Wichita — Everybody's good at something. It turns out Kathryn Price is good at fibbing.
Price. a 1994 Kansas University graduate, said her Wichita upbringing might have helped her succeed as the title character of ABC's series "The Mole."
"I really think that part of what helped me be a good mole was that people felt that I had a certain openness and genuineness," she said. "And that made them discount me."
Price's role was revealed Wednesday. Ever since her nationally televised journey began in September, Price had to keep a lifetime's worth of juicy secrets.
For 28 days she lied about her true identity to her fellow contestants. For several weeks she lied to her friends about where she'd been for those 28 days. For four months she couldn't tell even her parents or fiance how she did on the show. Now that her secret is out, she's enjoying her first deception-free days in five months.
"After a while, it just becomes second nature," she said during a telephone interview from Los Angeles. "Telling the secrets would have really spoiled it for a lot of people."
Price is a 1990 Wichita Southeast High School graduate. She's trained as a lawyer, and graduated second in her Stanford law class. She lives in Chicago now.
"The Mole" put 10 competitors through mental and physical challenges in exotic locales in France and Spain. Each of the challenges moved the group toward a money pot, which was awarded to the winner Wednesday. The audience and cast were told from the beginning that one member of the group was a secret saboteur hired by producers. At the end of each show, contestants were asked quiz-style questions about which person was the mole. The contestant with the fewest number of correct answers was sent home.
Price said she auditioned for the show just like other contestants. But throughout the interviews, producers said they detected molelike qualities in her. She was young, wholesome and sweet, and few people would suspect her of such deception. But she convincingly acted and lied her way to the end, arousing suspicion in only a few contestants. She even shed a few fake tears during the production.
When she was hired, Price was disappointed she wouldn't be eligible for the grand prize. But being the mole had its attractions, too. "On the one hand, you're forgoing the opportunity to possibly win. But on the other hand, I got to stay the whole time and see the whole game unfold."
Price still hasn't found a job, and so far, Hollywood hasn't come calling, she said. She plans to hold off practicing law while she works on a screenplay and plans a May wedding.
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