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Reality TVhas become a staple of culture. It is a highly bingeable drama with ‘everyday people’ brought on to compete for money, fame, or notoriety. This has led to shows likeSurvivor,The Amazing Race, andBig Brotherspanning decades and becoming worldwide phenomena with their spin-offs and an obsessive fanbase. One of these landmark reality TV shows that started in Belgium and became a hit worldwide wasDel Mol, better known in America asThe Mole.
The Molewould run for several seasons on ABC before being rebooted ontoNetflixin 2023, proving the staying power of the reality competition show that forces contestants to question each other’s motives while trying to win money. We will look at how the program made its way to the USA and how the recent Netflix reboot has proven thatThe Moleremains one of the coolest reality TV series 20+ years after its debut.
The Mole’s Original Run on ABC
WhileNetflix’s version of the reality competition showThe Molehas found a new fan base, the program originated elsewhere.The format came from the Belgian TV showDe Mol, which aired in 1998 and is still running. The Belgian show proved successful and was licensed to 40 countries, including Australia, France, and the United Kingdom. In 2018, Stanley Entertainment Productions, who were also behind the reality TV oddityThe Joe Schmo Show(2003), adaptedDel Molfor ABC. The production would stick close to the original format and proved successful, attracting 3.74 million viewers in its debut episode.
Across five seasons, The Mole would see three hosts, Anderson Cooper, Ahmad Rashad, and Jon Kelley, and host 50 contestants, including 20 celebrities for Seasons 3 and 4. Bringing contestants across the globe to participate in various challenges,the format saw 10 contestants competing for cash prizes by completing various tasks where they had to rely on each other. The amount would go into a pool, butone of the contestants secretly designated as “the Mole” would actively work to thwart those efforts for their own gain. At the end of each episode, contestants would vote on who they thought ‘The Mole’ was to stop the saboteur from future events, but those who were furthest off on their guess were eliminated.
Below, you can see the results of the original run of The Mole on ABC:
The Winner
Amount Won
Location(s)
The Mole: A Saboteur
July 28, 2025
Anderson Cooper
Kathryn Price
Steven Cowles
Jim Morrison
France Monaco Spain
The Mole: The Next Betrayal
June 20, 2025
Bill McDaniel
Dorothy Hui
Heather Campbell
Switzerland Italy
Celebrity Mole: Hawaii
July 30, 2025
Ahmad Rashad
Frederique van der Wal
Kathy Griffin
Erik von Detten
Celebrity Mole: Yucatán
August 25, 2025
Angie Everhart
Dennis Rodman
Mark Curry
The Mole 3.0
June 14, 2025
Jon Kelley
Craig Slike
Mark Lambrecht
Nicole Williams
Chile Argentina
The Mole’s Successful Return to Netflix
The Molewould return to Netflix in 2023after a several-year hiatus from ABC, keeping strictly to its predecessor’s format. The one major tweak is bringing in 12 contestants instead of 10. In addition, the available budget and the general advancement of the reality TV genre give the Netflix iteration a sharper visual direction.
The show was well-received, with audiences playing along, trying to figure out who ‘The Mole’ was while picking their favorites for winning;The Molewas a ‘breath of fresh air’for those growing tired of the romance-driven Netflix reality shows. Hosted by Alex Wagner and taking place in Australia, the show went for ten episodes and will remain spoiler-free here for those looking to catch up with the recent release of season 2.
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Season 2, now airing, brings 12 contestants to beautiful Malaysia to compete, with Ari Shapiro hosting. The Mole’s second season has placed it in Netflix’s top 10 and already has fans talking and playing along. While the announcement of a third season has yet to come, it is likely that if the second season performs just as well as the first, we will see a third announced shortly after. This is particularly true considering Netflix’s continued push to bring some of the most exciting reality TV shows to the streaming platform,likeThe Circle,Perfect Match,andLove is Blind, to name but a few.
Why The Mole Is Still One of the Coolest Reality TV Shows
As mentioned, the format has seen long-term success in various countries due to its addictive and competitive take on reality TV competition.The show perfectly melds drama, action, and mystery to create a highly addictive program. It also knows how to strike that balance of drama and competition without feeling too indulgent with either element, a feat other Netflix series have failed to capture (We’re looking at you,The Trust: A Game of Greed). Ultimately,The Molefound its footing in the early 2000s and has since only improved in quality on Netflix while staying true to the world-famous format.
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Netflix has also proven to make the most of those that appear in their reality TV shows; this included Dom Gabriel from Season 1 ofThe Molejoining the cast of The Perfect Matchfor both seasons of the show. This pipeline is true of every reality show under the Netflix banner, with many of their shows calling on the most memorable personalities to show up on different reality TV series. Still,this pipeline of contestant to celeb has given the series an edge over its predecessor.For fans of Netflix true crime originals, there is also a nice addition to the cast this 2024 season with internet sleuth Deanna Thompson ofDon’t F**k With Catsfame as a contestant.
Where to Watch The Mole
The first two seasons of Netflix’sThe Molecan be streamed on the platform now. Unfortunately, the original US run from 2001-2008 is not currently available to stream or rent, though you’re able to find full episodes on YouTube.
