It feels like only yesterday that we watched as 18 Hunted hopefuls jumped out of a van in the middle of Melbourne’s CBD, with nothing but $500 and an overnight bag to their name.
The challenge? To disappear without a trace, and to successfully evade capture for 21 days. They can go anywhere within the state borders of Victoria during that time, but it’s a lot easier said than done, because there’s a group of trained specialists — the Hunters — who are tracking their every move.
They’re some of the world’s best investigators from the Australian Federal Police, Australian Defence Force and British Intelligence, and leading them is The Chief, Former Detective Superintendent David Craig. He’s an internationally recognised expert in surveillance and covert operations, so you know he’s not going to be easy to fool.
Also on the team are skilled cyber analysts, special ops and private security, and they’re all using their expertise and replicated powers of state.
For anyone who manages to make it to the end of the 21 days and get to the Extraction Point, they’ll win a share of the $100,000 prize money, which is certainly nothing to turn your nose up at.
Still, it’s proven to be an immensely difficult task for many of our Fugitives, a lot of whom have been captured already.
Chatting to The Latch after his capture with partner-in-simulated-crime Puneet, Kris said it’s all a case of expectations versus reality.
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“I was like ‘You know what, I reckon I could be a fugitive, no problem, I’m from the northern suburbs, there’s criminals everywhere’, so we’ll be fine,” Kris said.
“The expectation is you go in, dress up like anything in disguise, and go and get to the extraction point and win money!” Puneet exclaimed, laughing. “But the reality is that when you go into the hunt, it plays with your head.”
He explained: “Your paranoia kicks in, all your plans go out the window, things don’t work. People you’re relying on are not available, the calls you wanted to make you can’t make, you expect people to be kind but they’ll say ‘Sorry, you can’t use my phone’ — everything goes out the window! There’s a massive gap between what you think and what happens.”
Kris agreed, adding: “You go into it thinking you’re Jason Bourne, and toward the end you sort of, you’re like Spongebob Squarepants, cowering in the corner and full of paranoia! It’s crazy!”
For the viewer at home, it’s all a thrilling game of cat and mouse, and it will reach its thrilling finale tomorrow, August 2.
That’s right, Hunted‘s grand finale is nearly here! It’ll air at 7.30pm on Tuesday, August 2, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand. Miss the ep and want to catch up? It’ll be streaming on 10 Play after it airs, so you can still find out who wins.
Want more Hunted? Read all our content here, and check out the stories below:
- “You Go in Thinking You’re Jason Bourne”: Hunted’s Puneet and Kris Share All
- CAPTURED! Here’s Who Went Home on Hunted
- ‘Hunted’: How They Make the Show With TV Magic and “Simulated Accuracy”
- Who’s on the Run? Meet the Fugitives of ‘Hunted’ Australia
- Your Definitive Guide to Watching ‘Hunted’ Australia
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