Answer:
The Mole debuted 15 years ago today on ABC, and even a decade and a half later, it remains one of the best reality television shows.
Instead of survival in the wilderness, there was opulent living. The contestants stayed in gorgeous hotels and enjoyed comfortable accommodations and meals.
Its contestants competed in challenges to earn money, but one of the contestants was secretly working for the producers, trying to thwart the group’s efforts. Those challenges had physical components, but usually, they demanded thinking. The games toyed with the players, from tiny bubbles to burning bags.
As the players tried to figure out the identity of the mole, so could the audience, and while the alleged clues planted in the episodes were corny, that added a level of interactivity and made The Mole even more engaging.
Host Anderson Cooper was more of a casual presence than other competition hosts, eating dinner with the contestants and joking with them. The players developed friendships that, of course, had the potential of being challenged.
It was entertainment with wit and depth and plenty of excitement.
