Now that Sean has been unmasked as the mole and Michael won the mystery competition series, the 30-year-old parking manager is disclosing his strategy in the game. Michael explained he had been a fan of the OG show since the 2000s, so getting an opportunity to be a part of the Netflix reboot was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him.
Becoming part of the show, The Mole cast member knew he had to play the game with the lens of someone who intended to empty the pot of money. However, he didn’t want his actions or statements to be too obvious. Since day one, Michael lied and made sure he remembered what he said without giving too much authentic information about his tactics and his next move.
He played the game like the mole would. In the final episode, between Muna and Michael, the question came down to who knew the mole better. It was clear that both the finalists already knew that Sean had been sabotaging the team’s efforts by showcasing weaponized incompetence continuously. Michael proved that he had used his observation skills and ability to be friends with the mole by submitting all answers correctly. Hence, he won that grand prize of $154,000.
How Michael pretended to be the mole to confuse his fellow cast members
Initially, Michael’s strategy focused on planting a seed of doubt in everyone’s mind. He wanted players to have his name on their suspect list so that when it was time to vote, they get their answers wrong and would be eliminated from the game.
This was the same move Sean had been going for when his identity wasn’t exposed yet. Sean admitted to that during his confessional interview in one of the episodes and explained he wanted people to get eliminated so he stayed till the finale. However, for Sean, this was a cover to conceal his true identity till the end.
Michael opened up about his journey in the competition in an interview with Tudum on Netflix on July 12, 2024. He admitted to being “selfish” and not hesitating to take money out of the pot. The season 2 winner knew many players competing on the show didn’t have an individual approach to the game. Their main purpose was to add as much money to the final grand prize by giving their best in each team challenge.
For Michael on the other hand, his focus was different. All he wanted to do was figure out who the mole was, become friends with him, sabotage each challenge, and cause confusion or chaos amongst the players. He confessed to sabotaging but only to cause suspicion as he didn’t want to be too obvious:
“My strategy from day one was to play as if I was the Mole, whether I was or not. This is going to sound very selfish. Since I was playing the game like I was the Mole, I knew other people were going to put money in the pot no matter what.”
Michael was doing the mole’s job to such an extent that the production had to intervene and tell him he wasn’t allowed to sabotage off camera. After the episodes aired, many of his scenes were cut. He disclosed details of each challenge and where he purposely gave the wrong answer. For example, in the task where they had to cut the wire, Michael didn’t do anything till the last minute and waited till there was less time left to create a little panic amongst his team members.
With only a few minutes remaining, he was the one who yelled “yellow” multiple times for his team members to cut the yellow wire, which was the wrong one. In another challenge when the money was to be distributed in trucks, Michael waited for what the mole would say.
Initially, his strategy was to see who the mole was, to let them suggest where the most money should go. Michael saw Sean convincing everyone that they should bet on Muna’s truck to have the largest amount. At that moment, Michael was convinced he was the mole. From that day onwards the season 2 winner became friends with Sean and had casual conversations with him to get information.
The quiz questions were not just about the main task but also about mole’s personal life. Sean’s introduction as the stay-at-home dad and his missing wedding was one of the many details he had caught up on. Then Michael decided to take out $5000 from the pot money and watch Sean’s interview in the private cinema. His intuition turned out right when Sean admitted to being a retired undercover cop, a secret he hid from other contestants.
Michael shared that his main goal was to get as many minor or major details from Sean as possible. This was during their time away from filming. When it was time for team tasks, Michael wanted to be on the opposite team from which Sean had joined. If he and Sean were on separate teams, it would be difficult for the players to identify who the mole was and they would make incorrect guesses in the quizzes. This would eventually lead to multiple people going home.
The Mole season 2 winner explained his perspective of playing the game alongside Muna who had also identified Sean’s hidden identity. Michael said:
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“I was studying Sean from Mission 2 to make sure I knew everything that he did during that whole time in Malaysia. But I knew I needed to befriend Sean. But until the finale, I needed to remember my lies, stick to my lies, and make sure that I made it to the end to win the money.”
Now that season 2 has wrapped up, the winner plans on spending the $154,000 prize money on traveling, buying a house, and investing for the future to live “comfortably” to “not have to worry about money.” Fans can follow Michael’s official Instagram account to see what he’s up to. The Mole season 2 is available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
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Published: Jul 23, 2024 11:15 am