In the previous episode...
Richard: "Attention! We've been under the same roof for so many days. But for some fucking reason we can't fucking put aside our differences and fucking work together to complete the missions. The pathetic state we're in? 375 out of 800 points. We aren't even halfway. And we're in the fucking final five. This is a pathetic group to pick finalists from."
Tiffany: "Can you, like, stop swearing? My ears are hurting."
~~~
Richard: "One, two, one, two, one, two...where's my song?"
Tiffany: "I'm too...tired..."
Maximillian: "We only just began."
Clement: "Oh country roads, take me home~"
Lucy: "What do you say we get out of here? He won't notice since he's leading."
~~~
Lucy: "Do you really need to be so uppity? It's almost like you have a personal stake in this."
Maximillian: "It's my duty to restore justice in this messed up society. When I was younger, my parents were involved in a fatal hit-and-run. Instantly it became just me and my older sister. We never found the perpetrator."
~~~
Lucy: "We aren't a piece of paper. We aren't just black or just white. A lot of times we're a shade of grey. Howard was a cop, but then he turned to crime. Tiffany is lazy and honestly idiotic, but she's harmless. Crooks aren't evildoers with absolutely no moral conscience."
~~~
"Richard Xyz, after discussion, we have decided to let you off with a stern warning. Do not attempt this again."
Richard: "Yes sir. Thank you."
~~~
Lucy: "Give the Smole another chance. Give all of us another chance to show you that we've changed for the better."
~~~
Richard: "I can think of few times when I've been so humiliated."
Clement: "Who would dare humiliate you?"
Richard: "Those higher than me. Like the current General of the Army, or the President."
~~~
Tiffany: "I think I saw a clue to the Mole two missions ago, and I've been seeing more and more clues pointing to him ever since. I think I'm right about this. Which means I'm getting a free pass to the finale. I'm so smart and attentive."
~~~
Clement: "The Mole this season is a good one. He or she managed to get rid of so many smart contestants like Clarence, Moon, Clarice and Howard. I'm actually really confused and ain't no clue who it is. All I've been going on is that the Mole is a woman and there are only two women left. I sure hope it's one of them."
~~~
"Unfortunately, Richard Xyz, you have been executed. Please pack your bags and leave."
Richard was the contestant who was executed in the previous episode, leaving some contestants confused. He made his mark on the Smole and brought the group together, but is it enough to increase the pot from 375/800 points? With the finale in sight, all the contestants will be gearing full steam ahead. Who will lose out at the last moment? Who is the Mole?
Lucy: "I finally get a whole room to myself."
Lucy: "I'm excited for the finale I actually woke up early today. I can almost smell my spot in the finale."
*
*
*
Clement: "Howdy."
Maximillian: "Good day to you too. Can you believe we're almost there?"
Clement: "No, actually."
Maximillian: "Me neither. Never really expected to make it so far in a game I hated."
Lucy: "Good morning guys."
Maximillian: "You're up early."
Lucy: "Couldn't sleep."
Maximillian: "That's weird, coming from you. You're usually the last one to get up."
Lucy: "A lot of weird things are happening here. I dropped out and somehow still got selected to join another season. I'm in the final four. I'm talking to someone who's supposed to be my nemesis."
Maximillian: "Richard sacrificed for us."
Lucy: "I guess we have him to thank."
Maximillian: "This final four isn't as bad as I expected it to be."
Lucy: "Not enough explosions for you? Or are you disappointed that nobody here is a serial killer in disguise?"
Maximillian: "Ha ha. Very funny."
Maximillian: "In all seriousness, I'm pleasantly surprised. I've been thinking about all the events that happened these past few weeks. And then yesterday, I decided to take a break from it. I never realised how stressed out I was before."
Lucy: "Let nature take its course. The Smole isn't without its merits. Keep an open mind and you'll see that."
Tiffany: "Hey Dumbo!"
Clement: "Stop calling me that."
Tiffany: "Hear me out. Richard wanted us to be nice to each other and work together, and he was my roommate for a while so I guess he's sort of a friend too. Plus, you proved that you're not actually that dumb in the last mission..."
Tiffany: "My point is...I'll stop calling you Dumbo from now on."
Clement: "That's music to my ears. Appreciate it."
*
*
*
Contestants will go to Nature and Nurture Learning Academy for their next mission. Here, they will play the famous game show "Divided". They can earn up to 150 points in this mission, as well as an exemption, a correction and 100 bonus points, if they play their cards right.
Lucy: "Sounds like fun."
Clement: "I get to drive this truck for once."
Lucy: "It's not a truck."
Tiffany: "Are we there yet?"
Maximillian: "For the last time, no."
*
*
*
"There are three rounds. In the first round, you will be asked 3 questions. Each question has three options but only one is correct. For your first question, you can earn up to 15 points. However, all of you must reach a consensus. The longer you take to reach it, the lesser your earnings."
"Your first question: Which is the highest ranking university in 2018 as ranked by the QS World University Rankings?
A: Harvard University
B: Stanford University
C: Massachusetts Institute of Technology"
"You have one minute."
Maximillian: "It's A. Harvard is one of the most recognised universities in the world. Let's not waste time and quickly lock this in."
Lucy: "I'm inclined to think it's Harvard but is it really that simple? We should stop and think for a minute."
Maximillian: "A minute is all we have, Lucy."
Clement: "If my baby girl Brooklyn can get into a college, it's gonna be Harvard."
Tiffany: "If all of you think it's A then I guess it's A. Because I have no clue."
"You took 14 seconds. All of you chose A. If the answer is indeed A, you earn 11.5 points. If not, you don't earn anything."
"The answer is not A. It's C."
Lucy: "I told you we should have stopped to discuss this."
"According to the QS World University Rankings, the top university was MIT with an overall score of 100, followed by Stanford at 98.7, then Harvard in third place with a score of 98.4 Indicators such as academic reputation, citations per faculty and employer reputation were used."
"Your next question: According to the Pew Research Centre and the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, in 2010, which ethnic group in the United States is most likely to marry out of their race?
A: Blacks
B: Hispanics
C: Asians"
"You have one minute."
Lucy: "I think the answer is A from my observations."
Maximillian: "No it's not. Clement and I didn't choose A."
Clement: "We're blacks. Listen to us."
Clement: "Liking black doesn't make you black. I'm going with B."
Maximillian: "I think Asians are the ones who marry out the most though."
Lucy: "In the US the two most common races are whites and blacks. We almost always exclusively mention these two. If the blacks don't marry the blacks, they marry the whites."
Tiffany: "I don't know which to pick."
Maximillian: "I don't follow your logic, Lucy. There are more races in the US than just blacks and whites."
Tiffany: "Every round was rapid fire. Everyone was just talking over each other trying to convince each other that they're right. It was so confusing and so hard to follow."
Tiffany: "Guys, maybe we should listen to Clement. He's not actually dumb. We saw it last mission."
Tiffany: "I'll follow him and pick B."
Maximillian: "Tiffany does have a point. Clement has a good gut. None of us have the statistics to back ourselves up so let's just change to B."
Lucy: "I'm not sure about this."
Maximillian: "Lucy, stop wasting time!"
Lucy: "Fine. I don't want to be the black sheep here."
"After 39 seconds, you have chosen B. If correct, you earn 5.25 points. If not, you earn nothing."
"The answer was actually C."
Tiffany: "Ugh, Clement, you Mole! We trusted you!"
Clement: "Oh so if we're wrong it's my fault?"
Lucy: "Why is nobody listening to me?"
"Asians are the most likely to marry out at 28%, followed by Hispanics at 26%. Blacks are the least likely to marry out among the three, at only 17%. For added bonus, whites tend to marry within their ethnic caste, as only 9% marry other ethnic groups."
"Third question: According to the Economic Intelligence Unit's Worldwide Cost of Living 2018 survey, which is the most expensive city to live in?
A: Singapore
B: New York
C: Seoul"
"You have one minute."
Maximillian: "I read an article about this before. The answer is Singapore."
Lucy: "I'm not sure, Max. I think Seoul makes sense. I also read an article about how suicide rates there are one of the highest in the world, and one big reason is the stress which stems from the cost of living there."
Clement: "You guys sure it's not New York? I heard it's really expensive to live in."
Lucy: "Cast your net wider, Clement. We're not just looking at the U.S. now."
Tiffany: "I was going to pick New York too until Clement picked it. I guess I'll listen to Lucy. I've been to Seoul before and it really is expensive. The ticket price alone was crazy."
Maximillian: "Where is the takeover when you need it?"
Maximillian: "So much for working together. Everyone had their own answers and worst of all, the one who kept fighting with me the most was Lucy."
Clement: "I'm not the smartest here so I don't know the correct answer. I'll go with the majority."
Lucy: "It's just you now, Max."
Maximillian: "I know I'm correct. Listen to me."
Clement: "You're wasting time and money."
Maximillian: "Fine. You'll regret this."
"After 48 seconds, you picked C. If that is correct, you will earn 3 points."
"Unfortunately, you are wrong. The answer is indeed A."
Maximillian: "I told you guys! I told you!"
Tiffany: "Wow. We really suck at trivia. Good thing I never tried applying for 'Divided'."
"Using New York as the base of 100, Singapore is ranked at #1 with an index of 116, making it the most expensive country to live in. Seoul is tied with Geneva at #6 with an index of 106. New York doesn't even appear in the top 10."
"Onto the second round. You will be asked two questions. For each question, there are two correct answers. You must agree on which two to earn the points. Take note that after this round, you must choose one contestant to be eliminated."
Tiffany: "That's brutal."
"According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which car model was among the top 10 most stolen used cars in 2017?
A: Honda Civic
B: Toyota Corolla
C: Lamborghini Gallardo"
"You have two minutes."
Clement: "A Lambo is the most expensive cars there are. I think the Toyota Corolla's more ex than a Honda Civic. I'm goin' with B and C."
Tiffany: "I agree. Thieves would steal the most expensive cars. Everyone knows that."
Lucy: "It says 'used' cars though. If it's used, then A and B are more common and thus more likely to be used."
Maximillian: "I agree that the keyword here is 'used'. I'm also going for A and B."
Lucy: "Half of us must change."
Maximillian: "Should we change our answers?"
Lucy: "No. I'm confident we're correct. I would classify a Lambo as a brand new car, not a used car. I think of second-hand cars when I hear 'used cars', and a Lambo definitely does not come to mind."
Clement: "I'm damn sure of my answer. Where I come from I see thieves everywhere. Thieves want money. Simple as that."
Tiffany: "I'm not changing either. Do you know how tiring it is to keep having to erase and change your answers?"
Lucy: "Max and I won't budge. We know we're correct. This is a trick question. If you don't change your answers, we'll just end up with nothing."
Clement: "Fine. I'll go with all of you smarty-pants. You better be correct."
Maximillian: "We're all in unison except for you, Tiffany. It's time for you to change your answers."
Tiffany: "We shouldn't give in to peer pressure, Clement. That's called bullying."
Maximillian: "Tiffany, do something!"
Clement: "We ain't as smart as them two. They should know this stuff more than us."
Tiffany: "Fine, fine. Where is that button?"
Clement: "Hurry up!"
Tiffany: "Shh! Don't rush me."
"Time is up. You have not reached an agreement so no points are earned."
"The answer was indeed A and B."
"45,062 units were stolen for the Honda Civic, whereas 12,337 Toyota Corollas were stolen in 2017. The Lamborghini Gallardo does not appear in the top 10."
"The next question: Which two of the following halogenoalkanes have the lowest boiling points?
A: Methyl fluoride
B: Methyl chloride
C: Methyl bromide"
Clement: "I ain't the slightest clue. I dropped out of school to help my Pop on the farm."
Maximillian: "I still remember this from school. I had the Group VII properties memorised. Anyone wants to argue with facts?"
Maximillian: "A and B."
Lucy: "A and B."
Clement: "A and B."
Tiffany: "Are you sure we should be listening to Max? He gave us a lot of wrong answers."
Lucy: "It's not like you know the answer."
Tiffany: "True. A and B."
"You took 35 seconds to agree on A and B. You will earn 14.2 points if you are correct. Otherwise you still end up at nothing."
"The answer is indeed A and B."
Maximillian: "At last."
"Methyl bromide has the highest boiling point of 3.56 degrees Celsius. Methyl chloride's is -24.2 degrees Celsius and methyl fluoride is the lowest at -78.4 degrees Celsius."
"Contestants, that is the end of the second round. It means that it is time to eliminate one of your fellow contestants. Only three of you can continue on to the next round. If three of you are able to come to an agreement, that chosen contestant will be eliminated. If not, you have one minute to come to an agreement, thereafter points will be lost."
Maximillian: "Tiffany."
Lucy: "Max."
Clement: "Lucy."
Tiffany: "Max."
"You are not able to come an agreement. Hence, one minute of discussion begins now. After one minute, you will lose points per second until the mission's earnings are emptied."
Maximillian: "Let me speak first. Tiffany is useless. She cannot contribute to the mission at all. It's better to get rid of her."
Tiffany: "Oh hell no. Why do you guys like to get rid of me so much? First in that werewolf mission, then in the hotel room, and now here. I want to play too. On the other hand Max, you have led us astray many times."
Lucy: "I disagree with you, Max. I think Tiffany will be easy-going and thus we can divide the rewards up later more easily. Among the four of us, you will be the hardest to convince."
Maximillian: "What? Surely it's you. I'm more willing to change my stance than you are, Lucy. Maybe I should change my vote to you in that case."
Clement: "Err...I picked Lucy too. But not for that reason. Max either gives us correct answers or wrong ones. Lucy so far has been wrong the whole time and is really stubborn about it."
"One minute is over. Points will begin to decrease."
Maximillian: "We need to agree on someone. Go for Tiffany. At least we'll have a bigger pot."
Lucy: "Two of us have the same guy in mind. Clement, it's up to you to stop the pot from dropping even more."
Clement: "Eesh. Err...okay. I'll change to Max."
"There are three votes for Maximillian. Maximillian, you have been eliminated from the mission."
Maximillian: "I wish you guys all the best. I hope you can earn more money without me."
"Tiffany, Clement, Lucy, congratulations. You can continue on to the third round. You currently have 13.9 points left. For the third round, you will be asked one question worth 25 points. There can either be two or three correct answers. You must select all the correct answers as one to earn the points. You have two minutes to decide."
"According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, as of 2016, which of the following countries have the top 10 highest average wages?
A: United States
B: United Kingdom
C: Luxembourg"
Lucy: "If I try to predict how they set the question, I think they will give us two correct answers. There is only one question so we'll be tempted to think they'll try and have one question with all three answers correct."
Lucy: "I think A is one of them."
Clement: "Same here."
Tiffany: "USA is so expensive to live in but I don't really hear anyone complaining about it. I guess you two are right."
Tiffany: "What else though?"
Clement: "I say UK."
Lucy: "The pound is pretty stable and pretty good...until recently, that is, but something feels off. I think that is a red herring."
Clement: "There ain't no fish in here."
Lucy: "Luxembourg is so random. I know so little about that country...I'll go with A and C."
Clement: "I think B has gotta be it. You sure it ain't A, B, C?"
Tiffany: "Tell me when you guys reach a decision. Then I'll change my answer."
Lucy: "I think this is another trick question. We have to be careful and think really hard about this."
Clement: "But thinkin' ain't my strong suit."
Lucy: "I don't recall the UK ever being mentioned for having one of the highest average wages. US has a minimum wage so that inflates our average wage...I'm sticking with A and C."
Clement: "Hope you're right Lucy. Else we know who to witchhunt."
Tiffany: "Oh, so we're going for A and C? Okie-dokie. Give me a sec."
"You have picked A and C, but you took 70 seconds to come to this answer. If correct, you earn an additional 10.4 points. If wrong, your earnings will be halved."
"You are correct. The answer is A and C."
"Average wages are converted in US dollar nominal using 2013 US dollar nominal for private consumption and are deflated by a price deflator for private final consumption expenditures in 2013 prices. The OECD is a weighted average based on dependent employment weights in 2013 for the countries shown. Luxembourg is first while US is second. UK is far behind at fifteenth."
"It is time for the last round. In this round, you have three minutes to answer the question. This question is worth the most: 40 points."
"Time for the final question. Rank the following Avril Lavigne songs according to their peak position on the Billboard Hot 100.
A: Complicated
B: Sk8r Boi
C: My Happy Ending"
Tiffany: "I actually know this one. It's A, B and C...no wait, I know Complicated was uber famous, but so was Sk8r Boi, but those were one of her earliest songs."
Lucy: "I don't think it's A, B, C. I agree that the later songs should be more famous. If I recall C was the latest song to come out, but I hear A way more than I hear the rest. If I base on what I hear on the radio, it will be A, C and then B is the least heard."
Clement: "I agree with A. I ain't heard of the rest."
Clement: "I'm no good with the songs. I'll listen to you guys. A, C, B."
"You took 40 seconds to arrive at this answer. If correct, 26.7 more points will be earned. Otherwise, the earnings this mission will be halved again."
"Uh-huh, life's like this~"
Tiffany: "I recognise that song! Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?"
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, so much for my happy ending~"
Tiffany: "Happy ending, happy ending!"
"He was a boy, she was a girl~"
Tiffany: "Can I make it any more obvious? He was a punk, she did ballet, what more can I say? This is Sk8r Boi."
"Congratulations. You are correct. You have earned 51 points so far."
Tiffany: "Yeah! We don't care about the little points. We only go for the big ones!"
"Complicated peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while My Happy Ending reached #9. Sk8r Boi peaked at #10."
Tiffany: "I feel really smart after this mission."
"It is now time to divvy up the rewards. One of you will leave with an exemption, another with a correction and the last one can earn 100 bonus points. You have to agree on who takes what within 5 minutes. Otherwise, the bonus points will decrease. Once that reaches zero, the mission earnings will drop and when that's gone too, your pot will start to decrease."
Clement: "Yikes. We could lose our whole pot. All our hard work this season just gone like that."
Tiffany: "I'm going for the exemption of course."
Lucy: "No you're not."
Clement: "You ain't deserving of it, sorry. You did nothing to help us."
Tiffany: "Neither did you. I really want the exemption. If you say you did the most then you should take the most points."
Lucy: "Ignore her. I contributed the most in this mission. I'll take the final exemption. You can have the one correction. Tiffany can take the 100 bonus points so that she can say she at least contributed."
Clement: "Can't argue with that."
Tiffany: "You can't do this! It's bullying! You two are clearly just picking on me!"
Lucy: "We kept you over Max because we thought you were the easiest to deal with and the most agreeable. Looking at it now, we should have chosen Max over you."
Tiffany: "How dare you! You think I deserve to be eliminated instead of Max? Look at how much we earned without him. And I knew the answer to the last question, which FYI, was worth the most. So I contributed the most. I'm taking that exemption!"
Lucy: "Not a chance. We can sit here all day and lose our entire pot, or we can distribute this fairly."
Tiffany: "At least give me a correction."
Clement: "Eh...alright. Can't bear to see a girl cry. I'll take the bonus points."
Tiffany: "Yipee! Thanks Clement! You're the best!"
"An agreement has been reached. You took 2 minutes and 24 seconds to reach this agreement, so 52 bonus points have been earned. This mission you have earned 103/150 points, making the pot 478/950 points."
"Clement, you earned the bonus points."
"Tiffany, you get a correction."
"Lucy, congratulations. You are the first finalist."
Lucy managed to get the final exemption, earning her the first spot in the finale. Which two will join her?
*
*
*
A link to all the sources used in this mission:
40 - Rank the following Avril Lavigne songs according to their peak position on the Billboard Hot 100.
Next episode...
Maximillian: "Only two spots for the finale left. I'm pissed that I was voted out of the mission. I don't even get a single correction. Nobody wants to go home now, not when the finale is within reach."
~~~
~~~
Tiffany: "Thank you thank you thank you!"
~~~
Clement: "Hold your horses. Whatchu trying to do?"
Tiffany: "Hug you?"
Tiffany: "I just want to thank you for giving the correction up to me. That's so hot of you."
~~~
Maximillian: "Now it's just about making the test best. We all have a Mole in mind."
Maximillian: "I think the least you can do is to tell me what happened in the mission during my absence. You owe me that much."
Clement: "Howdy. Preparing for the quiz?"
Maximillian: "Yeah. I didn't see myself coming this far."
Clement: "Same."
~~~
Lucy: "Wow, you really decorated this room."
Tiffany: "Of course. I like to collect souvenirs from all my trips. I want to let my fans know where I've been to. It's fun keeping a collection like that."
~~~
Clement: "Howdy. Preparing for the quiz?"
Maximillian: "Yeah. I didn't see myself coming this far."
Clement: "Same."
~~~
Clement: "You got a point. You always do."
~~~
Clement: "Let's feast to the finale!"
Maximillian: "To the finale!"
~~~
Lucy: "Wow, you really decorated this room."
Tiffany: "Of course. I like to collect souvenirs from all my trips. I want to let my fans know where I've been to. It's fun keeping a collection like that."
~~~
Tiffany: "Some of us have got to loosen up."
~~~
Clement: "The Mole is a woman. And that's all I'm sure of. I should stop splitting but I can't decide which one it is. There is one woman I'm leaning towards....aw heck, just go for it."
Lucy: "My main suspect is Tiffany, but I'll put 2 questions on Max and one on Clement just in case. You can never be too sure."
Tiffany: "I see all the hints pointing to Max Young the engaged lawyer. I just need to focus on him and I will be able to make it to the finale, especially with this correction."
Maximillian: "Never thought I'd have to make the decision of who to pick. I don't think I've been so nervous this season. I had my eye on Tiffany for the longest time. It doesn't make sense that someone as vacuous and lazy as her makes it this far unless she's the Mole."
~~~
~~~
"Lucy Neuwark is the first finalist this season. Who will the other two be?"
