60.13-A big L

Last time on the Smole, the contestants had to race along the Simomon river via paddleboat. The Mole had predictions on who the finallists were, but reality was very different with Preethi clinching the gold exemption, Kearney earning and using the silver exemption, and Maru winning the bronze exemption. Fortunately, 40/100 points were still earned by way of detour. Darleen was the next to see the red light and be executed. The pot is now at 182/500 points. Can the group make a big comeback or will the Mole prevail?

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Nadia: "Well that was a big L. That's our main suspect out of the house. Were we wrong? It's back to the drawing board again."

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Maru: "Another bingo? What prizes are left? Hmm, I don't know what to pick, I'll just pick one at random."

Maru: "Oh, 100 bonus points. I suppose that's good."

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Trenton: "I did not expect the coalition to shrink that quickly. Now it's just you and me."

Preethi: "Actually, now it's just you."

Trenton: "What?"

Preethi: "I never wanted to be in a coalition with you, but my bingo card told me to leave a coalition."

Trenton: "So you used me?"

Preethi: "I think you're a burden to me and to Lewis."

Trenton: "You will regret this. Never cross an Alto."

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Miriam: "Do you ever get tired of cooking?"

Luis: "Never. Not after Kara."

Trenton: "What happened with Kara?"

Luis: "Don't ask, boy."

"Hello everybody!"

"Contestants, welcome your newest shadow: 49-year-old Mariana Matlapin, a yes-woman from Lucky Palms!"

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Mariana: "Did my darling girl quit for me? I hope she wasn't so foolish! Don't worry darling, I'll win it for you! Or at least have fun trying!"

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Miriam: "I don't feel well today so I'm going to sit out this one."

"Very well. Contestants, first of all, congratulations for getting another 100 bonus points, courtesy of Maru. Now, today I need one squash player and eight tennis players. The tennis players will be playing doubles, so get a partner while you're at it."

Kearney: "I will play squash. I don't need a team."

Nadia: "No objections from me."

Preethi: "I want to team up with Mariana and give her a warm welcome."

Mariana: "Aww."

Luis: "We should have one strong player and one weak player in each pair."

Trenton: "I call dibs on Maru."

Maru: "Sounds fun! We'll crush the competition."

Virginia: "Do you wish to work together, Ms. Vanderburg?"

Francisca: "Oh! Of course. I didn't expect you to want to talk to me."

Virginia: "I have no better option."

Nadia: "Then it's me and you, Luis."

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Today, Kearney will play against a cannon. The cannon will fire balls which Kearney must volley by hitting it such that it lands within the within-bounds area. He must continue to do so until the ball lands in one of the two service boxes. Only then will that ball add 1 point to the pot. He has 10 minutes. 

Some of the balls also have answers written on them.

The tennis players will be asked questions during their tournament. They have to keep the correct ball in the game, which is the one with the right answer, to earn 5 points. As this is also a tournament, the winner of each game will advance to the next stage. In the final stage, the winning team will play against each other for an exemption.

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Luis: "We started with over a dozen balls for each game and had to play until only one ball was left. That ball would be the decisive one to earn points. I mean tennis points."

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Kearney: "Do your worst, cannon."

Kearney: "This one says Wimbledon."

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"Love-all, play."

Nadia: "I got this!"

Maru: "Oops missed a ball. Hope it wasn't important."

Virginia: "Fortunately for you, I have had experience in tennis."

"Hi-5 is an Australian children's show, comprising a pop group-esque cast of 5. Who was the first member of Hi-5 to leave?"

Luis: "It's coming for me!"

Luis: "I missed."

Nadia: "It's alright. It probably wasn't the right answer anyway. We still have more balls in game."

Maru: "What did that say? Oh, Ainsley Ruth Del Rino."

Luis: "That's a name you idiot!"

Nadia: "The name of an ex-contestant. It's not our answer."

Nadia: "I'll take the back court."

Trenton: "Darn it. That was the last ball. It says: George Washington. That's definitely not the right answer."

Nadia: "Woo! We have 1 point Luis!"

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"Which sporting event has an all-white dress code?"

Virginia: "The Wimbledon."

Preethi: "Why did you grab the ball?"

Mariana: "I can't see the answers with all the flying balls."

Preethi: "It's written with big black letters. You don't need to grab one to see what's written."

Mariana: "Oh, you're right! That one says Wimbledon!"

Preethi: "I got it!"

Mariana: "Did you get it?"

Preethi: "Yes! Now focus on the front!"

Francisca: "Oh no. Sorry."

Virginia: "I wish I could be surprised. I suggest we change our strategy."

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"How many dots appear on a pair of dice?"

Trenton: "21"

Nadia: "A pair! So that's 42!"

Maru: "The answer to life, the universe and everything."

Nadia: "Phew, that says 108. Not our ball."

Luis: "This one says 42."

Nadia: "Then we forget about all the other balls, okay guys?"

Trenton: "Hya!"

Luis: "I got this one."

Luis: "Dio damnazione."

Nadia: "It's okay."

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"Roald Amusden is famous for being the first man to reach which place?"

Preethi: "That says Rome. It could be our answer!"

Mariana: "Ow! The ball labelled 'pain' hit me. Hehe, how ironic."

Preethi: "Focus!"

Virginia: "Let that one pass."

Mariana: "Oopsy, there goes Rome."

Virginia: "Then that is our last ball. It says: orange."

Mariana: "Orange incoming!"

Preethi: "Why did you drop the ball?"

Mariana: "It wasn't correct."

Preethi: "It was the last ball remaining for this game, which means we just gave them a point, you dimwit."

Mariana: "Oh. Sorry."

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Kearney: "Hya!"

Kearney: "Another point, and this one says Rome."

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"Which city is known as 'The Eternal City'?"

Nadia: "Definitely not swallowtail. That's not a city."

Luis: "I'm volleying Finland back."

Trenton: "Every point counts."

Luis: "Huh?"

Nadia: "We both missed it. Good serve, Trenton."

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"Which category of Nobel prizes did Barack Obama win in 2009?"

Preethi: "He won the Nobel Peace Prize."

Mariana: "Was that peace? Oh, that's chemistry."

Preethi: "To your right!"

Preethi: "It's in."

Mariana: "You missed a shot too."

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"What was the codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy in WWII?"

Maru: "Mitch says it's Operation Overlord."

Nadia: "Who's Mitch?"

Luis: "Don't ask."

Trenton: "The Treaty of Versailles."

Trenton: "Oof!"

Nadia: "There goes the other tennis balls."

Trenton: "Operation Overlord! Maru, that's for you!"

Maru: "Ooh..."

Trenton: "Maru, what?"

Maru: "You said it was for me."

Trenton: "To hit back to the other side of the court, not for you to keep! I'm counting on you to win this for us here."

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"What is the name of the world's first artificial satellite?"

Francisca: "This says 'robot chicken'."

Preethi: "They're wide! Hit there!"

Virginia: "I'll fill that spot!"

Preethi: "We distracted them. Here comes the final ball!"

Virginia: "Ms. Vanderburg."

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Kearney: "I may have dropped Kathleen De Leon, abacus, dragon and South Pole, but I have succeeded in far more."

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There are only 4 questions per set, so the contestants will continue playing without questions until one side wins.

Nadia: "Hya!"

Maru: "That's one more ball down."

Luis: "Aah!"

Nadia: "Don't worry, I'll get it!"

Nadia: "Take that!"

Maru: "Woah, that was so much force I almost lost my balance."

Nadia: "You lost the point too."

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Mariana: "We got this. We just hold steady."

Virginia: "Good swing."

Mariana: "Oops, it's out of the court. That's a point for us."

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Nadia: "We're almost winning!"

Luis: "I won't go down without a fight."

Trenton: "Ow!"

Nadia: "You're supposed to use the racket to hit the ball, not your stomach hehe."

"30-game. Nadia and Luis win the set."

Trenton: "I thought I had it in the bag when I picked you, Maru."

Nadia: "YEAAAAHHH! We did it Luis!"

Luis: "Wow you're surprisingly loud."

Nadia: "Why do you think I'm in a band?"

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Meanwhile, the other side is still fighting for to advance. It is a close match.

Preethi: "You're good. We're tied again."

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Kearney: "Take that, the Rembrandts! I thought this would be a challenge."

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Francisca: "That one's for me!"

Mariana: "Wow this is the longest rally we had."

Francisca: "Ow."

Virginia: "Ms. Vanderburg, why are you in the way?"

"Game-40. Preethi and Mariana win."

Preethi: "Woo!"

Preethi: "I thought you were a tennis player, Virginia?"

Virginia: "It's Ms. Supine to you. And there is no need to get arrogant."

Francisca: "I'm sorry."

Virginia: "As you should be."

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Kearney: "More are firing from the cannon at once."

Kearney: "I have to choose between 'Brave New World' and 'Ghost'."

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"Love all, play."

"Where is the strongest human muscle located?"

Preethi: "This says heart."

Nadia: "Oops!"

Luis: "There are other balls still in the game."

Preethi: "Damn it I missed. Mariana!"

Mariana: "Oopsy, too late. What did that final ball say?"

Preethi: "The River Styx."

Mariana: "That ain't right."

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Kearney: "This one has nothing written on it, but it is still worth money."

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"What 1990 movie starred Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg?"

Nadia: "Anyone have a clue?"

Luis: "Phileas Fogg. Could that be it?"

Nadia: "Don't think so. Don't bother trying to catch it."

Nadia: "Jaws! This is the ball we must be looking for!"

Preethi: "I'm going to win this game and the points!"

Nadia: "Not if I have anything to say about that!"

Mariana: "Ha!"

Preethi: "Good save Mariana."

Nadia: "Damn it I missed."

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Preethi: "That ball said 'Jaw', not 'Jaws', so it was wrong."

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"Who sang the Friends theme song 'I'll Be There For You'?"

Mariana: "That's The Rembrandts."

Preethi: "It's this one!"

Nadia: "That says Rembrandt, not The Rembrandts."

Nadia: "This is the one we should focus on."

Virginia: "Pitiful play."

Nadia: "Whew! It's out. Another point for us!"

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Kearney: "What did I miss? C8."

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"What is the name of a book title written by Aldous Huxley?"

Preethi: "I'm just whacking whatever I can at this point."

Preethi: "Mariana!"

Mariana: "On it!"

Luis: "Thwack!"

Nadia: "Nice slice there, Luis! It landed in the court!"

Preethi: "Brave New World. Hmm, plausible."

Virginia: "It is indeed the correct answer. I would know."

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Kearney: "That says 'bingo square'."

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Nadia: "Just one more for us to win."

Preethi: "I'm not going to let you win!"

Maru: "Ow! One of the balls hit my nose!"

Preethi: "Damn it!"

Luis: "We won? We somehow won!"

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Kearney: "Kanji in, and the last one, spaghetti...in the box!"

"That is the end of the mission for you. You have scored 89/100 points and gained a bingo card."

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Kearney: "I do not need advantages of handicaps. I am perfectly capable of winning the season by my own merits. However, I also want to complete my bingo board, and this card says 'hit at least 50 tennis balls' which I have done. I would be a fool to reject a gift horse in the mouth."

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It's down to Nadia and Luis. The winner of this game will win the coveted exemption.

Maru: "Wanna place bets? My money's on Luis."

Francisca: "You're joking, right? Nadia was carrying the whole game."

"There is a story where two British men travelled eastward from Liverpool, going to places including Bombay, Singapore, and San Francisco. How long did they take to travel around the world?"

Nadia: "This one says -3 degrees Celsius. That's definitely not it."

Luis: "This one says 80 days."

Nadia: "Sounds like our best shot."

Nadia: "Whack!"

Luis: "Hey watch it!"

Nadia: "Nadia 1, Luis 0."

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"Which of the following colours do not belong on the flag of Italy? Red, orange, white, or green?"

Luis: "The answer is orange."

Nadia: "That says maroon. I'll let it pass."

Luis: "Orange is here."

Nadia: "Smack!"

Luis: "Whack!"

Maru: "Is it me or are they saying out the sounds their tennis rackets make?"

Nadia: "You distracted me!"

Mariana: "What a tense game. It is tied!"

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"What is the name of the Japanese writing system that uses Chinese characters?"

Nadia: "This says Kanban. I bet this is the answer!"

Luis: "I'm not going to go easy on you."

Nadia: "I don't expect you to, old man."

Luis: "You called me old?"

Nadia: "What the...I had no idea you had that kind of power in you."

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"What is the highest musical note on a standard 88-key piano?"

Luis: "What's the answer?"

Nadia: "I don't know. I don't play the piano."

Nadia: "I'm not going to go easy on you."

Nadia: "No more nice Nadia!"

Luis: "No more nice Luis!"

Virginia: "The commentary bores me."

Nadia: "How?"

Trenton: "How the tables turn. Just one more point for Luis to win."

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Luis: "In the final match it was no longer about getting the right answers but about winning. I gave it my all."

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Luis: "Whack!"

Nadia: "Whack!"

Luis: "Whack!"

Nadia: "Whacky-whack!"

Luis: "Whack whack whack!"

Mariana: "Ohh...you really dropped the ball there. Pun intended."

Luis: "I won! Benedici gli dei."

Nadia: "How did that happen?"

"Congratulations to Luis for winning the match and exemption! Of the deciding balls during the tennis tournament, 8 of them scored you points, so 40/80 points have been earned here."

Together with Kearney, 129/180 points have been won. Luis will not be executed, but who will? Who is the Mole?