How a Minneapolis poet played her way through Netflix’s reality show ‘The Mole’

Who is the mole?

For Somali American poet Muna Abdulahi, that question loomed large during her first day on Season 2 of Netflix’s reality game show, “The Mole,” which was filmed in western Malaysia. Abdulahi had to figure out who to trust among the other 11 players while navigating cultural differences during the six-week filming.

The premise is simple: Contestants work together to build a pot of prize money. Among them is “the mole,” a player tasked with working against the group. After each challenge, players take a quiz to identify the mole and the contestant with the lowest score is eliminated. If the mole remains undetected until the end, they win. If the last player uncovers the identity, that player takes the prize.

Abdulahi, who grew up in Willmar and now lives in Minneapolis, approached the game with a strategy: lean into being underestimated.

In an interview with Sahan Journal, Abdulahi reflected on her life as a poet and her experience filming the show.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Can you share your journey as a poet in the Twin Cities? What inspired you to start writing?

I started writing poetry when I was 14. Somalia is known as the nation of poets, so I have family members who are poets, like my grandmother. Being born and raised in the U.S., language was still a barrier because I understood Somali when it was spoken to me but speaking it was a whole other conversation. So, when I was young, there was a part of me that really wanted to find something that connected me to my culture and poetry was it.

How do your experiences as a Muslim woman influence the subjects you write about?

I think everything ties back to our inner child. For me, I never really got to hear BIPOC stories. I still remember the first BIPOC story I read. It was “The Kite Runner.”

I think when you are not represented in stories, it makes you feel unimportant and as if your experiences are not worthy of being shared. It’s also the media in general. So, my mission when I started writing was to not only give space to our stories, but to give space to the stories that were devalued or silenced or not seen as worthy.

What drew you to “The Mole”?

I’m a big, big fan of reality TV, specifically reality competition shows like “Big Brother” and “Survivor,” so I’ve always wanted to be a part of it, but I never saw any Muslim people. I remember writing down in my notebook the shows that I want to be a part of, and I had to check off every single one because the structure of the game itself would not meet the necessities and the needs of being a Muslim woman.

In “Survivor,” you’re stranded on this random island and — let’s say you just did a swimming challenge — you’re going to be wet all day, all night. Maybe you have an extra hijab but how would you be able to preserve your values and at the same time play this game?

It’s the same thing with “Big Brother,” where you’re being filmed 24/7, even when you shower. Even though I love the game, I can’t really do it. What I loved about “The Mole” is that the structure of the game itself is accessible to Muslim women.

How did you prepare?

I rewatched a lot of the seasons, and not just the U.S. seasons. I’m also a big fan of the international seasons, so I was watching [the]Netherlands, Belgium and Australia. I wanted to make sure that my game plan was set, but at the same time give myself room to adapt, because that’s the name of the game.

We don’t really know what we’re getting into. I also prepared by memorizing things, because the objective of the game is, “Who is the mole,” right? We have to remember as much as possible about them: What are they wearing? What color are their shoes? Which car did they get in?

What was your strategy?

Originally, my strategy was to play into this stereotype that people have for Muslim women — very timid, shy, quiet, observational, not taking up too much space — so they underestimate me. It worked for that first episode but after that, I had to switch up my game.

I can’t hide. It’s so much more difficult to hide who you are when you’re with these people all day, but it still worked to my advantage because people still underestimated me. Well, until mid-game when you see them start to question if I was the mole.

How did you build friendships with contestants knowing that one of them is sabotaging the game?

To be honest, I came in there like, “I’m not here for friends; I’m here to win,” but a lot of these people are just so likable and so lovely. The mole lies throughout the whole thing, but off-camera, the stress and tension is gone. We’re eating together or driving to the next location and sharing stories about who we are.

The core of me is centered around community, and even though I wanted to shut it off, those in-between moments really got to me. Some of these friendships are so real.

How did it feel to get as far as you did?

It felt so good. A big part of that whole experience ties to the very beginning of our conversation where I didn’t want to come on the show to prove that I’m smart or exceptional. I just wanted to be myself and show all of the complexities that make up a human.

What was the reaction from friends and family?

It was really beautiful. My family is my biggest support system and my sisters, especially. It was like a sports game, the way they were cheering for me.

About the partnership This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox.