Hi guys!
Time for an update, an X-mas special on the Mole with interviews.
I expect this will be the last one before the series starts on January 5th 2012. So if you want to pick your preliminary Mole-suspect: Now is the time to do so!!
Just two more weeks guys!!
Interview 1:http://www.youtube.com/v/CpkhfjHH-eI Interview 2:Anne-Marie Jung (35 yo, actress).Were you watching the show before you participated?I saw every season, especially since some of my friends participated in it before.
I think it's the best show on Dutch tv. When they asked if I'd be interested, I jumped for joy.
I did find it hard not to tell anybody though.
What did you tell your friends and family about participating?I said I needed a break after my last show, and was going to a friend in Berlin.
Everybody thought that was plausible.
Which of your personalitytraits came in handy?My fierceness, my enthousiasm and judgement of human nature.
What was the hardest part for you?The strong wind on Iceland. It drove me nuts, really it made me desperate.
I can handle a thing or two but this was really heavy. You get all exhausted and chilled to the bone, when you need to be paying attention all the time. That wasn't easy.
Why would you be a good Mole?I seem like a fun and funny person to people, which make people less suspicious of me.
I'm not mysterious.
Are you a good liar?Yes. I'm an actress remember..
Dio (23yo, rapper)Why did you participate?I think 'Wie is de Mol?' is one of the best shows. When I was asked I didn't hesitate for a second. It's like a fieldtrip for adults.
What did you tell your friends and family about participating?I said I was going to go to Surinam for filming a pilot episode of a travelshow I was potentially going to host. During the Mole I sometimes thought: I wish I really was in Surinam now! The cold was definitely the hardest part of the whole game.
What was your strategy?I created an alter ego. I'm quite talkative by nature but during the Mole I acted mysteriously. Friends and family probably won't recognize me, they'll get to see another Dio.
What would make you a good Mole?In everyday life I try to lie as little as possible, but I'm a fairly good liar.
Also I am quite sociable, so people feel at ease with me quickly and give me information. I'm also good at sabotaging.
How did you experience the Mole?As a lifetime-experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but only if it's in a warmer country.
Frits Huffnagel (43, politician).What did you think of Iceland?It was a disappointment. I've been watching the Mole for years and it's always in remote, exotic locations with beautiful cultures. Finally I got to go and we go to Iceland, well..
It does make this season stand out more from the other 11 series.
Was it hard?Yes, it was very heavy, all that hardship. I'm not surprised they filmed Nova Zembla in Iceland.
What was your strategy?Winning by eliminating others.
What would make you a good Mole?In politics I met somany people that aren't telling the thruth that all I had to do was copy that. I do however think I'm the first contestant ever that didn't lie.
That's not even possible is it?That's why it's called 'Nothing is what it seems' (Niets is wat het lijkt). Hans Wiegel (famous politician) taught me you shouldn't lie, just don't give more information than is being asked.
So thanks to him I am now such a good contestant on the Mole.
What did you tell your family and friends about participating?I just told them I was going away, nobody asked any questions.
Hadewych Minis (33yo, actress)Why did you participate?It's an enormous adventure. Also I was very curious about how I would be/act in such a group. Psychologically it has quite an impact: You arrive in a country, you have no idea what will happen next. I loved just surrendering to that, since I am normally somewhat of a controlfreak.
What did you tell friends and family?I said I was going to Argentina to write music. Lots of friends gave me books and wellmeaning advice, to help me. I kept up the act the whole time.
What would make you a good Mole?Sometimes I notice I have two faces. Due to my low voice and fierce look in my eyes I don't tend to come across as a sweet girl which I actually really am. That always bothers me a bit. I almost feel inclined to prove to people that I really am a nice person. In the Mole it actually works in your favor that people have a hard time pegging you.
Have you gotten to know yourself better?I have a more positive image of myself. I discovered that I can be extremely focussed and I have more guts than I thought I did.
Liesbeth Staats (38, newsanchor/journalist).How did you prepare yourself?I'm a huge Molefan, so I knew the show already. Also two friends of mine participated before, one as the mole and one as a contestant, so they gave me a lot of valuable information. They warned me that the game is going on constantly and that you need to be on full alert the whole time. Still, I underestimated that, I didn't know it would be so heavy psychologically.
Which personality traits came in handy?I'm a good observer, and as a journalist it's my job to ask the right questions. I took a lot of notes in my Mole-diary.
What would make you a good Mole?I'm not a very open person, especially when you're just getting to know me.
Have you found out new things about yourself?I notied that it was a benefit that I have two young kids. I can do well even with little sleep, which was something other contestants had a lot of problems with. Also it didn't bother me that at the time it was only dark for 4 hours per day when we were there.
Maarten van der Weijden (30yo, former Olympic champion swimmer)Why did you partipate?I'm a big Mole-fan, I think it's a great show. I especially love the unexpected things that happen, and the fact that it's a strategic game. They asked me last year but I wasn't able to make it. Fortunately I was given a second chance because I really wanted to experience it all for myself.
What did you tell your friends and family?I truthfully told my girlfriend and my boss that I was going to be on the Mole.
My boss got very excited about it. I told other people I was going to do something for the media, I think some people suspected it might be about the Mole.
What was your strategy?I started the Mole thinking I wanted to remain in it as long as possible.
That's why I chose to hedge my bets/ spread my answers as long as possible, and not to focuss on just one person. Not to get tunnelvision, just to keep neutral.
What would make you a good Mole?People tend to trust me quite quickly which makes it easy for me to befriend everyone.
I'm a bad liar though so that would make me a bad Mole.
Marion Pauw (38yo, writer of thrillers).Why did you participate?Contrary to most contestants I'm not someone who watches the show. I did say yes though because it sounded very exciting and adventurous. In preparation for it I did watch several of the older series of the Mole obviously.
What was your strategy?I just went in it blank, thinking: We'll see what happens.
How did you experience it?I thought it was quite heavy. The Mole is a mindgame that just keeps on going and going non-stop. You're thinking and observing people all the time, not just during challenges but also during dinner or when you're brushing your teeth before bed. At some point I got tired of my own thoughts. So that, combined with lack of sleep, that made it very hard.
What would make you a good Mole?I'm very friendly and sociable but I do my own thing meanwhile.
I don't need to be a part of everything necessarily.'
Why should people watch the show?Iceland is quite spectacular, and the circumstances made it quite special.
Besides it's a really fun group of people. Tim Kamps and Frits Huffnagel are hilarious. There's a lot of fun and entertainment in this series.
Marit van Bohemen (39yo, actress, tvhost).How did you prepare yourself?I studied the other contestants carefully. I even contemplated finding out their phonenumbers to call them and question them anonymously, but I thought that was a bit too much.
What was your strategy?Reading between the lines. There are always moments that people drop their mask,their act. Like just after a test/execution for example.
Which personality traits came in handy?The fact that I am good at observing people. I can get along with a lot of people which also helped. People tend to trust me quickly.
How do you look back on partipating?It was a once in a lifetime, heavy adventure. It was a lot harder than I had expected.
Iceland in itself is beautiful but man it's cold! Besides you have to keep up your act all the time, and the challenges are quite demanding too.
What did you think was the hardest part?Missing my family. I have a 3,5 yo daughter. I'd been away from her for 2 nights once and thought it would be ok to be away a bit longer. Well, I'm never doing that again. Right after the Mole I booked us a holiday to the Algarve (Portugal), for all three of us.
Tim Kamps (34yo, comedian)What did you think of Iceland?Very cold and not very great. There's so little that grows there. It's more or less the same in Norway but there you at least have some trees. In Iceland you rarely saw any of that. It's like a moon landscape. I'd hoped we'd go to a sunny country.
Did you bring warm clothes?Yes they told you which temperatures to prepare for.
What did you tell friends and family?I told them I was going on a holiday with my dad. My dad was just on a holiday at the time so that came in handy.
Are you a good liar?Yes.
Who did you confide into?Arjen Lubach (other comedian with whom he forms a duo, and former contestant) and my brother.
What would make you a good Mole?Perhaps the fact that people don't expect me to be. I'm also good at playing myself, I think that's very important.
Playing yourself??
Yes. Playing like you are yourself.
What was your strategy?I didn't really have one. I'm good at improvising though.
William Spaaij (28, actor in musicals).Why did you participate?I think the Mole is definitely and by far the best show on Dutch tv. It's really exciting and it looks great. So if you're called and asked if you want to be on it, you'd be a loser to turn it down.
How did you prepare yourself for it?I re-watched a couple of old seasons and asked a few ex-contestants for some tips and advice but I'm keeping it a secret what they told me. They were essential though, without them I wouldn't have won the show haha.
What was your strategy?I'm an actor so I am used to playing roles. I did that on the Mole a little bit too. I took on different personalities, to confuse people all the time, and drive them crazy. I might look very friendly but I was acting like a bit of a ' jerk' on the Mole.
Which personality traits came in handy?My fanaticism. I'm extremely fanatical and as an actor, I am a good liar.
What did you think of Iceland?The first few days were like hell. The wind made it incredibly cold. Apart from that it's a beautiful country, vast and empty but also quite diverse. There are mountains, waterfalls, geothermic spa's .. That's what makes this series so special, it looks amazing.
Also:
One bit of info on the opening/ first challenge:
Ten contestants are all dropped separately in different places with their luggage.
They get a picture and need to find their location.