Archive through January 04, 2003
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: Celebrity Mole I: Celeb Mole Cast: Archive through January 04, 2003

Micknrc

Tuesday, November 05, 2002 - 05:47 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Celebs in 'Mole' Role
By Josef Adalian

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - ABC has finished casting -- and shooting -- its celeb edition of "The Mole."

"Spin City" co-star Michael Boatman, "L.A. Law" vet Corbin Bernsen, "Living Single" regular Kim Coles and "Dinotopia" thesp Erik von Detten all signed on to participate in the six-week series, which is likely to bow in January.


They joined previously announced players Stephen Baldwin, Kathy Griffin and Frederique.


The show quietly wrapped production earlier this month following nearly two weeks of on-location production in Hawaii. Former NBA commentator Ahmad Rashad is replacing Anderson Cooper as host.


Exec producer Scott Stone said he and partner David Stanley had been worried about finding celebs to sign on to a show like "The Mole," which requires them to commit a significant chunk of time to production. But shooting in Hawaii -- as well as allowing celebs to bring along one friend or family member during the trip -- helped producers in the casting process.


What's more, the fact that there are no vote-offs in "The Mole" ensured no celebrity egos would be too seriously bruised in the making of the program.


"This is not a popularity contest," Stone said. "It's the thinking man's reality show. You're in or out of the game based on your own work playing the game."


Celebs came into the game with varying levels of knowledge about past seasons of "The Mole." While Griffin "knew more about the show than we did," Stanley said, others had to watch a batch of tapes before signing on.


Unlike the civilian version of "The Mole," celebs weren't sequestered during the hours they weren't participating in challenges or other forms of gameplay. As a result, the "loneliness factor" that affects non-celeb players didn't show up, Stanley said.


In addition, the 10-day production schedule meant cramming many elements of the show into a condensed timeframe.


That said, celebs still were put through the usual mix of mental and physical challenges that have come to be the show's trademarks. What's more, because all of the celebs are professional actors, the one person among the seven who's actually the Mole possesses playacting skills civilians might not possess.

"Even if they weren't the Mole, all the players were acting as if they were," Stone said. "Sometimes we ourselves forgot who the Mole was."

Both installments of "The Mole" have ranked among ABC's top programs in viewers 18-34. The second installment, which ran last summer, did particularly well considering it was on opposite Fox's "American Idol" juggernaut.


link to article

Okay, I only have one question--Who is 'Frederique'?

Fruitbat

Tuesday, November 05, 2002 - 06:01 am EditMoveDeleteIP
They use the word celebrity loosely. I have not a clue.

This sounds grim.

Weinermr

Tuesday, November 05, 2002 - 07:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Frederique is a model/actress/"celebrity".

Frederique

I agree Fruitbat.

Micknrc

Tuesday, November 05, 2002 - 09:28 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks, Weinermr. why am I not surprised you had that link to Supermodel.com at your fingertips?

I know all the rest of them, but agree there are a few clunkers (Coles and von Detten?) Kathy Griffin can be amusing and I know Boatman more from "Arliss" than spin city. I think Stephen Baldwin might be very funny. One of the few epis of fear factor I've ever watched was the celeb version he was on. He's fiercely competitive and seems to like doing this stuff for fun.

The upside is that even if it truly sucks, it'll only be 6 weeks and it might help to lift me out of the deep depression I'll be in when Survivor, TAR, and the Sopranos are all over in January.....

Grooch

Tuesday, November 05, 2002 - 09:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Kathy Griffin is the mole.

Car54

Tuesday, November 05, 2002 - 10:44 am EditMoveDeleteIP
No way- Kathy is too chatty..she would never be able to keep a secret for 6 weeks. She tells everything she knows.

I believe Frederique has semi-retired from modeling and has her own lingerie design business.

Jedisan

Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 10:48 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Frederique also dated Mark Messier for a long time, so we know she has GREAT taste in men!
Kim Coles is a nice pick - she is pretty funny as well.
I agree it should help pass some down time.

Neko

Monday, November 18, 2002 - 09:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh man, I'm going to watch just for Erik von Detten.

He's going to be the mole

Ruditoo

Monday, November 25, 2002 - 01:58 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Okay Grooch is that a spoiler or are you just guessing? Enquring minds want to know.

Sherbabe

Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 09:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I saw Kathy Griffin on the Caroline Rhea show this moring. She said something about her and Stephen Baldwin. I guess Balwin is quite competitive. Anybody else see this?

Wilsonatmd

Sunday, December 08, 2002 - 09:33 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I read something that says this is supposed to start 1/9 (Thursday).....probably at 9PM.

Wilsonatmd

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 09:34 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Scratch that...The Hollywood Reporter is now saying it will most likely air Wednesdays at 10pm (MD's the show in that slot, has been axed) starting in January.

Ryn

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 02:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Another freaking Wednesday night logjam - lol

Wilsonatmd

Saturday, December 14, 2002 - 06:20 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
not so much ryn.....Amazing Race is off until the end of Feburary....Celeb Mole and Bachelorette will start at the same time, and may finish at the same time (both shows are six eps I believe) so they are back to back (Mole follows Bachelorette), with not a lot of competition...execpt for a couple of AI2 specials (the results show will air at 8:30 Eastern, but the first week are two 90-minute specials from 8:30-10)

Seamonkey

Sunday, December 15, 2002 - 06:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Won't be a jam for me.. I won't be watching :)

Twinkie

Sunday, December 15, 2002 - 06:35 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sounds like a show I could definitely sleep thru.

Abby7

Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 06:44 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't think I'll be watching this show. However, I did read on Zap2it.com headlines (just now) that there was a fire at the studio. The fire damaged some tape of Celebrity Mole/Hawaii. They are not sure if this will delay the show but hope not. sorry, i don't know how to put that article here.

I hope this link will work http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html/?29360

Abby7

Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 07:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
hmmm...i wonder if the mole started the fire?

Deedee

Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 07:41 am EditMoveDeleteIP
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?29360


Along with the building itself, computers, editing equipment and film and videotape footage were damaged, according to a report by CBS' Los Angeles affiliate.

Among the damaged tapes was footage from "Celebrity Mole: Hawaii," a version of the ABC reality series scheduled to premiere Wednesday, Jan. 8. Stone Stanley Productions, which produces the show, has offices at the studio.

Car54

Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 08:04 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Is the Mole just doomed or what?

Deedee

Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 12:33 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It seems to be cursed.

Wilsonatmd

Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 09:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
well heres the situation from what I've read:

The first episode is safe, and it's done. The other eps were in editing, and a lot of footage tapes suffered water damage...about a third of the tapes were completely waterlogged, and may not be salvageable. The producers are working on them right now...but don't know what will happen yet. The series might have to be scrapped altogether if too much was destroyed.

Ryn

Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 04:46 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hard to believe they don't make BACKUPS of things like that ;)

Either way - show premires next Wed.

Kellee

Wednesday, January 01, 2003 - 11:46 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh and it was ET that corbin Bersen and Stephen Balwin came to pyschical blows during the taping which is something that has never happened with the non celebrity version...man these people are testy....*LOL*

Wilsonatmd

Saturday, January 04, 2003 - 01:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I haven't read anything that says they've had to abandon the series, so I assume the production company was able to salvage enough material to keep the series alive...It's been 2 weeks since the fire and nothing, so we should get the full six episodes...