Netflix's The Mole has come to its shocking conclusion, but Joi Schweitzer is setting the record straight about the jaw dropping moment when she stole $25,000 from the group. Joi, a pilot, made a name for herself on the Netflix reboot of The Mole by consistently getting lost with maps and costing the group thousands of dollars along the way. She ultimately placed second after incorrectly identifying the mole in the final episode of the season.
Joi's actions have garnered both outrage and love among fans of The Mole, and people are still split on whether it was a good decision for her to take $25,000 from the group pot in order to gain safety for the day. She recently sat down with Parade and explained, "I know $25,000 is a lot of money. But I did it to get to the end." While The Mole is similar to other competition shows, a key difference is that players cannot be voted out, a godsend for Joi, who surely would've been eliminated if it were up to her other Mole cast members.
Joi Schweitzer Admits The Mole Fans Didn't See The Whole Story
Joi pushed back on the people who criticized her game on The Mole, saying, "You guys see a 45-minute edited show." She implied that things weren't as simple as they seemed to be in the edited-down version. She also excused her choice of stealing the money because "I would hear conversations off-camera. A couple of the castmates were like, 'I just want to do this to be famous.'" Joi seemed to have no regrets from her decision, even laughing in the interview when explaining how much money she stole.
Joi was not the only person who received a lot of heat from her Mole castmates. Professional gamer Avori Henderson intentionally took money from the group to draw attention onto herself. The Mole is a completely unique competition because the only thing that matters is getting the questions right on a quiz about the identity of the mole. If the players are able to trick someone into suspecting them as the mole, then they become one step closer to finding out the truth. Joi used this strategy to her advantage, as many contestants suspected her as the mole when she struggled to navigate the group, despite her occupation as a pilot.
The Mole has been the most exciting reality TV show that Netflix has produced thus far. Its incredible premise, impeccable casting, and overall nostalgia for fans of the previous The Mole, hosted by Anderson Cooper, have made it one of the reality TV bright spots of the year. Fans can only hope that Netflix's reality television team, which also produces Selling Tampa, has seen the support and will bring The Mole back for a second season of mystery and delight.
Source: Parade