WIDM talk: the first finalist is known

There was already a joker here and there this season in the game, where the candidates almost came to blows, but other trump cards were still waiting; until now. Suddenly there was not a green or black exemption, but a white one; one for the final. The candidates were of course willing to give a lot for that, the pot was no longer so important. But another powerful weapon has been added: exclusive information. in het spel, waar de kandidaten nog net niet voor op de vuist gingen, maar andere troeven lieten toch nog op zich wachten; tot nu. Ineens was daar niet een groene of zwarte vrijstelling, maar een witte; eentje voor de finale. Daar hadden de kandidaten natuurlijk heel wat voor over, de pot was even niet meer zo belangrijk. Maar er is nog een machtig wapen bijgekomen: exclusieve informatie.

One big chaos

After all the teasers about that mysterious tablet and possible prior knowledge, it was finally time: the airport assignment. Like a true action hero, Rik waits for the candidates in the middle of the runway. It turns out that the upcoming game is also the annual laser game assignment. The group must collect the luggage of the ‘travelers’ who have been left behind at the deserted airport, without being hit by the lasers of the military police. If they manage to later match the suitcases to the right people, they earn €2250,- for the pot. So there is quite a lot at stake, especially for Roos who also has to look for Ray's tablet. After a team meeting, the agreements seem clear: two candidates go inside and try to collect as many items as possible. If you get hit twice, you switch with the next player. Sophie ultimately thinks differently; she continues to play happily, even though she is already out. The group lives are therefore ‘suddenly’ over, much to the surprise of the rest. Sophie wisely keeps her mouth shut.

Then it's time to get the collected luggage to the right people, which quickly turns into one big chaos. Roos does everything she can to get the tablet into her own suitcase , which does not go unnoticed. Everyone just runs around a bit without really knowing what is happening. And the big question is: who is making those passports with essential information unusable? It is clear that there is some messing around, it seems that everyone is contributing their part. After running around the arrival hall for quite a while, the group fortunately returns to Rik on time. Here they hear the disappointing news that only €300,- has been earned. That is quite a bummer, except for the Mole of course. Roos at least keeps a tactical weapon from the assignment: she has the exclusive footage of how everyone reacted to whether or not they are the Mole. Although she still wonders how much wiser she really becomes from this. That will need to be studied well.

Everything for a trump card

After an extensive debriefing of assignment one in which everyone remained rather vague, it's time for the next game. The candidates may one by one indicate to Rik how much money they would be willing to give for a final exemption. While Maaike and Nora go for a modest €1000,- and €2000,-, the rest attaches slightly less value to the pot. Sophie and Stijn both put in €5000,-, Roos goes one step further with €7000,- which would leave the group pretty broke. Just making a bid is of course too simple for WIDM standards, there must still be a fight. The candidates stand blindfolded in a circle; if Rik taps them, they must place the exemption with one of the others. Whoever gets the trump card can guess who it comes from. If that works, you eliminate your opponent; if not, you're the one in trouble. Let's see who can lie and who has the best people skills. Stijn and Roos manage to shake off the rest and come into a duel. Stijn gets two boxes in front of him: one empty and one with the exemption. He decides which box he keeps and which one he gives to Roos. She gets one last chance to switch. The choice not to do so costs her dearly. Stijn wins the ticket to the final and is over the moon. Was reaching the final not yet a certainty for him? This result does mean that the pot is €5000,- poorer, something the rest of the group is not exactly happy about. They of course do not know that the damage from a win for Roos would have been much greater, she keeps that info to herself.

This week's elimination shows that even in episode 7 it is dangerous to give in to your tunnel vision. Nora did not have the Mole figured out as well as she thought and must leave the game. This doesn't really get me much further in my search. Nora was at the bottom of my suspect list with her fanaticism. With the final in sight, we may need to pay better attention. On to next week.