Lesson learned -- perhaps moving the debut of Celebrity Mole Yucatan up a week from its originally scheduled January 14 post-Bachelorette 2 premiere wasn't the smartest programming move ABC could have made.
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Airing in the 10 PM ET timslot after a disappointing 9 PM ET Life After Extreme Makeover special that finished fourth in its timeslot, the season premiere of "Celebrity Mole Yucatan" finished third overall in its timeslot, although it did fare better among the young adult viewers that advertisers (and therefore networks) crave.
The Celebrity Mole Yucatan premiere built on its Adult 18-49 lead-in by 9% (3.6/9 vs. 3.3/8) and on its Adult 18-34 lead-in by 29% (3.6/11 vs. 2.8/8) to earn second place in its hour on both measures. Celebrity Mole Yucatan also won the hour among Teens 12-17, beating NBC's Law & Order (2.0/9 vs. 1.9/8).
From its first half-hour to its second half-hour, Celebrity Mole Yucatan gained audience share among young adult viewers: Adults 18-34 (3.6/10 to 3.7/11) and Adults 18-49 (3.6/9 to 3.5/10).
Airing after last year's premiere of the original Trista Rehn-led edition of The Bachelorette, Celebrity Mole Hawaii drew an average audience of 10.8 million viewers and notched a 5.3 rating, 14 share among Adults 18-49, which placed it second to NBC's Law & Order on both counts.