The Dutch Mol of 2021, Renée Fokker, has finally been released from her secret for two weeks. In Belgium, the saboteur is just about to strike. However, ‘De Mol’ – as the program is called by our southern neighbors – cannot be compared with our version. Many fans think the Belgian version is even better, but is that also the case? Judge yourself.
Unknown candidates
On Sunday, March 21, the search for the Mol will start on the Flemish television channel Play4, formerly VIER. They will not go far this year, because the ten candidates will travel to Germany for the ninth season. Where it is sometimes quite a tough job for Dutch production to put together a group, they have plenty of choice in Belgium. There they do not make the popular program with famous people, but with ‘normal’ people. About 30,000 volunteers registered this year, but only ten of them made it to the selection for ‘the adventure of a lifetime’.
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Plottwist
But whether it is the ten candidates that have now been proposed, that is still the question … The mole is known for being quite big out of the pack. For example, a few seasons ago, the saboteur was only appointed when the recordings had already started. Presenter Gilles de Coster said at the time HLN: “Every year we try to surprise and mislead the viewers. Not that we compulsively want to introduce something new. But we do want to cherish the idea of leaving without Mol. We just wanted to open with a bang this year. With the added bonus that the viewers for the first time know more than the candidates for the first time. “
Also this year they are going strong. The ten chosen finalists are not sure of their place. In the very first episode, they have to compete against ten candidates who just fell out of the boat during the selection.
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Orange screens
Where presenter Rik van de Westelaken shows the candidates a green or red screen, they also have an orange screen in Belgium since this season. It is not yet known exactly what that means, but it probably has something to do with the extra ten participants. Normally, the color indicates whether someone can stay or has to go home. We have never seen an orange screen in the Netherlands. Rik did joke in the official podcast of Who is the mole? last season on a blue screen when asked what would happen if he typed in a name incorrectly.
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Presenter
In the Netherlands we have Rik van de Westelaken, the Belgians have Gilles de Coster. Where the Dutch participants are quite impressed by Rik and are immediately silent as soon as he appears on the scene, Gilles is more of a guide to the group. He has a nice meal and interviews the candidates.
The pot
Another big difference is the pot. In Who is the mole? the group itself is responsible for the money, which sometimes also works in favor of De Mol. In the past, for example, money has regularly disappeared in a mysterious way. The treasurer sometimes also has privileges, which, for example, Mol Kees Tol made good use of during his season. Speaking of money: the amount The mole is many times higher than we are used to. This way, around 8,000 euros can easily be earned during an assignment. That adds up!
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Exercises
It should therefore be clear by now that the Belgians are raising the bar a lot, also when it comes to assignments. For example, the candidates were buried alive (!) In Mexico a few years ago. They had to free each other with a walkie-talkie. It would spontaneously make you claustrophobic.
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