Being the Mole doesn’t come with a handbook. Should you choose to accept the assignment, it’s up to you to bring your own flavor of sabotage to the competition — be it outright destruction or shadowy subterfuge.

When Sean got the call that The Mole Season 2 would revolve around his web of lies, he knew that his strategy would include a little bit of both. “You learn from all the other Moles, take bits and pieces from them, and then do a remix for your own version,” he tells Tudum. But unlike Moles of seasons past, the former undercover cop entered into the competition without any grand designs. “I didn’t get deep into the game plan until I knew who I was playing against. I really went in blind and used my own instincts to adapt to the situation that was in front of me.” 

His instincts ended up serving him well, as he convinced the rest of the players (well, almost all of them) that he was the friendly, somewhat clueless, stay-at-home dad next door … until he was officially unmasked as the Mole in the shocking finale. So how’d he pull it off? Turns out, it wasn’t so simple, as Sean’s time in Malaysia was filled with plenty of ups and downs — and concerns that there were actually two Moles at play. 

Let’s start from the beginning. How did you end up on The Mole? 

My wife saw a casting call for Season 2. I was like, “This is a waste of time.” Reality TV wasn’t even a forethought, but I started the process. When the calls started coming in, I was like, “Yo, what the fuck? Are these people that desperate?” And it just continued from there. I told the producers, “I’m not changing who I am for this show. What you see is what you get.” And they were cool with it, so here we are.

When did you get approached about being the Mole? What was your reaction?

I remember getting a call when I was at my kid’s baseball tournament. They were like, “After the selection process and going through everybody, we want you to be the Mole.” How do you say no to that? Of course, you’re a little disappointed because you aren’t going to win, but whatever. I easily accepted. You’re being chosen out of tens of thousands of people to be the title character. It’s like being Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard. Once they sweetened me over with the compliments and how I fit the mold of what they wanted, I was like, “OK, I’m in. Whatever you guys need, you tell me how you want me to do this.” They told me, “No, you’re going to do the show how you want. We’ll give you a little guidance. We know you know how to take direction.” And that was it. I was in. There was no turning back once I said yes.

What type of game did you want to play as the Mole? Did you have a specific strategy in mind? 

I did want to be the middle-aged funny dad. That was my vibe, because that isn’t threatening. And that’s who I really am. I’m corny. I am that dude. I’ll be me, but then take bits and pieces of my past experience and sprinkle it on there and see how it works. I didn’t really have anything planned. I just wanted to see who the 11 other participants were and then play off of them.

Did you purposefully hide that you used to be an undercover cop? How did that experience inform your gameplay? 

I’m not a cop anymore, so I wasn’t hiding shit from anybody. It’s just not who I am now. If it were ever brought up in a conversation, I would’ve gladly provided that information, but nobody asked anything. They just went with it. As a cop, my job was interviewing interrogation. I did undercover work, but I’m fluent in Spanish, so I would be taken to different jails or prisons and speak to those who are in custody to extract information and build a rapport. I used those tools in the game. I’m still good at reading people’s body language and when they’re bullshitting. Those tools were pertinent [to the competition] because I had to sniff out who was on my trail. 

What was going through your mind during the very first challenge?

The minute I came out that bamboo, I was there to play. I was going to do everything in my ability to take money out of this pot and sabotage every which way. That was one thing I learned from Kesi from Season 1. She was laid back the first mission, but I was there to ruin lives. That’s my job. The slingshot was perfect because when I see Q miss, I’m like, “I can suck and no one’s going to give a shit.”

How often were you communicating with production throughout the competition? What was it like to interface with them while crafting your own strategy?

The only people that I would have contact with in reference to being the Mole was [showrunner David Tibballs] and one other producer. That was it. I told them from the beginning that I didn’t want a lot of information because I didn’t want it to come off prerecorded or planned. Just tell me what direction you think it should go and then give me a little idea of what’s happening. I wanted to be the kid coming down the stairs Christmas morning without having peeked in advance. I also wanted them to be happy, so I was always asking, “Did I do good? Did I mess up? Do you need me to pull back?” They gave me just enough and then I would go and do what I needed to do to make it look natural and as real as I could.

Where would these moments of communication happen?

It would all depend on the location. A majority of the time it was in hotel rooms. Sometimes it was in the middle of video recordings and then they would pull me up to their room. Once or twice they’d pull me out during just a regular day off. People are going to the gym and then you get pulled out and told what’s cracking.

Is there one moment that you’re particularly proud of?

During Mission 1 and 2 … nothing. I tried, but everybody was legit. They were there to win. I’m trying to ruin stuff and they’re still winning. Mission 3 is when all my gears really started kicking in, where I started doing some dirty shit to really fuck up these challenges. With the rappelling, I [pretended to be] afraid to go down. Once we were [in the apartment] I pretty much put every single battery I could find for the black light in my boots, so Q couldn’t operate it. There was probably 40 batteries in this apartment, and I was finding them, going into the bathroom, and stuffing them in my boots. Somehow, Hannah found the right amount of batteries in a drawer that I missed. They got the flashlight to work, but still failed. During that mission, I was also punching in buttons on the safe, so every time they would punch a code there was already a wrong number entered in no matter what. 

During the gala, I knew everyone’s eyes were on me, so I did some blatant shit to get in people’s heads. I knew Michael was on my ass and was vibing me as the Mole. So I [switched the photo] right in front of him to hopefully shake his tail.

Is that when you realized that Mike was really onto you?

He wanted to pair up with me more and more — and this isn’t a game of alliances. So it’s like, “Why are you wanting to work with me? Alright, well, so let’s make that work. Let’s collaborate, create a boy band, and ride this out and we’ll just back stab each other throughout the show.” I liked it.

We would have one-on-ones and I’m like, “Yeah, this guy is interrogating me.” For me as the Mole, it’s frustrating because you don’t want that. You’re doing your best to keep the viewers and the players at bay. When he started hitting me for personal [details] I’m like, “He knows now. He’s onto me.” There were moments where I would give him some good info and some bad info just to mess him up on the quizzes. But then I had to remember all the lies I’m telling Michael and the truths I’m telling Michael. 

Would you have done anything differently to get Michael off your case?

I don’t know, because game recognizes game. I knew Michael was a gamer from the jump because I knew he was bullshitting the entire time. He had velcro gloves on and I was a sheep. He was just stuck to me and I couldn’t shake him. Muna was good, too, and a little bit less obvious in her sabotages. But Michael was playing like he was on my side. I was like, “Yo, are there two Moles!? What the fuck is going on here?” I even asked [the executive producer]. I’m like, “Are you guys fucking with me? Are Michael and Neesh both Moles?” Because they’re both just doing shit.

What was the hardest moment of the competition for you?

After the first two missions when they had money in the pot, I felt like I failed. I got stressed with myself. There were two or three nights there where I’m like, “What am I doing here? I’m better than this. I know I can beat these people and I’m not.” 

I had a woe-is-me party for two nights in my room. I felt like I was letting down everybody. They’re going to think I’m the worst player in history. I remember getting the first call home to my wife breaking down like, “Yo, I suck,” and she didn’t even know my role in the game. Then I was like, “You’re going to have your moments. That’s allowed, so just find your moments and attack.”

During the final deliberation, you get emotional about what the money would mean to you and your family. Did that emotion come from an authentic place?

I wanted to get the viewers off my scent, but then it hit so hard. I was there for my family regardless and I do want them to be proud of me. It started off as me trying to build it like “I’m this family man, so how could I be the Mole?” But everything really started hitting me.

Everything that I said was real. I am there for my family and I owe my wife for sacrificing and going away to school. Feeling like I don’t bring anything to the table as a retiree — that was real. It does weigh on you when you’re an alpha male and all of a sudden you are left in the rubble of your career. But then when I [realized] what it could do to people watching, I’m like, “That’s a good gameplay, too. Let’s roll with this.” And maybe it will flip Muna and Michael a little more and the viewers, too. 

Are there any other moments of sabotage that you’re particularly proud of? 

In the museum challenge, I completely understood the pulley system. The producers broke it down for me and I saw how they moved. Whenever the girls were pulling one, I pulled the opposite one to keep it in the middle, so Michael couldn’t move. If you watch, when they move to another corner, I go to the opposite corner and start pulling so that there’s tension always on my side. Michael wasn’t going anywhere.

A lot of [my strategy] was letting people take the lead when they were wrong, but thinking they were right. I’m just the background person cheering you on to fuck up. 

Did you wrestle morally with the role you played? How did you feel in the moments of genuine celebration when everyone worked well together? 

I hated it. Every time they put money in the pot, I hated it because I don’t give a fuck. I didn’t want them to win. I’d go back to the room like, “These motherfuckers.” They’re good!” But there was no wrestling. I had a bad disdain taste in my mouth for them winning money. That was my job in those missions. That’s how I was programmed.

But these 11 other people are just phenomenal. We talk every day in a group chat and we’re all genuinely friends. I shit all over these people for six weeks and they still accepted me as a friend. At the end of the day, it’s a game and it’s like any great rivalry in sports. When the game’s done, let’s go grab a beer. This group is so resilient. They cast the right people to not be emotionally hurt after everything and just move on.

At the end of the day, you aren’t competing for money as the Mole. What was in it for you?

If you pick me to do a job, I’m going to give you 100%. That was my drive. I didn’t care about financial gain. I wanted people to be happy with the product and I lived for getting the pat on the back after each mission.  I just wanted a good show and knowing that I’m the centerpiece title character — that sounds cocky — but it’s a big badge of honor to wear.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.