The Mole Interviews

Jennifer was a no nonsense player who became The Mole's fifth victim.
Johnnie: I don't know if you are able to answer this, Jennifer, but I was just wondering, during last night's eliminations, who did you base your answers on for the Mole?
Jennifer: Well, I can't give you all the information, because it would spoil the fun for all the viewers. But let's say I sprinkled my responses with a few players, which maybe wasn't the right thing to do, and maybe I had the right person, but didn't have the questions right. The questions are very difficult.

ABC Moderator: Can you tell us what they were?
Jennifer: For example, it could be, "Where did the Mole sit on the plane from LAX to Paris? How many times did the Mole drive the van? Did the Mole swim today? What did the Mole have for breakfast? What is the Mole's nickname? What's his worst habit?" Anything you can imagine, down to what watch they wear.

ABC Moderator: Wow, that's really detailed!
Jennifer: There is a lot of observation that goes with it. It's knowing as much information as you can about every player.

ABC Moderator: It seems like a lot to keep track of.
Jennifer: A lot to keep track of, and to have a good time. You are on these great locations and great places, eating great food, and you want to have fun, and then you have to put your game face on. I'm competitive, and I think it comes across as mean, but it's because I'm a woman and I'm competitive. If I was a guy, it would be like, "Yeah, he's awesome!" I stood up for Kate and myself, and put Charlie straight, and I don't think she deserved the comments he had for her.

Dude wherez the keyz: Was it difficult to go back home?
Jennifer: No, it wasn't difficult to go back home, especially when you are joined by your best friend. It takes a little bit off the blow, there's a little bit of a cushion. It was an amazing way to go out, with the thunderstorm and lightning--it was surreal. And to be able to talk to someone, and have them say, "Hey, you did great, you made it on the game, and what a success that is!" made me feel really great. I left fifth, and I had a great experience, and got what I wanted out of it.

ABC Moderator: Seems like you had a good attitude until the end--what's your secret?
Jennifer: Be yourself. I am competitive, and I might have kicked the ground, but I never kicked somebody in the shin or put someone else down. I wanted to win for the team, and ultimately to win the pot of money, so if I could bring up the dollar amount, I wanted to do my best. I was the first person to console somebody else if they were feeling down or blue, and make them feel OK, because it's just a game.

Sternchen: What kind of tips would you give for trying to guess which player the Mole is?
Jennifer: Here's a tip--you have to be observant about people's mannerisms; what they say, how they react to every situation, what they are doing, and who they are hanging out with, along with whether or not they are physically sabotaging something, or playing somebody against another person.

TerraRat: Just wondering, do you and Jim still talk?
Jennifer: We're not allowed to talk until the whole show is over, but Jim is the first person I will make a call to.

ABC Moderator: So you did form some attachments?
Jennifer: I think out of the nine people, I walked away with a minimum of seven very dear friends.

ABC Moderator: Wow, that's impressive, since you don't know who you can trust.
Jennifer: That's the unique part of the game. On the one hand, you don't trust anybody, but at a certain time, you take your game face off, and you need to have a normal conversation and talk about what's at home and what makes others tick. So when you are in a test, you can go, "Oh, you know, that's why they didn't do that well. It's not that they didn't want to, but that may be a challenge for them."

ABC Moderator: Right. You work that into how you play?
Jennifer: You can't trust people, and still have a friendship, and appreciate everybody's ability to play the game. And ultimately it is decided on who plays the best.

TerraRat: Just wondering, do you and Jim still talk?
Jennifer: We're not allowed to talk until the whole show is over, but Jim is the first person I will make a call to.

ABC Moderator: So you did form some attachments?
Jennifer: I think out of the nine people, I walked away with a minimum of seven very dear friends.

ABC Moderator: Wow, that's impressive, since you don't know who you can trust.
Jennifer: That's the unique part of the game. On the one hand, you don't trust anybody, but at a certain time, you take your game face off, and you need to have a normal conversation and talk about what's at home and what makes others tick. So when you are in a test, you can go, "Oh, you know, that's why they didn't do that well. It's not that they didn't want to, but that may be a challenge for them."

ABC Moderator: Right. You work that into how you play?
Jennifer: You can't trust people, and still have a friendship, and appreciate everybody's ability to play the game. And ultimately it is decided on who plays the best.

I Love Jennifer777: What did you gain and learn by participating in "The Mole?"
Jennifer: I learned that if you don't put yourself out there, you always wonder what you can achieve. I learned it's not a matter of winning or losing, but a matter of being true to yourself, and trying to be the best you can be. That was probably why I wasn't so upset about being executed. I didn't feel cheated, or that somebody voted me off; I was executed because I didn't have enough of the correct answers on who the Mole was.

Rand Mole: If you could do the show over again, what would you do differently?
Jennifer: I wouldn't do anything differently. To do something differently is to change who I am. When people were pointing fingers at me, I might have allowed them to do that a little more, rather than being defensive. I wanted to win every test so people would know I was playing as hard as I could. I could have gained more if people actually didn't see me being defensive. After a while, most realized I was there to play hard and win the pot of money. I didn't care how much money, I just wanted to win. I wanted the thrill of victory.

Deborah: During your mission to get to the nice hotel in last night's episode, why didn't you go to a bookstore to look for a tour book, or call a place for information for help in the challenge?
Jennifer: Was that for the smart, resourceful, stupid test? We are not allowed to use money to make phone calls, and there weren't enough tourists around to answer the question for us.

Dee Dub: If you saw last night's show, at the end, it showed Jim and Steven getting involved in some sort of alliance. Do you think the two of them somehow caused you to get executed?
Jennifer: There is definitely a strong possibility, and if you tune in next week, you'll find out more about it. I can say I had a trust with Jim but I also noticed Jim building an alliance with Steve and also with Katherine. It didn't affect how I played the game, but it made me more leery of Jim.

Krawl32: Jennifer, where can I sign up for your fan club?
Jennifer: Wow, I'm glad to hear somebody actually likes me! I don't actually have a fan club. I think the best thing that has happened to me is little kids (and I do mean little, eight and nine years old) saying "Get off me" or "I'm no dumb broad" or "Take some Viagra and shut up!" When kids mimic you, it's funny. And I like to see girls stand up for themselves--I think that's a great thing. I hope that they are true to themselves, and if there is anything they want to do, sports or career, that they realize it's not a man's world. Follow your heart and your dreams. I put in my application and video, and it put me in this opportunity. It's about believing in yourself.

The Mole: Were you sad when you thought you wouldn't see Amy?
Jennifer: Absolutely, I think my tears said it all. I think I cried the most on the show, and that's because I'm a tough person outside, but a marshmallow inside. I wear my emotions on my sleeve, and that's me. I won't change, and that has made me the person I am. I am OK about crying in front of people. Would I have liked not to cry in front of the nation? Absolutely! But it shows you can be tough and sensitive. I was excited when they said they wouldn't just fly someone out here and not see you, and I thought this was cool. If you recall, Katherine and Steve lost their test and they had to sleep in a car. I thought we wouldn't be rewarded, and the network gave us a nice consolation prize.

I am the Mole: In the sniper episode, why didn't you wait for Steven before leaving the church?
Jennifer: We waited. Kate and I waited together for Steven for five minutes. As a group, we decided if communication was lost, without any response for five minutes, the person was dead. When you were shot by the sniper, that meant you could not radio and say "I'm done, I'm out." When we saw the snipers in our vicinity, we thought Steven could move up and we'd see him. That never happened, so we assumed it was time to move on, and we did.

Gord Of The Fries: So what were you thinking at Fort Ste.-Marguerite? When the boat landed at the dock and not the heliport, surely you knew how much time you had to return to Steven's cell. And was that the key you threw? Why wasn't that with Henry?
Jennifer: Did Steven really not radio us back? And for the record, I was pushing the button, so I was communicating with Steven. Actually, my directions from Henry were that I was supposed to go to the heliport. I knew from running to the heliport to where Steven was being held hostage, that I would cut off a great amount of time running. It looks like I'm running in the wrong direction, but those are the directions from Henry, who knew people were coming to the boat dock, and he sent me to the wrong place. Some were probably executed because they might have thought I was the Mole from that stunt. I had the key with me because I found it earlier in the helicopter, and the group could not have opened Steven out of the hostage area without my presence and still won the money.

Anniegram 4 u: Jen, you played a great and entertaining game. Sorry to see you go. Any pacts you know of? And good luck in the future.
Jennifer: First of all, thank you, and I'm glad you appreciated what I was doing. I had a pact with Jim, and I had a difficult time building a pact with Kate as well as Katherine, as well as Wendi. I think Wendi was executed because she thought I was the Mole. If she believed and trusted me, we could have had a great alliance. Next week, there is probably something brewing with Katherine and Steve, and Jim and Steve, and Jim and Katherine. And, don't rule out the alliance with Charlie.

Webslinger: I would like to thank you, Jennifer, for making me eat crow in front of my family because I bragged that you was the Mole. I would like to know if you have any regrets on how you played the game, and if you would do any exercises differently.
Jennifer: First of all, I'm sorry that you had to eat crow. I'd have to say a lot of my family lost bets too. I wouldn't do anything differently. The hardest part of this game was trying to build trust and pacts with other team players, but there is so much lying and manipulation that people became uneasy, even going down that road. But I think you can successfully win without building an alliance.

Merillon: Do you think more clues as to the Mole's identity happened off-camera than in what has been shown on TV?
Jennifer: I think that because the players are around each other 24/7, there are things that the viewers don't get to see. But I think the network has done an excellent job giving more clues to the viewers watching the show week to week. They are there and you have to pay attention to them. It puts you in our shoes, going from test to test, trying to figure out who the Mole is.

Jen-Fan: Would you be interested in acting in TV shows or movies?
Jennifer: Absolutely! I think I'm the type of person that if it's a new opportunity, I'm going to try it. Being on the show took the blinders off. If it doesn't sound fun, I'm not going to do it. I wouldn't shy away from doing anything with TV after this experience. I encourage every viewer to put yourself out there, to do an application and a video. Half the battle is believing in yourself enough to send it in.

Calvin: Out of all the challenges, which one was the hardest to do? The bullfight? The maze? Laundry?
Jennifer: Out of those three, let's dissect it into the fear factor with the bullfight--that was scary. The laundry was just a long, mundane, boring thing to do. Who likes to do eight hours of laundry? The maze was the most difficult, because I think the guards actually knew the maze, and there were two of them. We had a lot of extra gear on us and our headcams didn't fit well. When you are running with gear slapping against your head and back, it was more challenging. All the players were frustrated, and we felt cheated.

Go blue: Players such as you, Manuel, Afi, and Wendi seemed to be yourselves and had more fun with the game than the others, yet you were all eliminated in the first half of the game. Is it possible to have fun and be yourself and still win the game?
Jennifer: Absolutely! And I'm glad that you noticed that some of us were having a great time. Why not? If you are going to go to another country and eat great food and be with complete strangers, you might as well have fun doing it. I think you can have fun and win. I was just outsmarted by the Mole, and that's the luck of the draw. I applaud the Mole--they are doing a great job.

Corn dog24: What is your overall opinion of the show?
Jennifer: My overall opinion of the show is fantastic. I think it is one of the first reality shows that challenges the viewers. What a great way to play along, like a living board game, and see if you as the viewer can solve the mystery of who is the Mole. I think if there is a "Mole II" (and I hope there is), I expect the ratings to go up. People will have a better understanding of what they are getting involved in, and how rewarding it is to make it from week to week, and have the knowledge to stay in the game. I watch it with my family, and for them to think I was the Mole is like wow. I think it's neat the viewers can play along. It's not Jerry Springer, mean and all. You might as well be educated, and try and see who the Mole is.

Miro: Who do you hope does not get the money?
Jennifer: Charlie. (laughing) I didn't have to pause on that question. That's right off the bat. I wouldn't want him to win. I think he had a really mean spirit towards Kate. Does he deserve to win? Sure. Everyone who plays deserves to win. But you asked me, and I had to answer, and it's Charlie.

Mole fan: Does the host, Anderson Cooper, know who the Mole is?
Jennifer: While we were playing, Anderson Cooper did not know who the Mole was until the very end. So when he was hanging out with us, he was like one of the players. And now, it's just like any of the other players--he knows possibly who the Mole is, but he signed that he can't reveal who it is. It's a ten million dollar fine!

Chachita91: Did you try to look like the Mole? I was convinced up until you left that it was you!
Jennifer: I never tried to sabotage any test. Luckily people like Henry pointed fingers at me, and unfortunately, people believed him. I'm too much of a team player, with a win win attitude, so I didn't need to sabotage. I figured I should try my best at the test, and there are other ways to make people think you are the Mole without blowing it on a test.

Dreamhead: Did you get hurt when fighting the little bull?
Jennifer: (laughing) Little bull?! That's bigger than a Great Dane! Actually I did get hurt. There is a little piece of me back there in Spain. I took a hard knock to the chest, and I had a bit of pain for a month afterwards, but that is a kind of badge of honor. That was an exciting moment, and a difficult test.

Bashful: Who annoyed you the most and why?
Jennifer: That would be Henry! Henry annoyed me the most. He tried to bully me around a lot, and he tried to attack me verbally, and push his thoughts on me. He lied a lot about things that weren't necessary. He talked a LOT. Sometimes silence is bliss. Henry had to talk all the time.

Donna: Would you have shaved your head if you rolled the dice?
Jennifer: Absolutely! What a great way to actually do something and have a good reason why. And low maintenance, too! And I would have done that even without getting an exemption. I really would have. And I think part of that was so people would trust me that I wasn't the Mole, and I could build a pact and share information for mutual benefit.

Joo2: Have you been reading any of the message boards about the show?
Jennifer: Ohhh, those message boards! I had to stop reading the message boards because there are a lot of attacks on me as a person. Some people viewed my actions and thought I was a poor sport and mean, but I was a woman standing up for myself. Kicking someone in the shins is a poor sport; kicking the ground means I'm upset at how I played. There are a lot of people with strong opinions about me, and it's not always good to read that stuff. It was taking away from my positive experience. While people can have their opinions, you don't know me!

Cake372: My 7 year old daughter wants to know what sports you did growing up.
Jennifer: I played everything. I was the first girl to play Little League in Santa Cruz. I played basketball, soccer, volleyball--if there was a sport, I played it. I went on to play basketball at San Jose State, and my newest love is snowboarding. I wouldn't say I'm a world class snowboarder; I'm just a girl that goes out there to snowboard and has a good time. I've been fortunate to win some competitions, and that is icing on the cake. I play sports to have fun. It's not about winning, it's about playing and meeting people. Some of my best friends I met through playing sports. Playing sports keeps you out of trouble. I think I could have been on the wrong side of the tracks if I didn't play sports growing up. You have to have good grades to play, and it's a healthy outlet.

Grill Guy: Regarding Steven--doesn't being on a national TV show kind of kill his usefulness as an undercover cop?
Jennifer: We all asked Steven that, and he is going into a different line of work after the show.

Jennifer's the Best: Jennifer, so what's next for you now that you are home?
Jennifer: Now that I'm home, I'm just enjoying the ride. Another cool aspect of being on the show is that a lot of my old old friends--we're talking like junior high, high school, college--have contacted me, and I have a lot of trips planned to hang out with those friends again. It's a great opportunity to rekindle friendships, and laugh about how silly I looked on TV, and laugh at myself, and say "I can't believe I said that!" I watch it and laugh; I don't watch it and judge myself.

Jessie Sez: What was your most significant memory of the show?
Jennifer: Oh that's a hard one, because there have been so many. I think my biggest memory was when we met in the Mojave Desert, realizing that this was going to be one heck of a ride, and the beginning of a great trip. So getting on the show and meeting everyone and beginning the adventure was a great memory. Everything after that was icing. You know what? To get to the bullfight, I had to get there. The memory of getting on was significant, but the bullfight was by far my favorite test. If I ever think I can't do anything, I will look at that and say "I tackled a bull!" But first I had to GET to the bullfight.