Jon Kelley's Bog For Episode 1:
Episode 1 - Welcome to The Mole ... Blog
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Mole ... Blog."
Oh, by the way, my name is Jon Kelley. Great meeting all of you, live and
in living color, via the World Wide Web. From what I’m reading on these
message boards, there’s a long list of you seriously juiced up for this
show’s return. It’s been 4 long years - 'bout time we got the magic and
green kool-aid flowing again.
I’m a blog fanatic and I can tell by these message boards that fans are
amped. "Mole-a-holics"... getting "Mole-a-fied"… feeling "Mole-liscious"...
just a few of the new phrases I’ve picked up around the blogosphere.
One of my all-time favorite comments so far? That Anderson Cooper and I
actually resemble each other! No joke. One guy even wrote that we must be,
"brothers from another mother." That is CLASSIC! For those of you who
might get us mixed up, I’ll help you out with a little hint: if you look
very closely, I have a small freckle under my right eye. He doesn’t. So as
long as you stay aware of that, you should be good. Oh, and I’m black.
For the record, I, like many of you, thoroughly enjoyed watching Anderson Cooper
lead the way through season’s 1 & 2. He’s smart, funny, talented and I dig his style.
Cooper no question was an important thread and a solid part of the show’s appeal.
Knowing he held the reigns to this hosting position before I did, made this role even more appealing.
So where do I start? How about Los Angeles? Los Angeles, Chile, that is.
It’s a small, rural town that served as the site of our first mission. As
soon as we rolled up to our hotel, it reminded me of my old summer camp from
back in the day: Camp Kataki. Camp Kataki on steroids
... especially the mosquitos. At least this time I didn’t have to share a
bunk bed w/ little Teddy Williams. Nice enough kid, but damn, he could not
control his bladder. Don’t worry, I rocked the bunk up top -
My first few days were spent settling in … bouncing around getting
acquainted with the virtual army of Team Mole. It’s a force… a movement
that gives off the vibe and hum of a well-oiled television machine. The
stories, the heartfelt camaraderie, enthusiasm and pleasure of reuniting for
another season … I hadn’t even shot the first episode, and I was already
feeling the fever.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner were usually a trip. Beat up little local
joints, tables full of Mole warriors, great conversation, a menu I really
couldn’t read, soccer on all the television monitors around the room. Since
my Spanish is muy limited, I’d stick to the only word I recognize on the
menu: Pollo. Using some weak mime moves, I’d show our server how I’d like
it grilled. Somehow it worked. Eventually, I figured out, "Pollo ala
plancha" was my go to, money phrase in Chile. Also a huge hit in Chile ...
instant coffee. Thought that was discontinued back in the 70’s - who knew?
Well, fast forward to 2008 and prepare yourselves for a premiere that will
reach out of your plasma, grab you by the collar and snatch you inside for
the ride of your life. The show comes strong right out of the box. Our Exec
Producers and entire Mole team are going above and beyond to create nothing
short of memorable television. In the colorful words of EP, Clay Newbill,
"It’s The Bionic Mole. Bigger… faster… stronger… better than ever!" Steve
Austin, eat your heart out.
Remember: trust no one. Gonna be a lot of of dirty games, underhanded
moves, deceit and betrayals. After all, we do have a killer mix of
personality types. I can tell this is going to be one wild, exciting,
dynamic run.
I have no idea who The Mole is ... to this day. So, let the game... and the games begin.