2.10 - The Tenth Betrayal

As usual, we begin by hearing the players discussing their feelings in confessional. Dorothy is upset by the fact that there are only two women left in the game and is afraid that the challenges will be getting more physical and harder. Bill is unhappy because he is used to being in control and he is tired of not being in control. Heather feels the game has become one of observation and that is the only thing that will keep her in the game.
"That, and an Exemption," she says in frustration, "which would be really nice."

Bribs also thinks the game is changing. He says he has done the best he can to stay within his moral and ethical boundaries but now he isn't sure he can.
"You have five players" he says "and four of them are not the Mole. It's time to play."

It is day 31 of the game and the players are getting a day to rest and relax. They have travelled to Rome and are viewing the sites of the city. We see them throwing coins into the Trevi fountain and later everyone is getting henna tattoos. Al has a picture of his family and he holds it up everywhere they go so they can "see" it too.

Still, while everyone is trying to relax and have a good time, there is still a bit of tension in the air.
"We have five players." explains Al. "Four are not the Mole. Everyone is playing more conniving and deceitful than in the past."

Dorothy, at one point, comments that she misses having a Coalition partner because she liked having someone to bounce ideas off of. Bill says they are down to the point where everyone needs to be putting all of their quiz answers on one person.
"Obviously," he adds, "you had better be right."

After their day in Rome the players are once again riding in the van. Bribs is talking about how important Exemptions are now and Heather agrees, saying whoever gets one is a "lucky SOB". Bribs asks her if she would give up 80 thousand in order to get an Exemption and she says she would.

Bribs then suggests that it would be neat if whoever won did it without ever getting an Exemption. Heather likes that idea but Al doesn't, since he has received one previously. Bribs adjusts his sunglasses and settles back into his seat.
"Here's your Exemption offers and stick it!" he says.

The next day the players find themselves in the Italian town of L'Aquila just outside the Piazza Dumo, the town market. Anderson meets them and says he has a game for them that is worth 30 thousand and that he needs two people who like to shop.
Heather and Dorothy look at each other. "I think that's us." says Heather with a laugh.
"Really redefining gender roles, here." comments Anderson.

Anderson leads the two into the market and tells them they are about to have a 200,000 Lira shopping spree. He quickly adds that 200,000 Lira is about $100. He says they have one hour to buy ten items with the money and that they need to drive the hardest bargain they can. He hands them an Italian dictionary and leaves. The two women start going through the market, stopping at various tables to talk to the proprietors about their items.

Watching from outside, the others wonder what they are up to.
"We have to eat what they buy." guesses Bribs. "That would be nice."

Still in the market, Dorothy is getting uncomfortable. She says they are trying to get the best prices they can but that several of the shopkeepers are getting annoyed or even insulted at the prices they are offering. We see them talking to several annoyed dealers.

Continuing to just watch, the remaining players are still trying to guess what is going on.
"What are you doing, girls?" asks Al, talking to no one in particular. "What are you buying? Why are you buying it?"

Eventually Dorothy and Heather get their items and return to Anderson. He has them put the items on a table then sends them away and calls the other players over. He then explains what the rest of the game is. Al, Bill and Bribs now have to sell the items Dorothy and Heather bought and make a profit. If they can make even 200,001 Lira, then they will win 30 thousand for the pot. Fail and they get nothing. They have until the market closes at 1:00 pm to do so.

Now, it is Dorothy and Heather's turn to watch the others in the market. Al is confused about some of the items they had bought and Dorothy admits that if they had known what the other half of the game was then they might have bought different items. Heather seems to agree.
"I think we would have been better at selling." she tells Dorothy.
Bill and Bribs echo her remarks. "If one of the girls had been down here," says Bribs, "bam, bam, bam."
"I totally agree." says Bill.

The three are not doing well. They have so far managed to sell two of the cacti and the wire brush, for a total of 7,000 Lira.
"Only 193,000 Lira to go." quips Al as he puts the money into a box. "We're close."

Back outside the market, Dorothy and Heather start discussing the idea of forming a Coalition, especially when Heather says she would like to see two girls in the final round.
"You're not the Mole, right?" she asks Dorothy.
"I'm not." she assures her. "But convince me you're not."

Down in the market, Bribs is standing on a chair and waving a pair of pink pocketbooks. "Please buy this stuff!"

Heather struggles to convince Dorothy, who suggests that she could simply be a very sadistic Mole. Heather tells her that if her bible were there she would swear on it then swears on her engagement ring. Finally, Dorothy accepts her offer. Later, in an interview, she said what really let her decide to join with Heather is that Heather approached her about the Coalition first.

While they form their plans, the others in the market are growing desperate. Al tries to sell his New York Mets cap and Bill tries to sell his watch. Eventually Al and Bribs decide to sell their shoes, but Al makes a mistake and sells both pair when he thought he was only selling one.
"I couldn't even sell two pair of shoes for the right price." he moans.

Still desperate, Al tries to sell kisses for 2,000 Lira apiece but doesn't have any success. "This is embarrassing." he tells us.
Bribs has a different opinion. "If I was an Italian woman," he tells us, "you'd have to pay me to get a kiss from that man."
Eventually, Al gives up. "Times are rough when a guy can't even sell a kiss." he says.

Another customer approaches the table and Anderson tells us in a voice-over that this customer will test the player's integrity. The man is carrying a book and he sets it down on the table while looking at their items. He eventually buys something but when he picks up his book to leave several bills fall out of it. The man leaves, apparently without noticing.

Bribs and Al immediately spot the money and Al picks it up. Bribs points the man out and Al rushes after him and returns the money. The man is appropriately thankful and Al returns to the others. All three agree that the incident was probably part of the game, especially when Al says the book the man was carrying was Romeo and Juliet, the answer to an earlier game.

The three have little more luck and as the closing time of the market approaches Bribs stands on the table and tries to sell everything at once for 120,000 Lira. His efforts are unsuccessful and, as the town bell rings the time, Anderson appears.

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls," he says as he walks up, "it tolls for you." He counts the money they have taken in and finds they only have 96,000 Lira. "You clearly do not have a future in sales." he tells them. He says that since they failed they do not get the 30 thousand added to the pot. However, they did pass the Morality Test, and they will receive 10 thousand for that.

Everyone is frustrated and Al says that if there was any sabotage in the game then it had to be in the Buy part. Bill agrees, saying that some of the items they had he couldn't even have sold to his mother.

Meanwhile, Dorothy and Heather put the finishing touches on their Coalition.
"The key is to get one of them to fumble on the Quiz." says Heather.
"So," says Dorothy with a smile, "who do you want to knock out?"

The players next travel to Santo Stefano, a small hilltop village dominated by a 17th century lookout tower. Anderson tells them this will be the site of their next game and that it will be worth 50 thousand. This will be the Evader Game and it requires an Evader, a Tracker and three Lookouts.

Scattered throughout the town are nine "Moleprints" (The Mole fingerprint logo on what looked to be about 8x8 squares of paper). The goal of the Evader will be to get as many of these Moleprints as possible.

Opposing the Evader is the Tracker. The goal for the Tracker is to capture the Evader by finding him or her and pulling a green square of cloth from their backpack. The Tracker is aided by the lookouts, who are overlooking the village from the top of the watchtower. The lookouts can direct the Tracker by radio. However, the Tracker is not allowed to start after the Evader until the Evader is spotted by the lookouts.

If the Evader is able to get at least five Moleprints before they are captured then the Evader will receive an Exemption. If the Evader is prevented from getting the Moleprints then 50 thousand will be added to the pot.

We are told that before the game the players were asked which player other than themselves they would rather see win the game. Heather was selected and so she gets to be the Evader. Anderson leads her to her starting point and helps her get into her equipment (which includes microphones and helmet mounted cameras) and gives her a map of the village showing where the Moleprints are. He then tells her that she will have a secret advantage. She will also have a radio and will be able to listen in on the Lookouts and the Tracker.

Heather wants to win the game. "An Exemption would mean the world." she tells Anderson.

We are next told that the players were also asked which player they thought was least likely to be the Mole. This player will be the Tracker. This turns out to be Al, who is somewhat disappointed by his selection.
"Boy, I'm not fooling anybody in this game." he says, then pauses and adds "Or, maybe I'm fooling all of them and this might me easier than I thought."

Anderson also has a secret for Al. He tells him that if he is able to capture the Evader within 30 minutes, then he will win an Exemption.

Everyone is in position and the game starts. Heather begins moving through the village while the Lookouts watch for her. She says the game turns out to be a lot harder than she expected because the map was very hard to read and all of the Moleprints are within sight of the tower. (They are also weighted down with rocks; maybe the wind was blowing them away?) She does manage to get one Moleprint when Dorothy looks away but when she picks up the second one she is seen by Bribs.

Bill immediately gets on the radio and tells Al where they saw Heather. Al acknowledges him but for some reason remains standing where he was.

The Lookouts lose sight of Heather but they think they know where she was headed and Bill tells Al to head towards the tower. Al looks confused for a moment then radios back to him.
"Bill, who are you talking to?"
"Aren't you moving?" asks Bill in surprise.
"I am now!" says Al, breaking into a run for the tower.

Heather gets a third Moleprint but the Lookouts spot her and Al heads for her location. She is crossing a courtyard when Al bursts out behind her. Heather stops and covers her face with her hands and Al races up and snatches the cloth from her pack.

Al lets out a triumphant shout then suddenly realizes that Heather is still standing with her hands over her face. His expression immediately changes and he goes up to her.
"Are you all right?" he asks.
"No." she says, almost in tears. "I'm just so tired of this game. It's so hard."
"It's just a game." says Al, obviously shaken. "It's just a game."

Later, everyone is on the tower and Anderson tells them they have won the 50 thousand. Everyone is happy, except for Heather.
"I know you guys are happy." she tells them. "But I'm not."
"It's a hard game." says Al, trying to console her.

Anderson then asks Al to tell them what else happened with the game and Al tells them that he has won an Exemption by catching Heather within 30 minutes. Heather is even more upset upon hearing this. Dorothy comments that Al is happy for the Exemption because he is probably as confused as she is.

Anderson then makes an offer. If the players agree, he will let them run the game again. The 50 thousand they have already won is safe but he will give them a chance to win another 50 thousand and give Heather another chance to win an Exemption. The Tracker will not be eligible for an Exemption this time. The players will vote on if they want to run the game again and the majority decision will stand.

Heather immediately says she wants to try again. Dorothy then surprises her by voting against another game. Bribs and Bill both vote to run the game again.

Al hesitates and Anderson asks him what his vote is. Al asks why he has to vote since they already have a majority but Anderson says they need to know his vote. Al hesitates another moment then votes to run the game again.

Anderson says they need another player for the Tracker and Bill immediately nominates Bribs. He then explains in an interview that his whole career required that he be able to evaluate someone's capabilities and that he was sure Bribs could catch Heather.

As they are getting their gear on again, Heather says she has learned from the previous game and that she has a new strategy this time.

The start signal is given and everyone waits but Heather does not appear; it seems as if she is in hiding. For a long time nothing happens, until only 12 minutes are remaining.

We then see Heather carefully slip into view and take one of the thumbprints. Dorothy, who was watching that direction, doesn't see her but does notice that the thumbprint is missing. They know the approximate area she is in but since they haven't seen her they can't send Bribs after her.
"That sneaky little Texan..." says Bill.

With 9 minutes remaining Heather takes a second thumbprint but this time she is seen and the chase is on. She immediately ducks back out of sight and the watchers on the tower lose sight of her. Bribs continues towards the spot where she was last seen.

Al suggests that all of the watchers rotate to new positions. Dorothy tries to object but he insists and everyone changes stations. Bill says Al doesn't trust Dorothy and so wanted her looking in a different direction.

Heather manages to get four thumbprints, ducking back out of sight each time. At one point she hides in a doorway from Bribs and he misses her as he looks down an alley. Time is running out and she only needs one more thumbprint.

Knowing that a thumbprint was in a courtyard at the end of a street, Heather makes a run for it. The players on the tower see her and radio Bribs, who takes off at full speed towards her. Heather runs into the courtyard but Bribs bursts in from another street and literally runs into her. He snatches the cloth from her backpack and she throws up her hands in frustration.

Everyone on the tower watches in subdued silence. Both Al and Bill comment that they feel bad for Heather.

On the ground, Bribs says that he knows Heather was sure she had won and the Exemption was within reach. Heather, depressed, only comments that "to have two chances at an Exemption and to fail both times is not a good feeling."

Bribs tries to apologize but Heather is in tears. "I had four!" she keeps saying. "I had four!"

Everyone seems to feel bad for Heather. "The thought that was going through my mind," says Bribs, "was not that we won 100 thousand in one game; it was that I prevented Heather from getting an Exemption."

Up on the tower, Al agrees. "It's a really good day for the pot." he says, then adds "A bad day for Heather."

Everyone returns to the top of the tower, Heather sitting off to one side in depression. Anderson appears and tells them that the pot is now at $486,000. "Not a bad day." he says.

Later, everyone is back in their rooms and Dorothy and Heather are comparing notes and Dorothy is finding that some of her answers have been wrong.
"Man," she says, "I'm screwed."
Later, Heather tells us "Just to make it to the finals would be, like, so awesome."

For her part, Dorothy says she is very unconfident then, talking about her Coalition with Heather, says "My strategy all through the game has been to tell half-truths, because people will assume you're lying anyway."

The next evening, everyone meets at La Grotta Di Aligi for the Execution dinner. Several people are giving Bribs a hard time, saying that he looks confident.
"I feel fine." he says.
"You ooze confidence." replies Dorothy.

The players and Anderson toast each other for good luck, then it is time for the Quiz.

As usual, during the quiz we hear the players discussing their thoughts about the Mole. Heather says that Bribs has done nothing suspicious but that she finds him suspicious anyway. For his part, Bribs wonders about how badly Heather wanted the Exemption and wonders if she was faking it.

Dorothy says that Bill may have voted to let Heather try for the Exemption again because if he was the Mole it wouldn't matter to him if another player had one or not. Bribs is suspicious of both Dorothy and Heather because of the items they bought for the Buy and Sell Game and Bill is suspicious of Al because he missed his cue to start running.

Bribs is surprised and thought that he would be more confident of his answers. Heather talks about missing the Exemption. She says she will be angry if she gets Executed and that she had nightmares the night before about the Evader Game.

Finally, Heather speculates that Dorothy could still be the Mole and be playing her and says that she has played a great game. Dorothy also thinks that Heather could be the Mole because she is charming and plays the role of a player very well.

The players file in for the Execution and Anderson greets them. He tells them that this is the tenth Execution and that they should be proud of themselves even if they are Executed tonight because they have come very far in a very difficult game. He then sits down at his laptop and starts typing.

Dorothy and Bill both get green thumbprints. Dorothy sighs in relief and Bill simply looks down. Anderson then comments that Al has an Exemption so there are only two names left. He enters Bribs name and the red screen appears.

With a sad smile Bribs stands up. He pauses to remove something from a paper bag and leave it on his chair before going to collect his bag and leave with Anderson. Heather looks down and we see that, as promised long ago, Bribs has left his can of mole killer behind.

Outside, Bribs talks briefly with Anderson. "I had a blast." he tells him. "I had the time of my life. I wish I could have stayed because I have a feeling the next game's going to be pretty exciting."

Back inside, the others talk about Bribs. Heather says that, as much as it was possible for anyone in the game to be, she considered Bribs to be a good friend. Al agrees, saying that everyone liked Bribs. Dorothy and Bill also comment on how Bribs was always ready to try anything.

While they are talking, we see scenes from Bribs in earlier games; fighting Little Jane, carrying the bicycle up the stairs, swimming in the pool and finally doing the bungee jump. Heather ends by saying that she would make it up to him by making sure that a Texan made it to the final round.

Bribs says his final goodbye to Anderson and is driven away into the night.

Anderson returns inside and asks each of the four remaining players if they are the Mole. Dorothy and Heather each state that they are not the Mole and Al, now holding the can of Mole killer, asks if he would be holding it if he were the Mole. Bill says that one of the other three must be lying because he wasn't the Mole.

Only four players remain. Two of them will become victims of the Mole.

Dorothy and Heather buy very hard to sell items during the Buy and Sell Game.

Al, Bill and Bribs do a very poor job of selling during the Buy and Sell Game.

Al accidentally sells two pair of shoes for the price of one during the Buy and Sell Game.

Al fails to start after Heather when given the cue to begin during the Evader game and has to be told a second time to go.

Dorothy fails to spot Heather several times during the Evader game when she is on her side of the tower and doesn't want to change positions when Al suggests it.

Dorothy didn't want Heather to have another chance at an Exemption, even though allowing her to do so could win more money for the pot.

Be seeing you...