In a game of extreme high and seek, 20 ordinary Australians will transform themselves into real-life Fugitives and hide from the law, aka a team of expert Hunters tasked with tracking them down.
If you’ve yet to watch season one of Channel 10’s thrilling reality show Hunted, you’ve still got time to watch before season two starts airing on Monday July 17th.
WATCH NOW: Hunted season two trailer. Article continues after video.
Speaking of season two, New Idea sat down with Chief Hunter Dr David Craig and his team member Dr Karla Lopez, a Forensic Psychologist, to discuss the upcoming season and the insane amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to catch the Fugitives.
RELATED || Everything you need to know about Hunted season two.
With her forensic mindset and methodology, Dr. Lopez has been tasked with anticipating the Fugitives’ next moves in the race to track them down.
Her Chief, Dr. Craig, will oversee the mission, putting his decades of experience working with the Australian Federal Police, the United Nations, NATO as well as several international undercover programs including the FBI, Scotland Yard, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to good use.
The first question we had for our Hunters was an obvious one, if the roles were reversed, how would they keep hidden?
According to Dr. Craig, “going off the grid” is the best bet for Fugitives wanting to remain out of sight.
“It’s very hard to find someone when you haven’t got any electronics around. I certainly would be heading remotely. If you were comfortable in a remote community and moving through the bush and living that way then I would be doing that.”
For Dr. Lopez, her strategy is a tad more personal.
“You really need to go against the tide and disconnect from your network. So whilst I’ve got really close family and friends, I would have to resist that temptation and rely on my personal wit and charm hopefully to enlist the help of strangers would make things massively difficult for the Hunters to track.”
What about remaining hidden from the Hunters? Just how difficult is it to be a Fugitive?
“For someone to maintain complete invisibility for a lengthy period is very hard,” says Dr. Craig.
“Having said that, we are only a small force which [whilst comprised] of very qualified people with excellent technology, we only have 21 days to find them [the Fugitives].”
“20 people is a lot of people, [all] who have spent months preparing. They’ve had months of research and preparation, and we know nothing until it starts. It’s a difficult game.”
According to Dr. Lopez, whilst it would be “amazing” to be able to prepare prior to the show, it was exciting to be learning about the Fugitives “on the go.”
“As soon as we see their faces, that’s it and we try to get information as quickly as possible.”
“Fugitives have done their homework, and for us, we really couldn’t anticipate the strategies that the Fugitives would come at us with so we had to be really agile.”
And what about going dark? Do our Hunters have any words of wisdom to impart to the Fugitives?
“Disconnect from the things you know and love,” Dr. Lopez recommends.
“Fugitives underestimate the toll that it takes on them and their loved ones and the things that they are comfortable with.”
“Having that mental strength and that will to persevere and keep moving is one of the things that will help the Fugitives.”
“Another thing is to be really strategic and keep moving, and approach people who don’t really have any traceable connection to them.”
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