Hunted is a Reality TV series created by Shine TV in 2015. Originally set in Britain, it has received American and Australian adaptations.
Hunted has two types of contestants; the "Fugitives", ordinary people tasked with avoiding capture for a set period of time, and the "Hunters", a team of police and intelligence professionals who seek out the Fugitives. Should any Fugitives win, they are rewarded with prize money that is split equally among them.
Most series of Hunted start with the Fugitives being dropped off at a public area, equipped with a survival kit and a small amount of money. From there, the Hunters use simulated "powers of the state"- phone records, security camera footage, and bounties- to capture as many Fugitives as they can. Cameramen follow all teams.
This series contains the following tropes:
- Boring, but Practical: By far the easiest method to avoid detection is to just go camping somewhere in the countryside for a while. Due to the way the Hunters work, they have basically no way to defend against this, and typically switch focus to other targets until the campers come out of hiding.
- Bullying a Dragon: Some Fugitives have deliberately taunted the Hunters. It usually doesn't end well, although one guy (Rob, in the first Australian season) has done this and won.
- Informed Ability: Despite the show constantly stating how all the Hunters have years of experience in their respective fields of intelligence and police work, you sure wouldn't know that by watching them. Many Fugitives have gotten around them with common misdirection, and on more than one occasion, they'll only discover a Fugitive through sheer luck.
- I Will Only Slow You Down: Fugitives start the chase in predefined pairs, but may split up for any reason. Sometimes a Fugitive lets themselves get caught so their partner can flee undetected.
- Logical Weakness: The Hunters rely way too much on digital surveillance, with their favoured weapons of choice being social media and security cameras. This means that if a Fugitive just stays low and keeps to areas with low traffic or not much in the way of security, the Hunters are basically incapable of tracking them.
- Some Fugitives attempt to plan for the game by creating a network of contacts who will conceal them in their home. Should this network be discovered, it essentially creates a paper trail that usually leads to the Fugitive's capture.
- Sacred Hospitality: A surprising amount of strangers are willing to help Fugitives with hitchhiking, meals, and even shelter. (Of course, seeing that the latter are being filmed probably helps.)
- Underestimating Badassery: The Hunters will often mark one or more Fugitive as being a low-priority target, thinking they'll be easier to hunt and catch. This assumption is often wrong, and can result in the Fugitive essentially being left alone for the majority of the competition and being given a free ticket to the finale.
