The new season of Netflix’s reality show ‘The Mole’ was just released. And this time, it takes place in several prominent Malaysian locations.
One of them is Forest City in Johor Bahru (JB), originally envisioned as a US$100 billion (S$135 billion) mega-complex to accommodate 700,000 residents.
Source: Getty Images via BBC
The China-backed development project stands largely vacant today, but ‘The Mole’ has managed to put the ‘ghost town’s’ eerie yet captivating landscapes to good use.
Spearheaded by Country Garden, a Chinese real estate conglomerate now teetering on bankruptcy, Forest City initially aimed to attract speculative buyers from China.
However, China’s capital controls and the Covid-19 pandemic halted the influx of buyers.
This ultimately crippled the project’s growth and turned it into a ghost town.
Now, the city’s large spaces and high-rise apartment blocks serve a new purpose.
Instead of residents or tourists, they host film crews.
One episode of the second season of ‘The Mole’ was shot primarily in Forest City.
The series, which engages 12 contestants in a game of secrecy and challenges, was also filmed in Kuala Lumpur and Tioman Island.
Source: Netflix
Throughout the 10-episode season, contestants navigate complex games that contribute to uncovering the “mole”, who is tasked with sabotaging their efforts.
During filming, which spanned six weeks starting last July according to SAYS, participants engaged in a range of thrilling activities.
This included treasure hunts, free diving, and abseiling from a 38-story building.
Source: Netflix
According to Business Insider, Forest City has also attracted interest from other international media companies.
South Korea’s KBS filmed an episode of their travel reality series ‘Battle Trip’ in the area, while Germany’s ProSieben network used the ghost city as a setting for a documentary.
Additionally, an Austrian film crew shot scenes for their documentary ‘Hungry: Tipping the Scales’ in the city’s vast, uninhabited landscapes.
Introduced in 2006, Forest City was supposed to include luxury apartments, a waterpark, and multiple hotels.
However, only around 9,000 residents are housed in its 21,000 units, Al Jazeera reported.
Business Insider also highlighted that less than 15% of the intended construction has been completed.
A resident who bought a unit in the ghost town recently complained that the condo turned out nothing like she had been promised.
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Featured image adapted from Netflix on YouTube and Al Jazeera.
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