Celebrity Mole: Hawaii
Published: February 3, 2003
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
What do you get when you take a group of celebrities to Hawaii, give them tasks to complete for money and hire one as an imposter to sabotage their efforts?
You get “Celebrity Mole: Hawaii.”
Problem: the celebrities.
Who are they? Where did the producers find them, out on the streets looking for a job?
Out of the eight celebrities – seven players and the host – I recognized three.
Comedienne Kathy Griffin I recognized from an old “Seinfeld” episode, but I doubt I would have remembered her name.
Erik von Detten is a Disney Channel star and was in “The Princess Diaries.”
And host Ahmad Rashad? I vaguely recognize his name. He was a football player, right?
So if this show is supposed to comprise celebrities, why not have Kobe Bryant host and get Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow or Anna Kournikova to play? I’m willing to bet more men would tune in to watch Anna try surfing in a bikini.
I am guessing that true media heavyweights probably have better things to do with their time than be on a television show where they have to make up their own lines (or be themselves, whichever is easier).
Then there’s the attitude problem. I have never tried to surf before, but it can’t be that hard. If Victoria’s Secret model Frederique, Miss I’m-Dutch-so-I-don’t-understand-anything, can stay on her board for five seconds after less than 15 minutes, why did Kathy give up so easily? (She fell off her board while sitting on it before they’d even started the clock.)
And then there’s Sir Erik the Gung-ho who thinks that because he is young and cute, he can do everything. While Erik may be a decent surfer, until he is pro he should probably lay off the bradding. (He claimed he could stay on his board for one minute, but then was talked down to 20 seconds. He couldn’t even do that.)
Out of the three celebrities left, I think Erik von Detten is the mole. He knew the answers in the math game and was pretty quick in a multiple choice round of trivia. And the way he couldn’t stay on his board for 20 seconds? That looks like sabotage to me.
Of course, if he was the mole he wouldn’t have needed the final exemption. Most likely that was just to keep up appearances. I guess we’ll find out in this week’s final episode.
As for the celebrity who discovers the mole’s identity and wins the money – who really cares? Don’t they already have enough?