leave me a sweet note after my first entry. Great to hear from you... put a giant smile on my face to hear you are watching. Tell your mom I said hello, and let Steve know we definitely need to hook up for a poker night over the holidays. He's very generous at cards ... I dig cleaning out all his chips.
One of the perks of hosting The Mole and doing this blog is I get to reconnect w/cool people like my girl Jill S. who I haven't seen for years. I appreciate all the killer feedback I've been getting ... looking forward to hanging w/ you all Mole season long.
Episode 1 was a blast and the stakes keep getting higher and higher. Blog to you soon.
