The Mole season 2: How much money did the cast lose during the exemption? 

The exemption on episode 2 of The Mole season 2 was one of the most challenging things on the show. It was so because the $45,000 in the prize pot was put on a countdown on a screen before them. The players were then told that the last one to get out of the cafe would win the exemption. An exemption would save them from getting eliminated that night.

They had to decide fast because money was dropping every second. After all the contestants left the cafe, only Tony and Hannah remained. Episode 2 of The Mole season 2 was left on a cliffhanger here, keeping fans wondering who won the exemption and at what cost.

Episode 3 revealed that Hannah was the one to prevail as she used her tactics to get Tony to cave. The number on the screen stopped at $9,870, which means the cast lost $35,130 during the exemption.

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What happened during the exemption round on The Mole season 2?

The cast was thrilled to add $15,000 to their prize pot after winning the treasure hunt challenge on The Mole season 2 episode 2. Just as they were celebrating the hike of their prize pot to $45,000, Ari Shapiro, their host, entered with some dampening news.

A still from the treasure hunt challenge on episode 2 of The Mole season 2 (Image via YouTube/@Netflix)

Ari explained that the last person to remain in the room would win the exemption as the $45,000 would start counting down on the screen. The rule was simple, the longer they took to get out of the room, the more money they would lose.

Melissa was the first one to get out, and she suggested that everyone should leave the room and let Neesh win the exemption because they put him in danger in the first episode. Deanna was the second person to get out saying she knew she wasn't going to get the exemption that night, so why waste money.

Neesh and Quaylyn left together after getting frustrated with the dropping pot. Andy was the next one to cave. He said:

"Just can't watch this money go down anymore".

Sean left with Andy saying Andy was his "ride or die" buddy. Michael was the next one to go, when he left, the pot was already down to $25,550. Quaylyn yelled at the remaining players asking them if they really were willing to let the pot hit zero just to win an exemption.

Ryan was the next one to leave and said that she felt "nauseous" to see the pot go to zero. The only people left in the room were Muna, Tony, and Hannah, and the pot was down to $19,000. Muna then left, saying:

"If there was no money to receive, what exactly am I fighting for?"

Hannah and Tony stood their ground. They said they were willing to let the pot hit zero if that was what it took to win the exemption. Hannah said:

"All I have to do is bat my eyelashes to get the exemption from him".

She added:

"I don't have Tony eating out of my palm yet, but I definitely will".

The pot was down to $12,000 when episode 2 ended and Hannah was seen urging Tony to get up. The start of episode 3 of The Mole, finally saw Tony giving up at $9,870, and letting Hannah keep the exemption from elimination. The cast collectively lost $35,130 from the prize pot of $45,000 for the sake of the exemption, which went to Hannah.

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Meanwhile, the upcoming Episodes 6-8 of The Mole season 2 will be released on July 5, on Netflix.