32.10-The final showdown

Eight contestants flew to Champs Les Sims for an adventure of a lifetime. For four of them, their journey was stopped short, but for the other four, they got to stay all the way. But that isn't enough. With 20/60 points earned in the last mission, the pot has a grand total of 287/650 points. All of them are eager to earn the pot, but only one walks away with it. Who will it be? And who is the Mole? Find out now.

***

As the finale approaches...

...some sweat it out...

...some have fun...

...some work hard...

...and some dream of lofty futures.

Margaret: "I would make a toast to the four of us for being in the finale if I actually had a bar or something. Man, you guys are really being cheap this season."

Bryce: "I think we're at the stage where everyone is on the same suspect. So to win, it's a matter of time and knowledge. I just hope I'm amply prepared."

Ivan: "GAH!"

Bryce: "Woah. Someone's stressed."

Ivan: "You don't understand."

Bryce: "Come on Ivan, we're both bros here. I'm sure I can understand."

Ivan: "I'm not your bro. We hardly talked. And I'm tired of your annoying pep talk."

Bryce: "You think I'm annoying?"

Ivan: "You're just a farce. Are you going to punch me now?"

Bryce: "What the @!#! is wrong with you? I'm just trying to connect with you and get to know you, but you've never given me a chance!"

Ivan: "I'm not here to make friends. I couldn't care less about how you feel or what you want. All I know is that I want to win."

Bryce: "Fine! It's my fault for trying to be nice."

Ivan: "Now you know. I'm not going to even pretend to be all cheery and friendly because I'm not interested in that. Especially in a game where everyone is lying. That'd be stupid to be friendly."

Bryce: "So you're insulting me now."

Ivan: "I'm telling you to give up and focus on the Smole, or GTFO."

Bryce: "I'm sure Ivan is a nice guy, deep down...deep, deep down. He's just very into the game. And that's understandable. I would be too actually. I'm just trying not to play this game psychologically and mentally as much, and instead focus on feeling and enjoying the journey."

***

Time for their final quiz.

Q1: Is the Mole male or female?

A: Male

B: Female

Q2: How old is the Mole?

A: 30

B: 29

C: 24

D: 21

Q3: What does the Mole work as?

A: Waitress

B: The Mole is unemployed

C: The Mole is still a student

Q4: Has the Mole switched bedrooms on the Smole?

A: Yes

B: No

Q5: Which room does the Mole currently sleep in?

A: Yellow room

B: Blue room

C: White room

D: Green room

Bryce: "And it's here. The final showdown. Just a while before everything is revealed. Who is the Mole?

Is it Ivan Klades? He's been hostile and mysterious to everyone. He's always been keeping his distance from the rest of us, because he's afraid of slipping up in front of us. He's made sabotages so big and bold to try and make us think it's way too obvious to be him, like when he tried to ruin Mission 3.

Or is it Margaret Welsh? She's the party girl who you'd never expect to go far. She's surprised me, especially since she doesn't seem to care about the game or write in her journal as much. And she's always there when something goes wrong, like in the first mission and the penultimate mission.

Maybe it's Sophie Stewart. Her drive is certainly there. It could just be an excuse. By looking like a fanatical contestant you can get away with sabotages, especially if there are exemptions involved. She was pretty unwilling to reveal her corrections to us because she must have lied about how many she had. I've got an answer. Using my head and my heart aka gut, I've found an answer. Have you?"

Q6: What colour are the Mole's shoes?

A: Brown

B: Orange

C: White with stripes

D: White and pink

Q7: In Mission 1, what was the Mole doing?

A: Playing instruments

B: Arranging wine

Q8: In Execution 1, was the Mole seated in the front row or back?

A: Front

B: Back

Q9: In Mission 2, what was the first fruit the Mole harvested?

A: Meloire Grapes

B: Cherimola Grapes

C: Pumpkin

D: Nothing

Q10: In Execution 2, in what order was the Mole's name called?
A: 1st

B: 2nd

C: 4th

E: The Mole was not called

Ivan: "I'm so close. I can smell the cheque. It's time to confirm everything first.

Margaret Welsh. She's always there when something goes wrong. Initially she could hide in the first mission to third mission, but in the fourth and fifth it was pretty clear she wasn't intending to win anything. How does one f*** up so badly? And in the second mission she tried to look like the hero by being the last one but her glaring stupidity to stop and throw fruits in cost her--and us.

Sophie Stewart. She's been hiding under the radar and trying to prove herself as worthy, but in the second mission she was eliminated very early. She's trying to shake off her past but remember who did that too and ended up being the Mole? Her mother. Her sabotages are far more subtle, like 'accidentally' painting the top of the urn the wrong colour, or being fancy with the background. She didn't want to change it either. But I noted all that, even the smallest of sabotages.

Lastly, Bryce Wells. You just can't miss him, yet you somehow do during missions. He proposed splitting up in the last mission, knowing that would cause more rooms to be explored, resulting in a penalty. He even split up from Margaret and disappeared. He also wanted to go on the tour, maybe because he knew what it entailed for the mission. He's been trying to maintain a low profile, which the Mole would instinctively do. Everyone has sabotaged, but one has done it more than the others."

Q11: In Mission 3, in what order did the Mole go to take a correction?

A: 2nd

B: 3rd

C: 4th

D: 6th

Q12: In Mission 3, how many corrections did the Mole take in the second round?

A: 0

B: 1

C: 2

Q13: In Mission 4,  did the Mole say he/she wanted the tour?

A: Yes

B: No

Q14: In Mission 4, at the fountain at front of the museum, who was to the Mole's left?

A: Ivan Klades

B: Sophie Stewart

C: Bryce Wells

D: The Mole was not painting

Q15: In Mission 5, who did the Mole pair up with?

A: Ivan Klades

B: Sophie Stewart

C: Bryce Wells

D: Margaret Welsh

Sophie: "This is my chance to prove myself. I'll be remembered for me and I'll wow the whole world and show them why I deserve to win. Let me start with Ivan Klades. He was the one who went around accusing everyone of being the Mole. Is it because he knows he's guilty? He offers a lot of distraction and confusion. Other than the accusations, the third mission is also a very good example. No contestant would be unhappy with that. It's actually a pretty good outcome we decided on, and I was willing to accept one correction because I didn't believe I sucked so much I needed two. Yet he seemed so confident of his Mole and still chose to argue over one correction. And the last mission. How did he get lost from me? At the last moment too!

And then there's Bryce Wells. He's really friendly which would be a good tactic to have as the Mole because it allows him to sabotage more freely. It makes it harder for us to think that he could be the Mole, so he's met with less resistance when he split up from Marge, for example. He's also very motivational, like in the first mission when he was constantly yelling to do our best and not give up and keep going. Except that all those were probably recorded as well. Marge told me she heard Bryce's voice in the cellar a couple of times though it was a little muffled. That's the kind of subtlety and mischief the Mole would get up to.

How about Margaret Welsh? She wants to have fun. She's the least obsessed out of the four of us. It's like she's just cruising through because she knows she will last till the end. And she does have her moments, like in Mission 4. She messed up so badly, even failing the bonus mission. I believe it was her who kept the argument going with Ivan in Mission 3. 

There's someone I'd want to be the Mole and just can't see not be the Mole. I'm certain I've got this."

Q16: In Mission 5, how many orbs did the Mole collect?

A: 0

B: 2

C: 3

Q17: In Mission 5, which room was the Mole in when the Mole was alone?

A: Lounge

B: Gym

C: Master Bathroom

D: None of the above

Q18: How many times was the Mole the first to enter a room in Mission 5?

A: 0

B: 3

C: 6

Q19: Which are the execution ceremonites in which the Mole's name was called?

A: Execution #1

B: Execution #1, #2, #3

C: Execution #2, #3, #4

Q20: Who is the Mole?

A: Bryce Wells

B: Ivan Klades 

C: Margaret Welsh

D: Sophie Stewart 

Margaret: "This is actually giving me a headache. I thought it would give me such a rush but it's like a hangover. Anyway, I have to think clearly. The Mole could be Bryce Wells. He looks like the leader and is very loud. He makes his presence known with his voice but he took the backseat for a lot of missions, which surprised me. I thought he'd be more involved in the discussion during the corrections mission. And he kept insisting to split up last mission. He also misled with me with his painting by having a green background. He's the type to sabotage when nobody is looking.

Yet the Mole could also be Sophie Stewart. She's been going around forming coalitions. She had one with me and Caleb at the same time. That just strikes me as desperate and makes me want to eliminate her as a possible Mole, but it'd be kind of stupid of her to do that to herself. Maybe she's playing with our minds.

And the Mole could also be Ivan Klades. He's the blatant one, almost too convenient to pick, but you'll never know. With so few opportunities to sabotage, he'll make every one count. He went as far as to kill the mood in the corrections mission. He also painted horribly. This isn't helping. I'll just follow my instincts. They've brought me here."

***

"It is time for the finale and reunion! Let us welcome our first victim this season, Dmitry Gustav!"

Dmitry: "I am back to catch the Mole."

"Here comes Monica Harback!"

Monica: "I wonder if my clothes will be a conversation starter again. No more blue and gold or culturally appropriated hats this time round."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Caleb Styles!"

Caleb: "Feels good to be back."

"Last but not least, a big warm round of applause for our last to be executed, Immanuella van Coevorden!"

Immanuella: "I'm so delighted to see everyone again."

"The finalists are eager to know about the results and I know all of you are anxious too."

"But first, to help you uncover the Mole, we'll be showing one sabotage from each finalist."

"Let us start with Bryce Wells. Bryce is the one who motivates others to get things done, yet he seems to prefer to work alone. Arguably his most notable and obvious sabotage, he was insistent on the group splitting up in the last mission. 

Bryce: "Okay, I say we split up to cover ground. 15 minutes isn't a lot of time."

***

Bryce: "I honestly think we shouldn't be so cautious. We need to split up to find all the orbs. The Mole is going to reveal every single room possible anyway, so it's better we get 60 points and maximum penalty than 10 points and maximum penalty. You get me?"

Margaret: "That is true...okay, fine."

But once he separated from the rest, he couldn't be found for quite a while. This gave him leeway to do anything from hiding orbs to entering as many rooms as possible to create a penalty.

Margaret: "God dammit, Bryce. Where the hell are you?"

***

Bryce: "Oh, a bathroom. Hopefully there's nothing down the toilet."

***

Bryce; "There must be a reason why this is jutting out. If I move this..."

***

Bryce: "Someone's obsessed with himself."

"Ivan Klades on the other hand is determined to win at all costs, even if it means sacrificing points. He was responsible for much of the confusion caused in the third mission by being so against a plan that benefitted mostly everyone.

Caleb: "To give all of us as equal a footing as possible, each of us takes only 1 correction each time, except for two of us, which would be the 2 most suspicious in the group, who only get 1 in total and take 0 corrections in one round. Does that sound fair?"

Immanuella: "I'm okay with it. It sounds like a good plan. I like the incentive to stay trustworthy."

Caleb: "I'm thinking that the ones who get 1 correction only. That's Sophie and Ivan. Is that okay with everyone?"

Ivan: "Absolutely not."

***

Immanuella: "You're not going?"

Ivan: "I'm not going."

Immanuella: "Are you sure?"

Ivan: "Very sure. I'm staying put."

Margaret: "Go, Ivan! Go!"

"As for the Margaret Welsh, she's loose and free, always seeking out a good time. A little intoxicated, she kept out 90 (or 120, depending on perspective) points from the pot in the fourth mission. She walked past two of the displays...

Margaret: "Maybe it's on the shelf."

***

Margaret: "Is this it? It has a vase shape and has some golden in it. Maybe they were told it by someone, that last contestant, and he or she wasn't very clear."

Margaret: "This is the second painting I saw."

***

Margaret: "This kind of looks like it...but there's no blue. And they look close but not exactly the same."

Margaret: "I won't be so quick to answer this time. I'll carry on."

...and the only one she could have gotten correct, she bungled up by giving the wrong painting.

Margaret: "In retrospect the painting was actually quite close."

Margaret: "I shall confirm that this is the last painting I saw."

***

Margaret: "Hey! I got this correct!"

"You gave us the wrong painting. You said it was the last painting you viewed, when it was actually the first."

Ivan: "How did you forget that?"

Bryce: "Subtle, yet suspicious."

"Lastly, Sophie Stewart. Sophie wants to prove that she can win and shake off any negative news about her, yet can't help being the talk of the town sometimes, even if not for good reasons. In the second mission, she was the first to be eliminated and was eliminated rather quickly. For some reason she decided to run straight into the arms of the gardener.

Sophie: "Oh, camera. Remember this pretty face, everyone at home."

Gardener: "Got you."

Sophie: "Not so fast!"

Gardener: "Tapped. You're out. Why did you run to me?"

Sophie: "...I don't know."

"Now that you've got a glimpse of the finalists, who do you think the Mole and winner are?"

Monica: "Hmm...I think the Mole is Sophie. There's just no other explanation for why she did what she did in that mission. The winner is probably Marge."

Dmitry: "I agree that the Mole is Sophie but I feel that the winner is Bryce."

Immanuella: "I thought he was a genuine player back then but now, I think it's possible that Ivan was just using the corrections as a cover. Ivan isn't a maniacal player. He's the Mole. As for the winner, it could be Marge. She got to observe him since the first mission."

Caleb: "Doesn't anyone think it's weird how Marge seems to not care yet made it so far? I bet she's the Mole and Sophie's the winner."

"Now that the makeshift walls have been attached, can I invite you all to head to the chairs over there."

"Thank you for your cooperation. Each finalist suspected a different contestant. However, one of them wasn't thought to be the Mole by any of the others."

"May I invite this contestant out."

"...this contestant is..."

"...Sophie Stewart."

"Sophie, you are not the Mole."

"Sophie, you are not the winner either."

Sophie: "Boo."

"Sophie, you are the second runner-up."

"Please take your seat."

Sophie: "This is bad. I wanted to win. I was so sure of my Mole. Maybe I should have tried to make myself more suspicious. Being in the finale means nothing if I didn't win."

"Who do you think the Mole is now?"

Sophie: "There was one I suspected the least, and that was my coalition partner Marge. She may be the Mole. If so, I'd feel so betrayed but gosh, she's a good actor then."

"We shall see if you are correct."

"Let us now invite the final three out. Only one contestant suspected the Mole, and had been consistently doing so."

"In front of you: the winner, the Mole and the runner-up, but not necessarily in that order. The 32nd winner of the Smole is officially..."

"...Margaret Welsh!"

Margaret: "No way! Me? Really? I can't believe this!"

"Congratulations Margaret. The 287/650 points in the pot is going to you. The Mole's name was put down 5 times in total, all thanks to you, so you get an additional 5 points, resulting in 292 points or 29,200 Simoleons!"

Ivan: "F***."

Bryce: "Ah, potatoes. Congrats Marge."

"Say a few words, Margaret."

Margaret: "I'm still in shock. I can't believe that I actually won! It's much lesser than last season but still! I won! Yipee! Woohoo! Looks like I don't need your inheritance no more, granny! Ha! Maybe I can quit my job and lead the jetsetting lifestyle I always wanted to as well. This is such an amazing feeling. I don't regret joining at all. I won!"

"Thank you for being such a wonderful contestant this season."

Ivan: "My ass."

Margaret: "I'm totally into that."

"It's time for the moment of truth. Who is the Mole?"

"The Mole..."

"...of Season 32..."

"...is Bryce Wells!"

Ivan: "F***! F*** f*** f***!"

Bryce: "Surprised? Most of you must be, considering Marge was the only one who suspected me. This was a short season but it was fun to sabotage. Except a lot of times things didn't go as planned thanks to the rest of you, which put me in a spot as I had to come up with new ways to ruin things. It was a pleasure, really. I'm happy to have been your Mole this season and met all of you, and I'm proud of Marge for singling me out from the start. You deserve the win, Marge."

Margaret: "Aw, thanks!"

"You earned 358/650 points, or 35,800 Simoleons, so you're not as bad as you thought."

"Let's hear it from our last losing finalist, Ivan."

Ivan: "Seriously, f*** this s***. How is Bryce the Mole? How have I not realised it was him? You all must be expecting me to say something nice and saccharine but not a frigging chance. I came here to win. I won't accept second place. This is just unacceptable. So much was riding on this. So, so much. And then I lose at the last juncture? F*** you, Bryce. F*** you, Margaret. F*** all of you."

Bryce: "I'm really curious, Marge. How did you know it was me right from the start?"

Margaret: "It was by luck, really. We failed too badly in the first mission for the Mole to be Ivan or Dmitry in my opinion. So I figured the Mole had to be in the other group, trying to sabotage in a subtle manner or distract the rest. And then I heard your voice the most. So I suspected you. And then I kept seeing more things that confirmed my suspicions. I did try to spread but it was hard."

Ivan: "I kept seeing things that confirmed you ss the Mole, Margaret. Are you sure you're not the Mole?"

Sophie: "Stop being a sore loser, Ivan."

Bryce: "Yes, I'm the Mole, not her. It's always been that way."

Margaret: "Oh, come on now, Ivan. If you're that hard up I can split my winnings with you."

Ivan: "Go to hell. I'm never accepting your money. I want to earn it for myself. Let me preserve my dignity."

"If you would all now turn your attention to the big screen over there, we'll reveal how the Mole did it."

"In the first mission, Bryce laid low. He tried to make it hard for those in the nectary basement to hear exactly what the message was by constantly shouting motivational phrases. He also chose the drum as it made the loudest noise and made sure to miss a beat or two to distort the message.

Bryce: "Someone like me will probably be suited for the drums, if you all don't mind. I really don't know you all that well to assign the instruments so just pick one and try your best."

By saying that sentence above, Bryce instilled the idea that it was okay if they failed, because he wanted the rest to fail too.

In the second mission, Bryce tried to lead the gardener to the other contestants to eliminate them. He used his loud voice to attract the gardener's attention as well, thinly veiled as a well-intentioned warning to the rest.

Bryce: "Margaret, run!"

Margaret: "Please, call me Marge."

Bryce: "Well, then, Marge, run!"

Margaret: "Huh? What the hell? Why did you lead him here?"

Bryce: "Monica! Run!"

Bryce: "Margar...Marge's got him distracted."

***

Bryce: "Ivan! Get away!"

Ivan: "Did I hear someone shout my name?"

Ivan: "F***."

When squishing fruit, he made sure to do it as slowly as possible.

Bryce: "No. I'm doing this slowly so that every last fruit is stomped and crushed."

He eventually let himself get caught so that he couldn't help to earn any more points.

Gardener: "You can't escape me a second time."

Bryce: "S***."

Gardener: "Bye."

Sophie: "I can't believe Bryce is out. I thought he'd last the longest."

In the third mission, Ivan provided a distraction for Bryce, who just needed to sit quietly this time even though he would usually be more participative. He was also pretty upset when Caleb actually decided to note the time.

Caleb: "Let's set a timer. I have a watch so I'll set the time."

Bryce: "...Fine. Go ahead."

All Bryce needed to do was to secretly take more than discussed and push the blame to someone else, which he had been doing every time there was a sabotage. It succeeded in causing some chaos and confusion. 

Bryce: "I'll take one."

Bryce: "...I don't trust the rest. I was always supposed to take two."

Bryce: "Guys, something's wrong."

Caleb: "Oh, come on! Sophie?"

Sophie: "Bryce has to be lying."

Margaret: "So how many did you take?"

In fact, Ivan actually caught on to the sabotage. He just didn't realise it was Bryce doing it.

Ivan: "I'm just very motivated to win. If the others don't appreciate that, that's their problem. I made such a big scene, it was easy for the Mole to hide behind and just silently side with the majority while secretly doing something behind our backs."

His guilt did cause him to be a little nervous as he showed one correction to the rest without prompt, which wasn't his style.

Bryce: "I took one, see? I tried to even things out as far as I can. I don't want to say this but I think it's game over. Someone was sneaky."

Margaret: "I'll go down and check."

Unfortunately as luck would have it, they managed to succeed in that mission.

Bryce had actually gone for painting lessons beforehand to prepate for the next mission. He had anticipated that he couldn't get the key role that Margaret got.

"Good morning contestants. Today we have a special tour arranged for just one of you. Which one of you would like the tour?"

***

Margaret: "But so do I."

Bryce: "Me too. The culture is so rich here."

Sophie: "No offence Bryce but you don't seem the type to care about culture. It'll be wasted on you."

Immanuella: "Don't be so rude, Sophie."

Sophie: "How about we vote? Who votes for Marge to go on the tour?"

And just in case he met with resistance (which he did) when trying to secure the next best role, he brushed up on his artistic skills.

Ivan: "I can't paint very well. I think I should be the describer."

Bryce: "After the last mission? Absolutely not. I think I'm better off. I often have to describe how to play with my teammates, and recently I've been taking up poetry..."

Ivan: "You? I really am not sure you're up to it."

Bryce stalled.

Bryce: "What the heck are pharoah stripes?"

He also messed up in different ways. One such way was when he didn't paint the stripes Immanuella was talking about and made the painting a little blurry.

Immanuella: "Oh! I think it's those Egyptian canopic jars!"

Bryce: "I already started."

Immanuella: "Oh...but you can't have gone too far. Is it possible for you to salvage it? Please?"

Bryce: "I'll try but no guarantee."

***

Bryce: "This cat looks more like a tiger...I'm actually impressed I can paint so much depth."

***

Bryce: "The more I try to cover up the flaws the worse it gets. Now there are patches of dark green."

By painting a green background, he also subconsciously influenced Margaret into thinking the relic was in front of a green backdrop. (For unexplained reasons, Ivan did the same)

Bryce: "I'm painting a green background. Is that okay?"

Immanuella: "Green? Why would you do that? I'm pretty sure it was red. Or at least you could have left the background as white." 

***

Margaret: "Green background...two of these paintings had a green background."

By hiding his true skills, Bryce also managed to cause Margaret to shoulder the blame.

Margaret: "I think this is one of the better paintings."

Margaret: "I think Sophie painted this."

In the final mission, Bryce made sure to split up from the rest to be able to freely sabotage by entering rooms that didn't need to be entered, as mentioned at the start of the finale. What wasn't mentioned was how Bryce actually found 3 orbs but claimed he found 2. That was because he found the last orb in the storage room and discarded it in the toilet. He then flushed it down and to make sure nobody thought about searching the toilet in case it didn't go down properly, he peed in it.

Bryce: "This looks like a storage room. Oh look, an orb. Better get rid of it before the others find out."

***

Ivan: "Hmm, nothing here."

Sophie: "I do not want to look down the toilet. Someone didn't flush."

Margaret: "Eww."

Throughout the season, Bryce was pointing fingers at everyone else. He made sure to make it known to everyone whenever someone else sabotaged.



Bryce: "Mole! Stop Moleing, Ivan!"

***

Ivan: "It's almost identical."

Bryce: "How did you not get that?"

Sophie: "Exactly."

Margaret: "It was close but I thought I wouldn't be so quick to answer, so I decided to keep searching...and found nothing."

***

"You gave us the wrong painting. You said it was the last painting you viewed, when it was actually the first."

Ivan: "How did you forget that?"

Bryce: "Subtle, yet suspicious."

***

Bryce: "I wanted to test Margaret. See if she was willing to split up. When it was just the two of us she agreed. Hmm...I can't say she's not suspicious, but nobody is 0% suspicious. But then later we bumped into each other and suddenly I'm the bad guy."

***

Margaret: "Sophie, how many orbs do you have?"

Sophie: "None."

Margaret: "None? Then we're still missing one. Where is it?"

Bryce: "Where's Ivan?"

***

Margaret: "Ivan disappeared at the most crucial moment. Sophie said they just got separated somehow. Like, how?"

"And those are his sabotages. We know how he did it, but how do we know it was him? That's where the clues come in.

The first clue was supposed to be that contestants were arranged by the number of letters in their name on the last question of the quiz and Bryce was arranged by 'Mole'. Unfortunately, that didn't work out because he would still have been the first even if he wasn't the Mole.

In Mission 3, there were 10 corrections to be divided. The Mole has 10 letters in his name.

In Episode 6,  Bryce's screen is altered. At the bottom right of the screen, there is the word 'Mole' in a lighter shade of green, signifying that Bryce is the Mole.

Up close. Quality may be worsened due to it being a .jpg file but if you play with colour contrasts you should be able to see it.

Now with a different colour: Zoom in to see.

 Also in Episode 6, Bryce read out a poem. There was a clue in the poem.

Bryce: "Am I to blame for the running water, oh so clear? Yet I'll still be there when you come to, as easy as the river flows...that doesn't sound nice."

For the first line, take the first syllable after every pause. For the second line, take the second syllable after every pause. 'Am' sounds like 'M', 'oh' sounds like 'O', 'I'll' sounds like 'L' and the 'ea' in 'easy' sounds like 'E'. That spells 'MOLE'. 

In Mission 4, in the Chinese exhibit there was a soccer ball, otherwise known as a football to some. There was also a rugby ball which is called a football by some. Bryce plays football/rugby and is a quarterback.

On the same table were some biographies of Cao Cao and Lu Xun, both of whom wrote poems. Bryce wants to be a poet.

Margaret: "Here are some of the books the First Emperor of China wanted to burn. Wow, communist much? I don't understand any of this. Biographies of Lu Xun and Cao Cao...whoever they are. But it seems the ancient Chinese play sport too."

In Mission 5, there was a lot of wine visible--21 bottles, to be precise. Bryce is 21.

The first 2 are on top of the wine rack Sophie is walking to.

The third one is on the dining table.

Four more wine bottles on the counter.

Zoom in to the left of Bryce's face. Bottle #8 is all the way at the back of the bathroom.

The same bottle is still there when the other three enter.

The next two bottles are on the bar and at the table in the corner.

The 11th bottle is hiding behind the boxes...fishy, isn't it?

On the shelf are four more bottles of wine.

The next bottle is on the table.

Another one is on the desk.

The next two are on the shelf.

The 20th bottle is on the sink and the last bottle is by the table with the candles. That's 21 altogether.

In the dining room was a clue to make up for the first one. Ivan saw it but didn't share, and in fact erased it off the chalkboard menu. It originally read 'Ivan is always 2nd'. Why? Because in the quiz, Bryce is Option A and Ivan is Option B. For Ivan to always be 2nd, the one in front of him, Bryce, cannot be executed. And that is only true if Bryce is the Mole.

Ivan saw the clue and wanted to hide it. Unfortunately it didn't help him.

"Those are the clues. Thank you all for being with us on the Smole. Hopefully we will see you for another season."

***

Bryce: "I'm the Mole...this is all so overwhelming. Not many can say that they were the Mole. Is it a bit hypocritical if I said I'm sorry to all those who went home because of me but took pleasure in sabotaging? Heh. Sorry Ima, I know you wanted the Mole to have a change of heart. There were so many times I saw you struggling and I wanted to tell you I was the Mole but that wouldn't be fair or good TV. And I actually thought Ivan suspected me. Sometimes he suddenly suggests that I'm the Mole which shocked me. But now I know he was just gauging my reaction."

Margaret: "I just want to say I called it when Bryce shouted out a sabotage by someone else, and when he wanted to go on a tour even though it was later revealed he could paint but didn't tell anybody about it. And that last mission I was testing him. Asking him which door he wanted to go. I'm just surprised Sophie wasn't on the same suspect as me. I thought we were on the same train of thought. I bet she had another coalition which was why she was derailed. Too bad Ivan, you snooze, you lose. Being a jerk didn't pay off in the end for you. What else...I just want to share my win with my sisters and brother. I won, guys!"

Sophie: "I'm kind of sad that I am fourth and didn't win, but I suppose I can only blame myself for my plan backfiring. Information overload. Sigh. Still, I made it to the finale of the Smole so that should count for something. Hopefully I can land a gig after this. Oh, and congrats Marge and good job Bryce. You were a good Mole. Couldn't have asked for anyone better."

Ivan: "Seeing all the sabotages and some of the clues...I can't believe it. How did I not see them? I did the worst mistake I told myself never to make on the show. I had tunnel vision. When Dmitry left, I still didn't get a wake-up call. I guess I can only blame myself. So poor me will still be poor and bullied by the higher rungs and upper management in any potential workplace. I hate these double standards. I worked so hard. Don't you think I deserve to win? Don't you? Not that slut who doesn't appreciate that she has a job and exchanged woohoo for favours. Is this what you're teaching the leaders of tomorrow? That it's okay to lie and degrade yourself and make all kinds of morally ambiguous decisions to get what you want? That it's okay to cheat and lie and use and manipulate? Don't chase me out. I'm not done here yet. Hey! Hey, f*** you! Let me go!"

Dmitry: "It cannot be helped but I wished I stayed for longer. Maybe if there is a next time. I want to join again. My life at home is boring. Should've found someone else to form a coalition with. It's my fault for being lazy and procrastinating."

Monica: "So, erm...what do I say? I don't know what to say. Dmitry! Wait, no, I didn't mean to say that out loud...fig tree! I said fig tree. Yeah, I have no thoughts."

Caleb: "Man, how did I miss those red flags? I noticed Bryce was pushing the blame to Ivan and calling him Mole and how he was so dramatic in Mission 3, jumping out of the chair and running down the stairs. And I didn't think anything of it. I can't believe it. I was allied with the Mole!"

Immanuella: "Stellar. That's how I would describe this season. It's no wonder the Smole can still run and be popular for 32 seasons even if they don't always have the most appealing aspects. I'm glad I joined and made new friends and experienced something so unique and visceral. I wish you success for future seasons and that the Smole can continue on forever more."

***

For those curious, Bryce harvested Cherimola grapes in Mission 2.

• Red means executed, black means not in game, violet means 2 corrections earned, orange means 1 correction earned, italics means player scored the lowest.
• All scores reflected have taken corrections into account.
• Caleb got 2 corrections in Mission 3.
• Margaret was the only one to suspect Bryce.
• In Quiz 1, she didn't go fully on Bryce. She spread but it just happened that there were overlaps with the correct answer.
• Other than the first and last quiz, Margaret kept getting 7.
• I didn't intend for there to be no exemptions this season. I only realised it at the final mission. Oops.
• Both Caleb and Monica scored 0/Sophie in Quiz 2.