‘Hunted’ Winners Jimi And Holly Tell Me How They’re Spending Their Prize Money
Hunted Australia Season 2’s finale was exhilarating, full of suspense, and I’m not gonna lie, I was on the edge of my seat.
In case you’re not familiar with the show, there’s a $100,000 cash prize up for grabs. It gets split between any fugitives who successfully make it to the extraction point without being caught by a hunter, so there’s a lot at stake. By the final episode, four fugitives were attempting to make it to the extraction point at the MCG in Melbourne – Jimi, Holly, Tharren and Jordan.
Image credit: Channel 10, Hunted
27 hours before extraction, the remaining contestants had to make a call to receive where they needed to go, which is IMO, one of the riskiest points of the whole show. While Holly and Jimi’s calls went off without a hitch, and they ended up securing safe accommodation for the night, father and son team Tharren and Jordan were caught on CCTV.
Somehow, the hunters failed to capture any of the fugitives, even though they put out a public appeal (and cash reward) for Tharren and Jordan. Before any of the fugitives made the final run to the helicopter, Tharren and Jordan made one crucial mistake: thinking the hunters were fugitives. It didn’t take long until the pair were captured on foot, which was really disappointing.
With the hunters distracted by Tharren and Jordan’s chase and capture, Jimi and Holly managed to run and make it to the chopper safely. The pair couldn’t believe they made it to the end, and there were a few tears after spending 21 days on the run.
Image credit: Channel 10, Hunted
Punkee chatted to Holly and Jimi about how scared they were before extraction, what they plan to do with their prize money, and list their tips for anyone competing on Hunted Season 3:
On what it was like to make the phone call to find out the extraction point.
Jimi: “That was a really scary moment, because up to that moment, I had felt like the hunters had no idea where I was the entire time. I knew this would be the last chance the hunters had to catch me, and I could be the last person still on the run. I was so lucky to have actually found the one payphone in suburban Melbourne with not a single security camera near it. I actually felt really safe, but watching it back and seeing how close the hunters were, I was shocked. This is the thing. You’re never 100% safe when you’re a fugitive on the run. Even when you feel really really safe.”
Holly: “I went into the bush to make the phone call, and heard this voice telling me the time and place to meet, and immediately I was panicked. What if I forget? What if it’s Friday? Is it actually 4:30? Your mind starts racing and you begin to second-guess yourself. It was so scary, I knew I was vulnerable, that they would know my location and that the hunters would be on to me. I raced out of there, got into someone’s vehicle and the whole time my heart was racing. I had my head down in the car in the vehicle assuming that they’d be there any second, and I think that’s the way you have to play the game. You have to assume that they are on your tail, if you want to stay one step ahead of them.”
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On how “terrifying” the final night was.
Holly: “The last night was honestly terrifying, I was staying in an abandoned house. At least I knew the backroads, the route to get to the MCG, and I felt safe and secure. I knew I could travel on foot to get there and I had hiding spots along the way. I was in familiar territory and it was so sweet. But you know what really killed me? Spending my last 24 hours five minutes from my house. All I wanted to do was go home and see my dog, but I was so close to winning this competition and getting to the end, so it was not an option.”
Jimi: “I found it really difficult, because the night before was my first night without Eddie, but I was at my friend’s house so I had someone to talk to and lean on. But this last night I was in a hotel room on my own. I felt really lonely and I felt really scared. But I was so excited for the next day, because I knew I’d get to talk to my partner Patrick, and that’s what got me through. Waking up the next day was so difficult because I had to spend all day in that room. I felt like that was my biggest move of the game, was getting myself so close to the extraction point.”
Holly: “I could not have done that. I am so proud of you. I could not have done that. I would have been anxious I would have just taken myself out into the game.”
Jimi: “Yeah, I felt like going for a walk around the block but I was like I can’t go for a walk around.”
Image credit: Channel 10, Hunted
On the race to the extraction point.
Jimi: “I replay those final moments in my mind so often. I arrived behind that tree three minutes too early, and there was a hunter helicopter above us. That’s when I saw hunters for the first time, in my entire journey. I was up against a tree, I had my cameraman pushed up against the back of me, and we were both hiding for dear life. I just saw Tharren and Jordan run, and that’s when all the hunters that I’d seen followed them around the MCG, but I didn’t know exactly what happened. Once the clock got close enough to the extraction time, I started running to the MCG. I did not stop. I jumped over that barricade, I lost my sunglasses on I just ran onto that helicopter.”
Holly: “I was looking down at my watch so eager to go, but I knew I couldn’t go a second earlier than my planned time. Waiting was the longest minute of my entire life. I started bolting, and I had a choice of going left or right, and my instincts told me to go left. I ran as fast as I could, and I knew that losing was not an option, I had to get on the helicopter. When I jumped in, I went into a state of shock. I think what led me to the final, throughout the whole game, my instincts were what kept me one step ahead of the hunters at all time. So this is a huge lesson for people to trust your instincts.”
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On how it felt seeing Tharren and Jordan miss out.
Jimi: “Knowing what it took to go 21 days on the run. It was gutting that Tharren and Jordan got caught. It broke my heart that they weren’t there with us at the end.”
Holly: “They were my favourites, I was rooting for them to win because they were so deserving. It’s such a shame they didn’t make it to the end, but they are winners. They made it to day 21, and they did it together. It’s an incredible achievement, and you can tell they’re going to have this most incredible bond for the rest of their life.”
Image credit: Channel 10, Hunted
On what it feels like to win Hunted.
Jimi: “I really went into this run at a real low point in my life. I just lost my job, I was unemployed and I was just struggling to know what I was going to do next and I felt like I wasn’t good enough. But by making it to the end, it shows me that that I am I am good enough. I can do anything if I put my mind to it, and I can achieve it.”
Holly: “I had such little self-worth going on to this journey. It doesn’t help that I literally had people tell me ‘Oh, Josh is perfect for this, he’s got all the skills for this’. I believed it, but then I went through a journey of growth. To be the first female winner in Australian history is the biggest honour in the whole wide world. Throughout the end of the competition, I wanted to do it for me, and any women out there who don’t believe in themselves. It really shows that you can do anything you put your mind to. If I can outsmart the hunters, so many other people can too.”
On how they plan to spend their prize money.
Jimi: “I would like to splurge on one of those Apple VR goggles but they’re like $8,000 Australian dollars. If you see me on Hunted again, I promise I’ll be wearing those.
Holly: “I was in a really bad financial rut before this, but the prize money is going to be able to let me live my dreams as a dancer. Josh and I are also going to travel the world, and we’re going to Japan for my birthday next year. We’re also just gonna about to book Bali because we’re definitely going to need a vacation after this 21-day hunt.”
Image credit: Channel 10, Hunted
On tips for anybody wanting to get on Hunted Season 3, and how you should prepare.
Jimi: “You’ve just got to be yourself. And believe me, you can’t pretend to be someone else for 21 days. You cannot do it.”
Holly: “In your application, make sure you are different from every other person. This year there were 10,000 applicants, so what makes you stand out from the rest?”
Jimi: “When I got cast, I watched every single episode of Hunted ever, including the UK show, and I wrote down how people got caught. It was the same thing every single time: using friends, using family, using a credit card when there’s a car nearby, stuff like that. There was a repeating message across the Australian and UK seasons. I knew that if we could be smart with those things we could get to the end.”
Holly: “We waited till the very last second, and we knew that we were underprepared. Initially, I thought it was all about peak physical fitness. We were training, CrossFit gym running half marathons, cycling, but that wasn’t important. It can definitely help if you’re in a faceoff with the hunters, but honestly, it’s all about your strategy and your social skills. I rewatched that first season that many times, and I noticed where they slipped up and where they went wrong. But I do wish we planned more.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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Image credits: Channel 10, Hunted