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.

This is genuinely both interesting and fun. I've never watched more that maybe 2 or 3 episodes of any reality show, but I just micro-binged the first three. Can't wait for more, and how the heck do I sign up for next season?!?

Part of the fun is watching people make obvious mistakes... I mean, how is it not obvious that you shouldn't just meander down any streets if you don't have to or spend the night at your best friends' house?

Also fun to see the fugitives struggle to figure out how their trackers repeatedly get close or find them even when they've been extra careful, or try to come up with ways of getting around, communicating with friends and relatives, eating, bathing or finding places to sleep with the minescule budget they get - $500 for a whole month, although they can accept non-monetary help or work in exchange for stuff - without being seen by those who might have seen a wanted posting or a camera the trackers might be looking for them through.

I wanna do it! Sign me and my best fried of 21 years up, CBS!

Fantastic reality TV, there should be more like this!

When they were first advertising this show I thought it was stupid. I was actually a criminal on the run for 6 years with a husband and 5 kids and there were common sense things that these people do that a real person on the run would not do. But here is my biggest deal: you have camera's following these people then the hunters have cell phone cameras chasing someone, how do they not see the camera man in the same space, then they have strangers giving them spare cars and stuff. People are so scared of violence right now, so I don't think there are as many hitchhiking's happening as much as the show claims it is. Plus as much as people know about cell phones and how they work, or how your parents can find you with one there are just too many mistakes that I really don't think real people would make. I know not everyone is very bright but this show makes you think almost every person is dumb. Then to win you have to sign into a website to get your get away plane... a site that is being watched by the hunters. All of you that thought you could get pointers on how to stay on the run, there is nothing to see here folks

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.