‘Hunted’ Contestants Address Claims The Show Is ‘Rigged’
Hunted Australia fans have been left outraged after a set of odd coincidences caused Ben and Callum to be captured this week. Tbf, it did seem like the boys got stitched up, especially since they’d been using their tech skills to evade the hunters.
To recap: after hiking up a mountain, Ben and Callum found themselves at a train station, searching for a generous member of the public to help them out. A bloke showed up and offered the contestants a place to stay for the night. Sounds innocent enough, right?
Well, the good samaritan turned out to be hunter Kellie’s brother, and he instantly dobbed them in. After the fugitives spent hours mowing his yard and chopping firewood, they were chased around the area by hunters before finally being caught. Fans have described the episode as rigged, unAustralian, and sus… but Ben and Callum swear it was just really, really, bad luck.
Punkee chatted with Ben and Callum about what actually happened at the train station, how hiding with a camera crew works, and the moment they knew it was all over…
On if Hunted Australia is ‘rigged’:
Callum: “Look, we 100 percent know that it wasn’t rigged. It wasn’t set up but it was very, very bad luck, but the whole sequence of events actually happened.”
Ben: “It felt like a really safe bet because at this point, there were no wanted posters. At that point in the game, it was a calculated risk and such a minute chance of being caught. I think that was what was so shocking for us in the moment, we were totally blown away when the hunters arrived.”
On why Callum and Ben didn’t question the stranger’s kindness:
Callum: “We felt pretty safe, and we walked to the train station because the plan was to catch a train. Kellie’s brother was sitting there, so Ben wandered over to ask for some help. We had a good chat to him and he offered with his phone and then eventually offered us to stay the night which was is fantastic because this was the first member of the public that we trusted and they were willing to let us stay the night which was fantastic.”
Callum: “He gave us a reason why he’d parked his car, apparently he was travelling to have a beer with his friend nearby. It’s easy for a viewer to say, ‘Why did they do this? Why did they do that?’, but we felt safe.”
Ben: “He also said he was a big fan of Hunted Season 1, and added that he actually applied to be on Season 2, so at that point, we thought he would be the perfect person to help us. We didn’t think there was any possibility of him tricking us.”
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On how important the cameraman is:
Callum: “Our cameraman is the third member of the team. If we’re in a bush, they’re in the bush with us. If we’re trying to hide from somebody, they’re hiding as well. So yes, it sucks because a camera does give us away, they’re literally the third member of our team.”
Ben: “Also, just because we have a camera with us, it doesn’t mean that we’re definitely on Hunted. It could be a news crew, or an event. Everyone’s very quick to say that the camera crew was the reason we got caught, but it’s something you have to account for while participating in the game. They’re a third member of the team and you’re not doing anything without them. They’re involved in all of your decision making and they’re along for the ride, from start to finish.”
On the moment they knew their time on Hunted was over:
Callum: “When we were running down the street, we had a good chance, but as soon as they got the car, my heart sank. Also, we didn’t have our bags or money, and the train only comes every half an hour. I almost made it to the train station, but even if I made it to the train station, I didn’t have any options there. It would’ve been very rough to be on the run in that state.”
Ben: “I think if we were fresh and the hunters had arrived the next morning, I think Cal and I stood a fighting chance to get out of there. But after hiking, chopping firewood and mowing in the heat, we weren’t able to get away.”
Note: this interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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Image credits: Channel 10, Hunted