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THE PLAYERS
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"The Mole" debuts Jan. 9 and, like CBS' "Survivor,"
hopes to catch the public's imagination.
In the show - hosted by ex-ABC News correspondent Anderson Cooper - 10 players will be put through a series of
physical and psychological tests each week.
At the end of each one-hour episode, the group will be quizzed about who they think is the mole - with the person
who knows the least about the mole booted off the show.
In the final episode, the mole will be revealed - and the one remaining contestant will win up to $1 million.
The show was shot in 34 cities across four countries.
Here are thumbnail sketches of the 10 "Mole" contestants:
Afi,
23, a medical school applicant from Colorado. She has an ankle tattoo of a lion, a naval bar and a pierced nose.
She describes her best physical feature as "my smile. Friends say I should do toothpaste commercials."
Her bad habits include playing with her feet and "nasty gas." She had open heart surgery as a child,
which she says gave her a strong desire to live life to its fullest.
Charlie,
63, retired from the NYPD after 34 years on the force, including executive officer of the Detective Bureau. He's
been married for 38 years, sports a shamrock tattoo, and describes himself as "intelligent, outgoing and athletic."
He lists his favorite type of music as classical and Irish, says he had a shamrock tattoo "just like my wife
and kids."
Henry,
23, is a Florida bartender who is very spiritual. He describes himself as "just plain cool." He deals
with stress by going to the gym and his essential bring-alongs would include a bible, a net, a compass and lots
of comfortable clothes.
Jennifer,
35, from California and is a field communications manager. She is nicknamed "Crash" and "Snorks,"
snowboards in her spare time and she's apparently quite good. She says she has a stack of medals on her wall, but
"mostly I do it for fun." She has a pierced bellybutton and a dolphin tattoo "below my bikini line."
Jim,
29, is the gay helicopter pilot from Jersey who's also a lawyer. He describes "coming out" to his friends
and family as his life-altering event. He lists his worst quality as arrogance.
Kate,
55, a real estate investor is from Ohio. She has two kids and two grandkids and flies planes in her spare time.
The former Senior Class President says she conquered her fear of flying while in the Amazon.
Kathryn,
28, a law school lecturer from Illinois. She finished second in her law school class, and describes herself as
a "by the book kind of girl," adding that being on the show is "a bit off the beaten path for me."
She says she's a good liar... which she proved by allowing her friends the think she had joined the CIA while she
was on the show.
Manuel,
42, from California, works as an events coordinator. He describes himself as impatient. He lists Oprah Winfrey
as his inspiration, helped rescue a boxing club in the projects that went on to produce two world champion fighters.He
likes to box in his spare time.
Steven,
30, an undercover cop from Colorado. He says his wife's "bitching" drives him crazy, and that he "feels
fine" about leaving her for a month. He's also got a three-legged cat named Stumpie. He likes classic rock,
jogging, weightlifting, fly fishing and shooting guns.
Wendi,
29, is a visual display artist from Iowa. She describes herself as an '80s child. She has six ear piercings and
a belly ring. If she won the money, she says she would finish college, buy an SUV and get a boob job.
Aside from being multi-cultural (both Afi and Henry are African-American, Manuel is Latino), the cast is not made
up of the beautiful people one might expect from primetime fare. The show was shot on two continents, in four countries
and 34 cities over 28 days. For every hour of tape that will air, there were approximately 100 hours shot of footage.
Anderson Cooper, a former ABC News correspondent, will host the series, which is slated to debut
Tuesday Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. |
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