Mantracker

I absolutely adore this show, and miss it to a massive extent. The knowledge as well as odd decisions, the mistakes and the skills both the trackers, and the "prey" had was a fantastic combo. Both sides were fooled and had by each other off & on again, while the prey predictably tended to make a few more mistakes, or even react instead of playing smart, and make boneheaded and brazen decisions.

I will however admit that the 7th season, with Chad clearly went a completely different direction, and it went from legitimate and real to entirely melodramatic and pretty clearly pre-dictated and set scenarios and encounters. I mean the attitude and the stupid little "bad boy" type of things and persona Chad has in it is just plain hollywood like. The guy even throws himself blatantly on purpose for flair down a snow covered hill while in chase of a prey. I feel as if Bonterra intentionally did this knowing good & well without Terry, the show would likely plummet is viewers and ratings, so why not effectively add to the reasons for it's sudden collapse. It seems fitting and intended.

All in all, it is certainly not for the traditional television viewer or fan, since it is far more of a niche show & genre.

The complaints often are "what's the point, and how is it possibly intense or enjoyable for anyone if there is no prize after eluding the trackers?" and "It's scripted since the prey almost always talk about how horrifying it is to just barely escape capture from Terry while it's always running and barely escaping him every episode."

I would imagine the reasons behind these occurrences should be as obvious as seeing your reflection in the mirror to anyone with a brain, but it would seem this isn't the case somehow. Quite strange.

The people who "apply" to become "prey" are those who are looking to elude a 20+ year Search & Rescue tracking specialist, who has consistently worked with police as well from time to time to find suspects and others that they're looking for, but cannot seem to locate. It's in some annoying conditions and terrain. The vegetation often is thick as heck, so it is constantly whacking you everywhere. It causes lots of noise to move through. The whole thing is for those whom wish to prove to themselves and everyone else out there they can manage to evade this seasoned vet and out wit him in his own element and environment. To do that is for them exactly what they're looking for, and it's more than just bragging rights for them, trust me on that. Look to the majority of avid outdoors folk across the world, and they'll likely inform you of the same thing. And since we live in this tech-laden era, Instagram is loaded with these avid outdoor enthusiasts to which on their pages, you will see posts raving about how huge of an accomplishment just backpacking and hiking through remote wilderness and all conditions really is. For them, they don't want nor need any kind of gratification or "prize" like money or material possessions. No bragging rights. Just the euphoria and proof that they can and will continue to accomplish tough, enduring activities in the outdoors.

And when the only thing you're trying to do is out wit, and out pace that wily 20+ year vet of tracking, bundled with all the mentally draining vigilance, observance, tracking & strategizing on the fly that the prey have to do, it makes perfect sense why they all wind up saying the same thing each time. It's because, it does kick in your primal instincts to flee with surging adrenaline coursing through your veins, as that is the last thing you need or want, is to be caught by the predator, which is the trackers. All you're focusing on and able to think about or consider is getting the hell out of their reach and finding a place to lie low and avoid getting snagged by them.

This review turned expose is brought to you by all those who seem to be very ignorant of the obvious, and claim it's all scripts and boring because there isn't some cash wod or material item to be won.

In short, I recommend Mantracker to everybody who is not the typical everyday TV viewer. This is a very niche show, and not for those of you who are all about the drama, hard cash prizes, insults, blood, gore, sex, and so on that hollywood is drowning itself in, and people seem to think is all that & more.

The first episode, which generally sets the stage for a series, pits a professional tracker against everyday people who just want to test themselves. In contrast to other wilderness series' that engage professionals on both sides of a challenge, this makes the show less entertaining than it could be with someone who sincerely offers a challenge. I was disappointed to see one of the prey was an out of shape person who clearly had not only failed to test his physical limits beforehand but was so lacking in basic knowledge to have left behind his jacket. He ruined the chances of the more fit co-prey who I would have preferred to see on his own.

I watched a few more because the venue and videography is good, and the tracking is interesting when they bother to explain what's being looked at. But Mantracker either isn't being displayed correctly or he's a little boring compared to other trackers that I've seen.

While episode two is a little more interesting because the two gals seem to have some fitness and some experience, and I think one had been in the army, episode 3 was even a little bit better with two young men who really did everything right. But episode 4 was where I really stopped and said to myself, this has to be staged; no one is that stupid. The woman never stops talking and is so overly dramatic that you just want to turn it off. You can hardly believe that somebody would really act like that. In particular, they stay overnight in a cabin in the middle of a clearing. So that's why I think that some of this is staged.

I also feel like the man tracker and his guide - because he needs a guide each time he goes into a new area - are not in good communication all the time. And the producers seem to think that it's more entertaining to just show the horses get stuck in the mud rather than see anybody get off their horse and check out broken sticks or false leads, etc.

Also would have preferred to hear the rules beforehand because the tracker was within feet of the prey numerous times with eyes on but they weren't considered captured; yet during the actual capture there wasn't any clear differences, in my opinion.

Still a solid 5 for first few episodes.

Obviously the previous reviewer is not a lover of the outdoors, beautiful scenery, horses and horseback riding etc. This show is a lot of fun and the various locations are simply breathtaking. It's entertaining to hear people brag beforehand and then either get their comeuppance or in some cases actually come out victorious.

The thrill is in pitting contestants' skills against a seasoned, veteran tracker who is an excellent horseman to boot. Not every contest has to end in a "prize". This has the thrill of the chase. People interested in horses and riding can also appreciate the skill of both horse and man as they navigate some of the roughest possible terrain.

To me this show is like looking back in time. Shades of the old time bounty hunters! I always look forward to new episodes or re-watching some of my favorites.

Extremely cheesy and mostly staged, this show is frustratingly disappointing. Why? Because it could be awesome if the right people worked on it. Selling the rights to fox or NBC or someone who knows what there doing could make a really suspenseful and entertaining show out of this.

Relaxing show, fake or not, not important, time flies when watching, so it must be pretty good.