★★★★★ 0/5

Two outwit Hunted investigators in finale extraction

It was a race to a helicopter in Inverloch, but Rob & Stathi managed to win 10 series and share $100,000.

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Two contestants in 10 reality series Hunted made it to the extraction point in Tuesday night’s finale, sharing in the prize of $100,000.

WA hairdresser Rob Harneiss (pictured right) and Humanitarian worker Stathi Vamvoulidis (pictured left) from Victorian made separate dashes to the 10 minute extraction of a helicopter on the Inverloch Coastal Reserve.

Hunted investigators were just minutes from capturing Stathi, while Rob evaded their gaze entirely.

But they did nab his teammate WA police officer Jake in Hawthorn in an earlier foot race.

15 other ‘fugitives’ were also captured across the 21 day period spanning the state of Victoria.

Stathi plans to put funds towards surrogacy in his bid to start a family.

“Matt and I went on the run to challenge some stereotypes, give more visibility to our queer community and help start new chapters in our lives. We’re so humbled by all the support and I will be forever grateful to Hunted for putting me one step closer to achieving my dream of being a dad. I truly hope that we have inspired others to embrace their authentic selves,” he said.

Rob, who drew upon make-up and costume to change his appearance, added: “Going into this my main objective was making it to the end with my best friend, someone who has supported all my crazy over the top ideas on the run and at home. Winning is proof that anything is possible, no matter the obstacle. In the famous words of my buddy Jake (not Jesus), ‘if you’re not first, you’re last’.”

Both vowed to split the prize money with their respective teammates, Matt and Jake.

10’s first season, produced by Endemol Shine Australia, drew some viewer questions around Hunters given advantageuous information such as shutting down credit cards, speedy CCTV footage, a final episode confirmation of fugitive locations, simulated CCTV footage and editing of aerial shots.

But the series has also proven a new 2022 hit with viewers regularly topping entertainments and demos. Can’t compain about that.

31 Responses

  1. The show was well done, if not quite as polished as the UK one, but that will come. The only question that baffled me was why bother freezing accounts? The important information comes from seeing them access the ATM, not whether they succeed in getting the money or not.

    The show is a cautionary tale about how much your mobile reveals about you. Even your family/friends phones are a trove of information. The best fugitives go non-tech.

  2. I really enjoyed the finale. The part where the fugitives individually ran for the helicopter was brilliant tv. It had you on the edge of your seat. But I am disappointed that a reunion type show wasn’t shot.

  3. I hope that in Season 2, the Hunters at Hunter HQ are allowed to change their clothes occasionally. Did anyone else notice that they wore the same outfits in every episode? It was particularly noticeable with the ladies, eg the forensic scientist who wore the same gold & blue and the young lady with glasses who wore a pink outfit, *every* *single* *day*.

    2. The young lady with the glasses wore the same style each day, but not the same dress. She clearly favoured the fifties-style shift dress but the fabrics were different. For the others, like many workers they probably have a self-chosen “uniform” – a combination that works for them each day with only slight variations.

  5. I really really enjoyed this show. I guess season 2 people will get some ideas on how to succeed watching season 1.
    I did laugh when the hunters were running towards the chopper yelling stop stop.

  6. Congrats to the two winners. Great show, apart from the obvious irritating inconsistencies. One question tho: why have a camera person attached to the Hunted, that stands out like a sore thumb? Why cant the contestants have body cams? or film themselves like in ‘Alone’? Or is that going to be too difficult for the hunters to find them?

  8. Season 1 of Hunted was awesome! I really, really, really enjoyed it! Congratulations to Stathi and Rob! Really looking forward to Season 2 coming in 2023. I might even apply!

  9. The “final episode confirmation of fugitive locations” is part of the format. It’s been in every iteration. I think some viewers are way too nitpicky, just enjoy it for what it is. It’s meant to replicate real life policing, so I’m fine with the “speedy CCTV footage”, and as far as shutting down credit cards, maybe that’s the only team they thought they needed to do that to.

    1. In relation to the cash cards, it stiff baffles me why all the teams didn’t go straight to the closest ATM in the city when they were dropped off at the starting location and take out all the cash, then they can’t be tracked that way for the rest of the competition.

          1. Yep, they have to use the card twice during their time on the run, so extracting the money at the drop-off isn’t an option.

            Some of the most obvious questions people have about the show are answerable via an online search for the unannounced rule, I presume there are reasons why they don’t explicitly list these on the show – possibly they don’t want crims thinking they’re not as omnipresent as they appear on the show.

    2. The point about the CCTV is that even in real life, depending on the business, property or government owned buildings and depending on the systems used, apart from associated live monitoring centres, it can take from an hour to the next business day or so to send the footage. It is nitpicky but it gives unreasonable expectations, especially when they are claiming it’s true to life and accurate. And it’d be far more entertaining and riveting if ultra realistic. For example, it would be to not only simulate the CCTV, but to accurately simulate to procedures for the particular instance and narrate that. I hope they take the criticisms as a challenge to better the production.

      1. Sure, but how willing do you think viewers would be to see the paperwork and accurate turnaround times? Also given they’re effectively mimicking police, they presumably need buy-in from the police to be able to produce, so there may be certain areas of ultra-realism that are off-limits.

        If you want to be ultra-realistic then you’re limiting one of your key areas for capture as the Hunters wouldn’t always get footage – not every camera will be operational; its facing the wrong direction; fugitive unknowingly approached via a blind spot; the cameras are only decoys and not actually hooked up to a recording device; or the Hunters have turned up at hour Y after the fugitives were there, but the facility only has capacity to record for X hours so their presence has already been recorded over..

        1. I suppose there would be some reasonable limits or restrictions.

          Though I think say for example the campsite reception office in regional Victoria, the production would note the available camera, then enquire with the business as to hypothetically whether the camera is working and how long realistically it takes if they had to release CCTV footage. Then narrate the individual instances as a factor for the Hunters. It would be enthralling to see that level of detail.

  10. I’m hoping that they take the criticism on board for the next season. I really wanted to like Hunted. I’d give it another chance if they addressed the omissions. There’s a chance they could take the success for granted and that can go either way, however, making it as best as it can be, that can secure the success.

  14. 10 has already confirmed s2. Applicants will need to be available from the 20th of February 2023 through to the 15th of March 2023 for filming. The series will be filming in Melbourne.

    1. Very contrived finale!
      Extraction point just happens to be Inverloch where another team had been and close to Warragul where a 3rd team had been.
      Stathi takes taxi from Melbourne and gets out at the very same town asnother team had been despite it not being on main road from Melbourne to Inverloch!
      Rob is anonymously reported as being in tiny Loch despite being in diguise in Melbourne for days and not being!
      How come Rob had access to so much makeup and prosthetics for his diguises along with clothes in such a small backpack?
      Biggest joke was extraction helicopter landed on beach and spotted by hunters in helicopter. Instead of landing directly beside the extraction helicopter on the beach, they landed at a sports oval where they were clearly expected – large crowd watching and landing spot apeared to be marked out!!!
      It was a good show to watch but please producers make it a bit more real next series!!!

      2. It was mentioned in the episode that they didn’t have permission to land on the beach and so had to go to the nearby oval. They probably went through all the relevant paperwork for the extraction helicopter to land but didn’t bother with the Hunter’s one because there was a possibility that the Hunters could have gone elsewhere.

        Hopefully, they will rectify any issues that viewers had with the show to make it even more better for the next series.

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