Hunted

This reality show is a game of hide and seek gone high tech. Nine teams of two try to avoid capture by a diverse squad of police and military experts. The teams are married couples, best friends or others with real-life connections. The experts are current or former FBI, Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals, CIA, SWAT, NSA, Navy Seals, British Intelligence...well the list goes on and on. They are dedicated to finding the fugitive teams before 28 days expire. Teams that elude capture win a prize of $250,000.

How real is it? Some scenes are recreated. There are certainly rules beyond those they share with the audience. Some parts of the show feel guided or manufactured. But overall it has a feeling of authenticity, meaning the behaviors of hunters and prey feel true to human nature. Some fugitive teams make elementary errors. Some execute clever plans only to be undone by simple mistakes. Some of the hunters are so driven by ego it might interfere with their decisions.

If nothing else, the show is a primer in modern techniques of surveillance and apprehension. The internet--and everything connected to it--is a huge source of data. But they also use searches, interviews, CCTV, drones, and other methods of profiling and gaining information.

I suspect most viewers will identify with the prey, but some will probably identify with the hunters. Either way, there are moments of anxiety as their paths come close together or even intersect.

This might be considered a guilty pleasure--though not as much as "Cops" which appeals to the baser nature of its viewers. As a contest, it pits amateurs against professionals with years of training and nearly unlimited tools. Still, the odds are that one team, at least, will survive to claim the cash.

It feels insulting that the dictators of this show consider the general public so oblivious to buy into this, too many errors that give away that the show is staged and fake. There is just nothing 'reality' about it, when the so called contestants who have a good chance of winning, are being forced by the movie makers to make supportable mistakes that they would have never made if the decision was actually left up to them. for example, a women offers the 2 hunted guys her kayak and they agree that it is a great idea, then somehow the detectives find old google searches where these guys looked up kayaks and fully concentrate on searching for a kayak on a lake even with a helicopter, although the idea just came up and they could not have know anything about it. the next part are 2 girls who successfully hide out for 2 weeks and knowing about all the cameras they suddenly decide to go on a camera infested highway to expose them self to a Tacco Bell camera, and if that's not fake enough they now decide to eat their Tacco's in the parking lot just waiting until the hunters get them. OMG

Having read most of the already posted reviews, I agree overall. Here are my suggestions for improvements:

Have fewer fugitive teams so it is less frenetic and so viewers can get more involved with the participants. I really had no personal involvement with any of them.

Tell the viewers more about the rules! I didn't understand why family members and close friends "gave up" information so easily. Do they have to tell the truth? Are they paid? If so, why were just a few paid? Do the fugitives understand the rules? How about volunteer helpers? Do they know that it is a reality game show? If so, can fugitives offer to reimburse them later if they win? It's hard for viewers to buy in, when the rules are so fuzzy.

What about the cameramen? What are their rules? Is there a way for the investigators to track them? That would be a huge cheat.

Give the fugitives a more realistic chance. Letting the pursuers know exactly how they are going to escape was a huge cheat, in my opinion.

Treat it more like the game it is, rather than acting as if these contestants are serial killers or something. Lighten up! Show respect where it is deserved.

I hope this show continues with substantial improvements. I love the premise.

Fantastic reality TV, there should be more like this!

It's a shame there's only one season. I watched this when it was on T.V. Recently i was trying to remember what it was called to maybe watch it again. It's a fun show! We've all wondered what it would be like to be on the run... how well we'd do. So the shows a great concept and well executed. That being said, it's a show. So of course it's not gonna be as crazy as the real thing. In the show they can't break the law, which makes sense and they also of course have camera crews with them and mics on etc. so it's not like they can just steal cars and rob convenience stores and stuff actual fugitives might do.