Kriti Mehrotra
Following nearly two years, Netflix’s ‘The Mole’ has returned to our screens with season 2, and it is bigger, brighter, and even more challenging than ever before, with the playground being Malaysia. It thus comes as no surprise that all 12 of its cast members have unique personalities with diverse careers, hobbies, passions, and strategies of their own, and Melissa Lummus is one of the few to really catch our eyes. After all, as an admitted professional poker player, she already has the skills to bluff, deceive, as well as lie for the sake of personal monetary gain without any issues.
Melissa Lummus Held Her Cards Close to Her Chest For as Long as Possible
Despite being rather open about her career and interests from the get-go, Melissa didn’t put herself forward to catch the attention of any other player for too long. The only time she spoke first and gave her honest opinion was during the inaugural challenge, and it was to ensure she didn’t get eliminated before the game even began. She thus felt no guilt over it, especially since all the original players made it into the villa to subsequently play a game of trust before entering their very first elimination round.
It was then that Melissa strategized to be a team player for as long as possible, only to share the information she had gathered via observation with a select few, and that too, not entirely. In other words, she didn’t particularly form an alliance or discuss with anyone her true suspicions or doubts over anyone, ultimately resulting in it being her downfall. That’s because her suspicions ultimately didn’t pan out even though she tried her best to spread it across the board so as to be careful, resulting in her very unexpected elimination.
Melissa Lummus is No Stranger to the Entertainment Industry
Even though ‘The Mole’ was Melissa’s first foray into the world of Netflix reality television, the truth is she has long been both in front of and behind the camera. This Texas native actually has a background in dance, piano, film, theatre, and writing, which propelled her to enroll at Baylor University upon graduating high school to continue studying films & digital media. But alas, she transferred to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennesse, after roughly two years, only to also change her major to video production and minor to theatre.
As if that’s not enough, by the time Melissa was a senior, she’d worked on various productions like Artist of the Week videos for Carl’s Country Club, Country Weekly’s CMA Fashion Show & Fundraiser, as well as independent films like ‘Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific’ (2010) and ‘Analysis of an Anomaly’ 2011. She was even an intern for the 2012 Nashville Film Festival, served Third Man Records, was a part of Belmont’s Athletic Events, plus a consistent crew member at Belmont Theatre Department. It was only then that Melissa spread her wings further to serve as a story writer-editor at NC2 Media plus a story producer at Evolve Studios before completely shifting gears to professional poker.
Melissa Lummus Doesn’t Hold a Traditional Job Even Today
While Melissa has primarily established a strong career in the poker world over the last few years, it appears as if her passion has since veered toward competitive pinball – as in the arcade game. In fact, according to reports, she played in just under 80 different tournaments in 2023 alone, leading her to gradually earn a living out of the same. The fact she actually understands its technicalities and is even talented definitely helps her along the way, as does the fact she innately thrives in niche areas with the constant support of her loved ones. This Nashville resident thus spends most of her free time prioritizing those near and dear to her in every sense of the term.
